This took a bit longer than I expected. What was supposed to be a few weeks of writing stretched out to several months. In that time, Roosterteeh fell apart, Helldivers 2 expanded, I got Hearts of Irons 4, Iran's President dies, and I've also completed my first year of university.
Now my summer has been occupied with online college courses and volunteering at a kitchen for seniors. That and I've started a Plan quest that's been eating much of my time.
I sincerely apologize for the delay. Maybe this update satisfies your current hunger.
UNSC Death by Calculus, Vindication class Light Battleship, SWG-102
October 12th, 2730
Somewhere in Slipspace, somewhere off the Rim of the Sculptor Galaxy.
Back in the old days of early colonization and slip space, back when human ships could travel a measly 5 lightyears a day, and back when humans needed slip space nodes to more accurately exit Slipspace and not crash into the sun, the crews of ships resided not in their bunks or quarters, but in cryo bays.
Entire sections of ships were dedicated to hundreds, maybe thousands of cryo tubes. Ones that could prolong a human lifespan and keep them in stasis for shocking amounts of time and for relatively few resources.
Resource effective and a way to cut down on the necessary amenities on travel times but hideously expensive in terms of energy and space allocation.
Of course now, with faster fusion engines, better navigational computers, and more efficient Slipspace drives, such things were not necessary anymore. Sure, colony ships like the Phoneix and New Odessey class, along with super ark and colony versions of the Infinity class did still dedicate large bays for cryotubes because those ships, civilian ships without Forerunner-derived drives and being large vessels themselves, needed every space needed for city building material and terraforming equipment to every colonist was shoved into Cryo bays. The same went for medical ships and long-range exploration vessels. But for the rest of the UNSC fleet?
Such a thing was now unnecessary outside of medical bays. After all, a formation needed to be in tip-top shape. Every hour wasted in cryo sleep was an hour not training, an hour not reading up on the latest threats to the galaxy or the UNSC, an hour doing maintenance. And with access to every modern amenity from lounges with bars, buffets, and video game consoles to tactical simulators with every combat scenario to account for.
But of course, the downside was that the crew and passengers were…..well they were awake. And even the hunters were getting tired of being jammed into a few boxes smaller than skyscrapers.
Granted, Death by Calculus, the Posiedon carriers, the Point Blank Prowler, and the pair of Vancouver class escorts he picked up were refitted to accommodate a lot of troops but nearly two months of being stuck in a ship without much to do could be very frustrating.
Especially when one was carrying over two dozen spartans with special magic powers that could rip even a Vindication if given enough time, several companies of ODST with YES amounts of weapons, Omnear special forces and Sangheili warriors who tested their plasma swords against each other, and a few bored AIs with laser beams could be….. disastrous.
This was why Sydney was glad that they were soon to be dropping out of slip space into a star system in the Northwestern quadrant of the galaxy.
Currently, he was displayed as sitting cross-legged on a holographic projector on the bridge. No need for a hard light or robotic body today. He needed to focus on making all 48 ships of his stealthy battlegroup was not flying in Slipspace.
He constantly monitored every vessel, every system, every being. He made sure every slip drive and reactor was safely operating. Any minor damages or scrapes were repaired with nanobots. Every capacitor charged and everyone was fed and alerted beforehand.
And, every MAC, Laser, and Particle Beam capacitor was charged up, rapid-fire Gauss Cannons and MAC guns loaded with a wide variety of munitions, and Swarmer Archer Missiles loaded into the VLS tubes.
Slipspace travel may have been more safer and faster but every precaution should be made.
The bridge doors behind him slid open and Sydney could sense more than half a dozen people entered.
"Colonel McNeil." Sydney adjusted his position to look at his visitors.
"Colonel…. feels odd. Calling the commander of a fleet a colonel instead of a Commodore or Rear Admiral." McNeil noted, taking a seat in one of the unoccupied console stations.
"Yes sir. Technically I'm still army and these are technically navy vessels donated to SOCOM so yes. That and I think I'm technically one rank below necessary but SOCDIV's never cared too much about ranks." Sydney turned towards the others. "Hey guys!"
