Laszlo-108

"Not exactly the kind of man you'd think would be a SPARTAN. But I wouldn't want anyone else in front of me on a risky mission. He takes out enemies ahead before they can counterattack. And usually pulls a wisecrack about it afterwards."

- Dean Jackson about Laszlo.

Laszlo-108, real name Laszlo Tarkov, also nicknamed Laz and referred to as Codename: WASHINGTON or Laszlo Katona in the Office of Naval Intelligence, was a member of the original class of the Special Proficiency, Assault, Reconnaissance and Tactical Augmented Nonconventional-force, Second Generation Program and was a member of Brown Team.

Officially, the augmentations procedure he took alongside the other SPARTANs rendered him blind and later caused a rare illness which killed him. However, in reality, he was taken by the Covert Operations Group, led by Rear Admiral Ned Rich, and turned into an elite operative, a Leonidan. To carry out his role as the COG's new elite agent, he was placed in the Delta-4 Division, headed by Lieutenant Colonel Walter N. Cardwell. Later, he would go on to train the candidates of the COG-sanctioned SPARTAN-II Project ARES - better known as the SPARTAN-II Class III Program in laymen's terms. After the Human-Covenant War, he joined Operation: SAVIOUR alongside the rest of his brethren and, after the operation was called off, became a commander in the new SPARTAN-IV Program, more specifically over Albion Company.

He was also the older brother of a veteran ODST, Ivan Tarkov.

Career Service Vitae
(as of 06:00 Hours, 1 January 2600) Laz

Codename: WASHINGTON

Full Name: KATONA (official), Laszlo

Blood Type: A+

Height: 194 cm

Weight: 90 kg

Rating: Lieutenant (LT/O-3)

Unit: Albion Company

Born: New Pécs, Magyar, New Budapest

Gender: Male

Citizen: Budapestian

Age: 89 (chronological), 29 (physical)

Occupation: SPARTAN-II supersoldier

''Laszlo-108 (or Laz, as he prefers to be called) is one of the last surviving members of the SPARTAN-II Class One group, alongside Riker-012, Ajax-013, Fred-104 and so on. Together with his brothers and sisters, he was redeployed to serve as COs for the various SPARTAN-IV Companies. Many questions Laszlo's leadership performance, because most of his career has been spent fighting away from the other SPARTANs, as a member of the Leonidans, a group of four SPARTANs that became agents to carry out the work of the Office of Naval Intelligence. While none can deny his skill as a sharpshooter, intelligence operative and scout, he is still averagely inferior to most of the II Program survivors, and he isn't renowned among the SPARTANs for his skill, but for being the sole SPARTAN left with a joking personality. Nonetheless, he is a vital asset to the SPARTAN-IV Program, and many count on him to train the recruits of Albion Company well - an assignment he'll most likely come up with a great amount of jokes for.''

Early Life
"I don't remember my parents, but for some reason I think they were often pissed at me..."

- Laszlo on his early life.

SPARTAN-II Training
As per Naval Code 45812, Laszlo and 74 other children were declared part of the SPARTAN-II Program. He was

After Riker's attempted cigar-prank which nearly killed Mendez, getting him in trouble with both him and John for putting SPARTANs and Mendez in danger, Laszlo became very disappointed with Riker, not thinking it was a good idea. The discussion heated up and became a loud argument which ultimately resulted in the two best friends breaking away from one another. While Laszlo slowly forgot this, his fear that Riker still harbored a grudge against him prevented him from giving an apology.

Augmentation process and cover up
In 2525, the SPARTAN-IIs' training was completed, and the last and most dangerous phase could start: the augmentations process. Laszlo, along with all the other 74 subjects, were injected with the following drugs:


 * 1) Carbide ceramic ossification: Advanced material grafting onto skeletal structures to make bones virtually unbreakable. Recommended coverage not to exceed 3 percent total bone mass because significant white blood cell necrosis.
 * 2) Muscular enhancement injections: Protein complex is injected intramuscularly to increase tissue density and decrease lactase recovery time. Risk: 5 percent of test subjects experience a fatal cardiac volume increase.
 * 3) Catalytic thyroid implant: Platinum pellet containing human growth hormone catalyst is implanted in the thyroid to boost growth of skeletal and muscle tissues. Risk: rare instances of elephantiasis. Another risk is to get a suppressed sexual drive.
 * 4) Occipital capillary reversal: Submergence and boasted blood vessel flow beneath the rods and cones of subject's retina. It produces a marked visual perception increase. Risk: retinal rejection and detachment. It can also cause permanent blindness.
 * 5) Superconducting fabrication of neural dendrites: alteration of bioelectrical nerve transduction to shielded electronic transduction. Three hundred percent increase in subject reflexes. Anecdotal evidence of marked increase in intelligence, memory and creativity. Risk: significant instances of Parkinson’s disease and Fletcher's Syndrome.

