Power Armor (human)

Human power armor was developed completely aboard the *RPS Tartarus* over the course of its surveillance of Earth. Over the course of a thousand years, the R&D department aboard the ship was able to refine designs through various methods ranging from simple fit tests to live-combat exercises and zero-atmosphere tests to create a suit capable of operating in all environments and provide adequate protection and improvements to the wearer's capabilities.

### Capabilities

Human power armor has some impressive capabilities in order to level the playing field between the relatively fragile species and the other more powerful species among the Republic and the Coalition. From the armor plating to the AID system to the AMP system, there is not much a human can't do when properly trained in its use.

#### Armor Plating

In order to protect against the plasma weaponry common on the galactic warfront, the armor plating is made of a zirconia/yttria ceramic, giving the plating a natural white color. However, this color is disadvantageous on most fields, making it a common sight for the armor to be covered with a colored intumescent paint or putty by field operatives. The main exception to this rule is Iota teams, who tend to keep the color to blend into the buildings they protect. This ceramic coating is meant to keep the wearer from being killed by stray impacts, but cannot stand up to sustained impacts. Too many in quick succession will break the armor, leaving behind very little in the way of protection for the wearer.

Polyamide-reinforced aerogel acts as a cushion between the wearer's suit and the armor plates, offering not only a comfortable suit for extended wear, but an excellent thermal barrier between the plates which can rapidly become dangerously hot and burn the wearer's skin. This same aerogel, with slight modifications, also makes up the inner suit. All aerogel is sealed with a self-sealing silicone rubber, allowing a wearer to reenter hostile environments even after a suit breach and keeps the aerogel in proper condition.

##### Heavy Armor

While no armor plating exists to be heavier than the standard armor, some teams will be issued an ablative outer shell to put on their armor, allowing them to take far more damage and still be safe. This is a common sight on Beta, Gamma, and Rho teams, and can occasionally be seen on other teams in the rare moments they may anticipate heavy combat.

##### Stealth Armor

Stealth armor features many different coatings to reduce a wearer's footprint, including but not limited to a thermal suit designed to put off no extra infrared light and plating meant to reduce radar signatures. While still detectable to a trained eye, a well-trained user can become nearly invisible with this suit.

#### AID System

The AID system is the HUD/AI combo present in all power armors for humans and stands for Advanced Intelligence Display. The HUD can display team vitals, objectives, map information, and more. The AI can aid in information and translation and is the primary reason why teams do not need to speak the same language.

#### AMP System

The AMP system is the Advanced Movement Pack standard on all human armors. This pack has eight thrusters facing in three directions to aid in agile movement. Four of these thrusters face down and can allow a short flight period, however they are not optimized for this use. Instead, these thrusters are better utilized as a jump aid.

Improved variants found on humans after 2028 would allow for longer use and short flight safely through the use of adjustable thrusters and an update to the AI that allowed it to control these thrusters.

#### Life Support System

The suit is completely sealed and has enough life-support capability to allow a user to survive in otherwise deadly environments, including the vacuum of space. In the event of a breach, the outer shell of the harness is made of a self-sealing silicone, allowing continued operations in hostile environments.

In the event where an operation requires the wearer to be in an atmosphere that is not breathable, the suit will activate its rebreather system and maintaining a proper breathing environment for the wearer for up to twelve hours without maintenance. Teams operating for longer than twelve hours will carry materials to maintain this system.