Editing Project ORCHID

{{Era|Post}}
{{Quote|We're not exactly like those artificial gods from the earlier generations. More like demigods. And I'll be damned if that usually isn't good enough.|[[Edward Buck]]<ref name="H:NB">'''[[Halo: New Blood]]''', Chapter 1</ref>}}

[[File:HI-SpartanIV-Augmentations-Panels.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Sarah Palmer]] undergoing the augmentation process]]
The '''SPARTAN-IV Augmentation Program''' is the formal name for the biochemical and surgical [[Human augmentation|augmentation procedures]] performed on the [[SPARTAN-IV program|Spartan-IV supersoldiers]].<ref name="packet">'''[[Halo 4 Limited Edition]]''', ''[[Infinity Briefing Packet]]''</ref> As with the recruitment methodology of the SPARTAN-IV program, the scope of their augmentations hearkens back to the [[ORION Project]]'s less extensive physical enhancement moreso than the decidedly more superhuman [[Spartan-II]]s and [[Spartan-III]]s,<ref name="frankie">[http://members.shaw.ca/laird2/temp/derp/interview.mp3 '''Frank O'Connor interview during San Diego Comic-Con 2012''' (1:15 - 2:10)]</ref> although several new procedures are utilized.<ref name="HI2">'''Halo: Initiation''', ''[[Halo: Initiation Issue 2|Issue #2]]''</ref>

==Background==
Like their forebears, nascent Spartan-IVs undergo a series of procedures to enhance their physical capabilities. The augmentations are performed through a combination of chemical injections (like [[Project CHRYSANTHEMUM|those of the Spartan-IIIs]]) and invasive surgical implants (like [[SPARTAN-II augmentation procedures|those of the Spartan-IIs]]). The technology used in the two preceding SPARTAN programs necessitated that the candidates meet exceedingly strict genetic qualifications as well as the application of the enhancements on preteens to avoid the catastrophic failure rates produced by the augmentation of adult subjects in the ORION Project.<ref>'''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'''</ref> By the time the SPARTAN-IV program was initiated the technology had advanced to the point that some of the previously dangerous procedures could be performed safely on adults and without stringent genetic requirements. Due to the subjects' bodies no longer being in developing stages as well as their lack of genetic requirements, the process must be carefully custom-tailored for each individual.<ref name="HI2"/><ref name="hnb115">'''Halo: New Blood''', ''pages 115-117'' (Google Play edition)</ref>

==Augmentations==
While the enhancements have not been described in detail, they incorporate technologies originating from the prior [[SPARTAN programs]] as well as completely new additions.<ref name="HI2"/> However, because the Spartan-IVs' performance-enhancing physical augmentations do not produce results as effective as those of their predecessors, they are forced to rely more heavily on their [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN2)|GEN2 Mjolnir armor]] to compensate.<ref name="frankie"/>

