Battle Suit
A Battle Suit is an armored fighting unit ubiquitous across every material military organization in the The Solar System. Developed during the First Solar War, these humanoid combat vehicles are piloted by an individual, typically located in the torso unit, and powered by a Type A Laniakea Reactor. These machines stand 15-22 meters tall and are lauded for their versatility in terrestrial and exoatmospheric environments. Pilots use specially designed weapon systems called macroweapons which vary drastically in form and function, ranging from rudimentary bolt action rifles to directed energy melee weapons.
While the first Battle Suits were designed for exoatmospheric combat, a number of models throughout history have been manufactured with the express purpose of grounded, atmospheric engagements. Some frames are even capable of operating in both environments, gaining the designation of Diplobius Battle Suits (literally meaning "double life" or "twofold life").
The saturation of Battle Suits in warfare has propelled it to the forefront of public perception as the primary vehicle in which combat is to be conducted. While naval ships transport Battle Suits throughout the Solar System, they have supplanted most land, air, and space combat craft. Though some niche fighter designs are still produced and Armored Neural Tracers constitute the bulk of mechanized regiments as a substantially cheaper alternative, Battle Suits will dominate any battlespace they are deployed in with their superior mobility and firepower.
Laz-Macroweaponry
Particle weapons, or Laz-weapons (LAniakea Zero-point Reaction), are a broad archetype of macroweaponry that excel in exoatmospheric environments. Laz-weapons draw power directly from the Battle Suit's Laniakea Reactor to overcharge "ground state" Laniakea Particles. These overcharged particles are not only more stable than their standard charge counterparts, but generate an acute, low-range Laniakea Field that repels heterogeneous particles, creating a "Zero-point Field." This field is ideal for manipulating the flow of Zero-point particles, resulting in notably expressive melee devices and destructive particle beams.
Certain melee macroweapons may also be categorized under the term "Laz-plated," meaning the striking edge/point of the weapon is lined with Zero-point particles. Additionally, ranged Laz-weapons are exclusively effective in a vacuum environment as any dissimilar particle medium a Laz-projectile travels through will significantly reduce the range and efficacy upon impact. As such, Laz-macroweapons pervade most naval arsenals while terrestrial and internal Colony defenses rely on traditional weapon systems like kinetic slugs or rocket-propelled munitions.
Bio-Interface System
Bio-Interface Systems are critical to a Battle Suit's functionality and a pilot's ability to connect and operate it. A number of physical interface schemes have attempted to resolve the indomitable issue of managing an impossibly complex system with a finite amount of control real estate within a cockpit. All of these attempts have failed. The solution to this problem was instead derived from the Armored Neural Tracer's user interface: a simple neural link, or neural trace, that allows a pilot to nonhaptically perform basic motor functions like walking or turning.
With a direct, digital link to the brain, typically achieved through a physical connection to the nervous system, pilots experience the proprioception of their Battle Suit to an extraordinary intensity. This novel approach was first implemented in the FEATHER Operating System, the Bio-Interface System of the Feather Frame. While the FEATHER system was the first of its kind, it is still considered peerless amongst its modern contemporaries in spite of centuries of development and study.
Datapox
Due to the invasive nature of Bio-Interface Systems, pilots can contract a myriad of health conditions after decades of use. While the severity and quantity of conditions varies depending on the individual, all of these ailments fall under the umbrella term of "Datapox" which occurs after the central nervous system is subjected to prolonged exposure of raw data. These ailments will typically manifest within ten to twenty years of regular active combat but has been recorded in some individuals after only a few years of use.
Datapox includes but is not limited to:
- Depression
- Violent mood swings
- Dissociative identities
- Schizophrenia
- Depersonalization/Derealization
- Metempsychosis*
*Metempsychosis is a unique condition found in veteran pilots. Subjects have described an inability to identify as a living human, perceiving their body as a vehicle they must pilot and Battle Suits as their "true" body. This condition has also been inaccurately referred to as Dehumanization.
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