SPARTAN-II program: Difference between revisions

Inevitably the small number of Spartan-IIs dwindled as casualties were sustained. As the exploits of the Spartans were a major [[propaganda]] boon to the UNSC, Section II of the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] issued [[Office of Naval Intelligence Directive 930|Directive 930]],{{Ref/Reuse|strike}} which stated that Spartans killed or wounded would be listed as "[[missing in action]]" (MIA) or "[[wounded in action]]" (WIA), thus maintaining the illusion of the Spartans' invincibility. By [[2552#August|August 27, 2552]], 25 of the 28 remaining Spartan-IIs assigned to NAVSPECWEAP,<ref name="DD5">[http://halo.xbox.com/Content/assets/en-us/ONI/577839090903298928/DDR-A340024-1115-08-27-52.pdf '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Data Drop 5'']</ref><ref>'''Halo Wars''' timeline</ref><ref>'''Halo: First Strike''' (2010), Adjunct</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/user/HaloWaypoint#p/a/DF8EE7CCE045CAA0/0/jh7Q3fjIIwc '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Defiant to the End'']</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''', [[Library (feature)|Library]] - Pelican</ref> except [[Gray Team]], had been recalled to Reach, some from combat,{{Ref/Reuse|DD5}} to receive new orders for [[Operation: RED FLAG]], a mission that [[UNSC High Command|HIGHCOM]] hoped would end the war.<ref name="fall">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''' ''page 240''</ref> They would commandeer a Covenant vessel, locate the Covenant homeworld, and return with captured [[San'Shyuum|Covenant leadership]] to force a ceasefire. The [[artificial intelligence]] construct [[Cortana]], carried within [[John-117]]'s [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V|Mark V Mjolnir armor]], would serve as the strike force's hacker and technology specialist.

In 2557, after being missing in action for nearly five years, John-117 stopped the [[Ur-Didact]]'s [[New Phoenix Incident|attack on Earth]] after linking up with the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} on [[Requiem]]. John subsequently reunited with Blue Team who [[Skirmish on Installation 03|faced the Didact]] again shortly afterward; after defeating the Promethean for the second time,<ref>'''Halo: Escalation''', '''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 10|Issue #10]]'''</ref> the team continued to serve in the field in a number of classified operations.{{Ref/Reuse|CatalogBlue}}<ref name="VIS">'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]'''</ref> [[Team Black]] was stationed on [[Installation 03]],<ref>[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2963929_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2963929 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction - Page 6'']</ref> until they were killed by the Didact, dwindling the known number of active Spartan-IIs at the moment, down to eight.<ref>'''Halo: Escalation''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 8|Issue #8]]''</ref>

