Sangheili Harness

The , or simply Sangheili Combat Harness, is a form of armor used by the USR for a variety of purposes. Using a system of interchangeable pieces on the armor, the can be reformatted and modified in a variety of of ways for a large degree of battlefield flexibility, and has several variants for specific purposes.
The Combat Harness is worn by the majority of infantry ranks from Minor Elite to Ultra and Zealot, with the damage each can take and the armor's shielding increasing in power with rank, and comes in a variety of colours denoting said rank; some variants are more exotic, having room for plug in modifications, or inbuilt special features, such as an active camouflage generator, enlarged sensor capacity, etc. The harness' primary emphasis, to be iconic and inflict psychological trauma, can be linked back to the martial/physical pre-eminence of the Sangheili people. 
Armour upgrades are initiated by adding in new power packs in the modular slot, to provide higher energy outputs and consequently higher power outputs, and modifying the armour with additional armour and differing helmets. As such, a number of readily identifiable variants exist based on rank and roles. Additional plug in slots allow for off the shelf upgrades. While most variants vary in their external construction, the under harness, and the bodysuit remain the same. 
==Variants==
===Battle Harnesses===
====Combat harness====
The Combat Harness is the most common variant of the Harness, and is used extensively by the Sangheili military. Used by Minor and Major warriors, who represent the majority of the Sangheili military, it is synonymous with disciplined, uncompromising, ruthless warriors. The Harness itself is a good mix between armour and mobility, with overlapping armour plates and a wide brimmed, fearsome helmet protecting them from potentially fatal blows. It has the lowest amount of hardware though, making it simple and reliable in the field, its only additional systems being its helmet mounted radio and sensor packet, along with the shield used in all Harness patterns. Despite being the most basic armour pattern, it is often used at higher ranks by troops who appreciate the excellence of it's design. 
====Ultra Harness====
Outside of the standard design, the Ultra variant is one of the most used variants, being used by Ultras for use as assault troops. The armour is heavily upgraded for damage resistance, with a large defensive collar, round deltoid and thigh protection, a sealed helmet carrying a HUD, expanded communication systems ,and increased armour. This gives them much high endurance against enemy fire and excellent protection against enemies in close combat. The distinctive headdress allows all to see them on the battlefield, and follow their example. The 
====Officer harness ====
The Officer armour is clearly marked by the addition of heavier armour around the deltoids, neck, chest and the distinctive helmet with crest, with enhanced communication gear. This generally allows an Officer to appear to his men on the battlefield, communicate with them more easily and survive the increased attention he gets by his station. This armour is solely used by the Officer class. It carries the same amenities as the Ultra Harness, with a inbuilt motion sensor and HUD, but has a heavily expanded communication system, for communicating with his subordinates and liaising with his superiors. 
====Commander Harness====
The Commander Harness is a further enhancement on the Officer Harness, carrying the same distinct horn, on a wider headdress, with incremental improvements on most features. It is used by Sub-Commanders and Commanders as leaders. 
====General harness ====
The General Harness is utilised by those of General rank for battle. Designed to be seen by all those around, it is modelled after ancient Sangheili warriors so as to inspire fear in the enemy. While it doesn't enhance armour by many degrees over the Commander Harness, it does provide enhanced communication and control systems, and enhanced protection with its energy shield. 
====Supreme Commander Harness====
Armour unique to the Supreme Commander, they often get great leeway in aesthetic choices in the customer design and manufacture of their armour. What is guaranteed, is the finest armour, enhanced communication systems, Battle Net uplinks, and shielding suitable for warding off anti-tank weapons. Such protection is vital for the survival of these men, who're often targets for assassination. 
===Specialist Harnesses===
====Ranger Harness====
The Ranger Armour features an enhanced Combat Harness, with upgraded thoraic armour, mobility enhancing deltoid and thigh protection, without compromising protection. It has a sealed, temperature controlled bodysuit to protect the user from the hazards of deep space as well as pressure changes, radiation and thermal changes. It has a sealed helmet, with internal pressure controlled air supply and a wide visor, manufactured from grown crystal with reinforced layers, designed to maximise vision in spacial environs. This helmet is environmentally sealed, with a holographic HUD system and ungraded communications for extended range operations. It has multiple thruster elements, and magnetic panels on the hands and feed for adhering to solid structures. The suit also provides protection against changes in G-Force. The armour can also be used for other, unusual environments, such as deep sea, rad zones, high pressure worlds and other dangerous environments. It is used by elements of Fleet Security, but most commonly by Rangers. 
