THARUN Project

Commission
The THARUN project was created when the Colonial Military of Tharsis called upon Como industrial to make a powered armor suit that is weak enough for an unaugmented human. It was originally contracted to meet the impossible standards of MJOLNIR, but after Mark IV, it grew to more resemble Semi-Powered Infiltration armor.

Marks I - III
Marks I through III were ultimately failed attempts, their downfall each being the fact that they were all made with failed shield configurations. These armor sets were able to support shielding and thrusters, but in addition to their failed shield configurations, they were far to bulky and their power supply was either immobile (Marks I and II) or was too large and exposed (Mark III).

Mark IV
Mark IV was the first to be designed without shields and thrusters, but ultimately fell to the same flaws as previous designs. It was too large, and although the power supply was smaller, it need to be exposed to prevent overheating, which in turn provided a very obvious weak spot in the armor.

Mark V
The Mark V improved on the IV's design flaws, reducing the power supply size while keeping it cool and protected, but the armor was still far too bulky for the wearer to take advantage of the armors ability.

Mark VI
Mark VI is the first "successful" variant of THARUN created, but does not include the armors intended Shielding systems or Thruster packs. Due to it's lack of MJOLNIR features, THARUN closer identifies with the UNSC's Semi-Powered Infiltration armor.

Features this Armor includes are magnetic boots, Vacuum sealed and Flame Retardant under-suit, Integrated Armored Backpack, VISR 3, Magnetic Weapon Placement, and Increased Speed and Strength, and Small Propulsion Jets.

Only seven of these suits were ever made, five seeing direct field deployments, and two remaining at separate Research and Development Labs by Como Industrial. During the terrorist reign of the "Red Hand", one suit was stolen and believed to be donned by the Shepherd himself. The other five were either destroyed or disabled while combating the Red Hand.

As of 2563, only 3 suits remain, one in Como's design labs, the other two kept off record by anonymous owners.

Features and Details

 * Both the VISR 3 and Magnetic boots are activated via the standard issue Neural interface, similar to that issued to all UNSC service members.
 * The backpack folds open when the users hand simply touches the top, allowing the user to grab weapons off of their back without any unwanted opening of the backpack.
 * The magnetic weapon holders are located on the back, hips, thighs, and buttplate.
 * Important Note: This armor does not enhance the users speed and strength as much as the MJOLNIR armor systems, due to the necessary requirement of being compatible with non augmented personnel.
 * Important Note: The Propulsion gets are not powerful enough to be effective unless in a zero gravity environment, and are therefore only used in such environments.

Mark VII
MARK VII Is a basic improvement upon the MARK VI's systems. The most prominent upgrades are magnetic weapon placement strength, compatibility with prosthetic limbs, greater energy storage, greater energy efficiency, and munitions storage. In addition, MARK VII is the first generation of THARUN to be available in different variations.

The only downside is due to the cost of producing the MARK VI suits, the Mark VII suits were downgraded to a lower level of resistance and lessened the enhancement of strength and speed, more resembling ONI's armor system, still improving significantly on a soldiers combat ability's. This does come at the cost of some function, the most notable being the suit's exclusion of propulsion systems on all models.

Variations

 * Base Model: The base model of MARK VII is very similar to the MARK VI in appearance and function. Serving as a starting point for new users, the
 * GLADIATOR: The most heavily armored set available, designed for durability and strength against all forms of ammunition (Ballistics, Plasma, and Hardlight), and extra protection from explosives, as well as resulting shrapnel or other debris.
 * SPARROW: Designed for specific use by vehicle operators and soldiers operating other large machinery and weaponry, SPARROW's HUD system is unbelievably coherent with vehicles.
 * HORNET: Designed for explosive and demolitions specialists, providing more resistant armor and greater mobility for handling various heavy weaponry.
 * SCOUT: Created for Tharsis's greatest sharpshooters, providing light armor and greatly enhanced mobility allowing for great speed and ample protection for scout groups and sniper specialists.
 * BLACK: Tailored for the most experienced stealth forces within Tharsis's Special Forces, BLACK incorporates covenant stealth technology, advanced reverse engineered sensor evasion systems and bafflers, and has advanced sensor technology that is becoming more common in other variations.
 * AGEXO: Reincorporating the propulsion jets for low/zero-gravity environments, AGEXO is worn by the Colonial Military's Anti-Gravity, Exo-Atmospheric, and Orbital teams. The AGEXO HUD has extensive specification toward Zero-Gravity battlefield management and navigation.