'Balron' special-missions hardsuit

Power: liquid-metal suspension batteries Musculature: embedded linear motors Interface: bodysuit and 'Firefox' full-VR interface (this is actually an early form of direct neural link spawned from a research program initiated by the Soviet military in the '80s; hence the name) Sensors: visual, lowlight, dual-mode IR & UV; widerange audio (all with smart damping and 128x available enhancement), and LPI dual-mode radar (sonar available). Comprehensive smart targeting w/full datalink capability available for foward-observer duty Communications: multimode frequency-hopping radio, laser. System includes satlink capability Enviro: climate regulation system, NBC filters, 10 minutes' internal reserves; external tanks and/or gill system available Armor: Carbon-fiber-reinforced Ti/Al composite with sensor-diffractive treatment; Kevlar over joint areas. All armor additionally treated for 'fusionproofing' Weapons: retractable vibrating monoblades in forearms, plus mission-variable ordnance handcarried or mounted on hardpoints at forearms, lower legs, and shoulders. In addition, the suit possesses the necessary attachment and interface points for the M56 smartgun system (as seen in Aliens and the USCM Tech Manual) Secondary movement system: flightpack, peristaltic drive, or space manuever unit (as all three are backpack systems, they cannot coreside with certain special weapons, most notably the Typhoon) Color: (usually) flat black w/red viewpane

Available equipment Partial listing of hardpoint ordnance; any item mountable on any hardpoint unless specifically noted:

racks for 30mm micromissiles or torpedoes (2/rack) remote-sensor racks (6/rack; forearm and leg mounts only) EW pods decoy pods limpet racks (3/rack; forearm only) external sensor array (shoulder only) storage container (forearm and leg mounts only) laser designator (shoulder only)

Special weapons Designed for use by wearers of powered armor, these systems' bulk and/or weight make them impractical for unarmored infantry.

Raimei gauss rifle This sniper weapon fires 5mm saboted penetrators with monomolecular tips at high subsonic velocities - about Mach .9 - out to ranges approaching one kilometer under ideal conditions. Each magazine contains thirty rounds and the LMS batteries needed to fire them. Also available is the 'B' variant, which utilizes an electrothermal propulsion system in place of the magnetic-acceleration coils OniYaki heavy pulse laser rifle High-collimation directed-energy weapon with single, triburst, and full-auto modes. Energy is provided from E-clips or a backpack generator Typhoon assault cannon More usually seen as main armament for heavier suits, this liquid-cooled monster is a tribarrel rotary-action 12ga autoshotgun. Shells are fed from drum clips or a backpack canister

Tactical/campaign notes This makes good equipment for a recurring nonplayer character or team. While not the best of suits for a stand-up, drag-out fight, it has no terrestrial match in the covert arena, whethever the wearer prefers close-quarters battle or death from afar. A particularly vicious Ref might equip the suits with contragravitic manuever units - quite aside from being equally useful for airborne or underwater work, they are notoriously difficult to detect.