====Tempest Harnesss====
An alternative to the Ranger Harness, it is closer to the Storm Harness in design, with an overall lighter design that gives greater agility in exo-atomspheric operations. With a number of built in thrusters, the user can quickly navigate hazards, and it carries many of the same amenities as the heavier, better protected Ranger. Such armour can also be used for hazardous operations. 
====Storm Harness ====
The Storm Harness is a lightweight armour, renowned for it's simplicity, reliability, and efficiency. Designed for Storm troops, it is lightened, and easy to move in, reducing fatigue from long use. The armour has a number of creature comforts, and has an encompassing helmet, but beneath the pauldron, the arm is entirely unarmoured, intended to enhance their mobility, especially with weapons. 
====Assault Harness ====
The Assault Harness is a reissued pre-Covenant Sangheili Harness that is extremely resilient. It features reinforced aligned composites and buttress principle protective stratum to preserve structural coherence of underlying tissue, and ultra resilient deltoid protection to aid in the concussive shock force and direct kinetic energy. The armour is used by Fleet Security, and Invader assault forces, though on rare occasions SOS Special Operations may use it for direct action missions. The armour is sealed, and protective, and has its own oxygen supply. Its resilient armour makes it one of the toughest harnesses available to regular forces, making it in high demand.
====Flight Harness ====
The Flight Harness is a specially modified variant used by pilots for all manner of SOS aircraft. The sealed helmet features a hyper-wave link for cleaner craft interactions and a mouth piece that retains a multi-port for use all current and older generation of spacecraft. The more compact deltoid armour has less of an impact on the Sangheili's range of motion in the cramped compartments of space craft and reduces overall fatigue in multi-phase interdiction missions. The less cumbersome cage utilizes aligned composites to postpone the onset of fatigue and the explicit primary environment multi-port is less restrictive than older helmet multi-ports. The flight suit underneath the armour is enhanced to be environmentally sealed, protective against environmental hazards in space and provide protection against changes in G-force. 
====Infiltration Harness====
The Infiltration Harness is a common sight in the higher echelons of Sangheili special forces, being special designed for stealth and infiltration. It is coated in stealth enhancing materials, with a on-board infra-red stabilization system to attempt to mask some of its output. The armour is covered in rounded surfaces in an attempt to confuse and fool sensors. The helmet has an advanced built HUD with night vision capabilities, as well as enhanced communications, electronic warfare subsystems and sensor suites, as well as active camouflage generator, to mask them visually. The armour is made from lightened composites, designed to survive close combat situations more easily, with redistributed armour sections, and enhancing the user's agility over regular armour. The armour is sealed with its own internal oxygen supply. The Spec Ops harness is used almost entirely by the Special Operations of the SOS, with the Advance Reconnaissance Operations branch also using the variant for close in infiltration of a target. 
====Stealth Harness====
The Stealth Harness, is a lightly armoured harness used by Sangheili Assassins and Pathfinders. Trading armour for stealth features, the Stealth Harness offers little protection, as it is composed of a form fitting alloy – little thicker than fabric – which is embedded with enough micro-solar cells and stealth field generators to create a continuous, near-perfect active camouflage field. The armour uses new hexagonal field buffers, and visual distortion elements to make it harder to detect by a range of sensors, and even integrates a new magnetic masking tool, something best used against the UNSC...
Because of the lack of defensive plating on the harness, direct combat rarely goes well, instead it must be used for cautious infiltration. While the suit can be environmentally sealed, it only has a short supply of oxygen, but the helmet does include long range communications, Battle Net uplinks, holographic recording devices, and advanced sensors, giving the user a multi-spectrum view, with the ability to send his recorded information back to his superiors. 
====Commando Harness ====
The Commando Harness was introduced in late 2552, based on pre-contact designs, with newer technology integrated into the design, allowing for Sangheili special forces to operate in more dangerous environments. The armour is streamlined, allowing for enhanced mobility and is constructed from light weight, but tough ceramics and polymers. The introduction of more advanced internal components allowed for higher performance without negatively impacting endurance. The sealed helmet was fitted with hardened communications and uplink systems, as well as an advanced heads up display and night vision system. It lacks some of the hardware of the Spec Ops variant, such as an inbuilt active camouflage generator and electronic/cyberwarfare systems, but has increased reliability, and is substantially cheaper to manufacture. 