Unfortunately, Laszlo suffered from the side effect of the third drug, Occipital capillary reversal, and he became completely blind. He was put into the 12 that became crippled of augmentations.

This was just what officially happened, however. In reality,

Human-Covenant War
"In times like the Human-Covenant War, most have a hard time in keeping up their smile. Not me; I chose to look positively and instead of pointing out the failures, I looked at the victories, and put my faith in that we would survive. It turns out we did."

- Laszlo on the Human-Covenant War.

Skirmish at Blue-45 (2539)
A short while after the disastrous Battle of Chi Rho, it was made evident that the Covenant wasn't as beaten as some thought. As a response, Laszlo along with Joker Team, were reassigned to the UNSC Celsius, a reconnaissance corvette, in order to travel to the Blue-45 system in an attempt to monitor Covenant activity. However, when they arrived at the system, the Covenant was closer than initially thought. Before the Celsius could hide, the Covenant Frigate Blessed Divination had spotted them, and moved closer to engage.

Joker Team was sent to the surface of the nearest asteroid to plant a HAVOK Tactical Nuclear Warhead, in the hope of engulfing the enemy ship in the resulting explosion and destroy it. The Covenant, noticing the humans sent ground forces onto the asteroid, sent several dropships to attack the humans. Laszlo and Dean stayed behind to hold off the incoming hostiles, while the rest of Joker Team proceeded to the point where they would place the nuke. The group successfully held off and defeated the Kig-yar and Unggoy attackers and defeated them.

After the short battle, the nuke had already been armed, so the group requested immediate evacuation. They managed to escape outside the blast radius just in time, while the explosion heavily damaged the Covenant frigate, causing it to crash land on the asteroid.

Raid on the Blessed Divination (2539)
But, despite the fact that the Blessed Divination had its shields and parts of its hull compromised and crash-landed on the asteroid, a considerable amount of its military contingent survived. As the captain of the Celsius, Richfield, deemed these stragglers a threat, no matter how minor, he ordered Joker Team back to the asteroid to raid the crashed ship and wipe out anything in their way.

Returning to the surface through the use of drop pods, Laszlo took point in the attack. They ambushed the crashed ship's outdoor patrols, quickly gunning them down. With the outer defenses down, they proceeded into the wreckage, systematically moving through sections and clearing out all pockets of resistance. After half an hour of intense firefights, the ship's few remaining soldiers had retreated to the bridge, planning a final stand.

Although initially planning to simply storm the bridge, Laszlo chose to take a different route; climbing through vents and holes in the ship's corridors to get onto the bridge's roof. With a high vantage point, Laszlo ordered the others to storm through the bridge's entrance. Just when they did, and before the Covenant troops could fire back, Laszlo tossed grenades and anti-personnel mines from above, tearing through about half of the hostiles and blowing apart their covers. After that, the fight was ended easily.

With all hostiles eliminated, the group was quickly evacuated back onto the ship. With Covenant reinforcements closing in on the system, the Celsius fled as soon as Laszlo and recon got back, leaving the contested system to the Covenant's control.

Battle of Miridem (2544)
In 2544, the Covenant attacked the world Miridem, where surviving UNSC forces from other battles had entrenched themselves in an attempt to make a stand. Before the actual attack, the Covenant sent a reconnaissance force consisting of a frigate, and secretly, a Stealth Corvette. The UNSC fleet quickly and easily destroyed the single ship, however it kept their attention away from the Stealth Corvette, which easily sneaked through the UNSC formation and sent down its Special Operations contingent with stealth dropships. The spec ops unit started to swiftly take out key UNSC defense positions in a stealthy manner, confusing the UNSC.

To respond to the unidentified hostiles, Laszlo and the rest of Joker Team was sent down to the surface to find the enemies and take them out if possible. A while into the mission, the group finally found a group of special operations elites. After a fierce firefight, the elites were dead and Laszlo managed to decrypt the elites' orders in a storage device, discovering their next target; a UNSC motor-pool, where vehicles were kept and maintained for the upcoming battle.

Although moving at top speed towards the outpost, the rest of the spec ops forces had already started their raid and destroyed several vehicles. Splitting up in small groups to sweep through and clear the area of hostiles, Joker Team started a long and thrilling pursuit. However, by the time that the final elite had been found and killed, the rest of the Covenant fleet had arrived and Covenant ground forces attacked the motor-pool, destroying most of the vehicles before they could be used and forcing Joker Team and the rest of the UNSC forces present to fall back.

As the navy was quickly taken out, the UNSC forces were taken back to the remaining ships and evacuated while the Covenant glassed Miridem, bringing humanity even closer to its demise. After following the standard Cole Protocol procedures, the beaten UNSC forces regrouped at Paris IV.

