Class 3M Integrated Nano-Composite Armor

Full Protective Armor

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Advanced Camouflage Suit

Designed out of collaboration of Solas Tempus and 0X-07, the integrated non-composite armor is built using a combination of nanomaterials and integrated nanites. Using the Spatial Variance Reactor coupled with the Encapsulated Computer Core the armor is controlled similarly to the Class 2M. The armor is not just a layer of nanomaterials controlled by a computer, instead the computer acts as a central node for a mesh network of nanites that are entirely integrated into the armor, embedded in the nanomaterials themselves.

Neural Interface

Like the Class 2M before it, the innermost layer of the armor formed an electrochemical bond to the wearer and then adapts itself to the wearer's needs based on biofeedback it receives through this interface. The armor is designed to be intuitive and the usage of the mesh network of nanites increases the processing power of the armor by an order of magnitude.

Sensor Array

Nanites within the armor act as sensor nodes within the structure, linking via the mesh network to provide 360 degree sensor information to the wearer and the central ECC spanning the EM, Subspace, and Temporal energy bands. Sensors of the armor can be both active and passive as needed.

Protection

The dynamic an intuitive nature of the armor makes it especially adaptable to a variety of situations. While the armor does not provide as much protection as the Class 2K armor, it can provide comparable protection for a limited time to the Class 1K. Unlike it's more robust counterparts, however, the armor does have its limits when stretched to the extremes. Being an adaptive armor the strength of this particular design is in providing a smaller subset of specific protections and doing that exceedingly well. In this the armor excels, however, the array of protections in something like the Class 1K, 2K, or 1Z armor are not possible to sustain over time.

Adaptability

The armor learns and adapts from both the neural interface as well as the sensor information it receives. When it is damaged it can provide options to the wearer or attempt to adapt automatically as needed, depending on the wearers preferences. This allows the armor to be able to handle a wider array of situations. The adaptive strength of the armor lies in its dynamic ability to change itself via the nanite mesh network. The armor could provide extreme depth protection under the ocean or protect a wearer from incoming phaser fire, intense heat, explosive decompression, or a number of other situations just not all at the same time.

Environmental

Using the nanite mesh network the armor is able to alter its physical composition on the fly. This means the armor can provide cooling one moment and then provide protection from cold the next given a short amount of time to adapt. This model armor has been tested at extreme temperature pressure variations and can easily withstand the intense cold and airless environment as the vacuum of space, all the way to the extremes of 272 MPa of pressure direct contact with heat at 2497° Celsius. The weakness of this armor is the transition time from extremes, keeping the body warm at near absolute zero requires the armor to store and circulate the bodies own heat while providing pressure. If the armor was required to transition from that to high pressure, high temperature there would be a period of the time where the wearer could be vulnerable and posed to the extremes if the transition happened faster than the armor could adapt.

Kinetic

Direct kinetic strikes to the armor have their force diverted along connected fibrous materials to distribute the force along a wide area. This buffers the wearer from external strikes, the armor may take slight damage during an initial impact but can quickly adapt to strengthen a region. The adaptive network can also use sensor and neural interface data to adapt a region that the wearer expects to be impacted from or where sensors detect an imminent impact. This is similar to the protection provided in low-pressure environments, the fibers which maintain a pressure on the body are adjusted and used to divert and distribute impact force.

Energy

If incoming energy impacts the armor or is detected by the armor it will adapt the armors exterior layers to absorb as much of the EM radiation as possible. This absorption stores the incoming energy if possible to fuel or recharge the armor. This is most effective in a pure energy source such as an intense laser beam. Even if some of the armor's exterior is damaged due to the heat created by the beam, the armor attempts to absorb the energy.

Shields

Since most energy weapons are energy-plasma combination (such as Phasers, Disruptors, Plasma Beams, etc.) the armor would have difficulty protecting from both the energy impact as well as the kinetic impact. As such the armor produces a shield, the skin can produce a closely focused skin-tight shielding of lower intensity or a high intensity deflector shield bubble. Both serve different purposes, the shield bubble can effectively protect the wearer from energy-plasma weapons so long as power holds out but limits movement, as the bubble can impact nearby objects and cannot adjust easily to interacting with the surrounding world. Alternatively the near-surface shield provides moderate protection against plasma-energy weapons and is more vulnerable to sustained attack while allowing one to easily interact with the surrounding world.

Both shields are emitted from the armor using formed shield-grid patterns dynamically constructed by the nanite network. It is also possible to project a deflector bubble in fragments, such as a forward-facing shield. This can intensify the protective effects. The near-surface shield is projected dynamically to allow maximum interaction with the surrounding environment. The armor is also able to calculate ways to adapt the shielding to become more effective against different energy types, though it can take multiple successive strikes to have a noticeable effect.

Helmet, HUD, and Sensors

A fully deployed armor set covers the entire body from head-to-toe. The full helmet feeds information to the wearer using a HUD display which routes sensor information to the wearer using a focused display which is designed to provide the most needed or useful information at any given time. The HUG preferences are adjustable by the wearer.

Partial Deployment

It is possible for the armor to be only partially deployed from covering just the central core body all the way to its fully deployed armor state. Since some versions of the armor are used in conjunction with the Solas Tempus Communicator the armor would have to deploy along the surface from its storage device to the main body to maintain the connection to the ECC.

