- "The Freelancers all had A.I. and a special power, right? This is the equipment that let them do that."
- —Simmons in Check Your Local Listings
An Armor Enhancement is a special ability that Freelancer Agents have built into their armor. Some enhancements are run by an A.I. program. Armor enhancements are one of the main focuses during the Recollections and Project Freelancer Saga, due to the Meta's obsession with stealing them and the help they provide for several characters.
Overview[]
Project Freelancer Enhancements[]
Utah operating a prototype of the Domed Energy Shield.
Prior to the start of the series, armor enhancements were created in order to help soldiers best suited in conflict by giving them a unique super human ability. However (in the RvB universe), there were two major issues: armor enhancements were difficult to produce and couldn't run at their full capabilities or even function properly without an A.I. to help run them. During the Great War, the UNSC decided to create a military program specializing in armor enhancements, called Project Freelancer, in hopes it could aid in ending the intergalactic conflict. Along with this, Project Freelancer was provided with a smart A.I., created by Dr. Leonard Church.
Carolina using a Speed Boost enhancement to help her in battle.
However, roughly a year after the Great War ended, the UNSC discovered Project Freelancer had been misusing its equipment and breaking several laws, with the help of the Blood Gulch Crew. After shutting down the faction, the UNSC confiscated all known Freelancer equipment, including the armor enhancements. In Check Your Local Listings, remains of them were found by Simmons in the Freelancer Offsite Storage Facility, but discovers that although one can use an enhancement without an A.I., they still couldn't run properly.
Charon Industries Enhancements[]
By the time of Season 11, armor enhancements had been vastly improved on, now no longer needing an A.I. to run them properly and becoming mass-produced. They are even common on the planet Chorus and are primarily used by the Federal Army of Chorus, New Republic, Space Pirates, and Blood Gulch Crew. The reason for this is revealed in Along Came a Spider, where it is stated that Malcom Hargrove created these new singular enhancements from the Meta's suit (recovered from the oceans of Sidewinder) and distributed them to his Space Pirates on the planet.
List of known Armor Enhancements[]
- Armor Enhancement (Users) (A.I. running enhancement)
