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{{Ratings}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Era|FOR|TF|FS|CH|HGN|ILB|H1|H2|H3|H3R}}
{{disambig header|the first Spartan project|other uses of Orion|Orion (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Military Unit
{{Military infobox
|unit_name=ORION Project
|name=ORION Project
|image=[[File:ORION.gif|center|ORION Project Symbol]]
|image={{tabcontainer
|dates=Initiated in [[2321]]<br>Re-initiated in [[2491]] - [[2506]]
|title1=Primary|content1=[[File:ORIONpatch.png|80px]]
|country=
|title2=Additional|content2=[[File:OrionLogoSL.png|100px]]
|allegiance=[[United Nations Space Command]]
}}The various emblems of the ORION Project
|branch=[[UNSC Navy|UNSC Naval Special Warfare Command]]  
[[File:AssassinAvery.png|300px]]<br>[[Avery Johnson]] a subject of the ORION Project
|type=[[Special Operations]]
|formed=*[[2315]] - [[2325]] (original project)<ref name="HOSFM79">'''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]''', ''page 79''</ref>
|role=Special Forces
*[[2491]] - [[2506]] (final iteration)
|size=
|affiliation=[[Unified Earth Government]]
|command_structure=
|branch=[[UNSC Navy]] and [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine Corps]]
|garrison=
|type=[[Special operations]]
|garrison_label=
|role=
|nickname=Special-Special Forces (SSF), One-Point-Ohs
|size=300 at height of program<ref name="encyc">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''' ''page 81''</ref>
|patron=
|nicknames=Raiders<ref>'''Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual''', ''page 108''</ref>
|motto=
|battles=*[[Operation: CHARLEMAGNE]]
|colors=
*[[Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE]]
|colors_label=
*[[Operation: TREBUCHET]]
|march=
*[[Operation: TANGLEWOOD]]
|mascot=
|commanders=*[[Ritsa Shephard|Dr. Ritsa Shephard]] (original project){{Ref/Reuse|HOSFM79}}
|anniversaries=
*[[UNSC rank structure|Rear Admiral]] [[Pranav Sabanis]] (final iteration)<ref>'''Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual''', ''page 81''</ref>
|equipment=
|equipment_label=
|battles=*[[The Insurrection]]
**[[Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE]]
|decorations=
|battle_honors=
|commanders=
}}
}}
The '''ORION Project''', sometimes referred to as '''Spartan I''', was an [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] [[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Warfare]] program, overseen by the [[Colonial Military Administration]], tasked with producing special advanced warfare squads to combat the [[Insurrection]]. They became experts in counter-insurgency operations, assassinations, raids, and eliminating high value targets (all considered black operations).<ref name="HCH">'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''' Prologue</ref> ORION Project personnel utilized [[HEV]] orbital drops, [[Hornets]], [[Armed Assault Boats]] (which were replaced by the HEV), and [[Pelican dropships]] to insert into mission areas. However, expectations for the new soldiers were not met, and the project was deactivated in 2506, and all members reassigned to other Special Operations units.<ref>[[Halo Wars Timeline Events|Halo Wars Timeline]]</ref>
{{Quote|Spartans pick their battles.|[[James James]]}}


==CMA Project==
'''Project: ORION''', also put as '''ORION Project''' was the [[UNSC Navy]]'s first effort to create a special forces unit of [[Human augmentation|biochemically augmented]] supersoldiers. Under the operational control of [[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Warfare Group One]], the project was created to combat the growing [[Insurrection]] throughout the [[human]] [[Outer Colonies]]. The project enjoyed limited success but was ultimately disbanded after several years; however, its legacy lived on in the form of the subsequent [[SPARTAN programs]]. After the establishment of the [[SPARTAN-II program]] years later, the ORION Project was retroactively dubbed '''SPARTAN-I program'''.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Flood]]''' ''page 16''</ref>{{Ref/Reuse|encyc}}<ref name="journal">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: New Blood]]''', ''page 130'' (Google Play edition)</ref>
The precursor to the ORION Project was a set of bio-augmentations performed on soldiers by the Colonial Military Authority in the 24th century. Only a handful of candidates were "tested" before the program was declared ineffective and canceled.<ref name="encyclopaedia">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', page 80/81</ref>