Additional Capabilities

The adaptive nature of the armor gives it a number of additional capabilities. Most of these have a trade-off with the armors protective capacities. As has been noted before, the armor cannot be all things at all times. Such as flight is used at the cost of the armor's shields and adapting to low or high pressure environment means that it is more vulnerable to kinetic impact as the fibers which would normally protect the wearer are being used to reinforced the armor and maintain a constant pressure.

Flight Capabilities

Shields can be exchanged for anti-gravity flight capabilities. It is important to note that this will effectively remove the projected shield protection to sustain proper flight. In low-gravity environment (such as space or movement on a small-mass body such as a moon or asteroid) it is possible to balance these two aspects better, the system works up to approximately 4 G's ambient gravitational pull from a stellar body on its surface without the need for additional power.

Under a normal Class M planetary environment the armor can maintain an acceleration of about 92.7 km/h per second. The armor reaches top speed of Mach 2.1 in about 30 seconds. In a zero or near-zero gravity environment the armor can sustain its acceleration power so long as the armor maintains power for the anti-gravity field.

Sumergrged Propulsion

Using the same principles the armor can adjust the anti-gravitational envelope to produce a propulsive water flow around the armor. This allows an acceleration in a Class-M underwater environment of about 2 knots per second maxing out at approximately 47 knots after about 27 seconds.

Energy Projection

If the armor absorbs enough energy it can project that energy back out at close range or if direct to can form a kind of directed particle energy emitter similar to a phaser or disruptor which can discharge the excess energy held within the armor structure. This can be important as it is possible to overload the armor which could cause damage to the nanomaterials themselves if they take in too much energy without being able to release it. For the ease of the wearer, usually these emitters form in the hands or forearms, though this is not required.

Stealth

Due to the energy absorbing nature of the armor it is possible to configure the surface in such a way as to maximize the energy absorbency of the skin. This configuration allows the wearer to potentially increase their ability to hide or go unnoticed on sensors, especially when coupled with a scattering field or other tools. Metamaterial configurations are also possible that allow energy to somewhat bend around the contours of the armor, similar to adaptive camouflage but less effective -- becoming somewhat transparent.

Advanced Adaptive Camouflage

The armor can be configured to trade off the protective capabilities in favor of a skin-tight suit with minimal detectable signature. In full camouflage mode the armor can bend light and other EM radiation around along its surface allowing near total invisibility producing only a slight distortion. Using this mode the armor deploys as a skin-tight suit covering the entire body with minimal aspect, in such a configuration the armor can also produce a holographic effect allowing the wearer to disguise themselves to varying degrees.

The disguise can be configured in full-body mode where the armor deploys over the entire skin and produces a holographic image over its own surface or in partial mode. If interaction is required and the atmosphere is breathable at the desired location, the armor can leave the head open and project a holographic image onto the skin directly to allow better interaction. The skin of the armor then can produce various simple textures for a more convincing feel.

This is no substitution for other methods such as simple surgical alterations, full prosthetics, or makeup / other cosmetic options for producing a disguise. The primary advantage is in the versatility and adaptability of the armor in the field.

Some wearers may find the full body suit uncomfortable since it has to hug the skin tightly, including over the face if the head piece is being used. A simplified HUD display is protected directly into the eyes if the head is completely covered. Otherwise a HUD will not be available, just like in other modes.

Using this configuration trades off nearly all the armors other protective qualities in favor of stealth.

Shapeshifting

The nanite network has the ability to alter the shape of the armor and produce extensions to its structure. This means the armor is able to refactor its appearance, shape, and density to fit a variety of situations. This means it can look like different armors of similar mass and can produce simple tools such as physical shields, blunt or sharp weapons, and other simple tools.

Matter Absorption

This armor is capable of absorbing simple matter for the nanites to consume and convert into nanomaterials for self repair. The process is power-intensive and requires significant time. However, given enough raw material, time, and power the armor can repair itself indefinitely.

Clothing & Tools

When deployed the armor is able to absorb clothes and other soft materials rapidly as it deploys. This has the advantage that the wearer does not have to get undressed or otherwise prepare for the armor to be deployed. Tools and other objects are not absorbed but rather moved as the armor forms onto the exterior of the armor in a configuration similar to that which they were originally on. Phasers, tricorders, and other standard equipment are then settled on the exterior as part of the armors deployment and ready for use.

When the armor is no longer needed it disassembles back into its constituent nanomaterials and nanites after returning the clothes and tools back to their original positions. Should the armor be too badly damaged or destroyed, the absorbed materials would be lost.

Interfacing with Artifacts

Due to the special nature of Unexplained Artifacts when the armor is deployed in direct contact with an artifact, that artifact has a fundamental effect on shaping the nature of the armors abilities. At times, it augments the abilities of the armor but at other times, the interaction can cause instability or adverse side effects.

Artifact	Primary Effect	Secondary Effect
Solar Crystal	Energy Expulsion	Instability of the armor during prolonged expulsion.
Aurora Crystal	Intangibility & Invisibility	Difficulty returning to a normal state due to feelings of euphoria under prolonged usage.
Videns Autem Magia	Sensing of Magical or Psionic Energies	Reality can feel muted after prolonged usage.
Guardian Stone	Amplified Psionic Ability	Psionic abilities difficult to control when enhanced without training.
Shard of the Phoenix	Regeneration	Regeneration tends to be painful.
The Banshou	Life Steal	Fosters a lack of empathy for the pain of others that can last beyond usage of the armor or ability.
Aqua Opal Crystal	Resistance to Magic & Psionics	The inability to only filter negative psionic or magical effects.