User:Ajax 013/Project Cadmus

was a Office of Naval Intelligence project, attempting to seek a replacement for augmented personnel in future conflicts. Spurred on by advances in cybernetics, artificial intelligence and by numerous encounters with numerous mechanical enemies, such as the Promethean Knights, the Sirens were intended to powerful and durable combatants. Ever spiralling costs, technical issues, issues with the 'uncanny valley' and high-maintenance costs forced the program to be cancelled after only a few successfully integrated platform, but this project would inform its successor, Project Myrmidon.

Specifications
For the Project, the engineers designed 4 baseline bodies, giving a small variety of body morphs, preventing the appearance of 'copies' during infiltration operations. Each body shares near identical specifications and design features, the only difference being the size and shape. In order to mimic human movement as closely as possible, their skeletal and muscle structure is near identical.

Each Siren begins as a skeleton construction. The skeleton is made from carbon nanotube reinforced polymer, supported by titanium alluminide bars. This is exceedingly strong and resistant to impacts and breakage. Like a regular human, muscle structures are latched directly onto the skeleton. Instead of organic tissue, these are made up of myomers, electronically stimulated plastics that replicate muscle tissue, with greatly improved strength. These are reinforced by liquid polymer buffers, which absorb shock, allowing the muscle structure to be used for feats of strength unheard of in regular humans. Fine tuning these buffers can produce interesting results, such as being able to move near silently and reducing recoil typically associated with weapons.

Internally, the Siren carries an array of systems to increase its capabilities and function. The head contains, as expected, aural and optical sensors. The primary sensor of the Siren is a pair of electro-optical cameras, designed to replicate eyes, in both appearance and movement. This can rotate inside the eyeball and provide a variety of inputs. The eye cameras have incredible visual acuity and can focus on a target at long range, even focusing on two targets independently of each other. The eyes have CX-7 Interceptor Implants, using bio-plastic lenses to project a heads up display and record visual data for sharing amongst networked units, sharing amongst implants or recording for later use. The eyes are implanted with a dual phase sensor, using thermographic sensors and a terahertz wave camera allowing for limited night-vision and vision through light cover and obstacles.

The aural sensors are highly attuned systems that provide both directional hearing and advanced balance systems. They can accurately hear and pick out distinct noises, even during a fire fight, accurately pick out the direction of the noise and record sound, even through obstacles. They also have a modified version of the XA-91 Inner Ear Implant, intended to provide advance balancing systems, giving them exceedingly good balance, which combined with advanced feedback systems allow them to perform feats of acrobatics unknown to regular humans.

The mouth is fully articulated, fitted with like-for-like replacements for the lip, tongue and vocal chords, which are designed to be easily manipulated, producing new voice tones, allowing a Siren to reproduce any voice they hear. This produces realistic and believable vocal productions, indistinguishable from a human.

The face is made up of a collection of myomer fibre bundles, accurately mimicing the muscle structure of the human face. This allows a Siren to replicate facial expressions, appearing as human as is necessary.

The cranium contains a nano-assembelage, a place for the Siren's A.I. to deposit itself and operate the otherwise useless shell. This is wrapped in a reinforced faraday cage and protected by cyronic cooling systems, maintaining optimum internal and external temperature. This is linked to a hyper-conducting weave situated in the body. The nano-assembelage contains 13 terabytes of processing and external memory space, which can be used for recorded and downloaded data, downloaded programs and patches and revised data. The cranium also contains a MD-66 NeuroLink Electronic System, providing wireless data sparsing between implants and other units, a MD-661 CyWar Module for cyber warfare attack and the MD662 Network Analysis Module for infiltration of networks. It also contains a standardised neural interface port, allowing it to interface with UNSC technology.