==SPARTAN-I==
==Background==
Well over a century later, in 2491, the UNSC decided to resurrect the CMA program in the form of the ORION Project. Marines were selected and given biological and mental enhancements. Originally there were sixty-five volunteers, but their numbers grew to three hundred at the project's height. These super soldiers were known as Spartans and were sent on covert missions against Rebel forces in the Outer Colonies. Eventually the project proved too costly to maintain and was canceled in 2506, despite the Spartans' obvious effectiveness. The surviving Spartans were then slowly filtered back into the military through special operations groups. Many of these survivors experienced side effects from their augmentations, which was covered up by ONI, who stated they had contracted "[[Boren’s Syndrome]]", supposedly caused by radiation exposure.<ref name="encyclopaedia"/>
Administratively, the ORION project was under the control of [[Office of Naval Intelligence#Section Three|ONI Section III]], particularly the [[Beta-5 Division]]'s Special Projects section. However, the ORION soldiers themselves were under the operational authority of [[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Warfare Command/Naval Special Weapons]].<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''' ''page 80''</ref> ORION was an all-volunteer force composed of the best troops from the [[UNSC Marine Corps]]{{Ref/Reuse|encyc}} and the Special Forces from other branches of the military;<ref name="encyc44">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''' ''pages 44 - 45''</ref> operators performed specialized, high-risk operations including counter-insurgency operations, unconventional warfare, direct action, and black operations. The ORION program was headquartered on one of the many orbital docks on [[Reach]],{{Ref/Reuse|encyc44}} and at its height the program had 300 active-duty personnel.{{Ref/Reuse|encyc}}


Two SPARTAN-Is had major roles during the Human Covenant War: Avery Johnson and Nolan Byrne, becoming the first two [[Humans]] to face the [[Covenant]] in military combat (during the [[Skirmish Over Harvest]]), as well as during the subsequent [[First Battle of Harvest]]. It is known that Avery Johnson would rise to the rank of [[Sergeant Major]], as well as possibly being the last Human to die during the Human-Covenant War, while the fate of Nolan Byrne is unknown.
The members of the ORION program were biologically augmented soldiers, using new training methods and the latest breakthroughs in biochemical developments. Augmentations to the ORION soldiers included muscular enhancement injections, pulmonary respiratory enhancements, retina-inversion injections and cochlea enhancement tuning.<ref>'''[[Media:ILB_Cochlear_tuning.ogg|cochlear_tuning Axon]]'''</ref> In addition, mental augmentations were performed to enhance brain functions{{Ref/Reuse|encyc}} including enhanced learning capabilities to allow a subject to learn at a faster and higher rate and enhanced motor skills to improve body movements. The ORION training regime was very difficult and included many tests both mental and physical, including laboratory work. All 65 initial volunteers{{Ref/Reuse|encyc}} made it through the training and augmentation procedures and were placed on active duty some time after completing their training. After their initial deployment and success, funding for training the next group of personnel was approved. By the time it was shut down, the ORION program had 165 surviving participants.{{Ref/Reuse|encyc44}}{{Ref/Reuse|wp spartans}} Former ORION project member [[Avery Johnson]] remembers the augmentation experience as being agonizing filled with confusing, hormone-induced rages.{{Ref/Novel|Id=SiSto4|SiSto|Chapter=4}}


===Known ORION Project personnel===
==History==
{{col-begin}}
===Phase 1===
{{col-2}}
====Origins====
*[[Avery Junior Johnson]]<ref name="HCH"/><ref name="encyclopaedia"/>
The beginning of the ORION program (named for the [[Orion Arm]] of the [[Milky Way]]{{Ref/Reuse|encyc44}}) dates back to the 23rd century, when the newly formed [[United Nations Space Command]] began developing bioengineering protocols and experimenting with biochemically altering human soldiers. Led by Doctor [[Ritsa Shephard]] and fulfilled by [[Project KYKLOS|KYKLOS Working Group]], the ORION Project began as an extension of the "blue sky" projects commissioned by the UEG before the [[Domus Diaspora]].<ref name="HOSFMOP1">'''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]''' ''- Page 79''</ref> Although these performance-enhancing substances were very primitive and nowhere near as effective as the chemicals used to augment the soldiers of the SPARTAN programs, they did show promise and gave results and serve as the catalyst for future endeavors. Since then, human soldiers have used performance-enhancing equipment for centuries, including adrenaline injections.<ref>''[[Halo Wars]]''</ref>
*[[Nolan Byrne]]<ref name="HCH"/> <small>(conjecture)</small>
*[[James Lee]]
*[[Gilly]]
*[[Morales]]
{{col-2}}
*[[Gladys Wilson]]
*[[Franklin Mendez]] <small>(conjecture)</small>
{{col-end}}


