Project: White Knight was a classified Section 31 operation utilized to clone deceased citizens of the galaxy for use in high level operations on behalf of the United Federation of Planets. Through the plan the genetic material of high ranking officials - both civilian and military regardless of the affiliated government of the host - were recovered and utilized to create genetic duplicates capable of completing covert operations in pursuit of the objectives of Section 31.

Origins

Established in the early days of the Agency, Project White Knight was intended as a way to maintain a loyal complement of Agents for Section 31 throughout the life of the organization. The project was designed to create specialized infiltration units to conduct high level espionage and sabotage missions on behalf of the Federation. Through enhanced biomechanical neural linkages, the memories of any participant of the program could be recorded and uploaded to a clone as needed. The most recent generation of clones were the brainchild of Doctor Lara Thrace and were expanded to include candidates recovered from every major galactic power.

Discovery

During the final phase of testing of Clone 47, Clone 42 went rogue in the testing facility and assaulted not only Section 31 Operatives but also highly trained Starfleet Security Personnel. While being pursued the unit, who was questioning the nature of his reality, found and kidnapped Doctor Lara Thrace. Subjecting her to enhanced torture techniques - provided as part of the Unit's training - Agent 42 was located and attacked by Agent 47. In the ensuing chaos Agent 47 was damaged and killed Doctor Thrace while attempting to repair. Agent 42, having recovered knowledge of his true origins and the memories of his genetic template, attempted to stop Agent 47 but failed. Agent 42 then proceeded to release all data on the Project to the Federation Council.

Destruction

Due to its discovery Section 31 immediately ceased all operations related to Project: White Knight. Due to its nature in revealing the duplicity of Section 31 to the galaxy, the Federation Council arranged for the Federation Supreme Court to absolve Agent 42 of his crimes and classified all information on his true nature. His identity was restored to that of his genetic template as he was a recent creation and he was released. Despite this it is rumored that Section 31 did not cancel the operation and simply moved it deeper underground to continue creation of loyal agents.

Units

Known Abilities

The subjects of Project: White Knight have undergone enhanced genetic engineering processes similar in nature to those of the Augments affiliated with the Chrysalis Project. Agents were designed to be nearly five times stronger than the average Human and feature remarkable agility and endurance. The cardiac, musculature, and respiratory systems of the agents has been enhanced, increasing durability and their ability to complete objectives under extreme distress. Through enhanced platelets in their blood the subjects were highly resistant to injury - featuring resistance to disease and enhanced regenerative capabilities when faced with damage to their bodies. Their skin was similarly enhanced and Unit 42 was shown to be incredibly resistant to directed energy weapons, having taken multiple point blank shots from a phaser before being stunned. All physical senses of the units have been enhanced with some estimates indicating that one subject could hear a heart beat up to 10 meters away and that a unit could even detect the motion of a starship operating with inertial dampeners at full power.

The intelligence of the units has also been enhanced significantly - with some estimates indicating that units may be as much as three times more intelligent than the average Human. Units have displayed an ability to learn complex subjects to post-doctoral levels in short periods of time. Units are also uploaded with the memories of their predecessors in an effort to give them a sense of identity and control their cloned nature. Their knowledge of tactics has also been enhanced with each unit being an effective military commander in a short period of time. During testing Unit 47 was observed to successfully complete the Kobayashi Maru scenario within 3 minutes of the program starting. During operational testing each unit was exposed to a Lethean Telepathic Attack as part of their training to see if they could withstand the extreme stresses associated with such an onslaught and were also increasingly able to counter the effects of telepathy, almost to the point of immunity. Units were prone to violent and apathetic behavior beyond what would normally be expected from a human giving the clones a predatory mindset.

Known Weaknesses

During development of Project: White Knight, Doctor Sara Thrace studied the research of the first genetic engineers through the works of Doctor Arik Soong. All research concluded that, invariably, the enhanced individuals were prone to development of arrogance and believe in their own supremacy over others. As one researcher had wrote: "Superior ability breeds superior ambition." In order to counter this, several genetic deficiencies were added to the code of the clones created for Project: White Knight. Doctor Thrace inserted a gene that creates a single faulty enzyme in protein metabolism, preventing each of the clones from the manufacture of several essential amino acids. Each unit requires specialized injections that can be withheld as necessary. In the event that these are not received, the unit will slip into a coma and die. Irregardless, each unit is further designed to begin to experience cellular breakdown after five continuous years of service. The onset of symptoms is slow, frequently starting with minor tremors, that accelerate over time. Physical and mental health decline near the end of the five year period, resulting in termination of the unit. At present, records indicate that only one unit has been able to overcome this deficiency successfully.