EndExoSkel (Tech 29)
When the Akashans had need for individual defense without a loss of mobility, they turned to nature's expert, the Arthropod. Arthropods - including insects, lobsters, and spiders of Core Earth - have a hard exoskeleton for defense, but still maintain a full range of mobility and dexterity, unlike their Mollusk cousins.
The early ExoSkels (Tech 24) were little more than chemical simulations of Arthropod Chitin, shaped into plates that could be worn like normal armor. They were very light and quite impact resistant (TOU+7, no fatigue penalties), but they tended to flake off during use (reduce TOU Bonus by one for every Wound that gets through). Later, (Tech 27) BioTechnicians were able to grow Arthropod shells to a useable size and shape, eliminating the flaking problem.
Initially the BioTechnicians had hoped to grow a full Arthropod to human size, incorporating their musculature into the ExoSkel to produce a BioPowered Armor. But it was difficult to grow them to such a size, since they depended on oxygen diffusion through their chitin to breathe - make them too large, and they cannot get enough oxygen to their core. This problem was circumvented entirely when it was realized that the Arthropod mucsculature would not have to be grown through the entire ExoSkel - in fact, it couldn't be if the ExoSkel was then to be worn as armor!
By growing the ExoSkel around a hollow form, the BioTechnicians were able to tap into the inherent strength of the arthropod, with only a few difficulties. (TOU+7, STR+4, -1 to all DEX based skills, fatiguing). Finally (Tech 29), the process was refined to the point that a hollow matrix was not needed to "seed" the initial growth. Rather, the wearer herself becomes the internal support upon which the ExoSkel stands - the endoskeleton for the exoskeleton, hence the name EndExoSkel. An additional advantage to this is that the Arthropod musculature enters into a symbiotic relationship with the wearer, allowing for increased strength, a full range of motion, and the ability to diffuse the wearers waste products back through the ExoSkel. (TOU+7, STR+7, no DEX penalties or fatigue.)
Just as in nature, where the Arthropods are the most diverse species filling almost every ecological niche, so to has the basic EndExoSkel been modified for a number of uses. A construction EndExoSkel, based on a creature similar to the Core Earth spider, secretes a sticky polymer that is stronger than steel, but can be molded like putty until it cures. (The polymer will stick to anything other than the Construction EndExoSkel with a STR of 13, hardening at a rate of +1 TOU per round up to it's max TOU of 20.) A diving EndExoSkel retains the gills common to many arthropods, and the oxygen they produce can be used by the wearer, though she must be careful as her waste gasses do not diffuse out as readily. (Fatiguing penalty.) A deep sea version exists, with even greater resistance and strength, but sacrificing some of the mobility. (TOU+10/30, STR+10, fatiguing penalty, -1 to all DEX based skills.) A combat version incorporates a stinging spine, not unlike that of a Core Earth Horseshoe Crab. (Weapon DV equals wearer's base STR+5, paralytic poison DV 15, stunning.) Akashan Power Armor biotechnology culminates in the Ta'al Khrys, a complete micro-environment unto itself.