===Spartan 1.1===
====Initial Project====
The children of Spartan 1.0s are called [[Spartan 1.1]]s, including [[Janissary James]] and [[Kevin Morales]]. There are sixteen 1.1s.<ref>[[Media:One_point_oh.ogg|one_point_oh Axon]]</ref> They have much of the same augmentations as their parents, though without the same military training. Some of them tried to create their own army to fight the [[Covenant]], but just as they were about to bring the fight to the Covenant, the Covenant invaded [[Earth]].<ref>[[Axon Clips Chapter 12|Enter Kevin Axon Clips Chapter 12]]</ref>
The initial version of the ORION Project was activated by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] on [[2321|April 13, 2321]] to significantly increase the combat effectiveness of the [[Colonial Military Authority|Colonial Military Administration's]] elite troops. The end goal was to improve the security of future colonies outside the [[Sol system]]. At least five operators were selected as test-subjects for the experimental augmentations, although the project would be shut down due to poor early results, funding issues, poor personnel retention, and low reliability.{{Ref/Reuse|HOSFMOP1}} The troopers were reintegrated back into the active service; however, for reasons undisclosed by ONI, all five would die within the year, while key personnel on the ORION Project were transferred to colonization missions or terraforming research.<ref name="wp spartans">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/factions/spartans '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Spartans'']</ref>{{Ref/Reuse|HOSFMOP1}} By [[2558]], major aspects of the original ORION Project remained undocumented, as several encrypted UEG digital archives from 24th century have degraded or gone missing.{{Ref/Reuse|HOSFMOP1}}


==Historic Operations==
===Phase 2===
===Operation: CHARLEMAGNE===
====The relaunch of ORION====
{{Main|Operation: CHARLEMAGNE}}
As the civil wars began to intensify in the [[Outer Colonies|Outer]] and [[Inner Colonies]], the CMA found it difficult to hold onto their assets between the colonial rebellions and usurping by the UNSC. Using data supplied by ONI, along with subtle background manipulation by the [[The Assembly|Assembly]],<ref>'''[[Halo: Reach]]''', ''[[Data pads|Data pad 5]]''</ref> the CMA secretly relaunched ORION in response to insurgent attacks in the colonies. The project began on [[2491|January 29, 2491]]<ref>[[Media:ILB_Say_please.ogg|say_please Axon]]</ref> with 65 test subjects. After completing their training, an additional 100 volunteers were accepted into the program. The first ORION deployment occurred on [[2496|January 12, 2496]] as part of [[Operation: CHARLEMAGNE]].{{Ref/Reuse|wp spartans}} During this operation the full unit of ORION soldiers was deployed to recover the sub-orbital transit station over [[Eridanus II]]. This marked the only time a full unit of operators was ever deployed throughout the program's existence — they completed their mission with only a single casualty and without being detected.{{Ref/Reuse|encyc}} As a result of the success of CHARLEMAGNE, tales of the military deploying advanced supersoldiers were born. This became fuel for a range of conspiracy theories and media speculation. As the legend of the supersoldiers continued to grow it gave birth to a new round of [[propaganda]] efforts by ONI in the coming decades. In the same year, an ORION team was deployed as part of [[Operation: VERITAS]], where they secured the [[Wikipedia:Non-official cover|non-official cover]] list of undercover [[Secessionist Union]] operatives who were working in various high-level offices within the CMA.{{Ref/Reuse|wp spartans}}
'''Operation: CHARLEMAGNE''' was ORION's first special operation. Conducted against the [[Secessionist Union]], the operation marked the project's first successful deployment.<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''': Chapter Two, page 44/45</ref> The Spartans recovered the sub-orbital station above Eridanus-II from Insurrectionists. In the process they lost only one soldier and were never observed.<ref name="encyclopaedia"/>


===Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE===
====Effectiveness and shortcomings====
{{Main|Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE}}
As the war against the [[Insurrectionist]]s continued to escalate, the UNSC escalated their counter-insurgent activities under [[Operation: TREBUCHET]], created in response to the defector UNSC Marine [[Colonel]] [[Robert Watts]].<ref name="enyc45">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', ''page 45''</ref> The ORIONs proved key in the fight against the rebel attacks across the colonies, taking down insurgents as soon as they cropped up. However, as time went on the insurgent attacks became more effective and insurgent personnel more difficult to root out; and over the ensuing decades they became more organized and more difficult to combat. Bombings continued despite the best efforts of both regular military personnel and the ORION soldiers — civilians became caught in the crossfire of these conflicts and casualties began to mount exponentially, adding fuel to the simmering hatred harbored against the UNSC by many colonists. This prompted the UNSC to recruit more soldiers to the ORION program, culminating in a peak roster of 300 active personnel.{{Ref/Reuse|encyc}}
'''Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE''' was an assassination and decapitation strike carried out by Avery Johnson against the leadership of the Secessionist Union.<ref name="HGN">[[Halo Graphic Novel, Page 122]]</ref>