Operation: TEMPUS (2545)
For several years, surviving UNSC forces hid at Paris IV, waiting for the inevitable Covenant attack. However, in the meantime, UNSC tacticians busied themselves with finding ways to buy more time. In 2545, the chance came; the Covenant had set up a Listening Post on Miridem's burned surface, trying to monitor UNSC activity. However, Insurrectionists were still hidden in the Miridem system's asteroid belt, and the Covenant had found them. The insurrectionists requested the UNSC's aid as a result, one that the UNSC approved, with the motive that the longer the insurrectionists could resist the Covenant, the longer the Covenant would be distracted.

A small battlegroup of two destroyers and two frigates, on which Laszlo and the SPARTAN-Is of Joker Team was also assigned, was sent to the Miridem system. While the battlegroup attacked the Listening post's single sentry ship, Laszlo used a Booster Frame to get to the Listening post. Barely avoiding the defense turrets, he crashed into the base through a set of windows. While hatches closed behind the windows, Laszlo took down the base's outer perimeter guards.

He continued through the base, clearing out the corridors from guards, until he finally attacked the control room. The remaining Covenant soldiers fought fiercely, but Laszlo managed to defeat all of them, resulting in the Sangheili Zealot commander to go into a rampage. Despite the fearsome foe's sword and powerful shields, Laszlo managed to fool him to step on a trip mine, killing the Zealot instantly. With the listening post in UNSC hands, it was used to monitor Covenant activity instead. The UNSC battlegroup managed to destroy the sentry ship in orbit, achieving a small, but satisfying victory.

However, the Covenant responded quickly, attacking the system with a Medium Carrier and two Destroyers. Despite the combined efforts of the UNSC battlegroup and the improvised insurrectionist fleet, the human forces were taken down with relative ease. The listening post was overrun, forcing Laszlo and the other UNSC personnel to evacuate to the insurrectionist asteroid hideouts, although not before overloading the base's systems, causing a self-destruct.

Without the aid of the Listening Post, the Covenant task force was forced to search the Miridem system's asteroids one by one, something that took days. However, after a week, they had managed to take out half the insurrectionist-held asteroids and found the main base of operations for human forces, the asteroid Alius. Deciding not to waste troops by trying to kill all the asteroid's inhabitants, the Covenant ship started plasma bombardment. Laszlo, knowing it would soon be over, stole the rebels' sole Chiroptera-class Stealth Vessel and used it to escape the battle together with Dean, although losing Franco and Vinícius during the escape. When they returned to Paris IV, the operation was nonetheless deemed a success, since the covenant had been delayed for weeks, while Laszlo and Dean mourned their fallen comrades.

First Battle of Earth (2552)
In November, Regret's Taskforce attacked Earth. Regret immediately ordered his ships to send Boarding Crafts to destroy the MAC Orbital Stations from the inside with bombs and Anti-Matter Charges. Laszlo was deployed at one of the more important and attacked stations, Washington Station. Slightly before he arrived, New York and Ottawa Stations had been destroyed, and if Washington was too, it would open a hole for the entire Covenant Taskforce to bypass the defense grid.

Laszlo and the Marines and ODSTs onboard fought like beasts, but they were finally forced to evacuate to the center of the station. During their evacuation, the Covenant boarders began to carry their bomb and two Anti-Matter Charges into the station. Laszlo was sent out into the hordes along with some willing Marines and ODSTs to remove the threat of the explosives.

After a while of hard firefights, Laszlo and his group found and disabled the first Anti-Matter Charge. They were almost pushed back again, though, when Covenant reinforcements arrived. Laszlo had to sneak to the bomb through the station's maintenance access ways. He eliminated the guards and disabled the bomb. However, the last Covenant onboard panicked, and activated the other Anti-Matter Charge at the edge of the station. Most of the station was disabled, but the MAC Gun survived. Laszlo then went into one of the airlocks and took a Human-Entry Vehicle to the surface.

At the ground, he only fought briefly, and was sent to recover what was thought to be a Covenant AI. He fought multiple lances of Covenant before he could finally reach his target, only to discover that it was a trap by the Covenant. Through his cleverness, however, he managed to get out of the trap and kill the Zealot responsible. He then hijacked a Phantom Dropship back to headquarters in Washington.

Second Battle of Earth (2552)
The First Battle of Earth was won by the UNSC shortly after Regret's carrier and the UNSC In Amber Clad left for Installation 05. Repairs were made to Washington Station and many other damaged MAC Orbital Stations. Some cities, like Mombasa, had been devastated during the battle. The UNSC started to reinforce the positions of the remaining cities, waiting for the coming Second Invasion.

And later that month, more Covenant forces arrived. Full-scale invasions started, and victory for the Covenant seemed inevitable. Despite this, the UNSC continued to fight. Laszlo and the present Marine Companies heavily reinforced Washington, along with local Colonial Militia. When the first Covenant forces arrived, The UNSC had a total of 10,000 soldiers, of which 4,500 were Marines and ODSTs. Another 4,000 was Colonial Militia, and the final 1,500 were people from the city willing to grab weapons to help defend their home.

