When paired with a smart AI through a specialized neural implant, a Spartan's tactical awareness and reaction time are improved even further. To complement their biological augmentation, the SPARTAN-IIs were given state-of-the-art MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor which interfaces with the wearer's nervous system and greatly boosts their strength and speed. However, the Spartans who did survive became the most effective soldiers to be ever fielded by humanity, with superhuman strength, reflexes and stamina as well as virtually unbreakable bones. While the SPARTAN-II augmentations would make the soldier significantly stronger and faster than an ORION operative, this came with a price: out of 75 candidates, only 33 survived the augmentation procedures, with the rest either killed or maimed for life. The SPARTAN-II augmentations included many previously-untested procedures, among them synthetic bone grafts, hormonal supplements, retinal surgery, intramuscular protein injections and major alteration of the subject's nervous system. Thus, despite being highly unethical and illegal, it was decided that the program's trainees be drafted as children and augmented as they began to reach puberty. Because of the requirements, the best suitable candidates who would adapt without severe side effects were those of prepubescent age. Catherine Halsey, early analysis concluded that next-generation candidates must have "more malleable, robust DNA structure and repair enzymes" and be selected through a stringent genetic screening process to avoid the washout rates of the ORION program. Research on the SPARTAN-II program's augmentations began five years after the deactivation of the ORION Project. John-117 being prepared for his augmentations Main article: Project ASTER Former ORION project member Avery Johnson remembers the experience as being agonizing filled with confusing, hormone-inducing rages.
While the ORION operatives were highly successful, the project on the whole was deemed a failure due to many factors, among the most prominent being the high "washout" rate of the augmentations as well as the limited effectiveness of the enhancements themselves. The ORION augmentations included enhancements to muscle density, lung capacity, vision, hearing and balance. The project was secretly relaunched by the Colonial Military Authority well over a century later in 2491, with the recruitment of 65 adult test subjects hundreds more were added after the first batch completed their training. Within a year, all candidates would die of unknown causes. However, after five military candidates were selected and tested, the project was declared ineffective and the candidates were returned to their respective chains of command. The beginnings of the program can be traced back to 2321, when the Office of Naval Intelligence began to build upon bioengineering protocols developed during the Interplanetary Wars. The first major effort to create biochemically-augmented supersoldiers was known as Project ORION. However, they did encourage the UNSC to continue research into human enhancement. Despite providing subtle enhancement in the areas of strength and speed, these augmentations were rather primitive in comparison to the supersoldiers created centuries later. Early efforts Īs unrest began to brew in humanity's fledgling space territories, eventually breaking out as the Interplanetary War, biological augmentations were first appropriated for military use. A notable exception to this are the biochemical and cybernetic augmentations used in the SPARTAN programs, which represent the peak of human biological and cybernetic enhancement. Basic performance-enhancing technologies have been commonplace among human militaries for centuries however, extensive experimentation pushing the limits of the human body has historically been limited due to ethical concerns. While civilian applications for such technologies do exist, their obvious military advantages quickly saw them harnessed for the purposes of warfare. Since the dawn of widespread spaceflight, humans have sought to use biochemical, surgical and cybernetic means to augment their bodies. Many of the enhancements were to the neurological and cognitive abilities of the individual, although at least the Warrior-Servants' mutations also made them physically stronger and more robust. While many of the changes were ostensibly cosmetic and made for cultural reasons, others were designed to enhance a Forerunner's abilities. The Forerunners used artificially-induced mutations consisting of a combination of genetic engineering, gene therapy and biochemical manipulation to custom-tailor an individual's body to a form considered suited for their social standing and field of work in a rate. The Forerunners' mutations substantially altered their base physiology to better suit various roles
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