Project HRUNTING: Difference between revisions

'''Project HRUNTING''' was a [[powered exoskeleton]] development project carried out by [[human]]ity, beginning in [[2166]], during the height of the [[Interplanetary War]]. The program was eventually picked up by the [[Materials Group]] and continued under [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] direction for hundreds of years, before formally ceasing development in [[2525]], wherein it was consolidated with the [[Project YGGDRASIL|YGGDRASIL]] program.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=76-77}}

The '''HRUNTING Mark I''' exoskeleton was produced throughout the ''[[Domus Diaspora]]'', and fielded in limited numbers by the UNSC - with modified variants licensed and modified for usage by [[civilian]]s in heavy lifting and material handling roles such as aboard [[Human starship|spacecraft]] and [[space station]]s. The military variants of this era were employed as logistical support vehicles and limited weapons carriers.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

**[[Kinsano's Cyclops]] - a modified Mark III [S] equipped with dual [[M7057 flamethrower]]s.

**[[Reactive Cyclops]] - a Mark III [S] equipped with a [[Energy shielding|bubble shield]].

**[[Veteran Cyclops]] - a Mark III [S] equipped with shock rounds in its main cannon.

While the CMA retained great interest in the fruits of HRUNTING, in [[2461]] they began their own ventures into supersoldier augmentation and weapon system R&D supported by ONI. This resulted in {{Project|MELAENO}} - the equipment and technical support arm of the CMA's own [[ORION Project]]. Where ORION focused on the development of human supersoldiers, MELAENO focused on their equipment ultimately culminating in the development of the [[ORION armor|Orion Exoframe Load Carrier]] - a short-lived powered exoskeleton project that underwent some limited field-testing before being cancelled.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

The remains of MELAENO remained classified even throughout the CMA's dissolution in the early 26th century, though Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]] was able to gain access to the files in [[2515]] and strip it of useable information. In [[2510]], Halsey conducted a review into HRUNTING as a civilian consultant for ONI and deemed HRUNTING as an "interesting failure" for not innovating and exploiting the breakthroughs it had achieved. However, Halsey was unwilling to reform the project and reform its administrative burden and instead proposed the creation of a new program - termed [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor|MJOLNIR]] -  with a new handpicked team unbound by dogma or preexisting assumptions. The useful components of HRUNTING and MELAENO were incorporated into MJOLNIR alongside new innovations, and within a year of initiation MJOLNIR had already eclipsed HRUNTING in progress. Despite this, ONI kept both programs online in parallel with one another - with MJOLNIR eventually going on to furnish the [[SPARTAN-II program]] and its [[Spartan Operations|successors]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

The Armor Defense System (ADS) prototypes enjoyed great success and at least three of their major developments were later proven to have a tangible strategic impact, including the [[HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark I ADS|Mark I]], [[HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark II (D) Geyrion|Mark II]] and [[HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Mantis|Mark IX]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}