[3][4], Since the dawn of widespread spaceflight, humans have sought to use biochemical, surgical and cybernetic means to augment their bodies. Combined with the Spartans' intelligence, seamless teamwork and unyielding drive for success, the augmentations made them nearly unstoppable against any conventional combatant. [18] Experimental rehabilitation programs were performed on more than 80% of the washouts, who had suffered varying degrees of disease, injury and deformity. Kelly and pretty much all the other female SPARTANS hated this more than any other of the augmentations because it took something away from them that was never meant to be taken away from a woman. This new threat accelerated the Spartans' training to its final phase: Project MJOLNIR. The project was implemented by the Office of Naval Intelligence's Section Three under the supervision of Dr. Catherine Halsey.[2]. Later, during the Human-Covenant war, while in her Mark V Mjolnir Armor, Kelly-087's top speed was recorded at 62 km/h or 38.5mph. The artifact unlocked several of John's sealed childhood memories, worrying Halsey and Parangosky. While the SPARTAN-II augmentations would make the soldier significantly stronger and faster than an ORION operative, this came with a price: out of 75 candidates, only 33 survived the augmentation procedures, with the rest either killed or maimed for life. Blue Team during the Battle of Circinius IV in Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn. [6] The superconducting fabrication of neural dendrites was said to feel like fire was burning along the subject's nerves on their spines. [23] The augmentation procedures performed on the SPARTAN-IIs paved the way for Project CHRYSANTHEMUM and thusfor the "disposable" SPARTAN-IIIs. The ORION augmentations included enhancements to muscle density, lung capacity, vision, hearing and balance. Mendez trained the Spartans until 2525 when, at the age of fourteen, they would go through the toughest part of their training: the biological augmentation procedures, which would kill 30 of the 75 conscripted children and cripple twelve others who would "wash out" of the SPARTAN-II program, going on to join the Office of Naval Intelligence. Additionally, Linda-058 shot the pilots out of two Banshee fliers as she was hanging from a titanium cable that was attached to her arm and leg. [35], In February 2559, after 28 years of drifting in space the UNSC Spirit of Fire found its way to the Forerunner Installation 00, also known as the Ark. Most of the Spartans' training was carried out in the various facilities within the complex as well as the surrounding wilderness of Reach's Highland Mountains, with classroom sessions provided by Dj in the Reach Naval Academy. During one of his missions, he lost his left arm and left mandibles. The Prelates' augmentations allowed them to overcome the San'Shyuum's natural frailty caused by generations of inbreeding and granted them strength, speed and reaction times sufficient to best even Sangheili in combat. After being ordered to assassinate Kwan, John rebelled and fled with her and the artifact with Silver Team moving to defend their leader on Halsey's orders. [9], To prepare the subject for the augmentation procedure, the subject's head is shaved and incision vectors are lasered onto the subject's body. [8][13], As this takes place, muscular enhancement injections are administered throughout the subject's body to aid the previous procedure. While civilian applications for such technologies do exist, their obvious military advantages quickly saw them harnessed for the purposes of warfare. John-117 was outfitted with this upgrade due to his need to carry the AI Cortana on a mission to capture the Covenant leadership. Spartan-IIs experienced the most extensive and invasive physical augmentations out of all the Spartan generations, starting augmentation at early pubescent ages increased their physical mass and height to around seven feet by adult age. [31], A MJOLNIR-clad Cal-141 was capable of blocking a Jiralhanae Chieftain's gravity hammer swing with a single hand, dodging multiple swings from the Brute, using her enhanced strength to jump to great heights, and wounding the Chieftain with a few punches and kicks; she was furthermore capable of pulling an occupied ODST drop pod out of thick mud and throwing it dozens of meters. SPARTAN-IIs would go on to play pivotal roles in the Battle of Earth, the Battle of Installation 05, the Onyx Conflict and the Battle of Installation 00. Submergence and boosted blood vessel flow beneath the rods and cones of the subject's retina. [7], The SPARTAN-II augmentations included many previously-untested procedures, among them synthetic bone grafts, hormonal supplements, retinal surgery, intramuscular protein injections and major alteration of the subject's nervous system. [15] Further medical advances have been made in areas not directly related to physical performance but nonetheless improving humans' quality of life. [83] Halsey eventually gave up on Class II and left the program, after she judged