SPARTAN-II program: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 01:34, February 25, 2007

Project: SPARTAN-II was part of the Spartan Program, an effort to produce elite soldiers through biological augmentation. The SPARTAN-II program would be the first in the series to meld advanced mechanical technology with the trooper's superior physiques.

History

Origins

Projections calculated by the UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence in 2525 concluded that the instability of the outer colonies would result in widespread rebellions unless drastic military measures were instituted. The SPARTAN-II program would meet these requirement, creating a small group of elite soldiers meant to subdue insurrections in their infancy with precision strikes. In this way, civilian casualties might be minimized, civil war averted, and costly conventional solutions made unnecessary.

The project was led by Dr. Catherine Halsey of ONI's Section 3 and Chief Petty Officer Mendez of the UNSC armed forces. Candidates for the program were selected from children deemed to possess superior physical and mental attributes. In 2517 those found suitable were abducted and drafted into the military. Most were between 5 and 7 years old. To preserve secret the children were replaced by flash clones.

Taken to Reach these child-soldiers began training under CPO Mendez. To marginalize the civilian lives they had once led their names became a combination of their given names and a number (like “John-117”), with family names being discarded. Seven years later they began receiving the physical augmentations that would ultimately make them Spartans. The procedures were risky and nearly half died as a result. A small number survived but were physically crippled (such as SPARTAN-084), and these were discharged from the program and placed in non-combat positions where their enhanced mental faculties might still prove useful. Only 33 survived without complications and, now much improved, remained fit for combat duty.

In 2525 would see the fulfilment of the program when the survivors were be fitted with the MJOLNIR Mark IV armor suit.

The Human-Covenant War

The conflict with the Covenant marked a change in the objectives of the program. Originally intended to quell rebellions the Spartans were now forced into battle against an opponent much superior to the UNSC. Although on an individual basis the Spartans were to frequently demonstrate their superiority over the enemy, the scope of their stunning successes was frequently only tactical in nature. Nonetheless, heroic rearguard and delaying actions saved countless human lives from the genocidal Covenant campaign. By this point the existence of the Spartans had become well known to the public.

Inevitably the small number of SPARTAN-IIs dwindled as casualties were sustained. As the exploits of the Spartans was a major propaganda boon to the UNSC, Section Two of ONI issued Directive 930 stating that Spartans killed or crippled would be listed as “missing in action” or “wounded in action”, thus maintaining the illusion of Spartan invincibility.

In 2552 the majority of the remaining Spartans rendezvoused at Reach to receive new orders for an operation that HIGHCOM hoped would end the war. They would commandeer a Covenant vessel, locate the Covenant “homeworld”, and return with captured Covenant leadership. Preparations were interrupted by the Covenant assault on Reach and in the ensuing disaster most of the SPARTAN-IIs were killed. Two escaped, one critically wounded, aboard the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, while a few remained trapped on Reach.

Following the events at Alpha Halo the Spartans were reunited at Reach. They then carried out a strike that resulted in the destruction of a Covenant fleet anchorage which contributed to the UNSC victory at the First Battle of Earth. SPARTAN-IIs would go on to play pivotal roles at the Battle of Onyx and the Second Battle of Earth.

Technology

Biological Augmentation

Main article: Spartan Augmentation Procedures

Admiral Ysionris Jeromi of the research station Hopeful documented the following experimental procedures on Bonobo Chimpanzees. These operations were later performed on the Spartan soldiers:

Carbide ceramic ossification
Muscular enhancement injections
Catalytic thyroid implant
Occipital capillary reversal
Superconducting fabrication of neural dendrites

MJOLNIR Armor

Main article: MJOLNIR armor

The SPARTAN-II program was conceived in parallel with the development of the MJOLNIR armor. The Spartans received the first practical forms of the armor, the Mark IV, in 2525, followed by the Mark V and Mark VI in 2552.

The demands of the armor was such that only the Spartans could wear them. A number of baseline humans were killed attempting to use the suit during test trials.

Background

Surviving SPARTAN-IIs

As of Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, the SPARTAN-IIs that are known to be alive are: Fred-104, Kelly-087, John-117, Linda-058 and Maria-062.

A number of SPARTAN-IIs disappeared under dire circumstances and are presumed dead. However, since nobody witnessed their final fate it is possible they may reappear later. Some of those that fit into this category are: Anton-044, Spartan-James (number unknown), Joshua-029, Li-008 and Vinh-030.

