SPARTAN (Earth-5875)



"They stand alone — undaunted — before the mightiest enemy in the universe. But these are no ordinary people. They are SPARTANS..."

- - Book detailing the SPARTANs' status as heroes of humanity

SPARTANs are members of numerous UNSC projects devised to create the perfect human soldier, enhancing their physicality, genetics, technology and mental capability, as special fighting units.

The first generation of supersoldiers began with the ORION Project, later retroactively named "SPARTAN-I", using operatives drafted from all branches of the UNSC, which was followed by the SPARTAN-II and SPARTAN-III Programs. Both were hugely successful, however, highly controversial because of the dubious ethics of kidnapping children and using them as candidates. The newest SPARTAN-IV Program put the controversy behind and returned to ORION's roots by drafting consenting adults as volunteers, drawn from all UNSC branches, leading to the formation of the N7 special operations unit.

Background
The basic concept for the future SPARTAN programs can be traced to the 24th century with the initial bioengineering protocols developed during the Secession. Ever since, performance enhancing equipment, as well as augmentations became commonplace in human society, and their development advancing at a rapid rate. SPARTANs were deployed numerous times through various human conflicts, from the Insurrection to the First Contact War. The core idea was to create super soldiers as a plan to enhance normal UNSC soldiers to combat rebellion, patrol the various colonies belonging to national superpowers and ensure civilian protection.

SPARTANs are named after the Spartans of Ancient Greece, specifically during the Persian invasion led by Xerxes I, part of the Greco-Persian Wars that ranged from 499 to 448 BCE. In the Battle of Thermopylae, 300 Spartans led 5000 Greek soldiers under the command of Leonidas I against the Persian invaders, being able to hold them back. However, it ultimately resulted in all of their deaths, although with the blood of 20,000 Persians on their hands, according to Herodotus, helping Greece defend itself better. The resilience of the Spartans was a result of rigorous training in the agoge, starting at age 7.

Origins
The SPARTAN programs would start with the activation of the ORION Project in 2321 during the Secession, launched by the UNSC with numerous high-ranking businesspeople and investors, in an effort to halt the progress of the Sovereign Colonies. The project was named after the mythological Greek hero Orion, where the objective was to progress the bioengineering protocols established in 2164 with the Sudham-Wolcott Genetic Heritage Act.

ORION candidates were all drafted members from the UNSC Marine Corps, who underwent extensive tests and augmentations through the project. Unfortunately, the results achieved less than stellar results, forcing the project to end and the few candidates to return to their normal duties.

ORION reborn
In 2491, the CAA secretly relaunched the ORION Project with the objective of improving upon the working aspects of its former attempt of creating the perfect soldier, which were supposed to enter enemy lines and destroy Insurrectionist activity at its infancy.

This new ORION was secretly headquartered in Arcturus Station and the new candidates were once again drafted from the UNSC Marine Corps. Unlike its previous attempt, the new iteration of ORION used highly advanced indoctrination and biological augmentation to create its soldiers, and after a series of rigorous psychological and physical tests, the first 165 ORIONs were sent to the battlefield. By 2496, the UNSC launched Operation CHARLEMAGNE as a response to new secessionists who performed acts of terrorism on Eridanus II, marking the first operation of the ORION soldiers, who ultimately were the victors thanks to their enhanced strength and tactics. They were able to efficiently complete their missions, most of the time without being detected by enemy forces, which sparkled a series of conspiracy theories, which only helped the UNSC and its propaganda efforts for the next decades. Despite their efficiency, the ORION's abilities proved to be too expensive for development in the field, leading to the project's deactivation in 2506, with its participants returning to special operation units in the UNSC.