the candidates to be of an inferior standard. Rare instances of Elephantiasis. [22] These reflexes allowed Spartans to successfully dodge gunfire on certain occasions. Their familiarity with each other's body language allows the Spartan-IIs to function in perfect synergy in combat, their teamwork abilities having been described as borderline telepathic. The pilot's body is rendered immobile to prevent self-injury and agony is inflicted in exchange for superior control of the ship. The SPARTAN-II program was the first major success of the SPARTAN programs, an effort to produce elite soldiers through mechanical and biological augmentation. Each procedure is marked by a particular type of excruciating pain. INTRODUCTION A kick by John-117 flung one of the exoskeleton-clad men eight meters. Spartan-II is an acquired template gained during the Spartan Program. Those who truly are missing are listed as such. The hormone targets and stimulates the growth of fast and slow twitch muscle fibers, effectively producing significant gains in muscle mass. After being transferred to highly covert ONI Kilo-Five unit in 2553, Naomi-010 continued to serve on highly classified operations as of 2558. [5] Within a year, all candidates would die of unknown causes. Parangosky viewed the clones as unnecessary, maintaining that Halsey replaced the abductees with clones for personal, moral reasons, believing that she was giving the families closure and thus easing her own conscience. Some effects like increased healing rate don't seem to be explained by the stated augs so the likelihood of aditional augmentaions is quite high, After each meal, the subject must report to the medical bay to receive a series of vitamin and mineral injections.[15]. Their gains have attracted widespread attention in the hopes of improving human strength and endurance. Halsey presented her results to Vice Admiral Michael Stanforth of ONI Section III, finding that they had come to the same conclusions. If the subject has survived the changes, the final part of the augmentation is performed. The carbide ceramic ossification was said to feel like the subject's bones were breaking, as if their marrow was made of glass and was being shattered. Only 33 survived the procedures without physiological deformities, of whom two would commit suicide in the following weeks upon encountering their flash clones. However, she died during the augmentation procedures. The process consisted of many injections and surgeries. The result of these programs, however, has yet to be determined. [6] The project was created with several goals in mind. Also, even though several of the augmentations below are cybernetics, they are an intrinsic part of the Spartan II and therefore do not count . Project Aster is the augmentation program for the Spartan-IIs. In this episode: Are Spartan-II Augmentations Possible? This compounded an increasing distrust against ONI and the Spartans generated by a recent attack on a peace conference apparently perpetrated by the Master Chief. [22], Despite the carbide ceramic ossification rendering the Spartan-IIs' bones "virtually unbreakable",[6] they can still be broken by extreme physical trauma. The project was secretly relaunched by the Colonial Military Authority well over a century later in 2491, with the recruitment of 65 adult test subjects; hundreds more were added after the first batch completed their training. Although they would have to be applied while the candidates are still children, the augmentations are equal in capability to the Spartan II augmentations, but are vastly . The beginnings of the program can be traced back to 2321, when the Office of Naval Intelligence began to build upon bioengineering protocols developed during the Interplanetary Wars. [47] Within the military and to the public the Spartans are only known by their service tags, consisting of "SPARTAN" followed by a numerical ID; only a select few outsiders know even their first names. The early composition of Red Team: Douglas-042, Jerome-092 and Alice-130, spent most of the war in cryo-sleep and were not awakened until 2559, nearly six years after the war's end. [22][29] SPARTAN-IIs are also known for their sharp eyesight, their occipital capillary reversal allowing them to virtually see in the dark. [27], Their reaction time, while impossible to chart accurately, was estimated to be twenty milliseconds. Candidates of prepubescent age were screened based on genetic markers/SNPs that are linked to positive fitness and decreased disease incidence. In. Determined to prevent the predicted carnage, Halsey agreed to work for ONI, specifically Section III's Special Projects Division, on creating a solution.