===Operation: TANGLEWOOD===
Though the ORION operatives continued to prove their effectiveness, some of the older conscripts began to exhibit flaws which were passed off as natural defects or stress from the war. Many ORION candidates exhibited post-traumatic stress disorder or repressed insurgent sympathies; some in the latter category refused to participate in the program post-augmentation and were incarcerated.{{Ref/Reuse|journal}} Despite the nominal effectiveness of the ORION soldiers, the results of the ORIONs' abilities were falling short of the scientists' hopes. Because of the candidates's age and inadequate genetic screening for specific genetic sequences, the genetic modifications led to minimal improvement and the inserted immunosuppressants failed in most of the subjects. This caused irreversible genetic fragmentation and degenerative conditions in many of the ORION personnel.<ref name="halsey">'''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]''', ''February 15, 2511''</ref>
{{Main|Operation: TANGLEWOOD}}
Presently, nothing is known about this operation.<ref name="encyclopaedia"/>


==Trivia==
Despite the improvements to strength, speed, vision, agility, and reaction speed the more modest results of ORION meant that it was difficult to tell a former ORION operative from other soldiers in the UNSC or CMA without an in-depth medical examination.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=65}}
*[[Wikipedia:Project Orion|Project Orion]] was also a spacecraft program in the real world. It was the first engineering design study of spacecraft powered by nuclear pulse propulsion. Its supporters felt that it had great potential for space travel, but it lost political approval because of concerns with fallout from its propulsion. The Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963 is generally acknowledged to have ended the project.
 
*SPARTAN-Is seem to be the only known Humans to refer to their successors as "Spartan 2.0s" rather than "[[SPARTAN-IIs]]."
====KALEIDOSCOPE and deactivation====
*The ORION Project was apparently classified by [[Office of Naval Intelligence#Section Zero|Section Zero]]<ref name="HGN"/>, as even in 2524 the majority of UNSC personnel had no knowledge about it.
In [[2502]], [[Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE]] (part of the UNSC's greater plan to pacify the entirety of human-colonized space) was put into action. Many ORION supersoldiers were deployed to neutralize insurgent strongholds, but one of the key goals was to eliminate [[Jerald Mulkey Ander]], the leader of the [[Secessionist Union]]. On [[2502|March 13, 2502]], Ander was assassinated by ORION operative [[Corporal]] [[Avery Johnson]].<ref name="HGN">'''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]''' ''[[Halo Graphic Novel, Page 122|page 122]]''</ref> With Ander dead the Secessionist Union fell apart, though his death did not deter those who wished to be free from the control of the UNSC and only strengthened the resolve of the insurrectionist movement in the colonies.{{Ref/Reuse|encyc44}} Although KALEIDOSCOPE dealt a heavy blow to the insurgents, the overall strategy of the operation failed to pacify the colonies. Worse was the fact that some of the older ORION soldiers were beginning to develop severe side effects from their augmentations, that ranged from physical to mental illnesses. Their performance was also continuing to decline in addition to the ineffective strategies the UNSC were using. [[Operation: TANGLEWOOD]] would be the last operation the ORIONs participated in.{{Ref/Reuse|encyc}}
*It is unknown how Spartan-Is were codenamed or even if they were codenamed at all. It seems unlikely they adopted formalized codenames, given the fact that all known SPARTAN-Is used their normal names in operational circumstances.
 
The ORION project was quietly deactivated in [[2506]] and the 165 surviving members were reassigned to other special operations units in the field.{{Ref/Reuse|wp spartans}} However, these soldiers often exhibited side effects as a result of their augmentations and many members were discharged from the military as a result of mental instabilities. In order to ensure absolute secrecy, the side effects caused by the genetic augmentations were masked as a disease known as [[Boren's Syndrome]]. Many ORION soldiers retired and some eventually had children; their offspring had to be given specially formulated injections to ensure they suffered no health defects.<ref name="mirac">'''[[Media:ILB Miracles.ogg|Miracles Axon]]'''</ref><ref>'''[[Media:ILB_Dream_child.ogg|dream_child Axon]]'''</ref> However, many of the former ORION supersoldiers were also able to stay in active military service longer than most baseline humans,{{Ref/Reuse|wp spartans}} a feat exemplified by [[Avery Johnson]], who continued to serve in the field over four decades after the program's deactivation.
 
