Power Armour

A glint of pink light is all she sees before her rifle lifts out of her hands. She backs into steel. Behind her, flush against her back, a Rose Knight towers. She swears it smirks at her, somewhere behind the helmet. A perfumed dread sets in. The sturdy weapon crumples like foil between their gauntleted hands.

Power armour typically refers to the full suits of powered armour worn by bodyguards and security, but the term technically covers any worn machine that augments the wearer's strength, from the power frames commonly used in construction and labour, to the partial scraps found in Saturn's black markets.
Power armour suits are technologically difficult and expensive to manufacture. The price can easily be equivalent to a spacecraft. Unlike spacecraft, power armour is made to measure. A suit can only comfortably and safely be worn by the person it has been fitted for. Anyone else runs the risk of strains, sprains, or even breaking a new set of joints where the suit expected them to be.
The prestige associated with power armour makes it worth the cost for many mercenaries and security personnel. The intimidation factor alone is unparalleled, and the mental reassurace of having a towering hulk of steel behind one's back drives demand for power armed bodyguards.

Usage

Venus and Mars are the biggest producers of power armour, while a secondhand market flourishes on Saturn. Full sets of power armour are relatively rare. Many mercenaries use pieces of power armour for carrying capacity and protection of critical parts of the body, stripping down secondhand power armour and modifying it to fit their needs.

Symbiotic Suits

The system-renowned armourers of Venus are known for their use of symbiotes. Even moreso than usual power armour, Venusian armour is truly tailored for a specific individual, with bio-engineered strains of symbiote developed and implanted in users to bridge the gap between flesh and machine. The finest Venusian armour becomes an extension of the body, never intended to be removed save by expensive and labourious surgery. The armour of the Rose Knights is an example of such permanent armour. Rose Knights undergo intensive Metamorphis as well to better suit the armour.
Symbiotic armour is considered top of the line, but Venusian artisans are also commissioned for "low end" armour that is less invasive.

Force Multiplier

Mars is rarely far behind in matters of technology. Elite Martian armour takes months of special training as it fully replaces the sensory input and allows the wielder to see in infrared, through nearby security cameras, and run predictive simulations in real time.
A simpler form of power armour is used by the Martian Homefleet's ground forces which de-emphasizes the protective aspects in favour of maneuverability and carrying capacity.
Martian military experts agree that, at least for military use, protection is futile and it is better to punch above infantry's weight. Standard doctrine includes at least one power armour user with each squad that carries heavy weaponry and supplies.

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