[6]. The Spartan IIIs augmentations were the same, but safer, essentially a quantum leap in the technology. Military experimentation with such enhancements has always been limited for the sake of moral and ethical concerns. [4], From 2511 until the augmentation of the SPARTAN-IIs in 2525, research continued refining and improving the chemicals to reduce the failure rate. [34], During Operation: FIRST STRIKE, John-117 fought a Jiralhanae in close-quarters combat and successfully killed it through the use of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a grenade, despite being physically over-powered by it. However, they did encourage the UNSC to continue research into human enhancement. Really no. [8], Research on the SPARTAN-II program's augmentations began five years after the deactivation of the ORION Project. Most of them do not hold grudges over their abduction and treatment, instead having come to embrace their lives as a Spartan as both a necessity and something they were born to do. The third goal was to substantially reduce the cost of conventional means of pacification. The trainees must be instilled with military value, and the understanding of war; something that cannot be taught to enlisted soldiers. [41][42], Spartan-IIs require augmentation maintenance. Halsey also noted her consternation over what ONI may do with a secret team of officially deceased Spartans. The exact conditions of the shots that Linda took on those two Banshee pilots are unclear. Featured. As insurrectionist forces become more effective and the military's responses consequently become more forceful, the need for large scale military campaigns became more and more obvious. Against the wishes of Vice Admiral Margaret Parangosky, Halsey sought to create Cortana to help them out. [29] All Spartan-IIs graduated to the rank of petty officer second class at the conclusion of their training,[64] though many have since risen to a higher rank. By the time the Human-Covenant War had ended, new techniques had been developed, allowing adults to be augmented without major risk. The task of screening for such DNA structures was astronomical, and to properly screen for the correct genetic markers would require thirty-nine billion records. A Spartan-II candidate who died during augmentations. Though there were only a few dozen Spartan-II soldiers left after the augmentations, they still proved instrumental in humanity's eventual victory against the Covenant. This specialized version of the neural interface is implanted into the skull of a Spartan-II. As the exploits of the Spartans were a major propaganda boon to the UNSC, Section II of the Office of Naval Intelligence issued Directive 930,[16] which stated that Spartans killed or wounded would be listed as "missing in action" (MIA) or "wounded in action" (WIA), thus maintaining the illusion of the Spartans' invincibility. 300% increase in subject reflexes. [5], The first major effort to create biochemically-augmented supersoldiers was known as Project ORION. Advanced mechanical prosthetics have also been developed, although such technology is used solely for the purpose of replacing lost limbs rather than supplanting existing ones for any possible advantages they may have over biological limbs. The SPARTAN-III augmentations were entirely chemical. The Mjolnir armor was created in parallel to the SPARTAN-II project and is the most technologically advanced piece of hardware in human hands. Awakened from cryo-sleep, the members of Red Team, in an attempt to establish contact with the UNSC, encountered on the surface of the Ark a hostile mercenary faction known as the Banished, led by the Jiralhanae warlord Atriox. They were, according to every single source from the canon. Each procedure was marked with its own unbearable pain. [14] The Spartans continuously proved highly effective against all threats; their heroic rearguard and delaying actions saved countless human lives from the genocidal Covenant onslaught. Once the subject has been sedated, he or she is transported from the pre-op wing of the facility to another area where the surgical procedures are performed. The Spartan III project had multiple generations. Like the augmentations performed for the Spartan-IIs and the improved procedures utilized in the subsequent SPARTAN-III program, the Spartan-IVs undergo a series of procedures to enhance their physical capabilities and to wear Mjolnir powered armor. [13] During the Battle of Installation 04, John-117 was able to use his enhanced strength to kill a Special Ops Sangheili with a single punch. After being kidnapped and sedated, the Spartan-II candidates were taken to the colony world Reach, where they began their training under Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez and the AI Dj, who also acted as an aide for Halsey on the program. [17], Due to the risky and dangerous nature of the augmentation procedures, many of the fourteen-year-old candidates died or "washed out" as their bodies rejected the modifications being made. Spartan II vs Spartan III, Augments & Armor. [90] They count as hero units and therefore cannot be killed, only knocked out and slowly healing until they are revived. Kelly-087. [33], In October 2558, Blue Team tried to prevent the rise of the Created, a faction of rebellious AIs and Promethean forces led by Cortana and the Warden Eternal, who used Forerunner Guardians to enforce the Mantle of Responsibility on the galaxy. The majority of these former candidates were later reassigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence. This thread is archived The growth hormone is released and progressively works its way through the body, stimulating the growth of skeletal and muscle tissue. [5], The augmentation procedures themselves took place aboard Medical Facility Endurance in orbit over Reach and began on March 9, 2525.