Spartan Enclave

This article, Spartan Enclave, written by Ladylaconia and Tuckerscreator, was voted as the Best Concept of 2012 in the Fifth Annual Halo Fanon Wikia Awards.

This article, Spartan Enclave, written by Ladylaconia and Tuckerscreator, was voted as the Best Organization of 2012 in the Fifth Annual Halo Fanon Wikia Awards.

This fanfiction article, Spartan Enclave, was written by Ladylaconia and Tuckerscreator. Please do not edit this fiction without the writers' permission.

Spartan Enclave
Political Information
Founding Document	The New Rhetra (Ratified July 2570)
Head of State	Frederic Alfaro
Head of Government	Jorge Csaba, Maria Csaba, Kelly Jeming, Linda Grenn, Nicole Saliba Riley, Jerome Ohninetytwo, Alice Onethirty, Douglas Harrell, Jai Milošević, Adriana Milošević, Tom Gioconda, Lucy Lefleur
Commander-in-Chief	Strategos of the UNSC
Societal Information
Languages	Fleet Common English Spanish Portuguese French Hungarian Greek German Russian Chinese Japanese Korean Swahili Hebrew Yiddish Arabic Amharic Sangheilian Fleet Common
Historical Information
Formed From	SPARTAN Program SPARTAN-II Program SPARTAN-III Program
Date of Establishment	2570
Era(s)	Post-Great War era
[Source]

"It just... happened. One day we were a bunch of messed-up rejects just looking out for each other, the next, we were a big dysfunctional family. But then again, we were family all along, weren't we? Not like we had anybody else to run to."

―Chief Petty Officer (Ret.) Adriana Milosevich (SPARTAN-111)

The Spartan Enclave is a commune on the planet Reach made up entirely of Spartan residents. It was founded in 2564 by Jorge Csaba and Maria Cortez initially as a sanctuary for the remaining SPARTAN-IIs, but slowly began to progress into a colony with the birth of Spartan 2.1 and 3.1 children. In 2570, it was recognized as a legal nation by the United Nations Space Command, and entered under their leadership to work in cooperation with the SPARTAN-IV Program.

The Enclave is a dual diplomatic and martial organization, representing human interests to the former Covenant species alongside other representatives, and also as a special operations regiment on request for High Command. Compared to the SPARTAN-IVs, the Enclave's Spartans serve a more ambassadorial purpose, their military assignments more publicized to uphold their reputation.

Internally, the Spartans led themselves by a council, which was an oligarchy in its earliest days, but later amended this to have members be elected by voting.

The Enclave lastly serves as a seminary, inducting young adults who will be trained to become Spartans, taught under the apprenticeship of the original Spartan-IIs. Their community is stationed in the Viery territory by the Highland Mountains, and the student population is made up of volunteers, children of previous Spartans, and adopted orphans (at one point including kidnappees). Admittance limited to those between the ages of fourteen to twenty-two, and separated among four schools honoring the four Spartan teams, Red, Blue, Green, and Gray. After a three year long education, the students are given the choice to undergo augmentations, with another two years training them afterward. Graduates then are then accepted as Spartans, able to act in the same authority and roles as those before them.

History

Post-war Background

2553 marked a turning point for the role Spartan-II and Spartan-III super-soldiers played in the UNSC. Physically, the Spartans were still capable of superhuman feats on the battlefield and exhibited little sign of slowing. Psychologically, however, many of them exhibited traits indicative of post-traumatic stress, emotional instability, and mild to moderate avoidant and antisocial personality disorders. As the Spartan-IV Program grew in size and popularity and reduced the immediate need for Spartan-II and III personnel in the field, extensive time and resources were dedicated to ensuring that any and all psychological issues were addressed; as a result, the second and third generations of Spartans found themselves “swept under the rug,” removed from all but the most classified operations. Having ceased to exist outside of the ONI's black ops theater, the Spartan-IIs and IIIs quickly became a subject of increasing controversy for those in command, as they now required constant therapy and could become liable at any time. While some of them had participated in training Spartan-IVs, full integration into S-IV never happened due to friction between trainers and trainees; the stark difference between Halsey's Spartans and their fourth-generation counterparts grew ever more apparent, and the II's were soon isolated into their own small unit. Former Spartan-II Serin Osman, now head of ONI, wielded them selectively as precise instruments of the most elite warfare; removed from the battlefield, their job now consisted of ending wars before they even had the chance to begin, eliminating select targets to prevent escalation of hostilities.

