Items · Armor · Non-Magical
Portable Protection Unit Type 2
Space, and indeed, the outdoors in general, usually lack cover stout enough to stand up to heavy lasers and plasma weapons. This man portable unit is one designed solution to the rule.
Codex introduction
Full Item Description
The PPU-2 is evocative of the old tower or riot shield pattern of equipment, with a number of interesting adjustments. From the front, the device is a simple slab of reflective plasteel,
more than enough to deflect common battlefield lasers and most small arms fire, while a generator mounted low on the rear of the shield creates a powerful, localized AC-EM field to handle incoming plasma bolts, splattering them away with the magnetic vibration.
At the touch of a button, secondary ‘wings’ deploy from the side of the shield, providing approximately a five foot square piece of cover from incoming fire. If possible, it will attempt to anchor itself via spikes in the ground for hands free operation.
History
Created by Pinnacle Armor at the behest of the Starkin Alliance military, this relatively simple device was designed to give cover to Soldiers. What wasn’t expected was the political brouhaha and fight required to get it through purchasing, nor the feedback of a disturbed public putting pressure on elected officials. In the end, it took ten times as long to deploy it over the back of an inferior copy product from a more ‘preferred’ vendor. It has ruined careers, and is (mostly wrongfully) mistrusted by a significant portion of the line officers, even if it’s loved by the enlisted men.
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A useful item in any battle when the laser beams are zapping about.
Ahh, politics. While I admit the description of the events are slightly confusing, I get the idea behind it, and it strikes me as all too common a thing among the politically active and backstabbing kinds of races; the deal-makers, secure in their offices, picking the politically-smarter choice, even if it means some extra numbers on that death statistic... And then campaigning to ensure the better choice is treated as hazardous somehow.
Rumors, no doubt, abound as to the supposed flaws of these things.
The number of times good equipment has not found its way to the soldiers because of politics and government incompetence.
Roman Legionaires shifted from segmented metal armor to leather armor for foot soldiers because of sheer cost. (and the leather armor was "nearly as good" against "barbarian weapondry") Bradley Vehicles, Rifled rifles, and any number of other things that existed but did not make it to the troops for a variety of reasons are all examples of things that fell into this same category. .
The politics of procurement seem always nasty, with dollar signs being attached to blood.
My only concern is that in open areas with little cover, you would be using more vehicles and less infantry. Though I suppose in ship boarding actions, it could be quit handy on those ships with clear, relatively cover-free hallways..