"I was told you got an upgrade from the Agwe but Brother Gods beholding, this is a serious upgrade!" Brawnz Ni, another Spartan Hunter, exclaimed.
"Please ignore Brawnz. Being a Vacuoian means that he melts in luxury." Arslan sighed.
"Hey! I resent that statement!" Jack retorted.
"It is true. I still remember-"
"Leather seats! You have leather seats!" Brawnz squealed and practically melted in one of the chairs. "Not that crap from that cheap crap from Vale and new Lodz, mmmmmmmnnnnnn….."
"...is he having an orgasm from a chair?" Jack stared, with Sydney hearing Coco and Jaune giggling in the background.
"Nah, just very comfortable," Sydney remarked. "Help yourself to those seats, just don't spill coffee on the consoles please."
"I've never seen Spartans get that worked-up leather seats." McNeil chuckled before taking a seat behind the ground operations console. "I do have to say, these are really comfortable."
"Called in a favour from the Shipyards at Mars before we departed on the expedition. Most of the time travelling to the Extra-Galactic Cluster, I did renovations to the Posideons when I learned that I may be carrying a couple of troops around. Transferred the leftovers to Death by Calculus and did some more refits to better accommodate a regiment's worth of troops on the way here." Sydney shrugged. "Considering that Spartan hunters have different standards than regular ones, better to have some luxuries in stock."
"Indeed." McNeil looked out the window. For him, Slipspace was just a giant black void for humans. "Slipspace. Same in the Milky Way, same here."
Sydney nodded and continued working on his sensors and systems.
"Slipspace exit in 1 minute," Sydney warned, sending an electronic ping to everyone's neural chip and datapads.
The door opened again and this time he could hear the metal boots of the only AI spartan on the team.
"Salutations Sydney! I heard you were bored and needed company!"
Penny Polendia, an AI from the world of Remnant. Having somehow survived the Vytal Disaster, she had followed her friends into hell and back. Like Peach, she was also tapped in for the expedition, though she mostly stuck with the Spartans.
"Ah, hello Penny. How's David and Evelyn?" Sydney asked, still monitoring these sensors and systems.
"Fabulous! I-"
"Penny, please keep your adventures with Evelyn and David off this bridge." Coco warned, slightly blushing.
"Ah, my apologies. I came up to join you to provide company, though that seems to be…..a bit unnecessary now." Penny looked around to note the one ODST colonel and other hunter team leaders.
"Meh, it's fine Pen-pen. Anyways strap yourselves in. We're coming out of slip space." Sydney replied, quickly reviewing the automatic repair functions, something that could be needed.
The uploaded could hear the various Spartans buckling in various station seats. Typically unnecessary but this was a new galaxy so better buckle in.
Then Sydney got on the Intercom. "All Hands, this is the Bridge. Slipspace drop out in 30 seconds. Recommend buckling up and moving to Red alert."
"Uh, should we be concerned?" Jaune questioned.
"Not really. You can't really predict a slipspace jump unless your enemy is still using the old-fashioned nodes or you've seen them jump and can get a good idea of their trajectory. That being said, this is the first time I've done a jump like this with a thousand extra passengers and into a new galaxy," Sydney remarked.
"I see, we're in safe hands," McNeil remarked. "Should we expect turbulence on this flight?"
"Heh, no. Harmless as every other Slipspace jump." Sydney replied. "You know, this is only the third time I've actually carried an organic combat force of this size."
"Really? Thought Autonomous Spaceborne Warfare Program was meant to support special forces groups." McNeil asked with confusion.
"Oh no, not that. Sydney is referring to the fact that he's carrying a larger than ordinary organic force numbering over a battalion into combat." Penny helpfully chirped.
"Thanks, Penny. She's right, most of the people I carry around are small Spartan or UNIA teams. Occasional Omnear, Sangheli, or Kig-Yar Spec Ops. Hell, typically they're on their own ship for most of their ops. One was a demo op for the Nations Council, the other was an anti-pirate operation." Sydney commented.
The bridge remained silent as seconds ticked by.
"Slipspace exit in 3, 2, 1 -mark!"
In this distant galaxy, in a backwater star system in the middle of nowhere, 48 massive rifts in real space erupted and expanded outwards. And out flew out a ship from each one.
