2504 Spartans

"They will burn Treaty to the ground." - Dr. Nathaniel Kruth, 2503

The Spartan Programs were the most controvertial military programs in the history of the UEE. The first Spartan Program, the 2504 Spartans, were the most controvertial. The reason is easy to see for anyone who looks at the training methods of the 2504 Spartan Program. The cadets in the program were gentically modified, and raised from birth to be super-soldiers. The cadets were subjected to monthly live-fire exercises with live ammunition. Of the original hundred-thousand cadets created, only one hundred made it to active service.

Though the training was brutal, nobody can deny that the 100 Spartans weren't effective. Their first mission, an attack on the Rebel staging ground 0089, was a major success that resulted in the complete destruction of the base. Despite the youth of the cadets and the vast numerical superiority the Rebels posessed, the Spartans managed to completely destroy the Rebel base, preventing an attack on Marigold IV, and saving countless lives.

Composition

Manpower

The 2504 Spartans had 100 Spartan soldiers, along with 20 Crusader Pilots, and 580 Crew on the Spartan Marauder.

Equipment

Individual Spartan Equipment:

• 1 Martin High Degree Body Armor Set

• 1 Enfield 2504 Experimental Assault Rifle

• 16 Enfield 2504 Experimental Assault Rifle Magazines

• 2 2504 Cornell High Explosive Pistols

• 4 2504 Cornell High Explosive Pistol Clips

• 28 Days Rations

• 10 Explosive Devices (Grenades or Timed Explosives)

• 1 Warp Communication Devices

• 1 Nightlock Suicide Pill

Spartan Program Assets:

• 10 MMCIV Crusader Dropships

• 1 Heavily Modified MMCIIV Marauder Class Carriers

• 4 MMCIV Hornet Class Fighter/Bombers

• 8 MMCIV Shepherd Tanks

• 1 Strategic AI

Weaponry

Almost all Spartans carried additional weapons or had augmented armor. 009008 used a flamethrower. 099999 was a sniper. 000666 had a jetpack.

Vehicles

The Spartan Program used 10 Crusader Dropships to carry troops to combat zones. These Crusaders were then carried by a heavily modifed Marauder Class Carrier to the planets that the combat zones were on. The 2504 Spartan Program didn't use ground vehicles because those vehicles were time-consuming to load and unload, and the Crusaders were good for carrying Spartans around in any case.

Tactics

Each Spartan was, almost by definition, a one-man army. The power of each Spartan combined with the mobility of just 100 people meant that Spartan tactics used the mobility of each Spartan. The fast, maneuverable, and powerful Spartan could chase down retreating armies or overwhelm bases with their fast and furious attacks.

Training

Spartan training was brutal. Out of 100,000 cadets made, only 100 survived to become Spartans. At birth, they were trained for war. Shooting, tactics, 10 km jogs. At the age of 14, the Spartans were put under live-fire exercises. Every month, thousands of cadets died. By the age of 16, only 743 remained. Dr. Kruth only neede 700 for the next exercise however. The 743 were placed in an icy arena. They fought to the death, till only 700 remained. Now, the 700 remaining had one last challenge to complete. They had to form armies of 100. The last army standing won. The 700 were dropped in a jungle planet. The exercise was designed to test leadership skills, unity, and tactical ablity. The last army standing became the Spartans.

These brutal training techniques were wat made the 2504 Spartan Program so controvertial.

The Spartan Crest as Painted onto their dropship by Spartan 030765

Type

Special Forces

Founding

2486

Dissolution

2512

Overall training Level

Elite

Assumed Veterancy

Trained

Used by

• The United Earth Empire

"Do I wish I was never a Spartan? Of course I do. Do I wish I never did those things? Not once." - Spartan 000666, AKA Lucky