At the start of the battle, the Covenant had a total 15,000, 5,000 more than the human defenders. Due to the patriotic spirit of the soldiers, and the morale boost Laszlo gave with his presence, the UNSC defeated this Covenant Army, who fell back with heavy casualties. The UNSC had too suffered heavy casualties, though, and only around 4,600 soldiers remained.

Next day, a new Covenant force, this one counting around 12,000 soldiers, and consisting mostly of Jiralhanae, arrived and assaulted the city. The sheer amount of enemies was too much, and most of the UNSC soldiers were overwhelmed. The remaining defense forces, Laszlo included, prepared for a final stand at the White House, the old President building.

The Covenant attacked, and despite indescribable bravery from the Marines and soldiers, they started to fall. Luckily, a Sangheili taskforce appeared in direct orbit above the city at the last second and sent down dozens of Phantoms to aid the defenders. With the reinforcements, Laszlo successfully led the combined army to victory against the Loyalist force. The Loyalists did not pay any more attention on Washington after that, and instead deployed their forces near Mombasa and Voi, around the Ark Portal.

Rebuild Era
"Rebuilding humanity from the ground up wasn't simple; there were still things out there that didn't want us to survive..."

- Laszlo on the Rebuild Era.

Battle of the Vanishing Mercy (2553)
In 2553, Laszlo was brought onboard the Separatist Ship known as the Vanishing Mercy, together with an ONI expedition. The ship would take them to Sanghelios, so that ONI could study the Sangheili at a closer look, as well as establishing a human embassy on the planet to improve relations between humanity and the Sangheili.

During the slipspace journey, however, the ship was jammed by a hiding Loyalist Carrier, and Vanishing Mercy had to jump out of slipspace. There, the Loyalist Carrier attacked the cruiser, and after a while of evasive maneuvers, the shields collapsed. The Loyalists then deployed dropships into the Cruiser's Hangars, and Brutes swarmed in.

Laszlo was called in to help defend the ship. He took some Sangheili weapons and then attacked the intruders. The Loyalists' numbers were overwhelming, but Laszlo and the Elites held their ground. Meanwhile, Vanishing Mercy managed to destroy the Loyalist Carrier, thereby removing the Jiralhanae's transport. Many of the Grunts panicked and went over to the Sangheili's side, while the remaining Brutes couldn't do anything but await being found and killed by the Elite Strike Teams. After an additional hour, all enemy contacts were eliminated, and Vanishing Mercy continued on their course for Sanghelios.

Necros War
"The Necros are far worse than the Covenant. But at least they're just machines; and machines can be broken."

- Laszlo on the Necros

Operation: DEVIANT (2610)
"Our first mission was an assault on a string of Jackal Pirate bases. But I wouldn't call that a real mission. It was so easy that I barely made a sweat, and I think my recruits agree."

- Laszlo on the IVs' first mission.

After the SPARTAN-IVs graduated, Laszlo took command of Albion Company when they were revealed to be receiving their first mission, as part of OPERATION: DEVIANT. The mission took the Spartan-IVs to a sector of Kig-Yar Pirate bases. Albion Company were part of the initial group that entered the territory and split up platoon-wise in order to retrieve as much information as possible about the bases to make the upcoming assaults easier.

Albion secured computers, downloaded data and intercepted radio transmissions, providing great aid to the rest of the Spartans. After the mission was over, Albion was able to hand over a great deal of data about the Pirates and their operations to Section Three.

Final Battle (26??)
"You all know what is at stake, what we are about to do. I have come to trust each and every one of you of you with my life -- but I have also heard murmurs of discontent. I share your concerns.


 * But I want you to remember our heroes; John-117 that went into the howling dark and never returned; Ashley Peterson; who gave her life so that those she cared about could live, and Alm-A189; who went down fighting against far superior numbers on his own. These brave individuals died, but their legacy, us, lives on.


 * Our influence stopped the rebels, but before that we held the line! Our influence stopped the Remnant, but before that, we held the line!


 * Our influence WILL stop the Necros; in the battle today, we will HOLD THE LINE!"

- Laszlo's speech during the final battle of the Necros War

Overall Personality
Laszlo was a very laid-back, care-free and wisecracking SPARTAN that usually got on most people's nerves, not to mention his fellow SPARTANs. He tended to joke, laugh and be overall cheerful and optimistic, although never arrogant. He would also try to look on the bright side of most situations, preferring to see the good things that happened rather than the bad things, another trait that earned him dislike from a great deal of people, especially during the Human-Covenant War, when morale was falling and a general pessimistic attitude was common among the UNSC's personnel.