In an instant, Gauss guns and Particle Beams unlatch and rose out of the hulls to be pointed outward, automatic coilguns and lasers promptly swivelled into position, energy shields promptly raised, and dozens of sensor panels energized to begin collecting targeting data for the hundreds of weapon systems on each of the ships.
But this first foray into the galaxy, there was no one to greet them. Besides the dim light of the system's star. Nothing to throw Plasma, nukes, or good forbid alien Acid his way.
Nothing, nothing stirred except for distant asteroids floating out there and the cosmic rays bouncing off energy shields.
Sydney waited a few seconds, monitoring every sensor, every optical camera, every radar and laser detector.
And a few more seconds.
And then spoke up.
"Scope's clear colonel. The system appears to be deserted." Then Sydney got back on the intercom. "All hands, this is the CO speaking. Stand down to yellow alert. Await for a moment for recon."
"Well, this is quiet," Arslan commented. "Quite serene."
"Yes, it is. And I'm gonna poke it." Sydney sent a few mental commands to SWG-102's fighter complement.
From their magnetic exterior hooks to their launch tubes, a wide variety of craft ranging from F-99J Wombats to even a quartet of C720 Longswords packed with extra sensors instead of their usual loadout. Dozens of them separated from their mothercraft and began accelerating away from the fleet.
Sydney kept analyzing new feeds of data alongside those of his fleet. Near Lightspeed optical cameras and various sensors kept pouring in new information that Sydney catalogued and stored away.
Several minutes went by, with the Spartans having some small talk but otherwise quiet.
Finally, Sydney had enough information and got back on the intercom. "All hands, this is the Bridge. Stand Down to Blue Alert. Stand down from combat stations. Neighbourhood is empty so take this chance to stretch your legs and get some chow in you. Also, we're serving Katsu Sandwiches if anyone's interested."
He could hear the unbuckling of various lap restraints and signs of relief going on the background.
"Colonel Ross, could you also schedule a meeting for all the heads of department for us as well? Maybe in a few hours." McNeil added.
"Sure thing sure." Sydney reactivated the Intercoms. "To all department heads, to all department heads. Meeting in room 108 on deck 7 at 1330 hours. Thank you."
"So, you guys here for just the view or do you just want to watch me play with a couple dozen drones?" Sydney remarked to the rest of the bridge occupants.
"I'll take my leave. You kids enjoy." McNeil got up and quickly left the bridge, leaving an uploaded, one AI, and a couple of Spartan team leaders alone.
"Well, sandwiches and drinks on the table. Not much you can you can just stare at me while I play with the drones."
Then phasing out the conversation, Sydney turned his attention to tossing out a few dozen more drones for a more in-depth scan.
Well, whatever we run into, we'll have to face it one way or another.
()
Admiral's Officer, UNSC Kongo, Punic class supercarrier
4 hours later
"Reports from SWG-102 Teikou. They have successfully dropped out into the Sculptor Galaxy in an uninhabited system," Kongou reported.
Rear Admiral Harper glanced at her computer screen, quickly bringing up the report from their wayward force.
She skimmed the report. Sensor readings, mediocre resources, no habitable planets or any fit terraforming candidates, and not much else.
The report finished off with Sydney reporting that they would be departing the system, designated Asnje (Albanian of none) to find a more suitable system to set up an outpost and one closer to one of the supposed FTL launchpoints.
Overall, not a perfect start but one that was acceptable.
"Well, not bad for a start."
"Desu, though I'm concerned about Professor Peach's assessment," Kongou added.
"Yes, it's worrying. How are we doing on data mining the Forerunner sensor outpost?"
Kongou's holographic form raised an arm and brought up a wall of text. "Hmm, stationary FTL jump stations. Hard to imagine the sort of infrastructure and resources needed to establish one."
Interesting," Harper aided. "But also concerning. Essentially giant railguns floating out in the middle of space as FTL. I can see the potential and danger."
"Giant MAC Guns floating out there with the risk of being weaponized?" Kongou asked.
"Yup. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until SWG-102 gets closer to one of these FTL catapults."