===Legacy===
The augmentation techniques used in ORION were later improved in the subsequent [[SPARTAN-II program]] and its successors. Many of ORION's failures were attributed to the age of the candidates: as adults, the applicants' bodies rejected many of the augmentations, producing less than expected results. Because of this, it was decided that the enhancements must be applied at a prepubescent age to individuals possessing very specific genetic markers.{{Ref/Reuse|halsey}} Due to improvements in biomedical technology over the intervening half-century, this impediment was later overcome in the [[SPARTAN-IV program]], which allows the augmentation of adult subjects without the major risks presented by the earlier SPARTAN enhancements.<ref>'''[[Halo: New Blood]]''', ''page 52'' (Google Play edition)</ref> In part due to his experience in the ORION program, Sergeant [[Avery Johnson]] was chosen to act as a mentor to the young SPARTAN-II's during [[Operation: SILENT STORM]].{{Ref/Reuse|SiSto4}}
 
Due to their combat effectiveness, the UNSC decided to use ORION operators as models for a reorganization of the [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]].<ref>[[Data pads|Data pad 11]]</ref>
 
==Personnel==
*[[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Major Avery Johnson]]{{Ref/Reuse|HGN}}<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''' ''page 47''</ref> — Served throughout the [[Insurrection]] and [[Human-Covenant War]]. Died on [[Installation 08]] on [[2552#December|December 11, 2552]].
*[[Gladys Wilson|Gunnery Sergeant Gladys Wilson]] — Retired from the Marine Corps following the Eridanus campaign.
*[[Gilly]] — Discharged following the end of the ORION project. Married James Lee, with whom she had a daughter, [[Janissary James|Janissary]].
*[[James Lee]] (later James James) — Discharged following the end of the ORION project. Married Gilly, with whom he fathered Janissary. Died in 2552.
*[[Morales]] — Discharged following the end of the ORION Project. Father of [[Kevin Morales|Kevin]].
*[[ORION candidate 029]] - Tested the [[ORION armor]]'s leg component.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/anniversary-armory|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Anniversary Armory|D=03|M=02|Y=2021}}
*[[ORION candidate 047]] — Seemingly killed during augmentation due to dioxin poisoning.
 
==SPARTAN-1.1==
The children of the ORIONs are sometimes referred to as [[Spartan 1.1]]s, reflecting the retroactive application of the SPARTAN-I moniker. There are sixteen Spartan 1.1s, including [[Janissary James]] and [[Kevin Morales]].<ref>'''[[Axon Clips Chapter 8]]''' ''The Funeral (Janissary)''</ref> Due to their parents' augmentations, the Spartan 1.1s had to receive injections in order to ensure normal growth without defects.{{Ref/Reuse|mirac}} A [[Spartan 1.1 faction|small vigilante group]] of Spartan 1.1s, seemingly led by Kevin Morales, formed a plan to fight the Covenant. However, before this could come to fruition, the Covenant [[Battle of Earth|invasion]] of [[Earth]] began.<ref>'''[[Axon Clips Chapter 12|Enter Kevin Axon Clips Chapter 12]]'''</ref>
 
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:OrionLogo-Johnson.png|Each ORION operative's mission record includes a variant Orion insignia. This insignia contains basic information about the mission and the operator.
File:Halo 3 ODST Orion.png|Project ORION insignia used on a lighter owned by Avery Johnson in ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''.
File:H3ODST Johnson Lighter.jpg|Avery Johnsons lighter in ''Halo 3: ODST''.
File:Journal_OrionLogo.png|An emblem associated with the ORION project, as drawn by [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]] in [[Dr. Halsey's personal journal|her journal]].
File:HINF Orion Emblem Icon.png|Another version of the ORION insignia, as seen in ''[[Halo Infinite]]''.
File:ORION_047_DNA.jpg|The DNA analysis chart of [[ORION candidate 047]]. The candidate seems to have received a lethal amount of [[Wikipedia:Dioxin|dioxin]] poisoning.
</gallery>
 