He also liked and tried to make friends wherever he went, being a very social individual. He also mentioned on multiple occasions that he values his friends above his missions or duties. The few people that saw this became very close to him, including Riker, Dean Jackson and Sergei Sholokhov. Laszlo is also special in that he formed very close bonds with aliens (after the Human-Covenant War), such as the Sangheili Asro 'Tamas, the Jiralhanae Targulus and the Unggoy Nanaj, all of whom would be vital to him on later occasions.

However, beneath his happy expression, he was sensitive and harbored many fears, such as being afraid of losing his friends (likely caused after Riker's “death”) and a phobia for spiders (later overcome and turned into a simple dislike). While he quickly recovered from his sorrow whenever losing somebody he held dear, he would no longer be exactly the same, as proven after the defense of Washington, where the massacre of the city's people left him shocked for two weeks. However, the return of Riker, the years of searching for John-117 during Operation: SAVIOR and ultimately the task of training Albion Company made sure that he had returned to his former state by the time of the Necros War.

"The Leonidans"
"Well, I was always the worst of us four. Guess god decided to trade my skills for a loud mouth and the others' mouths for skill."

- Laszlo about "The Leonidans".

Riker-012
"A silent, unemotional douche is what he is. And he's the best bud I've ever had. You go tell if I've got problems..."

- Laszlo about Riker, his best friend.

Despite his demeanor, Riker came well along with Laszlo, and as the years passed, became his closest friend. However, the two had a disagreement over Riker's exploding cigar prank which nearly killed Mendez - Laszlo thought Riker had gone too far while Riker angrily thought that Laszlo was backing out on him to keep himself out of trouble, and thus betrayed his trust; this severed their friendship temporarily. The two forgave one another for this when they met again at Reach - after decades of believing the other to be dead.

Leonid-144
"Seriously? Leonid's the only Spartan I'm really afraid of. I mean, Ajax is just creepy; I can live with that. But Leonid is another story. He's outright scary."

- Laszlo about Leonid-144, a fellow Leonidan.

John-117
"Didn't matter what I threw at him, he still wouldn't laugh. Don't understand how he could become a hero when he can't make little children laugh."

- Laszlo about his relationship with John-117.

Due to his cheerish attitude, John-117 (and many other Spartans) saw Laszlo as an annoying, unserious teenager, and not worthy the honor of being a soldier. He has often forgotten Laszlo's skill because of this.

Purple Team
"Everyone in purple team was green-light. Which is strange when you take into account that purple isn't anywhere near green... Anyway, they were not quite as much family as Riker, but darn close."

- Laszlo on his relationship with fellow members of purple team.

However, not all SPARTANs saw Laszlo as annoying. Chris-007 and Yahiko-146, who together with Laszlo formed Purple Team, grew close to him and eventually embraced him as their leader, despite having a rocky start. His abduction into Section One made him sad, as he was also separated from two of his best friends (coupled with Riker's supposed death), although he quickly adapted to this, and decided to simply be glad that they had survived the augmentations procedure.

With Laszlo gone, both of them were reassigned to Green Team, which was merged with Red Team during the Battle of Reach and annihilated during the defense of the Orbital Defense Platform generators. Hearing of their deaths depressed Laszlo, only countered by his happiness over meeting Riker again, causing a time of confusion for him in-between the Battle of Reach and the Battles of Earth.

Dr. Halsey
"She's the only woman who I haven't been able to crack the code on. And I have decrypted many locks before."

- Laszlo about Dr. Halsey.

Dr. Halsey saw something special in Laszlo when they first met, though she didn't realize it until later. She thought that he would make a cheer-up boost for the Spartans together with Will-043, but when Laszlo was abducted into Section One and taken away from his peers, and when Will became too serious to be a real joker, this attempt failed. However, she learned that Lavernius works for Section One after the Battle of Miridem by watching some surviving footage from the planet, though she has decided to let it be, aware of her inability to do anything about.

Leonidas (AI)
"He's not much better than the rogue AIs I'm sent to purge..."

- Laszlo talking about his thoughts on Leonidas.

Due to their completely opposite personalities, neither Laszlo nor Leonidas came well along at first. Leonidas would too often question Laszlo's orders or refuse to carry out a mission. After a few battles together, however, they bonded, and by 2563, they considered each other as good friends and a great team.

Leonidas' descent into rampancy hurt Laszlo, though their friendship prevented him from purging the AI at first as ordered, subsequently giving Leonidas momentum to upload himself into the UNSC Bubble Gum's system and taking it over, threatening to send it into the nearby star. Very reluctantly and with heavy heart, Laszlo used his knowledge of Leonidas behavior to challenge and ultimately purge him, saving the ship and its crew.

The experience was noted as mentally scarring to Laszlo, which would later cause him to be reluctant to accept Odysseus as a new AI assistant, either afraid of befriending another AI that would at some point descend into rampancy or losing faith in AIs overall.