====Shadow Harness====
The Shadow Harness is probably one of the most rare, and mysterious Harnesses in the Republic. Used only by the enigmatic Assassins, this Harness is based closely on the Infiltration harness, using advanced stealth technology to render it near invisible to infra-red, RADAR, motion sensors and LIDAR, with a thermo-optical camouflage module to give it a perfect camouflage field. The armour is sealed and hardened against vacuums, radiation, heat, pressure and biological and chemical threats, protecting the warrior from outside threats, with advanced components to enhance endurance and mobility. The Helmet is sealed, obscuring the identity of the warrior. This helmet has a large number of upgrades, including enhanced HUD, thermal imaging, terahertz camera, LIDAR, metamaterial antennae for long range communication and hardened plating for protection. The armour itself is lightened, but has much tougher plating, made from exotic material, as well as shock absorbing materials, allowing for the warrior to take more punishment. The armour is also designed to be utterly silent, even when the warrior is at full sprint. Along with the Dervish, its one of the most expensive armour variants in the republic. This harness is used primarily by the Silent Shadow. 
====Outrider Harness ====
One of the newest Sangheili harnesses in circulation, it is one of the few neither based on ancient design, or modified from existing armour. Specially tailored for 'Outrider' battle formations, it mixes an enhanced sensorium and and new structural composites. The new sensor suites include experimental magnetic sensors, long distance thermal-sensors, and an high-definition terahertz wave camera that allows the user to look through solid objects with impunity. The new armour features adjustable plates, using new armour technology, making it light weight, comfortable and extremely resilient. 
The armour is almost exclusively used 'Outrider' formations, specialised fighters harrying the enemies of the SOS at the edge of the frontier. Resilient against trauma, and ideal for observation, its a highly prized armour for the warriors of the Sword. 
====Invader Harness ====
Devised from ceremonial armour worn by Sangheili participating in organized hunts, old sets have been dusted off and modernized, allowing them to be utilised on modern battlefields. Initially used by militia on distant colonies to launch counter-attacks against raiders, they've crept into official service in the SOS, particularly distant units fighting asymmetric warfare against the Remnant and pirates. 
Originally used for hunting, it features many upgrades to enhance its tracking and stealth features, including thermographic sensors and micro-spectrometer for hunting an enemy by scent alone. For stealth features, it is cooled to match the heat of it's surroundings, cloaking it from heat sensors. It also features a sophisticated scent masking system, that can switch between rendering the user invisible to scent, or emitting a sudden cloud that can block the sense of smell in a wide area, a very useful weapon against the Jiralhanae's superior sense of smell. 
====Pathfinder Harness====
The Pathfinder Harness is used by scouts and snipers operating far from home, who need reliable and hard wearing armour that will keep them safe. The armour uses off the shelf elements from the Infiltration and Storm Harness, creating lighter armour, that is comfortable during long use, and carries stealth features to mask it. Armed with active camouflage, and passive infra-red masking technology, it is difficult to detect at the best of times. The armour is also fitted with redundancies, and easily accessible components, making it hard wearing, and easy to repair. One of it's most notable features is a large sensor attached to the helmet, augmenting their natural vision with multi-spectrum sensors over long ranges, which can record and upload back to the Battle Net. The sensor can move independently of the user's own eyes, an especially useful tactic when using a sniper rifle, allowing a single individual to fill the roll of sniper and spotter. 
===Zealot Harnesses===
====Zealot Harness====
The Zealot Harness is used only by the rare and elusive Zealot warriors. As such, it is designed to match their myriad of operations. The armour has maximised armour areas, without affecting endurance or manoeuvrability. As well as this, the helmet has enhanced communication and sensor gear. Modelled on ancient patterns, users of it are expected to make the most out of the armour, in all situations. As part of it's design, it has an inbuilt therm-optical active camouflage generator. Each suit is a lovingly built masterpiece, unique in of itself, and often with some minor details unique to the Zealot Chapter. It is extremely resilient to damage, and has tough shield generators capable of shrugging off harm. The armour is also fitted with redundancies, as Zealot operations may take them far from friendly lines for long periods. 
