Project FIREFLY

Project: FIREFLY was an initiative by the Office of Naval Intelligence Section Three to replace fallen Spartan-II supersoldiers with Spartan-IIIs. The project's goal was to further train and discipline Spartan-IIIs to bring them on par with their Spartan-II predecessors. 
== Origins ==
In late 2544, mounting losses in the ranks of the Spartan-IIs prompted ONI Section Three to begin a program to replace those lost with Spartan-IIIs. One of the main reasons for Project: FIREFLY was to produce Spartans who could fill the roles of Spartan-IIs in special missions that would otherwise require them in order to alleviate the need to split teams and pull individuals. 
By the start of 2545, plans and candidates for Project: FIREFLY were finalized and the project was commenced. Twelve candidates were selected from various parts of the Spartan-III program. Among these candidates, two were headhunters from Alpha Company, and the rest were of Beta Company, pulled before Operation: TORPEDO.
== Training and Equipment ==
In March 2545, Spartan-II Shane-148 was pulled from service after he took a plasma bolt to the head during a combat mission. Although the wound was, in actuality, minor, his teammates were informed that it had resulted in his death, and he was officially marked as Missing In Action. Shortly thereafter he was tasked with leading Project: FIREFLY's Spartans and oversaw their training and preparation. While he had been the first choice for this role from early on, his injury provided convenient cover nonetheless. 
=== Training ===
It would not be until mid-April that the candidates for Project: FIREFLY were all present for the project to begin. Using old sites originally used for training the Spartan-IIs, FIREFLY candidates underwent a 4-week preliminary training regimen that focused mainly on building discipline and structure between the trainees and acclimate them to their new duties. Trainees were broken up into three teams of four Spartans each and practiced working with their new teams in smaller-scale exercises. After their fourth week of training, the Spartans received Mark IV MJOLNIR Powered Assault armor and trained with it for another two weeks. 
Following training, the Spartans under Firefly were deployed in December 2545. 
== Personnel ==
Project: FIREFLY's twelve Spartans were divided into three teams during their training. Two of the three teams had four members, and the third had five. The team makeups are shown below.
===== Copper Team =====
* Nowell-B016 (Leader)
* Poppy-A118
* Sylvia-A010
* Marcus-A046
===== Cobalt Team =====
* Unknown Team Leader
* Unknown
* Unknown
* Unknown
===== Nickel Team =====
* Unknown Team Leader
* Unknown
* Unknown
* Unknown
* Unknown
== Deployment History ==