Elemental (BattleTech)

In the Battletech sci-fi universe, elementals are the nickname for the elite infantry power armor and the unique soldiers who pilot them. The armor itself is densely protected by thick armor, internal shock cushions, and a black gelatin-like substance that automatically fills holes in the suit when damaged. It carries few weapons (a short-range missile pack, small laser, and machine gun) but all are battlemech class weapons and are thus capable of damaging even those enormous machines. Additionally, the armor features a mechanical claw with enough strength to manually tear apart metal or rend flesh and bone. For mobility, the suit also features jump jets that allow the infantryman to propel himself over a hundred meters in seconds.

Equally impressive as the suits themselves are the soldiers who pilot them. Elemental pilots are the result of a specialized clan eugenics program that has bred them to be 8-foot tall giants with great strength and stamina as well as uncharacteristic agility and speed. They are trained from birth in hand-to-hand combat, infantry tactics, anti-battlemech tactics, as well as clan politics and honor known as zellbrigen. The relative combat prowess of each clan's elemental troops varies, but all are widely respected as the epitome of infantry combat by clan and Inner Sphere forces alike.