====Dervish Harness====
The Dervish is a spin-off design of the Zealot, designed for the top Zealot warriors. Finding the current Zealot Harness to be insufficient for operations requiring extreme stealth and discretion. The Dervish Harness was devised, being one of the singular most expensive pieces of individual hardware in the SOS. The Dervish is a redesigned version of the Zealot, designed to be naturally sensor resistant. From there, it is covered in mixture of stealth resins and anti-sensor metamaterials, that make it near invisible to RADAR, LIDAR and in the ultra-violet and infra-red spectrum. The armour's enlarged power core is fitted with advanced heat sinks, capable of taking on vast amounts of heat, which combined with the environmental layer of the body suit, keep it near invisible against background heat at all times. It is fitted with a exotic magnetic sensor array, in addition to the anti-personnel motion sensor and expanded communications, to keep them in contact quietly, regardless of distance. It has been fitted with an advanced thermo-optical cloaking device, creating a field that masks them from a variety of spectrums at once and hides them from prying eyes. The entire armour is sealed, with a limited oxygen supply and environmental layer, allowing the armour to be used in space. 
====Field Marshal Harness====
The Field Marshal Harness shares components from the General Harness, Zealot Harness, and with its own helmet design, designed after the war helmet of Manis 'Cabla, the great hero of the Sangheili-San Shyuum War. This also houses additional sensors and communication systems. Each one is handcrafted for the user, and is built to maximise protection, without hurting their agility, allowing a wearer to sustain large amounts of punishment and be able to slay multiple opponents at short range. These are extremely rare on the field, with only the Filed Marshal rank wearing them, and there are speculated to be less than 100 in circulation.
 
===Military Order Harnesses===
====Honour Guard Harness====
Specifically used by the Order of the Honour Guard, the armour is designed to be seen, and rightly feared. It has large, decorative emblems, modelled after Honour Guards of Kaidons of old. In terms of internal components, it was little different from the standard Combat Harness, but in terms of armour they saw significant upgrades. The armour is designed to be seen, and feared, and to go with their duties, it has hardened shielding, and unique communication uplinks designed around small guard networks. 
====Crusader Harness====
The Crusader Harness is used only by the Crusader Military Order, based on their pre-contact armour, modelled after the so called First Crusader. The armour is heavily upgraded for close combat, allowing for enhanced survivability. This armour allows for ideal protection against the threats they usually encounter, at blade distance. Each suit is handmade for the wearer, and is highly over engineered, being capable of surviving high amounts of punishment. 
====Ascetic Harness====
The Ascetic Harness is modelled on ancient designs of Sangheili Harness, which in turn are modelled on even more ancient designs that are designed to look like a demon from the old Sangheili pantheon. The armour is significantly upgraded for close combat situations, and the fear inducing helmets are designed to enhance their protection and sensory capabilities, with HUD, night vision and enhanced sensor suite. It's enhanced communications allow the Ascetic to communicate with multiple units at once, or broadcast their voice across the battlefield, their iron hard voices cutting through the sound of battle. These armour suits are exclusive to the Ascetic Guards, and those they deem worthy, making them fearsome sights on the battlefield. 
====Saint Harness====
The Saint Harness is exclusively used by the Hospitaller Saints Military Order. Each one is custom built, each being a artisan's masterpiece. Built using similar technology to that utilised in the Ranger harness, it uses anti-gravity technology to enhance the movement of the user. The anti-gravity drives are tuned to provide quick bursts of speed, allowing them to suddenly jet forward, or sideways, boosting them based on their inertia and direction. This allows them to evade fire, or bound effortlessly across the battlefield, getting to the wounded faster that others can. The anti-gravity drive can, in an instant, switch function, allowing them to hover, free of gravity, floating gently over the battlefield, stable enough to rain shots down. These harnesses are painted the inverse of the Hospitaller standard, with white armour, and green circles. Their armour is incredibly difficult to control, and it takes years to master it, preventing wider distribution. 
===Ceremonial Harnesses===
====Councillor Harness====
The Councillor features a substituted helmet employed by only Councillors to display their rank. This consists of a large, decorative crest.