The chest cavity contains the primary fuel cell, a high-power hydrogen battery that can operate for several months without recharge. This provides power for all the muscle structures and other advanced systems. It is also implanted with other exotic systems, usually found on advanced armour models, such as shield generator.While only capable of producing a Grade 1 shield, it can be combined with the shielding of any armour worn with it, creating a double layer. This shielding system also supports a 2606 Thermal Optical Camouflage, an advanced model of camouflage that uses the electromagnetic emitters to produce a field of plasma that absorbs EM radiation to mask their presence in a variety of spectrum. The emitters are also used by the DAEDALUS Fall Safeguard System, which creates a fixed magnetic field that slows the ascent of the unit. The energy shield also has a variety of options for shaping, including overlapping segments, focused shielding, point defence shields and deadly energy weapons.

The torso carries a nano-colony, assigned to engineering purposes. These nanomachines can autonomously update their specifications, updating hardware and even changing the shape of the unit, over the space of several days, or more commonly, repair minor damage to the unit.

The torso also contains a stomach pouch so the unit can replicate consuming food and water.

Other features include fibre-optic probes implanted in each forearm, with a range of 2 metres, allowing for short ranged, unmanned reconnaissance without detection, magnetic induction plates on soles of the feet for space walks, 3B Information Module for producing holographic keyboards and micro-sensors implanted throughout the body to act as diagnostics, reporting on damage to the unit and maintenance needs.

The outer skin of the siren unit is a lightweight, highly-flexible plating, made of carbon nano-tube sheets suspended in a sheer thickening fluid. While thin and lightweight, when struck it becomes rigid and is capable of shrugging off low-calibre munitions. underneath this is a super conducting processing weave, for increasing processing space. The armour is coated in a maintenance free-stealth paint that reduces its RADAR signature and makes it difficult to detect with LIDAR, ultra-violet or infra-red sensors. The unit is also fitted with magnetic suppression systems to mask the shielding systems and infra-red masking systems to hide the heat output.

For infiltration operations, the unit can be fitted with a external skin, tailor made for the mission at hand. This must be custom fitted and applied to the outer shell. While it lacks the texture as real skin and once damaged reveals the nature of the siren, it, in concert with lenses and hair implants, allows the siren to maintain a convincing disguise. It can wear regular clothing or armour systems over the top, or can be fitted with custom tailored ceramic/titanium armour.

Every operational Siren unit is implanted with a 'smart' artificial intelligence, nestled safely inside the cranium. Each chosen A.I. must have impressive problem solving skills, skill at electronic and cyber warfare and be highly adaptable. A.I.s are given a acclimatisation period, where they begin getting used to their near body, moving it as a human, learning basic and advanced combat skills and replicating facial expressions. A.I.s deployed in the field usually utilises online data packages, learning new languages, emulating sociological groups, learning idiosyncrasies and adapting to new environs.

The resulting Siren unit is exceedingly fast, strong and agile, being capable of reacting faster than any human. This, in conjunction with it's A.I. component, makes it extremely intelligent, well coordinated and a seamless infiltrator. It can adapt to a series of environs exceedingly quickly, enter low or high pressure environs without fear, survive zones with high radioactivity or toxic atmosphere and survive immersion in water, though this tends to reduce their maintenance life. All this aside, they have their drawbacks. Their disguise, while all encompassing, can often be unravelled by damage or extremely close inspection, and they have substantial maintenance issues. The unit must be brought in for maintenance every two months, though at a stretch a Siren can operate for four before critical breakdown of functions. Maintenance usually requires the unit to be broken down, inspected and replacement parts manufactured. While improvements in the nano-colony have reduced maintenance costs, this reduced their time in the field, meaning that while highly effective, they didn't have enough endurance for most operations envisioned by ONI, which sparked the creation of Project Myrmidon.

Deployments
The eventual replacement of Sirens by Myrmidons in infiltration roles, with Sirens being moved to special warfare, resulted in a lasting anonymity between the two programs. Sirens generally view Myrmidons as snotty upstarts while Myrmidons view Sirens as antiquated tech. The truth of it is, both have identical processing capabilities and an equal amount of flaws and abilities.