{| class="wikitable"
! Nature
! Description
|-
|Skeletal
|Bones are infused with a substance "tougher than steel" which makes them virtually unbreakable, allowing survival in harder impacts.<ref name="HI2"/><ref group="note">This enhancement is likely derived from the carbide ceramic ossification catalyst drug given to the Spartan-IIIs.</ref> The joints are also reinforced or replaced while the bones are lengthened, making the subject several centimeters taller than they originally were. The reinforcement is necessary as without it, simple actions such as jumping would result in the bones disintegrating due to the strain from the strengthened muscles.<ref name="NB14">'''Halo: New Blood''', Chapter 14</ref>
|-
|Muscular
|Muscles are injected with a material that allows them to work harder without breaking the Spartan's skeleton<ref name="HI2"/><ref group="note">This enhancement may have been derived from the fibroid muscular protein complex drug given to the Spartan-IIIs. However, given Frank O'Connor's {{Plain|[http://members.shaw.ca/laird2/temp/derp/interview.mp3 statement]}} about the inferiority of the Spartan-IVs' "mechanical" augmentations, it is likely less effective than the chemical given to the two previous Spartan generations, or has less potent effects due to the Spartan-IVs' adult physiques, much like some of the augmentations in the ORION Project. Aside from Frank O'Connor's statement, it can be inferred that the material grafted onto the subjects muscles' allows them to work three times harder based on Sarah Palmer's statement of a Spartan-IV being able to "outrun a horse". The average human can run around 10 to 12 mph, which would imply that a Spartan-IVs' speed would have to have been increased by about three times. It is also known that the muscles are augmented enough that the bones of the subject would be disintegrated while working if they are not reinforced.</ref>
|-
|Neural
|The nervous system is "super-myelinated" to decrease reaction time.<ref name="NB14"/><ref group="note">This enhancement may have been derived from the superconducting neural disunification solution drug given to the Spartan-IIIs.</ref>
|-
|Corneal
|Corneal implants are provided, improving the subject's eyesight and night vision.<ref name="HI2"/><ref name="hnb115"/> The use of implants is a departure from the Spartan-III program's use of a retinal-inversion stabilizer drug to achieve the same effect.
|-
|Pulmonary
|Lungs are lined with a polymer that enhances [[oxygen]] intake and allows the subject to process air-borne toxins or foreign gas mixtures<ref name="HI2"/>
|-
|Intestinal
|Intestinal bacteria are altered to enable the digestive system to absorb more nutrients out of food<ref name="HI2"/>
|-
|Pancreatic
|Pancreas is replaced by a new vat-grown organ<ref name="HI2"/>
|-
|Cardiac
|Heart is implanted with a synthetic weave which significantly increases its capacity to pump [[blood]]<ref name="HI2"/>
|-
|Cardiovascular
|Blood is altered to allow for faster clotting.<ref name="HI2"/> Subject's blood is modified to make the Spartan immune to most toxins.<ref name="NB14"/>
|-
|Biological
|Other than the brain, virtually all other organs in the body are either modified in some manner or replaced.<ref name="NB14"/>
|-
|Cybernetic
|The subject is given a [[Spartan neural interface|specialized neural implant]] capable of interfacing with an [[AI]] alongside a significant number of implanted electronics.<ref name="NB14"/> They are also implanted with several monitoring devices to help medical teams.<ref name="HI2"/>
|-
|}

===Experimental phase===
A series of additional augmentations were included in the earliest, prototypical phase of the program. These enhancements would have made the Spartans significantly stronger and more resistant to injury, the goal being that they could operate without Mjolnir armor. However, these procedures proved to have an unacceptable casualty rate, killing or crippling nine of the ten initial candidates: The sole survivor, [[Ilsa Zane]], was rendered mentally unstable. Demonstrating the effectiveness of these experimental enhancements, Zane was able to engage a Mjolnir-armored Sarah Palmer in hand-to-hand combat without the use of any protective equipment and survived Palmer violently driving her head into a metal bulkhead face-first, as well as her subsequent prolonged exposure to the vacuum of space.<ref name="HI3">'''Halo: Initiation''', ''[[Halo: Initiation Issue 3|Issue #3]]''</ref>

==Procedure==
The SPARTAN-IV augmentation procedures (at least at the onset of the program) take three weeks to perform,<ref name="HI2"/> with recovery and subsequent training usually lasting several months.<ref name="packet"/> It took about two days for the first team of Spartan-IVs to relearn how to walk again following their augmentations. Significant disorientation was in evidence during their initial training exercises.<ref name="HI2"/>

The augmentation procedures are conducted in a dedicated Spartan-IV facility on [[Mars]] and are considered quite painful.<ref name="NB14"/> Approximately two dozen candidates were augmented and conditioned at any given time during the second Spartan-IV class.<ref name="hnb115"/>

===Effects===
Reflecting on her augmentations, [[Sarah Palmer]] stated that the synthetic cardiac weave allows her to "outrun a horse". The enhancements performed on the lungs potentially allow a Spartan-IV to breathe [[methane]] for around an hour.<ref name="HI2"/> Nutrition-wise, it is also said that a Spartan could eat a raw tree and retain the equivalent of six meals' worth of calories in terms of energy.<ref name="NB14"/> According to [[Edward Buck]], the ocular implants enable him to see in the dark and read the fine print on release forms "from across the room".<ref name="hnb115"/> The subject's hearing is also greatly improved.<ref name="hnb115"/>

However, the decision to augment adults as opposed to preteens comes at the cost of performance: the results of the Spartan-IVs' physical augmentations are not as effective as those of the preceding generations. To compensate for this shortcoming, the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN2)|GEN2 Mjolnir armor]] worn by the Spartan-IVs is designed to multiply the wearer's strength and speed significantly more than first-generation suits. At least in theory, this makes a Spartan-IV clad in GEN2 armor equal to a GEN1-wearing Spartan-II in terms of strength and speed, but the Spartan-IV would be at a considerable disadvantage without armor.<ref name="frankie"/><ref>[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/06/11/halo-5-guardians-unmasking-the-fireteam-hunting-master-chief.aspx '''Halo 5: Guardians – Unmasking The Fireteam Hunting Master Chief''']</ref> The physical disparity between a Spartan-IV and a Spartan-II has been compared to that between an elite-level athlete and a "near-supernatural monster".<ref>[http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=167200983&postcount=566 '''NeoGaf''': ''Post by Frank O'Connor'']</ref> Spartan Edward Buck also compared the Spartan-IVs to demigods while respectively likening the Spartan-IIs and Spartan-IIIs to the Titans and gods of Greek mythology.<ref name="NB14"/>