There is also some confusion concerning the number of SPARTAN-IIs in general. In Halo: The Fall of Reach it is cited that 68 children were in the program two years after its initiation out of 75 that were originally drafted. No mention is made of the whereabouts of the missing 7. After the augmentation process all 75 reappear, with 33 being successfully upgraded, 12 surviving but being crippled, and 30 being killed as a result of the procedures.

The status of SPARTAN-IIs is muddied further in the novels. For example, Kurt-051 is listed as dead in 2531 when in reality he was drafted into the secret SPARTAN-III Program until his real death in 2552 on Onyx. Further ambiguity arises from page 260 of Halo: The Fall of Reach where three Spartans, designated “Gray Team”, were said to have been on “fields of battle too distant to be easily recalled” prior to the Battle of Reach. Their fates remain unresolved as in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx these three were said not to have been heard from for a year. Finally, it is not certain whether Cassandra is a Spartan or not.

Bungie has said that these discrepancies only seem to be errors, and that everything will be made clear in time.

Sources

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 [[Image:Goingtoactivatehalo.JPG|250px|right]]
 [[Image:Hood.jpg|250px|right]]
-'''Project: SPARTAN-II''' is part of the ongoing [[Spartans|Spartan Program]]. Headed by [[Dr. Catherine Halsey]] of [[ONI]], Section 3, and [[Chief Petty Officer Mendez]] of the [[UNSC]] armed forces, the program turned ordinary civilian children into the most capable fighting force that has ever been seen in battle.  The Spartan II Program had its roots its predecessor the [[The ORION Project|Spartan 1 Program]] which started in 2494.  In 2517, the children selected for the program were chosen based on their strength, height, weight, and various other criteria on which would serve the SPARTAN-II project best. These children were then taken to [[Reach]] where they began their physical training by CPO Mendez at 5-7 years of age. After seven years of training, they began their treatments for physical augmentation. These augmentations resulted in the deaths of appproximately half the candidates, with a dozen others discharged from field duty due to horrible side effects caused by the procedure (those who were discharged went on to serve in non-combat roles, e.g. [[Fhajad]]) Those who recovered completely went on to receive further training and went on to become the current team of Spartans.
+'''Project: SPARTAN-II''' was part of the [[Spartans|Spartan Program]], an effort to produce elite soldiers through biological augmentation. The SPARTAN-II program would be the first in the series to meld [[MJOLNIR armor|advanced mechanical technology]] with the trooper's superior physiques.
-Project SPARTAN-II was created in conjunction with Project [[MJOLNIR]] so that, once combined, the Spartans in their MJOLNIR armor would be the ultimate soldiers.
+==History==
+===Origins===
+Projections calculated by the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] in [[2525]] concluded that the instability of the outer colonies would result in widespread rebellions unless drastic military measures were instituted. The SPARTAN-II program would meet these requirement, creating a small group of elite soldiers meant to subdue insurrections in their infancy with precision strikes. In this way, civilian casualties might be minimized, civil war averted, and costly conventional solutions made unnecessary.
-==Purpose of Project SPARTAN-II==
+The project was led by [[Catherine Elizabeth Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]] of ONI's Section 3 and [[Franklin Mendez|Chief Petty Officer Mendez]] of the UNSC armed forces. Candidates for the program were selected from children deemed to possess superior physical and mental attributes. In [[2517]] those found suitable were abducted and drafted into the military. Most were between 5 and 7 years old. To preserve secret the children were replaced by [[Flash-Cloning|flash clones]].
-The future of the [[UNSC]] looked bleak, as of 2525. ONI projections of the outer colonies concluded that their extreme instability would result in massive rebellion within twenty years unless drastic military action was taken. The SPARTAN-II soldiers were designed to be a perfect pinpoint strike force, preventing massive civilian casualties and perhaps, even a civil war, should rebellions surface. They were designed to quell insurrection.
-Ironically, the appearance of [[The Covenant]] reversed their mission. After the emergence of the new threat, the Spartan soldiers fought to save every human life they possibly could from its clutches. They, along with humanity fought valiantly, but their numbers have slowly dwindled. Even though the Spartans were supersoldiers, there were still only so many of them compared to the hordes of Covenant they face. This may have prompted the UNSC to start a new generation of supersoldiers codenamed [[Spartan III]].