By the early 2560's, Spartans Maria-062 and Jorge-052 had retired and relocated to Beta Gabriel, where they served as security detail for Project ATLAS, the UNSC's initiative to reterraform Reach. As they were the first two Spartan-IIs to both retire and survive the war, their progress outside of the military was heavily monitored; when Spartan Gray Team also made the decision to retire, ONI dispatched them to Beta Gabriel as well, in hopes that two reasonably well-adjusted Spartans would help with Gray's assimilation into the project. In addition to ensuring ATLAS would be well-secured, the Spartans bonded well and demonstrated adaptation to the slower-paced lifestyle that interested their ONI observers. Spartans B292 and B091 were also dispatched to Beta Gabriel following Lucy's discharge, and were accepted into the little group without incident. Over the course of a decade, several Spartan-IIs and IIIs joined them, increasing their numbers to double digits. The work, which varied from patrolling Beta Gabriel to traveling on ships from the base to Reach itself, brought its share of hazardous situations, and the Spartans proved themselves an invaluable resource time and time again.

Beginnings

The seeds of a Spartan society began with the shutdown of Project: NEMESIS. NEMESIS was a successor of the SPARTAN-III Program, this time creating Spartans directly from clones. Using genetic data gathered from previous S-II and III candidates, the children of NEMESIS were from the beginning raised in an artificial environment with only military training and comprehensive schooling as their life. The project progressed successfully for ten years, even preparing a second batch of clones, but was shut down in 2589 by Serin Osman. The children created were scheduled to be terminated, but when the former S-II Maria-062 found out about the project, she instead insisted on turning them over to her, so she could raise them herself.

She and Jorge Csaba opened up an orphanage in Esztergom, with the help of Osman, who provided funding and legal warranty. The couple's first challenge was that the children were slow to open up, thanks a whole decade of indoctrination stunting them. To avert this, Maria and Jorge had the first few weeks' activities start similarly to their NEMESIS courses, focusing on weight training and fighting while keeping close contact to a minimum. Gradually they would introduce the broader activities like art and games. To train them to accept personal contact and relationship, Maria and Jorge would have the kids split into groups to take "an exclusive course" at certain times, slowly decreasing the amount of kids in the group until there was only two or one. This would get them used to meeting casually, and the "exclusive" courses would introduce the unconventional activities like drawing and discussing their thoughts.

Social progress was slowest with the first batch of kids, who were ten and had undergone the most indoctrination. However, because they were used to military courses they excelled in their studies. Inversely, the second batch was younger and has experienced less of NEMESIS's hostile environment. They opened up socially quickly, but requiring greater coaching in the lessons thanks to their inexperience. The couple had frustrations, but within eight months the NEMESIS children had progressed from stoic test subjects to a united, playful family.

Reunion

As the orphanage opened up to include non-Nemesis kids, Maria and Jorge made efforts to contact the other SPARTAN-IIs and IIIs and invite them to the community. Osman provided their locations, and slowly they began to reunite as each received the invitation. Each of the Spartans had undergone some kind of personal journey, and many stories were shared among each other as they returned. The returned Spartans also took part in caring for the children, and their values and training slowly began to be incorporated in the process.

Eventually the idea was suggested by Jorge that the Spartans could open their own community where they could raise orphans and families to grow up in the Spartan way. Jorge had been inspired by his discovery of [-REDACTED-] in 2552, seeing both its simplicity and peacefulness, yet wanting a bolder community that would be a moral center to the world. Frederic supported the idea, but pushed that the colony should be initially secret, and ungoverned by the UNSC, as he had been disillusioned by his own discovery of ONI's involvement in [-REDACTED-], as well as NEMESIS. He too felt the Spartans should be a moral example, something he felt the UNSC had disappointed him in. The suggestion was joked about among the others, but gradually was remarked on more seriously, and on February 2580 the push for the Enclave began.