==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]''
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]''
*''[[i love bees]]''
*''[[Halo 2]]''
*''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]''
**''[[Breaking Quarantine]]''
*''[[Halo 3]]''
*''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''
*''[[Halo Wars]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
*''[[Halo: Reach]]''
**''[[Data pads]] {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion|Invasion]]''
*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''
*''[[Halo: New Blood]]''
*''[[Halo Mythos]]''
*''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]''
*''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]''
*''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]''


==Sources==
==Sources==
<references/>
{{Ref/Sources|2}}


{{Spartan I}}
{{Spartan I}}
{{SpartanPrograms}}
[[Category:Spartan-Is| ]]
[[Category:Spartans]]
[[Category:Spartans]]
[[Category:UNSC Special Forces]]
[[Category:UNSC Special Forces]]
[[Category:UNSC projects]]

Latest revision as of 07:42, February 16, 2024

This article is about the first Spartan project. For other uses of Orion, see Orion (disambiguation).
ORION Project
Primary
Orion Patch made by Jeremy Cook. https://twitter.com/JeremyCook3D/status/1055971688498647040?s=19
Additional
OrionLogoSL.png
The various emblems of the ORION Project

AssassinAvery.png
Avery Johnson a subject of the ORION Project

Active:

Affiliation:

Unified Earth Government

Branch:

UNSC Navy and Marine Corps

Type:

Special operations

Size:

300 at height of program[2]

Nicknames:

Raiders[3]

Engagements:

Commanders:

 

"Spartans pick their battles."
— James James

Project: ORION, also put as ORION Project was the UNSC Navy's first effort to create a special forces unit of biochemically augmented supersoldiers. Under the operational control of Naval Special Warfare Group One, the project was created to combat the growing Insurrection throughout the human Outer Colonies. The project enjoyed limited success but was ultimately disbanded after several years; however, its legacy lived on in the form of the subsequent SPARTAN programs. After the establishment of the SPARTAN-II program years later, the ORION Project was retroactively dubbed SPARTAN-I program.[5][2][6][7]

Background

Administratively, the ORION project was under the control of ONI Section III, particularly the Beta-5 Division's Special Projects section. However, the ORION soldiers themselves were under the operational authority of Naval Special Warfare Command/Naval Special Weapons.[8] ORION was an all-volunteer force composed of the best troops from the UNSC Marine Corps[2] and the Special Forces from other branches of the military;[9] operators performed specialized, high-risk operations including counter-insurgency operations, unconventional warfare, direct action, and black operations. The ORION program was headquartered on one of the many orbital docks on Reach,[9] and at its height the program had 300 active-duty personnel.[2]

The members of the ORION program were biologically augmented soldiers, using new training methods and the latest breakthroughs in biochemical developments. Augmentations to the ORION soldiers included muscular enhancement injections, pulmonary respiratory enhancements, retina-inversion injections and cochlea enhancement tuning.[10] In addition, mental augmentations were performed to enhance brain functions[2] including enhanced learning capabilities to allow a subject to learn at a faster and higher rate and enhanced motor skills to improve body movements. The ORION training regime was very difficult and included many tests both mental and physical, including laboratory work. All 65 initial volunteers[2] made it through the training and augmentation procedures and were placed on active duty some time after completing their training. After their initial deployment and success, funding for training the next group of personnel was approved. By the time it was shut down, the ORION program had 165 surviving participants.[9][11] Former ORION project member Avery Johnson remembers the augmentation experience as being agonizing filled with confusing, hormone-induced rages.[12]

History

Phase 1

Origins

The beginning of the ORION program (named for the Orion Arm of the Milky Way[9]) dates back to the 23rd century, when the newly formed United Nations Space Command began developing bioengineering protocols and experimenting with biochemically altering human soldiers. Led by Doctor Ritsa Shephard and fulfilled by KYKLOS Working Group, the ORION Project began as an extension of the "blue sky" projects commissioned by the UEG before the Domus Diaspora.[13] Although these performance-enhancing substances were very primitive and nowhere near as effective as the chemicals used to augment the soldiers of the SPARTAN programs, they did show promise and gave results and serve as the catalyst for future endeavors. Since then, human soldiers have used performance-enhancing equipment for centuries, including adrenaline injections.[14]

Initial Project

The initial version of the ORION Project was activated by the Office of Naval Intelligence on April 13, 2321 to significantly increase the combat effectiveness of the Colonial Military Administration's elite troops. The end goal was to improve the security of future colonies outside the Sol system. At least five operators were selected as test-subjects for the experimental augmentations, although the project would be shut down due to poor early results, funding issues, poor personnel retention, and low reliability.[13] The troopers were reintegrated back into the active service; however, for reasons undisclosed by ONI, all five would die within the year, while key personnel on the ORION Project were transferred to colonization missions or terraforming research.[11][13] By 2558, major aspects of the original ORION Project remained undocumented, as several encrypted UEG digital archives from 24th century have degraded or gone missing.[13]