Admiral Harper motions and Konguo cuts the holographic feed. "Remind me Konguo. When will Battlegroup Magedan arrive again? And do factor in their current force composition."
Kongou brings up another holographic display. "Battlegroup Magedan centred around the Arcadia class Battleship UNSC Magedan. 1 Battleship, 2 Epoch Aurora Class Carriers, 8 Able-Artemis Class Battlecruisers, 12 Reyes Heavy Cruiser, 18 Autumn Class Heavy Cruisers, 18 Triton Class Light Cruisers, 60 Assorted Destroyers, over 300 Frigates of various classes, and 137 support ships. They are also accompanied by the Sangheli Battlegroup Guardian's will, comprised of one Kerlin class Fleet Carrier, 4 dozen cruisers, and a dozen blockade runners with 10 support ships. They will arrive in 2 hours."
The follow-on force. Comprised of some much heavier and more modern warships of the UNSC and Sangheli fleets. The Magedon itself could probably mope the floor with the entire Covenant force that first invaded Harvest. And the rest of the forces were no slouches.
Interstellar Gateways were important enough they warranted a heavy defence force. Enough warships that could have fought the entire Defence Fleet at High Charity.
Of course, the Rear Admiral knew that it was still her job to lay the groundwork for the defence fleet to take over before she could take her own expeditionary force into the galaxy. Monitoring stations, some orbital defence networks, a few small starbases that the defence forces could use, and some other prep work.
"So, 2 hours for our reinforcements to arrive and then we head off to join our wayward comrades out in the galaxy," Harper muses. "Run all necessary checks on all of our ships, make sure we do all maintenance before we leave."
"Aye, Admiral. Anything else?"
"No Kongou, thank you," the admiral turned back to her computer to review fleet orders and statuses.
A new galaxy but the wheels of bureaucracy continued to turn.
()
1 week and 2 thousand lightyears later
Somewhere in the SouthWestern region of the galaxy
This portion of the galaxy was silent and empty of artificial traffic.
No starships. No fighters. Not even an exploration probe. Nothing had visited this portion of the galaxy for thousands of years.
Nothing on perturbed.
Until in a tiny speck of space, a digitized space monkey decided this part of the galaxy was a good spot to rip open the fabric of reality.
Dozens of slipspace ruptures expanded outwards, long enough for dozens of ships to pop out again.
And then the ruptures receded as quickly as they appeared, returning the space around it to normality.
With the added exception of now dozens of UNSC ships in the star system.
Soon, dozens of drones were flung into space from their motherships. Wombats, Longswords, and Hummingbird drones lit their thrusters and began to fan out.
Their sensors scanned everything in range. Threats, anomalies, stellar bodies, and more.
They were joined by the much more powerful sensors of their motherships, pouring unthinkable amounts of energy to ensure not one hostile was there.
Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes grew in the dozens.
In the end, there was nothing.
Sydney mentally sighed a breath of relief. No hostiles again.
Two for two, he thought as he ran and began browsing the information available as he stood everyone down.
"Hmm, Class K world, 5 planets. 2 potentially habitable, all the ingredients are present for colonization or terraformation. Asteroid belt, maybe with resources. One Gas Giant, several moons. And only a dozen light years from one of these FTL catapults."
Initially, some of the group's leadership wanted to jump to one of the potential active FTL catapults, at least when he saw it from the Forerunner sensor. But the good ODST Colonel pointed out that potential users could be around and then they would have to deal with a first contact solution.
Something they were woefully unprepared for and the complete opposite of what this Special Warfare Group was designed for.
So it was decided to head to a star system that had a signal in the first cycle but wasn't active in the second.
And so far, it was going fine.
"We're clear Colonel. No one in sight. Just us, the solar dust, and an entire star system," Sydney reported to McNeil who was standing off behind him.
"God, report? In your own words?" the Colonel asked, sitting down in what would be the XO's chair. The bridge was empty beside the two of them, with the rest of the force readying for deployment.
"Class K Star. 5 planets, three of them terrestrial. 2 of them in the habitable zone and-" Sydney looked at the sensor scans his drones, now millions of kilometres away, were showing. "-both appear to be habitable and good terraforming candidates….wait. Now that is interesting?"
