ARC-85 “Runners Blades” (刃-85)

### Availability

Limited to high-tier armor vendors, armorers for Alliance or Council Special Forces, and select Black Market purveyors

### Classification

Technology mobility enhancement; armor tech.

### Suggested Retail Price

Manufacturer price of 19,800 credits. MSRP of 40,000 credits.

## Advantages

### Advantages

- Provides potent mobility advantage to equipped ground forces, boosting average maximum footspeed to almost 80 kmph- Muffles footfalls; useful on long distance, low-profile reconnaissance operations. - Long battery life, minimal ambient drain on armor power systems.

## Disadvantages

### Disadvantages

- Critical vulnerability to electronic sabotage. Electromagnetic pulse weaponry can effectively disable the ARC-85’s systems, shorting them out and causing the user to essentially fall flat on their face, at high speed. Hard stops are difficult; users are suggested to take wide turns, as a “brake” requires a significant amount of braking-distance. Difficult learning-curve; several weeks of training are required before even cursory use.

Produced amidst tense competition for a Systems Alliance Arms and Armor contract, the ARC-85 Runner blades saw an effective, but limited deployment in the Reaper War in the hands of select groups of N-teams operating in Alliance colonial space. Unlike most of the equipment produced to fight the Reapers, the Arc Blades never rose to any fame, and failed to generate a significant amount of revenue for Ariake.

Although considered generally effective in the field, their use in primarily covert operations kept them out of the limelight, and prevented their manufacturers from profiting to the point that they might have. That was until they were featured prominently within the arsenal of the fictional N7 operative “Hilda Maritan” in 2188’s *Mission Improbable: SPECTRE Protocol*, a record breaking block-buster that challenged even the likes of the Blasto films in Human and Turian media markets. Their depiction in the film helped to capture the public’s imagination, and Ariake immediately jumped at the opportunity to rebrand their ware as slick, sexy, and dangerous.

Of course, like most powered-footwear trends, the ARC blades can be dangerous without proper training, and they are driven by a complex technological suite. Designed to fit over the foot, ankle, and lower calf as a sort of high metallic boot, the actual systems that drive the ARC blade’s unique levitation-propulsion is housed within the “blade” at the bottom of the boot. A row of Einstein-Bose particle generates outputs a wave of supercooled particles. Copper-Lithium superconductor coils flanking the EB generators simultaneously generated two fields of positive ionic energy, creating a frictionless, repulsive field below the blade. Small, element-zero field thrusters placed along the boot’s chassis assists the user in keeping their balance while suspended atop this field. By creating forward momentum using a standard running or “skating” motion, the user can then propel themselves forward at a great rate of speed, negating the downward loss of kinetic energy.

In essence, the ARC blades allow the user to move at a high speed, unaided by a vehicle. The low range of motion means that movement aided by the blades is smooth, without significant bumping or jostling. A skilled marksman can effectively hit a target with a ME-driven projectile while utilizing the blades. Moreover, the blades produce no sound during motion, run for upwards of 15 hours on a single high-capacity military grade lithium battery, and produce a very negligible ambient eezo byproduct. The only thing left in the runner’s wake are two trails of ice and frost, melting slowly as they go.

Of course, the blades are not without downsides. Vulnerable to electromagnetic pulses, a well placed overload could shut down the blades mid flight, sending the user on a very, very painful spill. They are difficult to maneuver, difficult to steer, and require a great deal of training in order to be effectively utilized.

But… they are *damn* cool. That much can not be denied. Some talk has been generated about the creation of a biotiball league centering around the use of these skates. Those negotiations are still underway within the SAPSL.