Spartan-IVs must follow a rigid set of guidelines to maintain their physical fitness and health. These include undergoing regular medical examinations, including physiological scans, reviews and treatment before and after each mission. A Spartan-IV is expected to perform at optimum capacity with a minimum of 2 1/2 hours of sleep per 48-hour cycle; for [[cryo-chamber|cryosleep]], standard UNSC practices apply. They are also instructed to follow standard UNSC [[physical training]] practices. Due to their augmented physiques, however, they are provided their own, custom-built gym equipment. Official meals are specifically prepared to meet the caloric, nutritional and medicinal needs of each individual Spartan. These personal needs are measured based on activity data recorded by the Spartan's individual physiometer. Ancillary medications may be provided to ensure the Spartan's well-being and to reduce risk of potential implant rejections.<ref name="packet"/>

===Performance===
Training performance of the initial Spartan-IV unit in [[2553]] was decidedly underwhelming, something that was acknowledged by their recruiter, Spartan-III [[Jun-A266]]. Part of this may be attributed to their still-ongoing acclimatization to their enhancements, as well as the group not having worked together before, though all of them came from military backgrounds. The majority of the first batch of Spartan-IVs were incapacitated by their unaugmented [[Marine]] training opponents, who outnumbered them ten to one, and their lack of coordination resulted in SPARTAN-IV program head, [[Commander]] [[Musa-096]], personally chastising them about the importance of teamwork<ref name="HI2"/> (a lesson the Spartan-IIs learned in their first days of [[SPARTAN-II training|training]] at the age of six).<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 42-43'' (2001 edition)</ref> However, several Spartan-IVs of this group later distinguished themselves in live combat during the [[New Colonial Alliance]]'s attempted takeover of {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}.<ref name="HI3"/>

Later combat performance also shows marked improvement to the training sessions of the initial group. During a [[2555]] [[mission to Talitsa]], Spartan [[Edward Buck]] fought Spartan defector [[Michael Crespo]] in hand-to-hand combat and shattered the faceplate of the latter's GEN2 Mjolnir armor by pummeling it repeatedly. Spartan [[Kojo Agu]] killed multiple [[Insurrectionist]]s by throwing rocks at them before procuring a weapon from the fallen rebels during the same mission.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''pages 161-166'' (Google Play edition)</ref> Agu subsequently assaulted a rebel stronghold single-handedly, eliminating numerous rebel combatants.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''pages 170-172'' (Google Play edition)</ref>

During the [[Requiem campaign]], Spartan [[Gabriel Thorne]] was able to fight five Sangheili in close-quarters combat and successfully kill them before being subdued by two other Sangheili.<ref>'''Spartan Ops''' — ''[[Scattered|S1E6 Scattered]]''</ref> Thorne later fought [[Gek 'Lhar]] (who had previously killed several Spartans) in hand-to-hand combat and held the upper hand for a majority of the brawl, before having a boulder smashed on his chest and unprotected head, dazing him.<ref>'''Spartan Ops''' — ''[[Expendable|S1E8 Expendable]]''</ref> Later during the Requiem campaign, Spartan [[Paul DeMarco]] was able to defeat multiple Sangheili and a [[Promethean Knight]] in close-quarters combat.<ref>'''Spartan Ops''' — ''[[Key|S1E9 Key]]''</ref> During the [[Battle of Ealen IV]], Spartan [[Naiya Ray]] defeated a [[Sangheili Warrior]] in close-quarters combat.<ref>'''Halo: Escalation''' - ''Issue #2''</ref> While on a War Games simulation marathon, [[Sarah Palmer]] fought and killed a [[Hunter]] with her bare hands.<ref>'''Halo: Escalation''' - ''Issue #19''</ref>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo 4]]''
**''[[Infinity Briefing Packet]]'' {{First mentioned}}
*''[[Halo: Initiation]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: New Blood]]''

==Notes==
<references group="note"/>

==Sources==
<references/>

{{SpartanPrograms}}

[[Category:Spartans]]