Project CHRYSANTHEMUM

Project: CHRYSANTHEMUM is a set of SPARTAN-III bio-augmentation procedures, similar to those of the SPARTAN-IIs but different in three main regards. With advances in technology, the casualty rate for SPARTAN-III candidates was usually 0%, as opposed to the 56% casualty rate of the SPARTAN-IIs. The Spartan-III's had no need of a thyroid implant, and their augmentations were chemically induced instead of surgically implanted.

Procedure
The CHRYSANTHEMUM procedures took place aboard the mobile hospital ship. The augmentations were administered over the course of a week; the subject was kept in a mostly sedated state throughout the process, which was conducted in a large, open operations room housing 400 sections separated by semi-opaque plastic curtains. Each compartment was filled with medical equipment, including a sterile field generator overhead as well as vital signs monitors and a chemotherapeutic infuser. The infuser contained vials for the various chemicals, which were administered to the subject via IV and osmotic patches. The Spartans were given a number of drugs to allow them to withstand the procedures themselves and counter their potential negative effects; these included shock reducers, analgesics, anti-inflammatories, anticoagulants, and pH buffers.

Gamma Company
The augmentations of the SPARTAN-III Gamma Company differed from those given to the two previous generations in a number of respects. Due to the Office of Naval Intelligence accelerating the schedule of the Gamma generation, puberty was artificially induced via human growth hormone as well as cartilage, muscle and bone supplements added into their food. As a result, the candidates had the bodies of near-adult Olympic athletes at an average of only twelve years of age; it had taken some time for them to acclimatize to their larger physiques. Furthermore, in addition to the standard set of chemicals, Kurt Ambrose covertly had a set of three additional drugs added to the augmentations in hopes of increasing their survivability in the field. All of the three had been outlawed by the UNSC Medical Corps in 2513.

Performance
The Spartan-IIIs, despite their expendable nature and lower-grade equipment than the Spartan-IIs, were still very capable of superhuman feats associated with Spartans.

During Operation: TORPEDO, Tom-B292, 12 years old at the time and equipped only with SPI armor, engaged a Sangheili armed with a plasma pistol and an energy sword in hand-to-hand combat. The Spartan's enhanced reflexes allowed him to dodge a plasma pistol bolt and sword swing at point blank range. He then proceeded to throw the Elite to the ground and finish it off with his assault rifle. During the battle, Elites and Jackals moved out of cover because they realized that it was suicide to face Spartans in close quarters.

The muscular augmentations provided an individual SPARTAN-III the strength of "three normal soldiers". During Operation: TORPEDO, SPARTAN-IIIs ran at a speed of nearly 30 KPH (around 18 MPH). Spartan-IIIs were also described to have been moving with "speed and reflexes that no Covenant could follow". "They dodged, snapped necks and limbs, and with captured energy swords, they cut through the enemy until the field ran with rivers of gore and blue blood". Approximately 300 Spartan-IIIs faced thousands upon thousands of Covenant, including Covenant air support, and were described to have been winning the battle until 7 Covenant cruisers emerged as reinforcements.

It was stated by CPO Mendez that as Spartans grew older, they only grew stronger, and faster as their bodies grew accustomed to their augmentations. During the battle on Pegasi Delta, Beta Company ranged from age 7 through 12. If the Spartan-III's lived long enough to mature, their physical abilities would have improved significantly.

The mutagen 009762-OO, administered only to the Spartans of Gamma Company, makes the Spartans almost completely immune to shock under extreme stress, allowing them to endure injuries and physical pain beyond even a SPARTAN-II; for example, Dante-G188 remained standing momentarily after a number of Needler rounds had blown his chest open, initially not even realizing his grave injuries. As a side effect, the drug suppresses higher brain functions over time; without the regularly administered counteragents, cyclodexione-4 and miso-olanzapine, the Spartan would lose their strategic judgment and become more prone to impulsive, instinct-driven behavior.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Remember Reach
 * Birth of a Spartan
 * Halo: Glasslands