High-dEnsity Conductor-laced Atibium Crystal

High-dEnsity Conductor-laced Atibium Crystal (HECAC) armor is the most common heavy armor material used within the Occhestan republic. It consists of a chemically inert, complex high-density crystalline matrix. HECAC armor is particularly notable for the inclusion of the synthetic element Atibium which greatly increases the materials over-all strength even when it composes a small percentage of the overall armor.

HECAC armor can be found in a wide variety of grades from light armor for personal protection or for civilian use to ultra-dense battlestation hull plating. It should be noted that while certain grades of HECAC armor are available to civilians these grades are substantially less effective than those found on military vessels.

High-dEnsity Conductor-laced Atibium Crystal (HECAC) armor is the most common heavy armor material used within the Occhestan republic. It consists of a chemically inert, complex high-density crystalline matrix. HECAC armor is particularly notable for the inclusion of the synthetic element Atibium which greatly increases the materials over-all strength even when it composes a small percentage of the overall armor.

The structure of HECAC armor makes it extremely hard and causes incident light to be heavily distorted and diffracted away from the protected object. Military versions of HECAC armor posses a refractive index that varies throughout the armor, including regions of negative value. This is intended to enhance the focal performance of the Variable-Frequency pHased Array Laser [VFHAL] system found on nearly all OR military armor and vehicles as well as increase the armors stealth. However, a preponderance of such negative index regions also decreases the armors performance against energy weapons. Recon armors make heavy use of these regions and this gives them a passive invisibility of a sort since they are extremely difficult to see even without any active stealth systems.

The high density of the armor (even in its relatively light grades) provides excellent protection against high-energy particle and photonic radiation and the armor is able to deflect or absorb all but the highest energy radiation (such high-energy radiation does not interact with matter much in any event). The crystal of the armor mostly a very strong dielectric but is laced with superconductive pathways intended to diffuse energy discharges over the whole armor surface, minimizing damage from any given hit.

HECAC armor is chemically non-reactive and because of this and the extremely strong covalent bonds that make-up its structure it is essentially immune to attack by micro- and nanological attacks. However, some micromachine models are available that utilize integral Exotic Matter CDDA power modules, allowing the Integrated Micromachine Repair System of armor and vehicles so equipped to repair their HECAC armor, albeit very slowly even with the incredible power level available to the enhanced micromachines (tests proved that even ECDDA-equipped nanomachines are unable to break or repair the bonds in HECAC armor). An aditional advantage of the high density of the armor and its structure is that it repairs internal damage over time, preventing it from becoming brittle after radiation exposure and eliminating the risk of stress fractures.

Note: HECAC armor blocks telepathic signals from entering the armor, but not to such transmissions leaving the armor. Some application posses systems to repeat incoming telepathic transmission so that the protected vehicle or armor can still receive such transmissions.

HECAC armor is classified in grade based on its application, attibium content, and the specific lattice structure. The method for determining the grade is stated below.

[Application Code][Atibium rating][Latice Structure Code]

• Application code is between 0 and 9, as seen on the chart bellow

| # | Application | Examples |

• Atibium rating is a measure of the relative amount of Atibium in the armor, ranging from 0 (no atibium) to 9 (most).

• Lattice Structure Code is a identifier for the specific molecular lattice structure of the armor. It is a 2 or 3 digit code.

• 10349- The light armor found on the civilian model of the TPF-3201 Fast Courier. It is intended to provide a degree of protection but is not intended to withstand a full engagement with a military vessel. The armor of the TPF-3201 posses almost no atibium due to the synthetic materials high cost.
• 1234- The light armor of the A40 Environmental Battledress Uniform. It is a low-density, low atibium armor intended to provide a degree of protection with minimal weight.
• 4470- The original armor for the A279B2 General Purpose Power Armor. It is intended for moderate risk application, providing a fair amount of protection without excessive mass.
• 3561- The armor for the FFR-117C Reconnaissance Fighter. In order to be low-observable armor certain compromises had to be made in regards to the armors basic structure. Higher-than-normal atibium content is included to help compensate for this.
• 5622- The armor for the A303 Assault Power Armor. It is intended for direct, frontline engagement of the enemy and as such its structure is designed with a large atibium content and a dense crystal structure to maximize its resiliency.
• 7445- The hull armor for the ASF-358 Light Attack Ship. Like most Attack Ships the ASF-358 focuses on speed and maneuverability over raw resiliency and this is reflected in its armor, which is light, relative to a Guard Ship of its size.
• 8817- The heavy hull plating found on the PTH-519 Patrol Ship is intended to stand toe-to-toe with other capital ships in a fleet action and survive for some time. It has a extremely dense structure and a very high atibium content to maximize its strength.