The Lower Elements Police has a regulation that is constantly drilled into the heads of its officers. When on the surface or on patrol, you must always wear your helmet, no matter your current armour pattern. It is protection, communication, and control, all in one extremely durable piece of headwear. The LEP’s helmets have gone through many iterations since their introduction on the field, but two things have remained consistent: a rounded, impact-resistant shape, and a protective visor.
The Visual Intelligence System, Recon format (VISR) is the current iteration of the software-hardware package that powers the helmet. It curates the flood of information being taken in by the sensor unit and converts it into something that can be quickly understood by the operator. The HUD has a series of modular readouts, containing all the data that an officer needs for their missions. Weapon status readouts, navigational information, projected crosshairs, threat tracking, armour control, physical health diagnosis, and more can be brought up and dismissed as needed. LEP officers must demonstrate competency in operating their helmet’s many data streams in order to pass training.
(Visor footage of LEP troopers as they engage in a raid against Softnose Laser wielding criminals)
The VISR’s HUD comes with a multitude of filters and scanning systems, ranging from thermals, deep penetration scans, sonar, electro-magnetics, full colour night vision, and more.
The visor is equipped with an opacity setting, able to hide the face of the operator or to become transparent for more personal work. It may also be retracted. The reflectiveness of the visor can also be adjusted, making it quite the mirror. Colouration-wise, the visor comes with the ability to change to various different shades, covering just about every colour in the book. Each colour comes with a different name for quick identification. The most popular setting is the ‘Sunset’ gold, while others include ‘Verdant’ green, ‘Glacier’ blue, ‘Scorch’ red, ‘Sunspot’ violet, and more. For stealth reasons, there are also more subtle options to choose from, like the ‘Midnight’ black or ‘Cloudy’ grey.
New generation helmets come with Neural Link technology, enabling rapid and precise control of all onboard systems through the use of thought. Control can also be performed through external devices like Wrist-Comms, but ultimately that is merely a backup. The Neural Link is surprisingly intuitive to understand and utilise. Newer models are constructed from a blend of recently introduced Nano-Crystalline compounds, polymers, and gel shock absorption systems. They are powered by small Arc Batteries, which can last for months of continuous usage before requiring recharge. Still, the batteries are charged every time a helmet is returned to the armoury, in order to maintain readiness for emergencies.
Helmets carry onboard communications units, capable of transmitting and receiving encrypted data in both radio and Subspace. These enable full access to the LEP network, which in turn allows the officer to access their personal cloud account. The account can be used to store data files of many kinds, up to and including music for those long flights. They can also receive Emails and video communication. Helmets contain holographic projectors, which can be used to display text, 3D models, and even a real time rendering of their wearer’s internal body structure, for quick diagnosis of injuries.
They are designed to seamlessly integrate with LEP vehicles, changing their HUDs to provide data related to the operation of them. This is designed to supplement the information already being given out by the vehicle’s control systems. Weapon ammunition and status readouts and scanner data are amongst the elements provided by a helmet in pilot mode.
Modular components are available for unusual situations that the standard systems aren’t adequate for. Hardened sensor packages can be attached to gather even more information than usual in harsh conditions, while oxygen-splitting ‘gills’ can be installed in the external air feed ports. Heavier armour plate can be added on certain parts for extra survivability at the expense of weight. Foaly has come up with a multitude of prototype parts for any conceivable moment, such as a miniature gimbal-mounted Neutrino blaster that can independently target enemies or be put under the direct control of the officer’s handler. The majority of these ideas never pan out, for various reasons.