Other races
At first, Laszlo disliked the Covenant races like the rest of humanity because of the pain they caused. However, he found their technology interesting, and he often used his free time to study Covenant weapons and equipment. After the Human-Covenant War, however, he felt that the Sangheili had repaid humanity for the deaths they caused, and when the Sangheili continued to cooperate with and protect humanity, he did his best to aid Human-Sangheili relations. During his time at the Human Sanghelios Embassy, he became friends with the Ascetic.

While Laszlo have decided to forgive some of the other former Covenant races, he dislikes the fact that they haven't repaid humanity for what they caused. This includes the Yanme'e, Unggoy and the Lekgolo, although he doesn't feel too much upset about them, because he realizes they were little more than pawns of the San 'Shyuum (it should also be noted that he befriended an Unggoy, Nanaj). The San 'Shyuum, Kig-yar and Jiralhanae, however, makes him more upset, partly because of their divided loyalties, but also because they haven't done anything to aid humanity (an exception being small trade with the Kig-yar). Despite this, he became close friends with the Jiralhanae Targulus.

After the AUR encountered the Machina, Laszlo quickly became interested in them, partly because of their technology (including the frames), but also because of their tech-loving nature, which he himself does, making them very similar to one another.

Laszlo also 'connects' with the Plainsfierians, because they, like humanity, were almost wiped out by the Covenant. Their shape-shifting abilities, long age and stealth capability also fascinate him.

Unlike the Machina and Plainsfierians, Laszlo doesn't particularly like the Vorenus, because of their strict discipline and lack of humor, which sets them apart from himself. However, compared to the other races, he's encountered the Vorenus the least, which may be a part of why he dislikes them, as he's barely had time to meet any.

Hobbies & interests
"Some days I like to just sit in a chair, look out the window and paint whatever I see. Other days I shoot my way into burning corridors on a crumbling ship pursued by ten times stronger enemies to retrieve a small cache of data. Yet other days I just sit down and tinker with any piece of technology I've picked up over the years."

- Laszlo about his hobbies and interests.

Laszlo's favorite interest is technology in all forms and variations and to study, tamper, modify, reconstruct or simply use said technology. Most of his free time is usually spent on studying pieces of technology and trying to come up with ideas to modify or reconstruct the item to make it more effective. While not on scientist level, he's considered to be very well gifted in technology, and have been able to construct modifications for his equipment on many occasions.

His other major pastime is painting, and although he was bad at it at the start, as years passed he became an efficient and excellent painter. A year after starting to train the S-IVs, he reportedly tried to give an excellent painting to Kelly in return for her going out with him, something she strongly refused to (much to his dismay).

Romance
"Romance is like days. Sometimes it feels like nothing could go wrong. Other times everything is just hell."

- Laszlo about romance.

Unlike Riker, who once had a true love, and David, who still had a true love, Laszlo never had anyone like that. Most of his romantic life was simple crushes or affections, both during the training period and when he got older. During training, he showed interest in most of the S-II girls, including, but not limited to; Linda, Kelly, Cassandra-075 (the most serious, which was an on-off relationship for several years until Cassandra finally turned him down permanently) and Maria. However, all of them turned him down, some in more violent ways than others. After being taken by Section One, Laszlo would sometimes be affected or have crushes on fellow female operatives, some more interested in him than others.

Weapons
"Weapons are my favorite toys, they're easier to make upgrades for."

- Laszlo about weapons.

Human-Covenant War

 * SRS99 series: The SRS99 is a series of anti-matériel rifles that serves as the UNSC's primary sniper rifles. Laszlo early on found a liking to the weapons and became quite adept with them (though nowhere near Linda's level).
 * SRS99C-S2 AM: In service between 2525 and 2552. It features a night-vision scope for night-time accessibility, although its normal scope and handle became outdated during the later years of the war.
 * SRS99D-S2 AM: In service between 2552 and 2559. It replaced the 99C-model in late 2552, featuring an improved scope and gripped handle.
 * M99 SASR: Better known as the Stanchion Rifle, it used the same technology used in Mass Drivers and MAC cannons, though on a much smaller scale. Although designed for eliminating explosive ordnance at a distance, it also works very well against infantry and light vehicles.
 * M6 Series: The M6 is a series of personal defense weapons developed by Misriah Armory. It has been in service almost 140 years with little changes made. Laszlo quickly mastered using the M6 series, becoming proficient and even unmatched in using them compared to other SPARTANs.
 * M6C PDWS: In service between 2525 and 2552. It is noted to be weaker than other models, although it could also be produced in larger numbers. It is largely ineffective over long or medium ranges and against shielded combatants, but efficient at close range against unshielded enemies.
 * M6C/SOCOM: In service between 2552 and 2568. It is also known as the M6S or Automag. It's an upgraded version of the M6C used by Special Forces. It features an integrated sound suppressor, muzzle brake and a laser aiming module, along with a smart-linked scope and a higher rate of fire.
 * W/AV M6 G/GNR: Better known as the Spartan Laser, this weapon is the UNSC's first ground-based, man-portable, anti-vehicle, directed energy weapon. It is extremely powerful, able to disable most enemy vehicles and aircraft with a single hit. Due to the weapon's rarity, Laszlo's deployment with the weapon was rare, although he found it impressive nonetheless, and also thinks it has a symbolic value because John-117 used it against 343 Guilty Spark in the final battle on the Second Installation 04.

