The SPARTAN Project

The SPARTAN Programs are a series of Earth Federation projects designed to create physically, genetically, technologically, and mentally superior "supersoldiers" as a special fighting force within the Military. These soldiers are named after the warriors that protected Sparta.

The SPARTAN Program started in 2491 when the first generation of super soldiers, codenamed "Spartans", was created by enhancing volunteers from the Earth Federation Defense Force. Since then, the SPARTAN Program has gone through two more phases so as to include three generations.

The SPARTAN program and its dangerous methods of enhancements have mostly fallen out of use to do breakthroughs in genetic engineering, realian technology being developed and advancements in both cybernetic and robotic technologies. Some races still use similar methods in creating supersoldiers though, so SPARTAN like enhancements can still be seen to this day.

SPARTAN-I
The original Spartan Project was created to test genetic enhancements on volunteers from the armed forces. These enhancements were the precursors to the enhancements used in the Spartan-II program. The mortality rate for those injected was high, a factor which contributed largely to the failure of the program. Those who survived the injection(s) had a greatly increased rate of mental problems later in life. It is not known at this time how many soldiers participated in this program. However, it is mentioned that there are several offspring known as Spartan 1.1's, some of which may have been chosen for the Spartan-II program.

Spartan 1.1
The children of Spartan 1.0s are called Spartan 1.1s. They have much of the same augmentations as their parents, though without the same military training.

Characteristics
* Higher-than-average intelligence
* Increased Speed
* Enhanced vision
* Immunity to most illnesses
* Inability to become drunk, though they can become intoxicated by an unspecified illegal recreational drug,as well as by painkillers
* Decreased amount of time required for sleep
* Enhanced hearing
* Increased lung capacity
* Superior muscle density
* Heightened sense of balance
* Accelerated cellular regeneration
* Extremely fast reflexes
* Increased Strength

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

Candidates for the program were selected from children deemed to possess superior physical and mental attributes.

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, of which some were physically crippled; these were discharged from the program and placed in non-combat positions where their enhanced mental faculties might still prove useful.


Biological Augmentation
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. The superconducting fabrication of neural dendrites felt like fire burning along their nerves on their spines. Some experienced bleeding eyes, incredible pain, and tripping over themselves a lot due to the retinal, reflex enhancements, and bone strength increases.

These results were only a few months after augmentation, 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 Spartan candidates "washed out" during these procedures.


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). Later on, one runs at around 105 KPH (65.205 MPH) during a MJOLNIR MARK V training exercise.
* Capable of lifting three times their body weight due to increased muscle density.
* Virtual night vision.
* Reaction times of 20 milliseconds. Significantly faster in combat situations.
* Capable of unprecedented teamwork that resembled "telepathy".
* No physiological or mental instabilities.

Introduction
The SPARTAN-III Program was the successor and replacement to the SPARTAN-II Program. Engineered by the Office of Naval Intelligence, the SPARTAN-III soldiers (S-IIIs) were to be the next generation of super soldiers. They would be cheaper to arm, train, and produce; chosen from a wider pool of candidates, and more numerous than their SPARTAN-II predecessors. They would rely on superior battle tactics, teamwork, and stealth rather than technology and equipment, to achieve their effectiveness.


Augmentation Procedures
The Spartan-III's underwent bio-enhancement procedures similar to those of the Spartan-II's. The procedures were referred to as Project CHRYSANTHEMUM. With advances in technology, however, the survival rate for Spartan-III candidates was usually 100%, as opposed to the 40% survival rate of the Spartan-IIs. The Spartan-IIIs were injected with the following augmentation drugs:

* Drug 8942-LQ99: A carbide ceramic ossification catalyst to make skeletons virtually unbreakable.
* Drug 88005-MX77: A fibroid muscular protein complex that boosted muscle density and strength.
* Drug 88947-OP24: A retina-inversion stabilizer drug. It boosted color and night vision capabilities.
* Drug 87556-UD61: Improved colloidal neural disunification solution, which in turn decreases reaction time.

In addition, the following drugs were injected into the Spartans of Gamma Company. They were illegal, but some felt that they were necessary for the Spartans to survive.

* Drug 009762-OO: A mutagen that altars key regions of the subject's frontal lobe. Enhances aggression, strength, endurance, and tolerance to injury. Kept in check by the antipsychotic and bipolar-integration drugs.
* Drug 009927-DG: miso-olanzapine. An antipsychotic. Counters the mutagen's properties.
* Drug 009127-PX: cyclodexione-4. A bipolar-integration drug. Counters the mutagen's properties.