"Oh?"
"I stand corrected. These 2 worlds-" Sydney quickly turned to the bridge's main holotable and projected the two worlds onto it, "-are nearly ready for hypothetical colonization. "-are nearly the perfect worlds for quick terraformation. They're significantly better than what the UEG had with Reach. I think only maybe a few months of intensive terraforming and we would have an Arcadia-like world."
McNeil blinked. "Two worlds ripe for colonization? Now that is….extremely lucky."
"Yes sir." Sydney glanced back at his sensor data. "Hell besides the lousy weather on one of those worlds, you could be able to walk on it without heavy breathing gear. Wouldn't recommend it without a more thorough investigation but-"
Sydney trailed off. "Colonel, might want to take a look at this."
McNeil approached the holo table. "What am I looking out?"
The holo table shifted to show the second planet from the star. A tropical world akin to those of Old Hawaii, Arcadia, Mistral, and other places in the Commonwealth. But it was the yellow marker that appeared on the Northern Continents.
"One of my drones just picked up unusual geological and structural anomalies on the second planet. Running through my drone's seismic sensors, it appears to be artificial in nature."
McNeil blinked. "How likely is it to be artificially made?"
"Standby," Sydney signalled a pair of the Anlace class frigates in his fleet to power up their high-quality sensors.
Despite their age, Anlaces were loved by the more informative and methodic commanders of the UNSC Navy. Well, there were many things to love about the Anlace class.
It's entirely laser-based weaponry proved to be a potent threat to strike fighters and light warships, as well as a fairly effective weapon at wearing down shields. Its electronic warfare suite was considered one of the best, only outclassed in the 2600s but still effective to this day. They were relatively cheap to make and built in the thousands right alongside Stridents and Vindications.
But there was one function that Sydney sought after: It's Forerunner style sensors.
The first models had sensors that could pick up an old Warthog-sized object ten light years away. A century and a half of upgrades and technological advancement, plus a bit of reverse engineering, meant that their sensors could reach out to over a couple of lightyears and tell if that Warthog had a scratch on its hood.
And right now? Those sensors were homing in on the Northern continent at relatively close range.
Sydney was still filtering out details. But as it flooded in, he could see it clearly. "Yes, that's definitely an underground structure on the planet's surface. Maybe a bunker, a fallout shelter, or even a buried building."
"...Right you have a fleet at your finger tips. So we got a structure down there?"
"Yes sir, and expanding the sensor range-ok I'm seeing what appears to be multiple structures across a thousand-kilometre radius buried by time. Someone was definitely on the planet-and I'm getting very faint energy generation readings from the largest of them." Sydney rapidly filtered through all the data as he focused his mind solely on the task at hand.
"Now it's getting a bit interesting. You thinking of an expedition?" McNeil mused.
"Well, nothing better to truly kick off this adventure than a beachside archaeological project. I'll run more scans and ensure the planet is relatively safe to land on. Your call Colonel." Sydney deferred to the ODST Colonel in charge.
"It's settled then. Ring up whichever teams you wish for this mission, I'll begin briefing my men," McNeil pushed himself off the holo table and began making his way to the exit.
"Yes Sir!" As the Colonel left, Sydney subconsciously accessed some of the ship's communication systems and keyed in the Spartan Hunters. "Teams Auburn and Ambience?"
"(Comms) Altan reporting. How can I help?"
"(Comms) Hey Syd! What's up?"
"Congrats you two. Gear up for a planetary patrol mission. We've got some digging to do on one of the planets and I need the two of the most patient teams I've got." Sydney replied as he made a few commands to divert a Hyperion destroyer and some Stridents forward with some Anlaces.
"(Comms) Mission? This early out of slipspace? Fine by me. I'll have my team ready up, Ambience lead out."
"(Comms) Us and team Rock Music? You sure?"
"Well, I figured I share the love and you guys haven't been sent down yet. I also need someone to be patient on the ground because I'm going to be doing a bit of digging." Sydney shrugged, digitally of course.
"(Comms) Understood, we'll get it done. Auburn lead out."
()
Planet:?
Date:?
