The ultimate theoretical powered battle suit - Stipulated available technologies (fiction)
Before I go into the next part of describing each section of the suit in more detail I want to stipulate that there should be some fundamental technologies that must be available for this to work the way that I envision it. A huge amount of this tech is based around my ideas for Nano-technology which is absolutely going to be the way to go with technology going forward, I mean - quantum computing can have a single processor 'bit' the size of a single atom, and therefore anything that is created to be the size of a human cell can have hundreds of thousands of 'bits' on quantum computing power. This leads us into the very first of the technologies that I want to represent and describe.
1. Quantum nano computers that are bonded with the user at a cellular level. Each and every cell in the pilots body will have an individual computer attached to it. What this means is that once this happens, the user becomes indefinitely attached to their AI and can essentially live forever if not eliminated in combat, and if enough of the cells are still in close enough proximity after a large explosion, the nano's can re-construct the pilot back to full combat capability. However, this can only occur when a sufficient percentage of the original has survived, if something has the power to blow up the suit in the first place it is likely that that percentage of survive-ability isn't going to occur. This explanation is more being expressed to describe the ability of the body to regenerate, and therefore if the pilot loses a limb, or is damaged in any vital organs the nano machines can easily re-build it.
Their next purpose is to provide a direct cellular and nervous system link to the 'machine' therefore making the pilot essentially another part of the machine. The AI system installed into the pilot as a part of the nano's and is an individual system that cannot be penetrated from outside influence, unless the pilot is completely defeated and removed from his battle unit and under considerable duress as the system communicates through the pilots nervous system and bodily functions and therefore has no outside access point other than the pilot's brain after installation. When manipulating any of the elements of the system at stage 1, 2 or 3 the pilot doesn't work through a control panel or by pressing buttons at any stage. The system is a complete neural interface and while it takes many years of training to completely master the system an advanced operator is a force to be extremely scared of. Nano-second target acquisition and identification in optical range and further thanks to the addition of sensors far beyond the standard human senses ability which are relayed to the user via the AI as it processes and identifies different things as they come into range. When I come to describe the way each stage of the suit works this interface and it's magic of usefulness will become much clearer.
2. The next technology required will not need as much explanation as it is simply the more advanced power source (defensive capabilities are also described in here). While the nano technology can use the standard electro chemical responses from the human body for power, the stage 3 suit requires far more power than just the standard operations of the AI computer. It requires power for the exoskeleton movement, agility, speed and strength increases on top of the normal for a human as well as defensive and offensive power requirements. At stage two when the system can be much larger than the size of a regular human, the system is powered by a smaller matter / anti-matter fusion device. Inside the system are four reasonably small particle accelerator and depending on the need at the time all four can be used for different purposes. Primarily two are used for the harvesting of matter and anti-matter from the elements in the surrounding area or atmosphere in order to produce an unlimited and ongoing amount of power. Stage 3 does not have the size to contain these reactions and is therefore a much more complicated system and has a more limited time of use. The entire exoskeleton is constructed of nano-machine bound materials and wound with various 'veins' that run through the entire system that provide huge amounts of power to the various areas of the body. If within range of the Stage 2 module it is possible to power up the Stage 3 system with blast from the Stage 2 beam weapons as the Stage 3 armour is specifically designed to harden and absorb this energy when it is hit by enemy 'laser' fire in order to charge it's 'batteries'. There is only one weakness in this system and that is with enough sustained fire from an enemy the system can be overloaded and the armour will short out and dumb it's entire power load into the area around itself rather than to explode. This is extremely damaging to anything nearby, however until further energy can be supplied the armour becomes a statue. This situation is extremely rare however because in order to avoid this the pilot can simply have one of their beam cannons blast continuously into the atmosphere on full power if they have no targets in vision. All weaknesses have a counter move.
I would like to design the system perfectly but I cannot think of a way around this. In order to keep the Stage 3 armoured suit the size that I require for full effective combat capability without going too close to stage 2 there is simply not enough room to hold it's own power plant. Thankfully this work around is an extremely effective one. The same sort of hardening also occurs with incoming projectile fire. The computer system has the ability to detect this form of attack long before the projectile can reach the pilot, unlike incoming beam fire (speed of light) and can effectively dissipate any ballistic force upon the pilot by deflecting the projectile at the nominal trajectory.
3. Many various forms of weaponry. This battle system is effectively being designed for use in every single type of combat environment imaginable. Under water, Zero Gravity, Heavy Gravity, Zero Visibility, Extreme Temperature and many other possibly un-considered possibilities such areas in temporal flux. This must take into account the possibility and probability of facing off against alien life forms that also use various types of weaponry. Each type of weaponry must be available on demand dependant on the situation. Projectile fire is not very effective in heavy gravity, while laser fire is very un-effective under water. Therefore the system has the ability to work with all types of weaponry and firing systems simultaneously. During Stage 3 however, the most important factor is the ability of the unit for speedy close quarters combat. The system has four built in molecular blade that is the length of the pilots arm. There is a blade above and below the wrist built into the arm that extends back to the elbow. The blade can't quite be called a sword and can't quite be called a knife however they are extremely versatile for close in combat. When a punch is landed the blade above the wrist can be deployed at perfectly the right moment like a very small projectile to reach forward a further 10cm and stab into the opponent. It is virtually impossible to armour against as the blade is tipped and edged by the same nano system and is two atoms thick, however those atoms move back and forth against one another in order to provide an edge that is not just atom sharp it also cuts like a chainsaw at the same time. These blades can move forward or backward and extend almost the length of the pilots forearm when doing so, an extremely useful addition. The only thing that can block the molecular blade is another molecular blade, it will even cut through a compressed beam, or short beam type blade and seperate the energy due to it's design. The under wrist blands can also be removed and held in the hands like a blade for complex fighting environments (when fighting against other blade users). This system is duplicated in Stage 2 on a much larger scale.