+Taken to [[Reach]] these child-soldiers began training under CPO Mendez. To marginalize the civilian lives they had once led their names became a combination of their given names and a number (like “[[John-117]]”), with family names being discarded. Seven years later they began receiving the [[Spartan Augmentation Procedures|physical augmentations]] that would ultimately make them Spartans. The procedures were risky and nearly half died as a result. A small number survived but were physically crippled (such as [[SPARTAN-084]]), and these were discharged from the program and placed in non-combat positions where their enhanced mental faculties might still prove useful. Only 33 survived without complications and, now much improved, remained fit for combat duty.
-Before [[The Battle of Reach]] and the destruction of the ''[[Pillar of Autumn|UNSC Pillar of Autumn]]'' at [[Installation 04]], the [[UNSC]] planned to have the Spartans capture a Covenant ship, in order to locate ''High Charity''. There, they would capture a [[Prophet]], and force an end to the war. They did not know that ''High Charity'' was a mobile station, rather than a planet in a fixed system of space. That mission was aborted after Reach fell and most of the Spartans were assumed killed. Even in posession of the ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'', it was a virtual suicide mission in light of the circumstances. The [[Master Chief]] was convinced to abort the mission. Apparently it was a good idea, because according to [[Dr. Catherine Halsey|Dr. Halsey's]] profile on Covenant society, the capture of a Prophet would escalate the war.
+In [[2525]] would see the fulfilment of the program when the survivors were be fitted with the [[MJOLNIR armor#MJOLNIR Mark IV|MJOLNIR Mark IV]] armor suit.
-Later, when the Master Chief had an opportunity to capture the [[High Prophet of Regret]], he did not. There are several proposed reasons for this. First, he had recieved a direct order from [[Commander Miranda Keyes]] to kill the Prophet. Second, the Covenant knew the location of Earth and there was no place left for the humans to hold such an important prisoner. Third, the Chief had no backup and it would have been extremely difficult for him to capture the Prophet with its Honor Guard surrounding him and hundreds more Covenant soldiers en route.
+===The Human-Covenant War===
+The [[Human-Covenant War|conflict with the Covenant]] marked a change in the objectives of the program. Originally intended to quell rebellions the Spartans were now forced into battle against an opponent much superior to the UNSC. Although on an individual basis the Spartans were to frequently demonstrate their superiority over the enemy, the scope of their stunning successes was frequently only tactical in nature. Nonetheless, heroic rearguard and delaying actions saved countless human lives from the genocidal Covenant campaign. By this point the existence of the Spartans had become well known to the public.
-== Augmentation Procedures ==
+Inevitably the small number of SPARTAN-IIs dwindled as casualties were sustained. As the exploits of the Spartans was a major propaganda boon to the UNSC, Section Two of ONI issued [[Spartan MIA Protocol|Directive 930]] stating that Spartans killed or crippled would be listed as “missing in action” or “wounded in action”, thus maintaining the illusion of Spartan invincibility.
+In [[2552]] the majority of the remaining Spartans rendezvoused at [[Reach]] to receive new orders for an operation that [[UNSC High Command|HIGHCOM]] hoped would end the war. They would commandeer a Covenant vessel, locate the [[High_Charity|Covenant “homeworld”]], and return with captured [[Prophet|Covenant leadership]]. Preparations were interrupted by the Covenant [[Battle of Reach|assault on Reach]] and in the ensuing disaster most of the SPARTAN-IIs were killed. Two escaped, one critically wounded, aboard the ''[[UNSC Pillar of Autumn]]'', while a few remained trapped on Reach.
+Following the [[Battle of Installation 04|events at Alpha Halo]] the Spartans were reunited at Reach. They then  carried out a strike that resulted in the [[Operation:_FIRST_STRIKE|destruction of a Covenant fleet anchorage]] which contributed to the UNSC victory at the [[First Battle of Earth]]. SPARTAN-IIs would go on to play pivotal roles at the [[Battle of Onyx]] and the [[Second Battle of Earth]].
+==Technology==
+===Biological Augmentation===
 {{Main|Spartan Augmentation Procedures}}
 [[Admiral Ysionris Jeromi]] of the research station ''[[Hopeful]]'' documented the following experimental procedures on Bonobo Chimpanzees. These operations were later performed on the Spartan soldiers:
@@ Line 24: / Line 34: @@