Phase 2

The relaunch of ORION

As the civil wars began to intensify in the Outer and Inner Colonies, the CMA found it difficult to hold onto their assets between the colonial rebellions and usurping by the UNSC. Using data supplied by ONI, along with subtle background manipulation by the Assembly,[15] the CMA secretly relaunched ORION in response to insurgent attacks in the colonies. The project began on January 29, 2491[16] with 65 test subjects. After completing their training, an additional 100 volunteers were accepted into the program. The first ORION deployment occurred on January 12, 2496 as part of Operation: CHARLEMAGNE.[11] During this operation the full unit of ORION soldiers was deployed to recover the sub-orbital transit station over Eridanus II. This marked the only time a full unit of operators was ever deployed throughout the program's existence — they completed their mission with only a single casualty and without being detected.[2] As a result of the success of CHARLEMAGNE, tales of the military deploying advanced supersoldiers were born. This became fuel for a range of conspiracy theories and media speculation. As the legend of the supersoldiers continued to grow it gave birth to a new round of propaganda efforts by ONI in the coming decades. In the same year, an ORION team was deployed as part of Operation: VERITAS, where they secured the non-official cover list of undercover Secessionist Union operatives who were working in various high-level offices within the CMA.[11]

Effectiveness and shortcomings

As the war against the Insurrectionists continued to escalate, the UNSC escalated their counter-insurgent activities under Operation: TREBUCHET, created in response to the defector UNSC Marine Colonel Robert Watts.[17] The ORIONs proved key in the fight against the rebel attacks across the colonies, taking down insurgents as soon as they cropped up. However, as time went on the insurgent attacks became more effective and insurgent personnel more difficult to root out; and over the ensuing decades they became more organized and more difficult to combat. Bombings continued despite the best efforts of both regular military personnel and the ORION soldiers — civilians became caught in the crossfire of these conflicts and casualties began to mount exponentially, adding fuel to the simmering hatred harbored against the UNSC by many colonists. This prompted the UNSC to recruit more soldiers to the ORION program, culminating in a peak roster of 300 active personnel.[2]

Though the ORION operatives continued to prove their effectiveness, some of the older conscripts began to exhibit flaws which were passed off as natural defects or stress from the war. Many ORION candidates exhibited post-traumatic stress disorder or repressed insurgent sympathies; some in the latter category refused to participate in the program post-augmentation and were incarcerated.[6] Despite the nominal effectiveness of the ORION soldiers, the results of the ORIONs' abilities were falling short of the scientists' hopes. Because of the candidates's age and inadequate genetic screening for specific genetic sequences, the genetic modifications led to minimal improvement and the inserted immunosuppressants failed in most of the subjects. This caused irreversible genetic fragmentation and degenerative conditions in many of the ORION personnel.[18]

Despite the improvements to strength, speed, vision, agility, and reaction speed the more modest results of ORION meant that it was difficult to tell a former ORION operative from other soldiers in the UNSC or CMA without an in-depth medical examination.[19]

KALEIDOSCOPE and deactivation

In 2502, Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE (part of the UNSC's greater plan to pacify the entirety of human-colonized space) was put into action. Many ORION supersoldiers were deployed to neutralize insurgent strongholds, but one of the key goals was to eliminate Jerald Mulkey Ander, the leader of the Secessionist Union. On March 13, 2502, Ander was assassinated by ORION operative Corporal Avery Johnson.[20] With Ander dead the Secessionist Union fell apart, though his death did not deter those who wished to be free from the control of the UNSC and only strengthened the resolve of the insurrectionist movement in the colonies.[9] Although KALEIDOSCOPE dealt a heavy blow to the insurgents, the overall strategy of the operation failed to pacify the colonies. Worse was the fact that some of the older ORION soldiers were beginning to develop severe side effects from their augmentations, that ranged from physical to mental illnesses. Their performance was also continuing to decline in addition to the ineffective strategies the UNSC were using. Operation: TANGLEWOOD would be the last operation the ORIONs participated in.[2]

The ORION project was quietly deactivated in 2506 and the 165 surviving members were reassigned to other special operations units in the field.[11] However, these soldiers often exhibited side effects as a result of their augmentations and many members were discharged from the military as a result of mental instabilities. In order to ensure absolute secrecy, the side effects caused by the genetic augmentations were masked as a disease known as Boren's Syndrome. Many ORION soldiers retired and some eventually had children; their offspring had to be given specially formulated injections to ensure they suffered no health defects.[21][22] However, many of the former ORION supersoldiers were also able to stay in active military service longer than most baseline humans,[11] a feat exemplified by Avery Johnson, who continued to serve in the field over four decades after the program's deactivation.