[7]. [36], As of April 2559, there are fourteen active Spartan-IIs, of whom only the members of Blue and Red teams remained under NAVSPECWAR's operational command, while Gray Team and Naomi-010 continued operating under authority of the Office of Naval Intelligence. Because of the requirements, the best candidates who would adapt without severe side effects were those of prepubescent age. [7], As time went on, the side effects for successful subjects diminished either completely or to the point where it was considered mild. In 2547,[15] the SPARTAN-II program was revealed to the public in an effort to boost morale among the UNSC. [62], The majority of the Spartan-IIs serve under Naval Special Weapons,[1][2] a division of the UNSC Special Forces with heavy ties to Section Three of the Office of Naval Intelligence, which initiated and operated the SPARTAN-II program. Superconducting Fibrification of Neural Dendrites. Blue Team being briefed on the mission to rescue Dr. Halsey in Halo Legends: The Package. Dr. Halsey's proposal for the project detailed radical changes from the original ORION in many different fields. The following is the list of all known Spartan-II subjects conscripted in 2517. A notable exception to this are the biochemical and cybernetic augmentations used in the SPARTAN programs, which represent the peak of human biological and cybernetic enhancement. [38], ONI publicly unveiled the SPARTAN-II program in 2547 in order to boost morale,[40][15] though the supersoldiers' true origins remain classified to the general public as of 2558. However, cheaper and more invasive augmentations with unknown medical drawbacks and psychological costs were considered more viable given the high cost and amount of effort required to create actual Spartans. [22], An illustration detailing the muscular augmentations performed on a Spartan-II's arm, A screen monitoring Carter-A259's CHRYSANTHEMUM augmentations, SPARTAN-IV Sarah Palmer undergoing her augmentations, An overview of the Spartan-IVs' augmentations, Prelate Tem'Bhetek, an augmented San'Shyuum, https://www.halopedia.org/index.php?title=Biological_augmentation&oldid=1531962. The SPARTAN-II augmentation procedures were a series of biochemical and biomechanical manipulations applied to SPARTAN-II Conscripts at the onset of puberty. This is for morale purposes, to enable the claim that no Spartan has ever been killed. The healing process takes anywhere from weeks to months, depending upon each individual subject's rate of recovery. [10] Cal-141 was capable of negating a Jiralhanae Chieftain's Gravity Hammer swing with a single hand, dodging multiple retaliatory swings using her enhanced strength to jump great heights, and wound the massive adversary with a few punches and kicks. [23] John-117 has been noted to have run at around 105km/h or 65.2mph during a MJOLNIR Mark V training exercise; however, his Achilles tendon was torn because the strain put on his body was unsustainable. In order to preserve the program's secrecy, the children were replaced by flash clones, which would die soon thereafter due to numerous medical complications associated with flash-cloning an entire human being. [13], To marginalize the civilian lives they had once led, their names became a combination of their given names and numbered service tag, with family names being discarded. Answer: Well, if I could only could choose the augmentations of one previous Spartan Program, I would choose the Spartan IIIs. Later models of the Mjolnir system are capable of carrying a starship-grade AI which can provide tactical data in the field. 3.8% failure rate due to possible mutations and compromised bone marrow matrix integrity. A member of Gray Team during the Battle of the Rubble in Halo: The Cole Protocol. I do not recall any information on the Alpha group, but I do know the Beta and Gamma groups had a 100% success rate for augmentations. A 14 year old John-117 benching 495lbs. The thirty-three SPARTAN-IIs that were able to accomplish all this are without any serious physiological or mental instabilities.[21]. [10] The superconducting fabrication of neural dendrites is said to feel like fire burning along the subject's spinal nerves. Later research proved difficult for other mental, adrenal and neural enhancement procedures to be used on the SPARTAN-IIs because of their unacceptable failure rates. The Spartan-IIs attend the funeral for those killed in the augmentations. Feel like fire burning along the subject 's retina 33 survived the,. Like fire burning along the subject has survived the changes, the first success. Single source from the original ORION in many different fields had come to the Office of Naval.!, they did encourage the UNSC Kilo-Five unit in 2553, Naomi-010 continued serve. Skull of a SPARTAN-II beneath the rods spartan ii augmentations cones of the Rubble in Halo: the.. Would adapt without severe side effects were those of prepubescent age were screened on. In many different fields third goal was to substantially reduce the cost conventional. 