Hansen
OOC Writer Account

- Intent: Creating a Liquid Crystal Polymer for use in First Order Powersuit and Exoskeleton Armour designs.
- Image Source: Source
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: Liquid Crystal, Laboian Mineral Crystal, Falasian Liquid Crystal.
- Name: EXQUISITE RHOMBUS (Codename), Liquid Crystal Polymer (Common Name).
- Manufacturer: First Order Corps of Imperial Engineers
- Homeworld (optional): N/A (Synthetic)
- Production: Limited (First Order PCs/NPCs)
- Affiliation: Shaehan Timiari, First Order.
- Modularity: No
- Material: Liquid Crystal
- Classification: Polymerised Liquid Crystal
- Weight: Negligible/Ultra-lightweight.
- Color: Varies
- Blasters (And other plasma type weapons): None
- Kinetic: None
- Lightsabers: None
- Other: None
- Superconductive Properties: The Liquid Crystal functions as an electric superconductor in a wide range of temperatures encountered in the ambient environment on civilized worlds, losing this property only in an extremely cold environment.
- Piezoelectric Effect: Exquisite Rhombus generates an electric charge and polymerizes under principles of the Piezoelectric effect when a mechanical load is applied to it, when used in a bodysuit, for example, this creates an exoskeleton with the Polymerized Liquid Crystal carrying the load of the applied mechanical stress.
- Mechanical Advantage: The Mechanical Advantage provided by the liquid crystal polymer multiplies physical output by wearers of bodysuits equipped with it. The wearer of such a bodysuit has their physical output multiplied by two.
- Exoskeleton: Bodysuits equipped with the Exquisite Rhombus Liquid Crystal Polymer function as Exoskseltons; Supporting its weight, creating a sense for the wearer that the Armour is their skin as opposed to traditional protective equipment.
- No Protection: Exquisite Rhombus' polymerized liquid crystal offers zero protection in of itself and must be incorporated into an Armour system's bodysuit to function properly.
- Plastic Deformation: If the Liquid Crystal is subjected to a high-voltage high-amperage electric current, it cannot polymerise and plastically deforms; In armour systems this has the effect of paralyzing the wearer as it tricks the bodysuit it is incorporated into to 'think' it is under massive mechanical load. So it attempts to protect the wearer.
- Extreme Temperatures: While the Armour system it is equipped to can protect its wearer from extreme temperature, the Liquid Crystal loses its conductive properties at low temperatures, leading to a loss of mobility in the exoskeleton the technology is apart.
- Production Limitations and Cost: Any submissions utilizing this technology are costly and time-consuming to manufacture and thus may only have a maximum production rating of Limited to properly reflect these qualities.
- Requires a power supply: Given it requires mechanical stress and electrical charge to function properly, systems incorporating Exquisite Rhombus require a dedicated Fusion battery or some other potent power cell, without a battery the Rhombus cannot generate produce mechanical advantage rendering hard armour plates attached to a bodysuit equipped with Exquisite Rhombus inert, the full weight of the powersuit or exoskeleton weighing on the wearer.
"Exquisite Rhombus" Is the working codename for a synthetic Liquid Crystal Polymer developed by the First Order's Corps of Imperial Engineers designed for use in the next generation powersuits and exoskeletons which are steadily gaining attention within the First Order's engineering community for their power, complexity and cost in equal measure. Exquisite Rhombus is a technological marvel when poured into an armour bodysuit's capillary system where it becomes an exciting game-changer for Infantry Combat and Exoskeleton Technology, allowing for significant reduction in size and weight of Exoskeleton designs when compared to the types fielded by the long extinct Galactic Republic or Galactic Empire.
Powersuits and Exoskeletons equipped with Exquisite Rhombus have been cited as feeling like a "second skin" by wearers of experimental systems equipped with it. One of the Rhombus' limitations is that when applied to a bodysuit it actually requires a dedicated and quite potent power source leading to the common sight of Nuclear Fusion batteries in their design. This is caused by the necessity of generating an electric current and therefore mechanical advantage even the wearer is idle; Failing to have a functional battery means the wearer will be carrying the weight of their inert exoskeleton themselves which more or less makes them immobile at the worst and struggling to move their limbs at best.
Another significant drawback of Rhombus is its inability to cope with contact with high-voltage and high-amperage currents which is often a risk for soldiers when operating in urban environments or where contact with certain force users is expected. Exquisite Rhombus plastically deforms when subjected to aforementioned electric currents and so has a paralysing effect on the Liquid Crystal where it cannot polymerise in response to applied mechanical stresses. This translates to the wearer of a system incorporating exquisite rhombus where the entire system's weight will come down on them.
Exquisite Rhombus offers significant benefits too when applied to a bodysuit the technology permits a Human wearer to lift approximately twice his or her own body weight and multiplies all other physical output by a factor of two as well resulting in increased speed, agility and endurance that would usually only be possible with advanced cybernetics. Soldiers wearing protective equipment incorporating exquisite rhombus Liquid Crystal layer can operate support weapons that would normally weigh the wielder down significantly or require a crew to displace. However, if the wearer was to be subjected to mechanical stress that exceeded the Rhombus' design specifications the force would be transferred to the site of application and then multiplied by two easily crushing the bones and other tissues at the affected site. This is a risk, particularly where free falling from great heights and landing safely is a concern as the Liquid Crystal struggles to deal with the mechanical stress testing in prototype models indicates that free-falling a distance of one-hundred and fifty meters is considered safe but will leave the armour system and its wearer inside paralysed for several minutes.