Legacy

The augmentation techniques used in ORION were later improved in the subsequent SPARTAN-II program and its successors. Many of ORION's failures were attributed to the age of the candidates: as adults, the applicants' bodies rejected many of the augmentations, producing less than expected results. Because of this, it was decided that the enhancements must be applied at a prepubescent age to individuals possessing very specific genetic markers.[18] Due to improvements in biomedical technology over the intervening half-century, this impediment was later overcome in the SPARTAN-IV program, which allows the augmentation of adult subjects without the major risks presented by the earlier SPARTAN enhancements.[23] In part due to his experience in the ORION program, Sergeant Avery Johnson was chosen to act as a mentor to the young SPARTAN-II's during Operation: SILENT STORM.[12]

Due to their combat effectiveness, the UNSC decided to use ORION operators as models for a reorganization of the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.[24]

Personnel

SPARTAN-1.1

The children of the ORIONs are sometimes referred to as Spartan 1.1s, reflecting the retroactive application of the SPARTAN-I moniker. There are sixteen Spartan 1.1s, including Janissary James and Kevin Morales.[27] Due to their parents' augmentations, the Spartan 1.1s had to receive injections in order to ensure normal growth without defects.[21] A small vigilante group of Spartan 1.1s, seemingly led by Kevin Morales, formed a plan to fight the Covenant. However, before this could come to fruition, the Covenant invasion of Earth began.[28]

Gallery

  • Each ORION operative's mission record includes a variant Orion insignia. This insignia contains basic information about the mission and the operator.

    Each ORION operative's mission record includes a variant Orion insignia. This insignia contains basic information about the mission and the operator.

  • Project ORION insignia used on a lighter owned by Avery Johnson in Halo 3: ODST.

    Project ORION insignia used on a lighter owned by Avery Johnson in Halo 3: ODST.

  • Avery Johnsons lighter in Halo 3: ODST.

    Avery Johnsons lighter in Halo 3: ODST.

  • An emblem associated with the ORION project, as drawn by Dr. Catherine Halsey in her journal.

    An emblem associated with the ORION project, as drawn by Dr. Catherine Halsey in her journal.

  • Another version of the ORION insignia, as seen in Halo Infinite.

    Another version of the ORION insignia, as seen in Halo Infinite.

  • The DNA analysis chart of ORION candidate 047. The candidate seems to have received a lethal amount of dioxin poisoning.

    The DNA analysis chart of ORION candidate 047. The candidate seems to have received a lethal amount of dioxin poisoning.

List of appearances

Sources

  1. ^ a b Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual, page 79
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition) page 81
  3. ^ Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual, page 108
  4. ^ Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual, page 81
  5. ^ Halo: The Flood page 16
  6. ^ a b Dr. Halsey's personal journal
  7. ^ Halo: New Blood, page 130 (Google Play edition)
  8. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition) page 80
  9. ^ a b c d e Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition) pages 44 - 45
  10. ^ cochlear_tuning Axon
  11. ^ a b c d e f Halo Waypoint - Spartans
  12. ^ a b Halo: Silent Storm, chapter 4
  13. ^ a b c d Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual - Page 79
  14. ^ Halo Wars
  15. ^ Halo: Reach, Data pad 5
  16. ^ say_please Axon
  17. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), page 45
  18. ^ a b Dr. Halsey's personal journal, February 15, 2511
  19. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 65
  20. ^ a b Halo Graphic Novel page 122
  21. ^ a b Miracles Axon
  22. ^ dream_child Axon
  23. ^ Halo: New Blood, page 52 (Google Play edition)
  24. ^ Data pad 11
  25. ^ Halo: Contact Harvest page 47
  26. ^ Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Anniversary Armory (Retrieved on Feb 3, 2021) [archive]
  27. ^ Axon Clips Chapter 8 The Funeral (Janissary)
  28. ^ Enter Kevin Axon Clips Chapter 12

v • d • e
 
Known ORION Project personnel

v • d • e
 
The SPARTAN programs and related topics
Training and protocol
Technology
Non-UNSC super soldiers
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