Meralla

The Meralla Hazardous Environment Suit (HES) project, or more simply the Meralla project, is an ongoing project by Hawk Industrial Solutions to develop various forms of hermetically sealed bodysuits, built to withstand most- if not all- forseeable environments that pose an inherent danger to the user. While not the original goal, this does include any attachments designed for the suit as well.

The specifics of how this goal is achieved is dependent on which generation of suit is being used, and the specific use case for the suit in question. In general, however, every Meralla set consists of a rubber, metamaterial, or combination thereof, skintight suit and a helmet- both fitted for the user in question,- both of which providing a fully sealed environment for the user when worn correctly- barring their choice of breathing apparatus, which can be anything from attached air tanks, to comparatively simpler filters on the mouthpiece. This will then have any number of modifications or attachments applied to it, as required by the user in question. This can be anything from additional insulating layers, to hard protective plates, equipment kits, or even armor in its purest form.

Given its nature, and it's age, predating even H.I.S. itself, the Meralla project and it's products have seen a rather wide spread on Magdora, primarily with disaster response groups, divers, and researchers, with units even finding their way to Merracudan strongholds. The irony of the naming choice is reportedly not lost on their users. Units have even been acquired by police and paramilitary forces, however in extremely limited numbers, due to the excessive and expensive nature of their functions, and the difficulty that comes with repairing units.

Generation 1
The first generation of Meralla HESs was the only generation made prior to the formation of H.I.S., and by far the longest running. It was originally made by Aurora Tech. scientists, as a highly modified hazmat suit, that was passed between owners repeatedly, with most adding more modifications to it each time. Eventually, only a short few years before the Ascension, the decision was made to consolidate these modifications into a properly designed suit, by none other than the team that would become H.I.S..

The first generation suits were generally purpose-built, and lacked much of the modularity the series would become known for. These suits, despite not being rated for military work, also ironically had many armored plates on them- making up for the lack of undersuit insulation, in many cases.

Generation 2
The second generation suits were made shortly after the formation of H.I.S., to the point of being one of their flagship products. Compared to the original, this version was vastly improved, though lacked some of the more comforting touches that Aurora was known for.

Notable new features of this model include a fully modular design, as well as the modules to go with it- including a more advanced helmet,- and even some lesser-used features, such as the ability to house a weak AI assistant within the suit's on-board computers.

Generation 3
The third generation vastly improved on the design, with the inclusion of many Ucrylium-based metamaterials and technology. Most significantly, this generation was the first generation to included "powered enhancement frames"- various pieces of artificial muscle, hydraulics, and robotics, designed to improve on the capacities of the user.

This, in combination with the expense of producing the components for the suits, made it rather difficult for would-be owners to get units of this generation, when it was first put on the market. Despite the limited reach at the time, it still served its purpose particularly well, though it was superseded by the following generation, particularly in regards to cost.

Generation 4
The fourth generation suits continued improving existing designs, this time primarily to user comfort, and what the suit offers in its most stripped-down state. This generation was unveiled shortly before the beginning of the Ascension Conflicts, and would quickly after see use as combat armour- primarily worn by Bulwark forces and their allies.