With the testing of the CIO (or Complex Intelligence Operation) an overall success, Section 6 began to mass-produce remote units for piloting by humans or advanced AI and in doing so created a line of combat-ready relatively-expendable robotic bodies for VIP usage in situations where appearing in person is impossible or at least ill-advised - thus leading to the completion of the ACE and AMP mass production models and the beginning of their trial runs.

This line of drone bodies comes in two variants, the ACE and the AMP

• ACE: The Automaton Civilian Equipment (ACE) is the standard version. It comes with minimal armor and only features civilian-grade threat pacification loadouts.
• AMP: The Automaton Military Personnel (AMP) is the armored version. It comes with armor equivalent to that of a light power armor and features mil-spec weapon loadouts.

In early YE 40, a remote bipedal drone body was developed by Section 6. The prototype, fondly referred to as CIO, provided much in the way of useful data both in remote units and in autonomous unit construction; with testing and trial runs a success, a mass production model was finalized later that year.

ACE and AMP units require at least a human-level intelligence to operate. The software on board is relatively light and almost entirely relegated to allowing the host to easily control the unit; while it possesses the processing power to accommodate advanced AI (along with their data storage and impressive calculations), it simply meets the host at their level - meaning the more digitally enhanced the user is, the more processing power the unit can provide.

The body of the drone is rather masculine, stocky, and functional, with its sturdy Osmanium skeleton and armor mostly being covered by a fairly thick layer of a gel-like material that is as flexible as it is smooth. The finish bears little in its default make and is colored in the traditional Section 6 colors of black and red.

Despite being rather androgynous in terms of features, the body is only basically shaped but admittedly does - in a general sense - somewhat resemble a male humanoid. Its head is mostly featureless apart from a pair of glowing red eyes and a circular piece of Transparent Durandium in the middle of its forehead that protects several sensors, including the drone's primary (and most powerful) camera; additionally, its hands and feet are particularly dexterous and its fingers and toes - the only touch-sensitive locations on the unit - are coated in a gel-like layer.

The following section contains information about the ACE and AMP's dimensions.

• Unit Height: 6 feet, 2 inches¹⁾
• Unit Weight: 327 pounds²⁾

ACE and AMP drones rely on an onboard scale datapad and BW-PC-1A Plasma Core for their computing and power supply needs, the former of which is backed by graphene sub-processors to increase computing power over the prototype. The more masculine frame allowed for such additions and can be directly controlled by an optional onboard AI.

• Autonomous Mech AI “EVE”

ACE and AMP drones, much like the prototype, are equipped with a gravity/inertia drive that grants it a top speed of 90 miles/hour (~145 kilometers/hour) and allows it float weightlessly, walk on walls and ceilings, propel objects away from it, and potentially deflect projectiles. When running, it has a top speed of roughly 50 miles/hour (~80 kilometers/hour) while lightly burdened; lastly, it is capable of feats of agility similar to a Nekovalkyrja - though this is heavily dependent on the user's own skills and training.

The drone's fully robotic body features impressive strength and is capable of carrying up to 1,500 pounds (~680 kilograms) of weight in 1G - which is a large improvement over the prototype, thanks to improvements in servos and synthetic muscles. When combined with their sturdy construction, this enables the drones to comfortably make use of firearms and other equipment designed for most power armor.

The following sections contain information about the subsystems found onboard the ACE and AMP.

See Damage Rating (Version 3) for an explanation of the damage system.

• ACE: Tier 3, Heavy Personnel
• AMP: Tier 4, Light Armor

The ACE is armored in Durandium Alloy reinforced with graphene plates; the AMP, in contrast, is armored in Osmanium.

The ACE and AMP - in addition to possessing an Electronic Camouflage System - are equipped with a volumetric projection system that has a maximum range of 9 feet (~2.7 meters). This allows the unit to alter its appearance to match the user's or impersonate others - though physical contact will nullify the illusion.

The drone has a single optical sensor in its head and its body is studded with much smaller cameras - with similar capabilities - for a nearly 360-degree field of vision. The unit includes hardwired and wireless network connection capabilities and has other sensory devices, speakers, and microphones installed inside its head. Included in the finalized model are the following:

• A tight-beam communications laser which is limited to line of sight.
• A standard radio with an effective range of 8,000 kilometers.³⁾
• A satellite uplink capable of connecting to and utilizing pre-existing communications networks. This allows control over long distances without any noticeable lag - but comes at the cost of being less secure then the other two systems.

The following section contains information about the default weapon loadouts available to the AMP and ACE.

A mount is hidden within each of the drone's shoulders; when extended, it allows for a rifle-like weapon to be attached and carried across the drone's back.

Jack Pine created this article on 2018/10/01 01:30; approved it (using the checklist) on 2018/10/06 12:21.