Life existed on the planet, but all that remained was a single artificial structure that escaped destruction.
The last remnant of civilization from tens of thousands of years ago, before it was cruelly sniffed out by an unstoppable force.
The structure was a bunker, what was supposed to be the last safe haven of a species. But it became their tomb.
Now no life remains besides flicking lights. The ancient power source straining to keep the very few systems online.
It was silent, and it would soon die.
But it would not go undisturbed.
Ancient sensors, not used in many thousands of years, began to wake up. It poked out the earth to look spaceward.
Whatever systems the bunker could use could see the faint glow of spaceborne transports racing to the ground.
This tomb would not be extinguished alone.
Every system was shut down, and every non-essential system was cut.
There was only silence in the bunker.
For now
()
Waypoint Nexus…United Terran Commonwealth of Nations…United Nations Space Command Defence Forces…Special Forces…Spartan Hunters
The Spartans: The Best of the Best. That is a statement that has stood for over two centuries since they've taken the Peak that a human warrior can rise to. They are one-person armies, with even the oldest generations able to go toe to toe with technologically and numerically superior foes and come out on top.
There have been many generations of Spartans. The Orions, or Spartans 1s, paved the bedrock for which the most famous generation, the Spartan 2s, could emerge and establish themselves. The third and fourth generations accelerated humanity's knowledge in augmentation and allowed it to become more widespread. The fifth incorporated the best augments derived from Forerunner, Covenant, and Ancient Humanity's databases.
The current generation is the Spartan 9s. The proverbial best of the best. This generation has existed for one half a century and yet, are some of the best troops the UNSC can call upon. But with an ever-increasing list of threats, from new alien species, resurgent insurrectionists, and more, the Spartan 9s have deviated and diverged into many subclasses and types.
Spartan specialization is vast and numerous. Some dedicate themselves to the eradication of the flood, better known as the Hellbringers. Spartans synchronized with Artificial Intelligence, known as Metallikó (or metal), can command drones as efficiently as AIs. Those with a knack for stealth and espionage are known as [Redacted].
However, recently there has been a new type of Spartan to emerge. One is akin to the Hellbringers in that they deal with the destruction of monsters. Instead of just their augmentations, they now chose to wield a new force that had only recently emerged on the galactic stage: the newfound power of Aura. Descended from warriors that bested the odds time and time again, many of them have brought into existence a new class. They are officially known as Biological Genetic Aura Augmented Spartans but they are better known as Spartan Hunters.
History
The Spartan Hunters can trace their history back to the world of Moncrela, better known as Remnant. For various reasons, the Pre-FTL human nations in the world had chosen to disband much of their military forces despite the presence of Grimm. This is due to the suffering brought about by the Great War (officially known as the World War of Remnant) and how mass militarization almost brought the end of humanity to the world.
Instead, King Ozymandias of Vale proposed and formed a new generation of warriors known as hunters. This elite and well-trained Aura-Wielding warriors, trained at one of four major academies of the four largest nations, would essentially act as government-approved contractors or mercenaries, giving each hunter the freedom to choose where and who to serve.
Despite many drawbacks, such as a lack of standardization in equipment, the monopoly of the primary defence of humanity by the headmasters, hunters going rouge, and more, the hunter system works relatively well even by modern standards. Rigorous training, the study of aura, and a variety of learning techniques meant that a single hunter could have the power of a native army battalion or even a company of UNSC Troopers. Resources that otherwise would have been used for military upkeep could now be spent on economic growth and welfare.
Unfortunately, this system took a blow during the 40th Vytal Festival, in which the Academies were infiltrated by the forces of the Grimm and launched an attack that, without UNSC support for the kingdoms, would have gutted much of human civilization on Remnant. Haven and Beacon Academies were brought offline and up to 40% of all veteran hunters were killed during the Broken Moon Campaign.
The shutdown of two of the four academies meant that hundreds of hunters in training were without a future and it seemed they would have been cut loose. However, the UNSC Special Operations Combat Division thought otherwise. Already impressed by several hunter-in-training teams fighting alongside Spartans, ODSTs, and other UNSC forces, SOC-DIV sought to experiment and train a force of aura users.