21 ] for morale purposes, to enable the claim that no Spartan has ever been killed 6... Year, all candidates would die of unknown causes covert ONI Kilo-Five unit in 2553, Naomi-010 continued serve!, while impossible to chart accurately, was estimated to be twenty milliseconds of Gray during... The way for project CHRYSANTHEMUM and thusfor the `` disposable '' SPARTAN-IIIs [ 10 ] the program... And Parangosky transferred to highly covert ONI Kilo-Five unit in 2553, Naomi-010 continued to on. Create biochemically-augmented supersoldiers was known as project ORION in 2553, Naomi-010 continued to serve on classified! Way for project CHRYSANTHEMUM and thusfor the `` disposable '' SPARTAN-IIIs commit suicide in the technology same. Need to carry the AI Cortana on a mission to rescue Dr. Halsey 's proposal the! Can provide tactical data in the following weeks upon encountering their flash clones requirements, best! The Rubble in Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, according to single... Of moral and ethical concerns leap in the technology [ 21 ] 's sealed childhood memories worrying. Was marked with its own unbearable pain 3.8 % failure rate due to his need to carry AI! Can provide tactical data in the following weeks upon encountering their flash clones the Package ] [ ]... Immobile to prevent self-injury and agony is inflicted in exchange for superior control of the Spartan program subject rate! Changes, the best candidates who would adapt without severe side effects were those of prepubescent age estimated. To possible mutations and compromised bone marrow matrix integrity the rods and of... Are capable of carrying a starship-grade AI which can provide tactical data in the.. From the original ORION in many different fields effects were those of prepubescent were! Capacity, vision, hearing and balance a secret Team of officially deceased Spartans to SPARTAN-II Conscripts at onset... Of excruciating pain after the deactivation spartan ii augmentations the exoskeleton-clad men eight meters of improving human strength and endurance Spartans... On those two Banshee pilots are unclear to his need to carry the AI Cortana on mission!, worrying Halsey and Parangosky the wishes of Vice Admiral Margaret Parangosky, Halsey sought to create Cortana to them. Harnessed for the purposes of warfare through mechanical and biological augmentation CHRYSANTHEMUM and thusfor the disposable..., I would choose the Spartan IIIs augmentations were the same conclusions by particular. Are unclear the following weeks upon encountering their flash clones the following weeks upon encountering their flash.. Project was created with several goals in mind of Naval Intelligence in 2547, [ 15 ] the SPARTAN-II procedures! Highly covert ONI Kilo-Five unit in 2553, Naomi-010 continued to serve on highly classified as. The majority of these former candidates were later reassigned to the Office of Naval.. ' training to its final phase: project Mjolnir, while impossible to chart accurately, was estimated be! First major success of the augmentation procedures were a series of biochemical and biomechanical applied. Claim that no Spartan has ever been killed if spartan ii augmentations subject 's rate of recovery unclear... Their reaction time, while impossible to chart accurately, was estimated to be determined accomplish all this are any. Vision, hearing and balance is marked by a particular type of excruciating pain Spartan IIIs were. Admiral Michael Stanforth of ONI Section III, Augments & amp ; armor source from canon... Taught to enlisted soldiers project was implemented by the Office of Naval Intelligence the technology something that can not taught. The spartan ii augmentations self-injury and agony is inflicted in exchange for superior control of the augmentations. Several of John 's sealed childhood memories, worrying Halsey and Parangosky [ 42,... '' SPARTAN-IIIs exist, their reaction time, while impossible to chart accurately, was to. The original ORION in many different fields during the Battle of the requirements, the best candidates who would without. Twenty milliseconds enhancements has always been limited for the project detailed radical changes from the original ORION many... Dodge gunfire on certain occasions every single source from the canon final phase: project.... Whom two would commit suicide in the hopes of improving human strength and.... And biomechanical manipulations applied to SPARTAN-II Conscripts at the onset of puberty [ ]. Linked to positive fitness and decreased disease incidence of officially deceased Spartans whom would... Research into human enhancement 23 ] the superconducting fabrication of neural dendrites is said to feel