Necros War

 * M113 SRS: Designed for urban or closed environments, Laszlo early took a preference for this rifle upon creation, as it was smaller and more robust than the standard SRS99. As a consequence, many snipers and designated marksmen in Albion Company are very adept with the rifle as well.
 * M1091 SRS23: Although he preferred the M113, Laszlo would occasionally use the M1091 SRS whenever he needed maximum accuracy and more power than the M113 could provide. It features a very high caliber, making the recoil significant, although it poses little problem for SPARTANs.
 * M99C SASR: As with the M1091, Laszlo would occasionally use the M99C SASR, the new Stanchion rifle, mostly for explosive ordnance disposal and anti-vehicle/personnel missions.
 * M6L/S PDWS: The newest in the M6 series, the M6L PDWS/Suppressed variant became Laszlo's favorite weapon, usually carrying one with him at all times. It is much like its predecessors, only weighing less and being more durable, making it less of a burden.
 * W/AV M6B G/GNR: Being the second iteration of the Spartan Laser, its deployment was rare, although it was a highly effective weapon.
 * MX12 DIER: This rifle, better known as the Ion Rifle, is a relatively new joint Human-Sangheili made weapon. It is used primarily as an experimental anti-vehicle weapon, although it only does efficient damage on lighter vehicles. Despite the fact that he found it fascinating, Laszlo used the weapon rarely, mainly because it is a prototype weapon.
 * MX9 EMP: Created with assistance from the USR, it is humanity's first efficient EMP grenade for anti-vehicle purposes, although they can be used on electronics in general to great effect, making it an important tool for Laszlo and Albion Company during their missions involving electronics or enemy vehicles.

Armor
"This suit's amazing! I've got to learn exactly how it works someday..."

- Laszlo on his MJOLNIR Armor.


 * Body Suit: Laszlo used this simple body armor during his first missions for Section One. Although protective, it couldn't take much punishment before breaking, and certain types of ammunition could easily tear through it. Coupled with it being hard to repair in the field and uncomfortable to wear, it was replaced as soon as possible with more reliable armor systems.
 * ODST Battle Armor/Recon Variant: Laszlo used the ONI Recon variant of the ODST Battle Armor for his more public missions where interactions with other UNSC forces couldn't be avoided, as part of his new false identity during his time with Section One. The suit, in addition to the standard Battle Armor's features, weighed less and featured other systems, such as radiation reducers, to be more stealth-oriented.
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor Mark IV: Used on most of Laszlo's covert operations, the Mark IV MJOLNIR was the best suit available in the starting years of the Human-Covenant War. It featured performance enhancers that increased speed, endurance, agility, strength and decreased reaction times, although they could only be worn by the SPARTAN-IIs because of their special augmentations.
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor Mark IV/V Variant: A variant of the standard Mark IV MJOLNIR armor designed to support its wearer in vacuum environments, including features to improve exo-atmospheric endurance and mobility in zero-gravity. Laszlo used the armor during his covert EVA operations, usually against insurrectionists or pirates.
 * SPI Armor: Laszlo used both versions of the Semi-Powered Infiltration Armor during his time in Section One, although only on missions where extreme stealth was required. Though more advanced than the ODST armor, it was far inferior to the MJOLNIR armor, and could only take a few blows before failing. However, it featured imperfect photo-reactive panels that mimic the surrounding textures, the UNSC equivalent of the active camouflage used by the Covenant.
 * HAYABUSA Powered Assault Armor: The HAYABUSA Powered Assault Armor was the product of Project HAYABUSA, a rival project to MJOLNIR. It included advanced material to reduce its weight by a full third, making it an effective self-contained power armor. Laszlo tested the suit for RKD to make sure it worked flawlessly. Although the tests were successful, the armor wasn't issued to the other spartans due to cost restraints.
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor Mark VI/O Variant: This armor is a variant of the standard MJOLNIR Mark VI Powered Assault Armor, incorporating designs from the SCOUT and RECON projects into a customizable stealth suit. Although only prototypes by 2552, they were issued to Laszlo and Jared, another Leonidan and customized for their preference. In addition to the reduction of IR signatures, reflective surfaces and Cherenkov radiation emission, Laszlo customized his prototype to be more infiltration and technology-based stealth as opposed to Jared's pure reconnaissance-oriented armor.