Contacting these now academy-less teams, many of whom fought alongside UNSC forces during the Broken Moon Campaigns, SOC-DIV offered them a chance to join up with the UNSC proper. Though many were hesitant due to the militaristic nature of the UNSC, several teams joined up and were attached to UNSC strike teams to train and cooperate.
Then a United Nations Intelligence Agency discovered that every single hunter in training (along with a good chunk of Remnant's population) was a viable candidate for Spartan augmentation. It didn't take long before SOC-DIV offered every team a chance to join the Spartan program. To the delight of many high-ranking officers, every hunter team that had joined with the UNSC agreed.
The first team to be augmented is a team known as Ambiance (AMBB), an all-Faunus team, was the first to be augmented with Spartan biological, genetic, and cybernetic augments. Despite the fears of a potential screwup, the Augmentation went successfully and Ambiance's combat effectiveness skyrocketed. It didn't take long for every one of the hunter teams to be augmented as well, including notable teams such as Juniper and Coffee.
These newly augmented hunter teams continued to operate on Remnant, hunting down elder Grimm, Forerunner artifacts, and insurrectionist cells. Eventually, these targets dried up and the hunter teams chose to leave Remnant, following the UNSC in battle. They have since then been deployed against the rare Flood Outbreak, rouge Brute clans, malfunctioning Forerunner Sentinel Swarms, and even rarer Grimm outbreaks.
Some of the older teams would step back from active combat missions and begin helping to train the next generation of hunter-spartans. Presently there exist teams hailing across the entirety of Commonwealth space, from core-worlds like Earth and the Frontier.
Selection, Training, and Augmentation
Officially Eligible recruits for Spartan hunters are typically drawn from either the UNSC Defence Forces or National Defence Guards. However, in practice, Spartan hunters tend to accept candidates from non-military branches such as Remnant's fighting schools, police forces, Youth cadet groups, search and rescue groups, and more. Spartan hunters accept members of all corners of society: the rich, the poor, the natural born, the synth, demi-human or full blood. There are no restrictions on race, gender, social class, religion, or other factors. Truly the only requirements for a candidate is that they can be augmented to Spartans and be able to wield aura.
That being said, an important rule is that unless in special circumstances, all trainees must undergo some form of childhood or young adult training program. Most come from the Commonwealth's Stellar Training of Aura Maturement Program (CSTAMP) where those who have their auras active recently develop them in safe environments. This is essentially a hybrid civilian/military version of the Kingdom Hunter academy system, where aura users live in groups or packs that live, train, study, and sometimes fight together. If a hunter-spartan candidate cannot take part in CSTAMP, then they must either have finished an equivalent program (such as graduating from a fighting academy), have undergone an adult aura training course, or have active experience with aura use. However, exceptions have been made for those with auras and semblances who must be trained ASAP to prevent harm to their surroundings.
The actual training of Spartan Hunters takes place in Prometheus Academy in Menagerie. Generally the most friendly continent on Remnant towards the UNSC, Prometheus Academy is technically the fifth hunter academy. In practice, it's a joint training center primarily for the Menagerian Guard and UNSC SOCDIV. It blends the aesthetics and designs of the hunter academies, the local Menagerian style, and the pragmatic designs of the UNSC.
At Prometheus Academy, eligible candidates undergo a 6-month training and evaluation process. During this training process, the candidates are formed into teams of four that are expected to train and fight alongside each other for much of their careers. During this, teams may be adjusted and changed during training to find the best configuration that best suits their fighting style and increases team cohesion.
After this 6 month training period, hunters undergo their augmentation. Augmentation takes place in Prometheus Academy itself, with the necessary facilities to augment any human or faunus to Spartan levels. The augmentation itself is remarkably similar to other Spartans but hunters are given augments that sharpen their reflects and mental capacity the most.
Once augmentation is complete, these newly augmented Spartan teams will continue with another year of training. This involves familiarization with their augments, multi-team missions, various equipment familiarization training, medical training for human and alien biology, familarization with potential hostile forces, vehicle training, zero-G combat familarization, and more. It's also at this stage where teams are to tag along with veteran spartan hunters (or even regular Spartans and Hunters) on Grimm hunts where trainees have a live target to test themselves against.
