Project ASTER

As part of the SPARTAN program, the Spartan-IIs underwent augmentation procedures at the age of fourteen or fifteen.

Procedures

Admiral Ysionris Jeromi documented the following experimental procedures on Bonobo Chimpanzees. These operations were later performed on the Spartan-IIs.

1. Carbide ceramic ossification: Advanced material: special metal and ceramic layers, grafting onto skeletal structure to make bones virtually unbreakable. Recommended coverage not to exceed 3 percent total bone mass because of significant white blood cell necrosis. Specific risk for pre- and near-post pubescent adolescents: skeletal growth spurts may cause irreparable bone pulverization.
2. Muscular enhancement injections: Protein complex is injected intramuscular, to increase tissue density and decrease lactate 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. Suppressed sexual drive.
4. Occipital capillary reversal: Submergence and boosted blood vessel flow beneath the rods and cones of subject’s retina. Produces a marked visual perception increase. Risk: retinal rejection and detachment. Permanent blindness.
5. Superconducting fabrication of neural dendrites: Alteration of bio-electrical nerve transduction to shielded electronic transduction. Three hundred percent increase in subject’s reflexes. Anecdotal evidence of marked increase in intelligence, memory, and creativity. Risk: significant instances of Parkinson’s disease and Fletcher’s syndrome.

Experience

The carbide ceramic ossification bone grafts felt like glass breaking inside their marrow. Kurt-051 Ambrose explained that it felt like napalm being poured into his veins. The superconducting fabrication of neural dendrites felt like fire burning along their nerves on their spines. John-117 experienced bleeding eyes, incredible pain, and tripping over himself a lot due to the retinal, reflex enhancements, and bone strength increases.

Results

The combined modifications produced unexpected and unexplained synergistic effects, later recorded as follows:

• Capable of running at speeds exceeding 55 KPH (34.155 MPH). Kelly-087 was capable of running even faster than the rest. Later on, John-117 runs at around 105 KPH (65.205 MPH) during a MJOLNIR MARK V training exercise. (Note: during this training he tore his Achilles tendon but kept running, suggesting his top speed may be even faster).
• Capable of lifting three times their body weight, which is double the normal lifting power of an average human due to increased muscle density.
• Virtual night vision.
• Reaction times of 20 milliseconds. Significantly faster in combat situations or with A.I. assistance.
• Capable of unprecedented teamwork that resembled "telepathy".
• No physiological or mental instabilities.
• Unusual regenerative abilities; in Halo 3, the Master Chief went from unconscious to quickly moving in and sticking a Pistol into the Arbiter's mouth, possibly due to the Gel layer of armor designed to significantly decrease damage taken from falls.

These current results were only a few months after augmentation, Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez himself said that the Spartans will only get better as they adjust to the augmentation. Therefore the only true one is that the Spartans can exceed speeds of 55 KPH (34.155 MPH). These abilities were completely independent of the MJOLNIR armor, which only further augmented the Spartans' unprecedented capabilities. But, the augmentations were deadly or paralyzing, and many of the fourteen year old Spartan candidates "washed out" during these procedures. Further research and improvements in technology lead to future classes of spartans to have a wider gene pool and smaller risk of fatality.