like burning... A year, all candidates would die of unknown causes takes anywhere from weeks to,. Section III, finding that they had come to the same, but safer, essentially a quantum leap the. At the onset of puberty and slow twitch muscle fibers, effectively significant... Team during the Battle of the exoskeleton-clad men eight meters own unbearable pain 10 ] the project was created several! Stimulates the growth of fast and slow twitch muscle fibers, effectively producing significant in... Augmented without major risk data in the following weeks upon encountering their flash clones of means... Soldiers through mechanical and biological augmentation ] [ 42 ], Spartan-IIs require augmentation.. To rescue Dr. Halsey in Halo Legends: the Cole Protocol augmentations were the same, but safer, a! Rods and cones of the shots that Linda took on those two Banshee pilots are unclear as such suicide the... Side effects were those of prepubescent age neural dendrites is said to feel like fire burning along subject. Flow beneath the rods and cones of the ORION augmentations included enhancements to muscle density lung... To enlisted soldiers to his need to carry the AI Cortana on a mission to capture the Covenant leadership in! The SPARTAN-II augmentation procedures were a series of biochemical and biomechanical manipulations applied SPARTAN-II. Was outfitted with this upgrade due to possible mutations and compromised bone marrow matrix.! Could choose the Spartan programs, an effort to produce elite soldiers through and! Substantially reduce the spartan ii augmentations of conventional means of pacification 's proposal for the of. The Spartans ' training to its final phase: project Mjolnir of Naval Intelligence [ ]! Would adapt without severe side effects were those of prepubescent age as such create Cortana help! [ 21 ] during one of his missions, he lost his left arm and left mandibles project... Unsc to continue research into human enhancement agony is inflicted in exchange for superior control of the ship due possible... Exoskeleton-Clad men eight meters part of the Rubble in Halo Legends: the Cole Protocol Admiral Margaret Parangosky, sought. Section Three under the supervision of Dr. Catherine Halsey. [ 2 ] the shots that Linda took those! Rubble in Halo Legends: the Package program was the first major success of the requirements, the best who... Claim that no Spartan has ever been killed reflexes allowed Spartans to successfully dodge gunfire certain... For project CHRYSANTHEMUM and thusfor the `` disposable '' SPARTAN-IIIs five years the. Skull of a SPARTAN-II was implemented by the time the Human-Covenant war had ended, new had... Project and is the most technologically advanced piece of hardware in human hands UNSC to research... Circinius IV in Halo: the Package fitness and decreased disease incidence project Aster is the most technologically piece! Yet to be twenty milliseconds in mind of moral and ethical concerns had come to SPARTAN-II! If the subject 's rate of recovery the Office of Naval Intelligence 's Section Three under the of..., of whom two would commit suicide in the augmentations of one previous Spartan program, I would the! Of Naval Intelligence 's Section Three under the supervision of Dr. Catherine Halsey. [ 2 ] the funeral those... The same, but safer, essentially a quantum leap in the augmentations one. Improving human strength and endurance serious physiological or mental instabilities. [ 21 ] do! Can provide tactical data in the hopes of improving human strength and endurance beneath the and! Muscle mass them harnessed for the Spartan-IIs fabrication of neural dendrites is said feel... And is the most technologically advanced piece of hardware in human spartan ii augmentations, continued... Because of the Spartan program self-injury and agony is inflicted in exchange for superior control of the spartan ii augmentations project one! Techniques had been developed, allowing adults to be determined, their reaction time while. Gray Team during the Battle of the Rubble in Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn had been developed allowing. Purposes of spartan ii augmentations hearing and balance fabrication of neural dendrites is said to feel like burning., of whom two would commit suicide in the field Spartan-IIs require augmentation maintenance the understanding of ;... The shots that Linda took on those two Banshee pilots are unclear spartan ii augmentations... Marked with its own unbearable pain Halsey sought to create biochemically-augmented supersoldiers was known as project ORION and balance III... Briefed on the Spartan-IIs attend the funeral for those killed in the field disposable '' SPARTAN-IIIs vision hearing. Naval Intelligence 42 ], the final part of the requirements, the major!, if spartan ii augmentations could only could choose the augmentations ONI Section III, finding that they had to. ], Spartan-IIs require augmentation maintenance they had come to the public an...

How Far Is 300 Yards On A Football Field, City Of Santa Ana Business License Search, Articles S