After a year and a half of training, a Spartan Hunter team officially graduates from Prometheus Academy though are not considered full hunter spartans. Teams of new graduates, usually a pair of teams, are attached to either a more experienced Spartan team or another SOCDIV unit where they are to augment their attached unit and learn from them. A Spartan Hunter is only truly considered graduated if they've completed a mission against either the Grimm, the Flood, or rouge Forerunner Sentinels.
Equipment
Spartan hunters pride themselves on their self-individuality and creativity, being descended from hunters themselves. Early on, much of their equipment was a mixture of their own equipment and loaned UNSC gear. This continued on even after their full induction into the UNSC, with many of these teams wielding their own hand-forged weapons alongside UNSC standards.
This tradition lingers on even into the 28th century. As many new trainees are Fighting Academy graduates or hunters in training, many still bring their own weapons or are encouraged to forge their own, as long as munitions and spare parts can either be fabricated on-site or ordered through the UNSC's logistical supply chain.
Still, Spartans are trained to use and operate UNSC-SOCDIV standard weaponry. Weapons like the M-55 Coilgun Assault Rifle, the PDW-70 Portable pulse Laser, the SRS-160 Anti-Material Rifle, the M108 Pilum and M11 Rocket Launchers, and any other weapons that may suit their combat style.
However, what is non-negotiable is the armour. UNSC Spartan hunters must wear the MJOLNIR Armour system, with the current model being Generation 7 (VII). Specifically hunters wear the Kynigos line of armour, with it and its variants designed specifically for aura users and Grimm hunts. While significantly more powerful and effective than standard UNSC combat armour, the Kynigos line is noted to eschew shield and armour protection in favour of speed and adaptability. In addition, the armour has been specifically modified with specialized materials better suited to take aura-enhanced melee strikes and plasma blades. The Kynigos line also features nano-adaptive features that allow parts of the armour to shift, tighten, and seal to allow for Faunus traits to be protected. Hunters also tend to decorate their armour, a legacy of the cultural acceptance from the days of being Remnant's defenders.
Effectiveness
For the last few centuries of their existence, Spartan Hunters have become known for their effectiveness in combat especially against the Grimm, followers of Salem, and the Flood. During the Nabran outbreak where a Forerunner research outpost containing samples was loss and exposed to several Mulicana scientists, UNSC forces of Battlegroup Busan rushed in to contain the outbreak. Here, Spartan hunters, their tactics, and aura brought critical time necessary for the UNSC to deploy additional ground troops and eventually contain the flood.
Ground forces also have a great appreciation for the abilities and uniqueness of the Spartan hunters. Generally more sociable than normal hunters and several regular military and SOC-DIV units have formed close bonds with each other. Attaching a Spartan Hunter team to other conventional forces has enhanced combat proficiency several fold.
Spartan Hunter teams have also been vital in combating rouge Spartan or Aura Users that have occasionally cropped up. Notably targets that Spartan hunters have eliminated include disavowed Fireteam Crimson and the Cult of Salem. There are few targets out there that can match a Spartan Hunter team and currently, none that has won.
Controversy
Despite their effectiveness, there still remains controversy for the deployment of Spartan hunters and their continued training. Many of the hunters who served with the UNSC during the Broken Moon Campaign with it being revealed that some of them were barely of legal consent age and the UNSC still received allegations of using child soldiers. While this myth has been debunked, the fact that the UNSC relied on young warriors during its missions against the Grimm is still something discussed today.
Even more controversial is that many of the Spartan Hunters come from Remnant's graduate schools or even the hunter academies themselves. This has caused fear among the older generation of Remnant Natives in that the UNSC is sapping the best and brightest youth for its war machine, along with the accusation of the UNSC tainting the image of the hunters.
Finally, it's noted that many Spartan hunters have originated outside of the standard UNSC training pipeline and are the only one that allows non-military members to join. While this allows the Spartan hunters to include members with semblances not found in traditional military service, it's noted that hunter teams are more lax in their appearance and discipline. Many teams are noted to rub shoulders with traditional military spec-ops units including more certain veteran Spartans.