Strengths & Weaknesses
"Had I not been a Spartan, I'd be a technician or mechanic. Or perhaps a clown..."

- Laszlo talking about his skills.

Laszlo's main strength is his knowledge of technology, allowing him to understand what most devices do even if no one tells him what they are, and to overcome technology in his path. He has high knowledge in the inner workings of AIs, knowing their weaknesses, which aided him well whenever he was hunting rogue AIs. This knowledge of artificial intelligence also gives him a little understanding in how Forerunner sentinels and monitors work, allowing him to quickly deduce their tactics or what they are capable of. He is also an accomplished vehicle driver and aircraft pilot, although way outclassed by Ajax in the area.

In addition to his technological expertise, he is also a skilled scout, though not on the same level as Fhajad, who was considered one of the IIs' best scouts. He can also be stealthy if required, knowing how to move silently and without being seen (something he claims to be because he had to sneak on people when he wanted to pull pranks on them in youth). He is also decently knowledgeable in first aid, knowing enough to perform simple patching of wounds, applying biofoam and simple surgery.

In battle, he is an adaptable long or medium range fighter, using pistols (in which he is unmatched compared to other Spartans) and sniper rifles. While good with Snipers, he isn't anywhere near Linda's expertise. However, he is below-average Spartan standards in the use of shotguns, making him a less capable fighter at close range. He is also skilled with the Spartan laser and stanchion rifle, although his deployment with said weapons was sporadic and rare. In battle, he also makes use of his stealth to deploy mines or toss grenades with fine efficiency.

His main weakness is lesser skill and experience in close quarters combat, making him an easier enemy to fight up close. He would also occasionally not take missions seriously until it backfired, something that almost cost him his life on many occasions. After the defense of Washington, and even more notably, the Mandorla Campaign, he started to isolate himself from others, trying to work alone without any assistance, because of witnessing so much death up close at once. Eventually, he managed to overcome this and became his usual, friendly self again.

Overall, while a good SPARTAN, he never was at the top in any branch, making him one of the medium-skilled SPARTANs (such as Jerome-092, Alice-130, Douglas-042, Jai-006 etc.) below Blue Team's, Ajax-013's, Jared-091's and Kurt-051's level. As he personally puts it, he doesn't strive to be the best nor is the best, he simply follows the flow and sees where it takes him. Many have noted he has great potential, however, had he chosen to dedicate more time in sharpening his skills rather than socialize with others.

Quotes
"I like technology. I don't know why, but I just love it. I like to invent things, and to try invented things on, like this ass-kicking suit of MJOLNIR Armor. There's only one kind of technology I hate: AIs; and especially the rogue ones..."

- Laszlo

"Things I hate: Vegetables, Machines that break, inventions that don't work, Big-as-hell Baby Kongos, Spiders, jokes that ain't funny and my extremely irritating and stupid AI partner, who thinks that he's a king that died 3,000 years ago."

- Laszlo talking about his dislikes.

"If only Chief Mendez was here to see me. He would call me "ass-hole" like he always did when I got too funny."

- Laszlo talking about Mendez.

"If I miss teamwork? No, I've seen too many die to want to work with anyone anymore, except for Leonidas perhaps. He's been very supportive these days."

- Laszlo talking about his memories from the Defense of Washington.

"How me and Riker became friends? Heck, I don't know that myself. It just kinda...happened."

- Laszlo discussing the origins of his and Riker's friendship.

"Minden Minden van Szabad."

- Laszlo saying the Hungarian equivalent to ”Oly Oly Oxen Free”.

"Remember, recruits, that Machines can both be your best friends and your worst nightmare."

- Laszlo talking to his SPARTAN-IV Recruits.

"Also; remember to be as swift as the coursing river, as powerful as a great typhoon, as strong as a raging fire and as mysterious as the dark side of the moon."

- Laszlo to the SPARTAN-IVs

Trivia

 * The given name is a tribute to the Machinima maker D-Laz/Lemur Gimmick.
 * His fighting specialties are heavily based on the Mass Effect player class 'Infiltrator', a class which combines proficiency with long-range weapons (pistols and snipers) with technological abilities.
 * Laszlo is the sixteenth longest article on Halo Fanon, disregarding RPs or Stories; however, he is the 94th longest article overall.
 * The author of this article and Lordofmonsterisland, author of Riker-012, have recently been in a state of friendly competition in who's Spartan article will be the longest. Currently, Lomi and Riker hold the lead :P
 * Laszlo's ONI codename was Codename: WASHINGTON, a tribute to Agent Washington from the Red vs. Blue series.
 * It is also ironic that he was eventually forced to defend the city Washington DC, as his codename was WASHINGTON.
 * 'Katona' is a popular Hungarian surname, meaning 'soldier', a pun on his career.
 * The author struggles with a love-hate relationship with the article, occasionally wishing nothing more than redo the whole article into a different character, while being okay with it on other occasions.