Project IRIS
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
Project IRIS was a military biological augmentation program carried out in the 2490s as part of the second phase of the ORION Project. The project was carried out by Section Three of the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), at a facility in Seongnam, Earth.[1] While considered revolutionary for the time, the program was limited due to its application on fully-grown adult volunteers.[2] The 165 personnel who underwent the augmentation experienced minor enhancements to their strength, speed, agility, vision, and reaction times[2] but at the cost of significant failures in some of the augmentations.
Augmentations[edit]
Some of the known augmentation procedures carried out under IRIS are listed in the below table. They do not represent the entirety of the program (which included biochemical alterations, neurological implants, skeletal grafts, cardiovascular enhancements, gene therapies and cybernetic reinforcement) but instead the specific files requested by Doctor Catherine Halsey for her research into the nascent SPARTAN-II program.[1]
| Procedure | Effects |
|---|---|
| Gene therapy | ORION candidates underwent a series of gene-therapy treatments intended to significantly increase their cognitive and neurological adaptability. Over half of the candidates suffered from DNA fragmentatlon and irreversible damage to the genetic Integrity of their gametes.[1] |
| Skeletal reinforcement protocols | IRIS augmentations begin with the installation of a semi-fullerene lattice around load-bearing bones. Late IRIS augmentations add genetically-engineered bone marrow cells which produce enhanced red and white blood cells.[1] |
| Human Growth Hormones (HGH) | Human Growth Hormones (HGHs) were used to stimulate growth in the subjects.[3] |
| Immunosuppressants | Immunosuppresants were used to minimise the body's rejection of the other augmentations, though these largely failed.[4] |
Effects[edit]
According to Avery Johnson, one of the candidates who underwent the IRIS program, the augmentation procedure was an "agonizing experience filled with confused, hormone-induced rages".[5] Overall the program was successful and revolutionary for its time: subjects experienced minor improvements to their physicality,[2] with particular success rates for the biochemical alterations, neurological implants, and skeletal grafts. However, candidates had high failure rates for the cardiovascular enhancements and cybernetic reinforcements, resulting in the need for full reversion in several cases.[1] Due to the status of the subjects as adult volunteers, many of the gene therapies the program trialled were unsuccessful and and led to cancers and degenerative neurological conditions in some subjects.[1]
The research done for IRIS was later picked up by Dr. Catherine Halsey for her work on the SPARTAN-IIs and their augmentation program, Project ASTER. While reviewing the materials, in her journal she concluded that the genetic screening for the ORIONs was "wholly inadequate", which ultimately informed her decision to use much stricter genetic markers for the SPARTAN-II candidates (information gathered thanks to the Outer Colony vaccination program). She also concluded that the subjects' status as adult volunteers meant that many of the augmentations failed: the attempted insertion of gene sequences led to sub-minimal changes, and in many cases the immunosuppressants outright failed, leading to genetic fragmentation and the aforementioned degenerative conditions.[4]
After the ORION program's cancellation in 2506, the candidates were rolled back into the regular UNSC military. To cover up the augmentation of the subjects, ONI created a cover story that claimed the subjects had contracted Boren's Syndrome.[6] According to ONI's own reporting on the project, they considered the success of the augmentations "exceptional", though noted that the surviving ORION candidates had shortened lifespans during the Human-Covenant War.[1] Despite this, several ORION candidates lived well into the war's latest years (and some into the postwar era) including Avery Johnson, Nolan Byrne, James James, Gilly, Gladys Wilson, and Octavio Morales.
List of appearances[edit]
- i love bees (First mentioned)
- Dr. Halsey's personal journal (Mentioned only)
- Halo: Silent Storm (Mentioned only)
- Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual (First named)
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual, page 80-81
- ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 65
- ^ Dr. Halsey's personal journal, page ORION candidate 047 screening results
- ^ a b Dr. Halsey's personal journal, page February 15, 2511
- ^ Halo: Silent Storm, chapter 4
- ^ Halo Graphic Novel, page 122
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