AAA137

Hi RedStar, Thanks a lot for the post. Haven't read any of the novels (reading the Forerunner Trilogy now). What gave the impression (though a stretch) that the S3's were weaker are these 2 quotes: http://www.halopedia.org/Project_CHRYSANTHEMUM "However, there were a small number of SPARTAN-III candidates—called "cat 2s" by Kurt Ambrose—who would have met the requirements for the SPARTAN-II program; some of them would later be removed from their mainline companies, given better equipment and assigned to separate special forces units." I thought the S3s weren't issued (minus the budget) the MJOLNIR was: Less Strict Genetic Criteria + Dumbed-Down? Augmentation = Weaker Spartans? I wasn't sure if surgical augmentation was further needed. Also from Glasslands by Osman: “No. You need the mechanical augmentations to wear Mjolnir, or it’ll just snap your spine.” “Ceramic bone implants, mainly. Makes them pretty well unbreakable. I only had the genetic and biochemical enhancements." But the newer S3 chemical augmenations may have made the surgical obselete. In regards to Gamma Company, it looks like they were physically and mentally more resilient to the S2s: http://www.halopedia.org/Project_CHRYSANTHEMUM The mutagen 009762-OO, administered only to the Spartans of Gamma Company, makes the Spartans almost completely immune to shock under extreme stress, allowing them to endure injuries and physical pain beyond even a SPARTAN-II http://www.halopedia.org/SPARTAN-III_Gamma_Company Every candidate survived their training and augmentations. In addition to the enhancements received by the previous SPARTAN-III generations, they were injected with illegal drugs that altered the frontal lobes of their brains to enhance aggression, strength, endurance, and tolerance to injury.

I understand that the Spartan 2s augmentations were more surgical while the Spartan 3s were more chemical. Would the S3 augmentations produce the same improvements in physical strength, bone density, and reaction times that the S2 augmentations would? Would a S2 John be better then an S3 John? Also, could the Spartan 3s use the MJOLNIR armor without being crushed?