Returning Home

By 2575, Reach had entered Stage Three of resettlement, and the Spartans of Beta Gabriel found themselves the recipients of an unexpected gift from the ONI: the land that had once been their old training grounds. This gift was actually the result of action taken by Rear Admiral Frederic Alfaro, formerly known simply as Frederic-104; as he maintained ties with the Spartans of Beta Gabriel, he used his unique position as one of Serin Osman's closest subordinates to convey Spartan interests to her and acquire favors on their behalf. While some UNSC senior officers saw bestowing the rank of Admiral on a Spartan as folly, Fred had risen to a position of considerable authority following the end of the War, his special warfare expertise winning him support; these supporters were quick to question why one of the Navy's most effective fighters, after almost half a century of service and a dazzling record, had not merited promotion beyond Captain. Exposure to ONI's internal machinations and continual political shifting groomed the Spartan into a somewhat aloof but brilliant leader, whom Osman viewed as both asset and potential enemy; to keep him on her side, she shielded him from opposition which favored restricting Spartan ranks in the name of keeping them controlled. As such, Fred and his comrades Captain Kelly-087 and Commander Linda-058 became symbols of Spartan leadership within the Naval Intelligence community, and spearheaded the endeavor for a Spartan residence. The retired Spartans accepted the offer and participated in the construction of facilities on their new land, assisting in the installation of military infrastructure to accommodate those Spartans who had not yet formally left active service with the UNSC.

"It's Camp Dawson because the very first Spartan to die in combat against the Covenant was named Samuel Dawson. We knew him as Samuel-034. And if you really have to ask about Task Force 117, well, you've obviously been living under a rock. We'll find ways to remember each of our fallen, all those we've lost through the years."

―Captain Kelly-087

Camp Dawson served three purposes at once following its swift completion: as a home for retired Spartans, it provided the isolation from society that ensured there would be no media inquiries or unwanted incidents; as a post for Spartan-IIs and IIIs still serving, it provided them with facilities tailored to Spartan needs and a place to come home to; and as an ONI research facility, it allowed the ONI to both assist and observe the Spartans, and to conduct research that would benefit Spartans in the field. The still-active Spartans formed Task Force 117, commanded by Fred, whose authority enabled him to negotiate with Osman and thus influence how the task force would be used. The camp remained shielded from outsiders thanks to ONI, which had also begun excavating former Forerunner dig sites in the near vicinity and kept the entire area under the strictest security to prevent civilians or enemies from discovering it. While Spartan retirees were not permitted to keep their powered armor, they were recompensed well for participating in tests on new and upcoming variants of MJOLNIR that would go to S-IV and still-active members of the enclave.

"I don't think growing up here was tough, not really – then again, I don't know enough about civvie life to make a comparison. My parents made sure I was safe every minute of the day, but at the same time they taught me to think fast and stay sharp. I was strong, healthy, learned a lot of skills and life lessons. What else could a kid want? And becoming a Spartan, well, it wasn't forced on me at all. I just wanted to contribute to the community, y'know, be ready to fight so my family wouldn't have to. I still think it was the right choice."

―Petty Officer Third Class Andre Csaba

Society

Schools

The Spartan education is shared among four schools, in which the trainees are sorted into. They are named to honor the original four Spartan teams, and even contain teachers who were part of them.

Red

"No soldier should be honored for doing what is expected"

―-

Red Team's curriculum is the most strict of the schools, since they expect their students to emerge as perfect Spartans, stoic and always in control during battle. They value discipline, strength, and placing one's duty as a soldier over their personal life. They have a strong dynamic, and emphasis that its members should be uniform, capable of mastering any skill. Currently Red only takes candidates raised from infancy in the colony. Red is taught by Jerome Ohninetytwo, Alice Onethirty, and Douglas Harrell.

Blue

"You must be more than a warrior in the eyes of humanity. You must be a legend."

―-

Like Red, Blue values disciplined soldiers who work as a team, but prefer that its Spartans have more individual skills. The students go through many varying courses, in order to find the ability the student most excels in. Then, based on their roles, the students are formed into a team. Like Red, Blue only takes candidates who have grown up in the colony for most of their lives, though it prefers to adopt young children rather than infants, in order to give them the chance to choose whether they what to become Spartans or not. Blue is taught by Frederic Alfaro, Kelly Jeming, and Linda Grenn.

Green

"There will not always be war, and there never always should be. A Spartan should prepare for peace."