4. Stealth capabilities are incredibly important for a craft of this type. Because of it's extremely combat effectiveness, it is in the enemies best interest to try and remove the target from the battle area before the battle is even joined. Therefore, stealth approach, and the ability to 'hide' unused modules is absolutely essential, and many different approaches must be taken towards this area of technology with the consideration of many various alien ideas towards vision. The most important variable for stealth is it's use during stage 1 as this is almost always the insertion and travel module. The stealth abilities are strengthened thanks to the nano-technology which have the ability to 'suck' in all surrounding light and create a visual and audio spectrum 'black hole'. This is excellent for use in space, however In surface combat however, this can cause a unique problem by giving away the unit's position by providing an 'empty' spot on any detection screens. The next step up from the complete black out mode is 'mirror' mode and while not as effective in space as there is nothing to mirror, in an atmosphere this method is far more effective at hiding the unit as the nano's paint the environment from around themselves in the opposite direction in a full 360 degree spheric bubble making the unit almost impossible to spot with sensors, only the naked eye would see a variation / blur in their vision that would look strange and if they didn't know what they were looking for they might consider it a gust of wind or dust.
5. The biggest technological problem to withstand is the ability to withstand nuclear bombardment. The most likely form of attack against this unit is ultra heavy weapons in the way of nuclear, or anti-matter explosions. Due to their systematic toughness they are almost impossible to take down against anything but another similarly designed battle system and therefore, enemies are likely to field tactical weapons of mass destruction to defeat it. It is imperative that a technology be created to counter a 'near miss' explosion of this type. The first idea I have had is in a way similar to the dissipation of energy, and while some of the energy from the explosion can be absorbed by the suit from the type of attack, not nearly enough can be handled at stage 2 or 3 to avoid destruction. Using Quantum Entanglement I have considered perhaps 're-directing' any of the energy from a mass explosive to a previously designated 'entangled' zone, perhaps close to the inhabited system's star. Therefore any energy that could not be absord by the first layer of defense could be re-directed through the quantum entanglement crystals and 'teleported' or warped through space to another place that is non dangerous for the pilot. However, I'm wondering how much of an 'invincibility shield' this might be and for the sake of story telling and perhaps a 'near miss' could be a non kill, but a direct hit cannot be survived no matter the technology. The space based form of defence against this - stage 1 - would be to take the hit and 'ride the wave' it might be an impact of sudden g forces however the pilot is extremely toughened against such things in space thanks to the various systems involved below:
6. Gravity manipulation. All forms of thrust and movement will be achieved through the manipulation of gravity. Each stage of the unit has various levels and ability of this. Stage 1 has the ultimate ability of this and has the ability to travel faster than light. In my book there is a particular FTL ability within the 'network' however, these suits individually have FTL capability outside of the 'network'. Stage 2 and Stage 3 do not have FTL capability outside of the network because they simply do not have the huge power capacity requirement for this type of thing, but that is not an issue because they are all an integrated unit. Stage 2 has the ability to travel from the surface of any planet and achieve 'escape velocity' to reach the Stage 1 unit and it is usual for the Stage 1 unit to stay somewhere in stellar orbit before insertion. Stage 2 will bring the Stage 3 unit to the surface and battle through heavy operations as required and Stage 3 will move onto the smaller more personal tasks if and when required again. It is the perfect system of balance. While it is not possible for Stage 3 to 'fly' as such, it is possible for Stage 3 to get significant speed increases thanks to the gravity manipulation tech. I can essentially hover over the landscape and blast along at ridiculously high speeds and virtually zero altitude. It can also travel over significant bodies of water fast or slowly using the same method if required. These gravity manipulation devices are essentially the 'drive' units in many areas of the Stage 2 and 3 suits and provide extra 'power' in hand to hand type fighting. Punches can have extra gravity supplied behind the punch and instead of 300kg of arm (the weight of the arm + suit, the power of the punch and the assisted power of the suits servos) it can be dialed up to whatever grav addition is wanted so a 300kg punch can be made into a 900kg punch using 3g addition to the shoulder and elbow grav units. It is a temporary gravity increase in the forward motion to assist the punch to increase in speed and weight. When used in concert with the suits other systems the movement ability of the stage 3 suit is simply incredible to behold.
7. Psychological factors. Because the pilot will be alone for vast periods of time (if sent on a solo mission). The pilot has the ability to enter world recreations within his mind to pass the time during travel. These recreation can be anything the pilot desires and is very much like a virtual reality. When within the network this sort of thing is not required as the FTL ability is much quicker than outside, communication is only required to the edge of the network so communication with friends and loved ones is relatively quick no matter how far from the network edge they have traveled since the dropped communications drones basically tie the pilot into the network as it is.
Sending many of these units into combat is likely never to be required due to their amazing resistance and survive-ability but a fire team of three is usually recommended for vitally important missions in order to preserve redundancy and allow the element of surprise on more than one location.
I believe I have covered all of the extra tech requirements I can think of at the moment, but I may come up with more as I go into more detail about the suit so who knows where it will lead.
Please be aware that I am not attempting to get the spelling, grammar or anything like that particularly correct in these descriptions. I'm basically just writing down my thoughts. These suits will be implemented into the book that I am writing, but I am putting my ideas and thoughts into these posts just to get it written down as best I can but I'm not going for a writing contest at being correct so I haven't proof read, or double checked anything and I'm almost certain they will be overly 'wordy' which is how my first draft of anything is. My apologies.
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