 *Superconducting fabrication of neural dendrites
-==Last known surviving Spartans IIs==
+===MJOLNIR Armor===
+{{Main|MJOLNIR armor}}
+The SPARTAN-II program was conceived in parallel with the development of the [[MJOLNIR armor]]. The Spartans received the first practical forms of the armor, the Mark IV, in [[2525]], followed by the Mark V and Mark VI in [[2552]].
+The demands of the armor was such that only the Spartans could wear them. A number of baseline humans were killed attempting to use the suit during test trials.
+{{Spartan II}}
+{{SpartanPrograms}}
-Although some did perish in their escape from Reach and after the first strike lead by John-117, the last known surviving Spartan IIs are: John-117, Kelly-087, Fred-104, Linda-058 and Maria-062.
+==Background==
-Section Two of the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] has made a significant effort to keep the reports of Spartan soldier's deaths a secret. They created the [[Spartan MIA Protocol]], and this created a strong feeling among the general populace that Spartans were invincible and could not die. The effort has been largely successful in deceiving the human population.
+===Surviving SPARTAN-IIs===
-''Note: Fortunately, we cannot assume that every Spartan assumed MIA or KIA is actually dead. Notice that many of them dissappeared under dire circumstances. Li-008, Anton-044, Vinh-030, Spartan-James (number unknown), and Joshua-029 are examples. They are assumed dead but the other characters did not actually witness these Spartans die. This is so that the game developers can have the space to develop any potential plot points if they want to. If there are more stories to come, there will continue to be many loose ends.''
+As of [[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]], the SPARTAN-IIs that are known to be alive are: [[SPARTAN-104|Fred-104]], [[SPARTAN-087|Kelly-087]], [[John-117]], [[SPARTAN-058|Linda-058]] and [[SPARTAN-062|Maria-062]].
-Several contextual errors concerning the number of remaining Spartans exist. In Fall of the Reach, it is cited that 68 children were in the program two years after its initiation. It is possible the other 7 had been injured in some way and were remaining at camp, but no mention of this is made. After the augmentation process all 75 have somehow reappeared, with 30 of them killed during augmentation, 12 hurt too much to continue, and 33 succesfully surviving the project. These errors continue through the novels with other members, such as Sam and Kurt, being listed as dead, as well at least six others either missing or on missions too far to be reached, but the remaining number of Spartans on Reach does not reflect that number. Bungie has cited that these only seem to be errors, and all will be clear in more time.
+A number of SPARTAN-IIs disappeared under dire circumstances and are presumed dead. However, since nobody witnessed their final fate it is possible they may reappear later. Some of those that fit into this category are: [[SPARTAN-044|Anton-044]],    [[Spartan-James]] (number unknown), [[SPARTAN-029|Joshua-029]], [[SPARTAN-008|Li-008]] and [[SPARTAN-030|Vinh-030]].
-There is also a discrepancy between the number of Spartans at Reach. Page 260 of "The Fall of Reach" states that there were three spartans designated "Gray Team" who were in "fields of battle too distant to be easily recalled, though they could have died since [[Ghosts of Onyx]] stated that those three Spartans did not contact Command for a year.
+There is also some confusion concerning the number of SPARTAN-IIs in general. In [[Halo: The Fall of Reach]] it is cited that 68 children were in the program two years after its initiation out of 75 that were originally drafted. No mention is made of the whereabouts of the missing 7. After the augmentation process all 75 reappear, with 33 being successfully upgraded, 12 surviving but being crippled, and 30 being killed as a result of the procedures.
-Finally, it remains yet to be determined if Cassandra is an actual Spartan or not.
+The status of SPARTAN-IIs is muddied further in the novels. For example, [[SPARTAN-051|Kurt-051]] is listed as dead in [[2531]] when in reality he was drafted into the secret [[SPARTAN-III Program]] until his ''real'' death in [[2552]] on [[Onyx]]. Further ambiguity arises from page 260 of [[Halo: The Fall of Reach]] where three Spartans, designated “Gray Team”, were said to have been on “fields of battle too distant to be easily recalled” prior to the [[Battle of Reach]]. Their fates remain unresolved as in [[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]] these three were said not to have been heard from for a year. Finally, it is not certain whether [[Cassandra ]] is a Spartan or not.
-{{SpartanPrograms}}
+[[Bungie Studios|Bungie]] has said that these discrepancies only ''seem'' to be errors, and that everything will be made clear in time.
 ==Sources==