ONI publicly unveiled the SPARTAN-II program in [[2547]] in order to boost morale,<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 230'' (2001)</ref><ref name="goo139"¨>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 139''</ref> though the supersoldiers' true origins remain classified to the general public as of [[2558]].<ref name="htt">'''[[Hunt the Truth]]'''</ref> The 2547 [[CAA Factbook]] entry on the Spartans states that the supersoldiers are "recruited from all corners of UNSC governed space" and that "each of them is a highly decorated veteran with literal decades of combat experience", but omits the program's ethically problematic background.<ref name="bnet caa">[http://halo.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=intel&cid=24024 '''Bungie.net''': ''CAA Factbook: The Spartan Project'']</ref> At least [[John-117]], who was elevated to a legendary status as the "Master Chief" in the final months of the war, was given an elaborate, inspiring origin story to hide his true background, promoted by several individuals claiming to have known or interacted with John at some point.{{Ref/Reuse|htt}} However, as of [[2553]], there were pervasive rumors among the UNSC military that the Spartans had been kidnapped as six-year-old children and replaced by flash clones.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''pages 51-52'' (Google Play edition)</ref> Admiral Parangosky planned to unveil the SPARTAN-II program's classified aspects to the UEG defense committee by early 2553,<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 434''</ref> although any information on their origins remained unconfirmed among military personnel as of [[2555]].<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''pages 128-129'' (Google Play edition)</ref> The information is not public knowledge as of [[2558]],{{Ref/Reuse|htt}}<ref>'''[[Halo 4 Limited Edition]]''', ''[[Infinity Briefing Packet]]''</ref> although some of the Spartan-IVs were made aware of their predecessors' origins.<ref group="notes">In ''Halo: New Blood'', in a scene set in 2555, Commander [[Musa-096]] casually tells [[Edward Buck]] that the Spartan-IIs were conscripted as children; Buck is surprised that Musa would confirm the rumors that had been circulating within the military for years, indicating the facts had not been publicly disclosed at the time. In ''Spartan Ops'', [[Anthony Madsen]] tells [[Paul DeMarco]] that Dr. Halsey kidnapped children to create the Spartan-IIs, with DeMarco being unaware of this beforehand. Whether Madsen actually knew the Spartan-IIs' origins for a fact or if he was merely citing the rumors is unclear.</ref> At some point in 2558, journalist [[Benjamin Giraud]] uncovered the origins of the program and uploaded his findings to the public network, along with delivering an unsanctioned testimony on the matter to the [[Unified Earth Government Senate]]'s Armed Forces Committee. This compounded an increasing distrust against ONI and the Spartans generated by a recent [[Raid on Biko peace talks|attack on a peace conference]] apparently perpetrated by the Master Chief.{{Ref/Reuse|HTT9}}

The Spartan-IIs enjoy a large degree of operational autonomy in the field and typically operate in teams of three to five and even individually,{{Ref/Reuse|wp spartan}} although the size and composition of these teams is heavily mission-specific; a team leader will typically pick the Spartans best suited for the mission at hand according to their personal talents.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 78'' (2001)</ref><ref name="fs4">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 4'' (2003)</ref><ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 158'' (2003)</ref> However, with the original Spartan-II group dispersed across the battlefields of the Covenant War over the decades, certain team arrangements became more established than others.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 240'' (2001)</ref> Spartan-II teams are assigned color-based designations on a mission-specific basis, [[Blue Team|Blue]], [[Red Team|Red]] and [[Green Team|Green]] teams being the most prominent of these.{{Ref/Reuse|fs4}} On some missions, Red Team has formed smaller splinter units (designated with Greek alphabet) to better suit the mission objectives at the time. Some Spartan-II teams appear to have been more well-established since their training, namely [[Black Team|Black]] and [[Gray Team|Gray]] teams which continued to operate with their compositions unchanged over the Covenant War.<ref name="bl">'''[[Halo: Blood Line]]'''</ref>

Twelve Spartan-II candidates were officially discharged from the program after failing the augmentation procedures, most becoming severely crippled. The majority of these former candidates were later reassigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence. However, Dr. Halsey hoped that some might be rehabilitated and enter service as fully functional Spartans.{{Ref/Reuse|journal}}

Officially, thirty Spartan candidates were killed when they failed to adapt to their physical enhancements; the only identified fatality was [[SPARTAN-073]].<ref>'''[[Scanned]]'''</ref> However, at least one of the candidates allegedly killed by the augmentation procedures actually lived and were pressed into ONI service, their survival kept secret from their peers. [[Serin-019]] became an ONI operative.

*[[Serin-019]] - Rejected most physical augmentations; physical damage largely repaired by ONI. Recruited as an ONI field agent, adopting the surname "Osman". Later became the protégé of Admiral [[Margaret Parangosky]] and was handpicked by the latter to lead the black ops team [[Kilo-Five]]. Serves as Commander-in-Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence as of September [[2558]].<ref name="Expendable">'''[[Spartan Ops]]''', [[S1/Expendable|S1E8 ''Expendable'']]</ref>

In the fighting game ''Dead or Alive 4'', [[Nicole-458]] is teleported back to the 21st-century aboard ''[[Nassau Station]]''.

*'''Cost:''' {{HW2Population|0}}, {{HW2Supplies|500}}, {{HW2Power|400}}