―-

Green has the education of its students emphasize both combat and life building. It includes courses on law, culture, and literature, as well activities like building projects. Its goal to create Spartans that function dually as both warriors and diplomats, and is more inclusive to the candidates it admits. Though most of its trainees have been raised in the colony, at least one third of those did not live there until their teens and another tenth joined as young adults. Green is taught by Jorge Csaba, Maria Csaba, and Jun Napayshni.

Gray

"Orders only get you so far. Strength can be matched by Covenant. A true Spartan is dangerous by cunning."

―-

Gray is the most unconventional of the schools, and the most accepting of potential students. It takes in trainees both from and outside the colony, of any age and any background. Gray teaches its students to be capable of living deep in enemy territory, and how to perform tasks in secret and manage underground operations. Honor and legacy values are deemphasized in favor of pragmatism and efficiency, and the team dynamic has been compared even by themselves to a "pack". It is taught by Jai Milošević, Adriana Milošević, and Michael Dhale.

Quotes

"In respect to the tradition of the original Doric Spartans, The New Rhetra was never written down physically or printed in any form. Instead it was spoken orally by us at the founding ceremony, with our AI Amaranth recording our speech. She made digital copies for us and HIGHCOM's archives, which can be read, but never printed in full. Any amending laws are to be recorded orally, though I keep some fragment notes of it around just in case."

―Lt. Commander Frederic Alfaro.

"The UNSC keeps a rather loose leash on the Spartiaties. They don't need to tighten it. Nowhere else will you find a group of people more happy to stay under and enforce the UNSC's leadership. The community's small enough that nothing happens without someone knowing about it. They live right next to HIGHCOM's capital and largest military sites. Their physical size means they can't leave through the cities covertly; someone will notice them. And the only way they maintain this warrior tradition with the Office's gifts of augmentation drugs and equipment, which they can't make themselves. It'll be half a century before someone shows up who resents Spartans being under UNSC leadership, another half century before they learn to make augmentation drugs and MJOLNIR themselves, and then another half century before they're big enough to rebel. By then, who will still fear the Great War's Spartans?"

―-

"The Enclave appeals to a lot of Laconophiles, since these Spartans seem to represent a perfect harmonious warrior culture. Simple, frugal, lots of young kids with noble ideals, volunteering from many unique human cultures, out in the wilderness, led by old elders who were once great heroes, all under a foundation of ancient Spartan philosophy. Sounds romantic, doesn't it? Except a close look of their teachings and views reveals a lot of stresses and bigoted undercurrents. Half the teachers hadn't formed normal human relationships aside from with their Spartan teammates until the end of the war. The most faithful to the UNSC have racial superiority complexes, and prefer trainees made up of only their children and kidnappees. The most progressive ones who take in volunteers and focus on building lives as well as soldiers can be rebellious and don't see why they have to stay working for the UNSC. They stay enslaved to HIGHCOM because SPECWAR's their only supplier of resources, including the drugs and armor they need to make more Spartans. The schools form quite high-tension rivalries, and you have to wonder which training exercise will it be that makes them finally snap and kill for dominance. I've heard they've risked a schism once. I fully expect to see them creep toward it again."

―-

"You'd think they're just an entire nation on beck and call of High Command. But no, hardly. Before they were recognized, they lived off the grid for years. Many were vigilantes. They put down rebellions all over Viery. Their biggest secret? That they've been taking on "underground" assignments from the locals for quite a while now."

―-

"Their culture's a mishmash of Euro-American UNSC background, their own SPARTAN-II training and "brother" society, wilderness reliance and naturalistic ideals, and a coating of Doric Spartan framework likely skimmed off of online encyclopedias. Add that to the diversity of their admitted students and you get quite a mess of ethno-integration. But they'll all get assimilated into Spartans."

―-

"It was new, it was different, and for a while I wasn't sure I liked it. But times had changed, the Great War was over – we weren't heroes anymore, just embarrassing relics to be swept under ONI's rug. We'd been replaced, and I guess it took the sting of that to make me see how lucky we all were. To have a home... it was more than most of us had ever hoped for. Honestly, I don't think some of us had ever even tried."

―Chief Petty Officer Douglas-042

"This - is nothing I ever dreamed it would be. ...Thank you... my children."

―Dr. Catherine Halsey