Utopia

The same Golem technology that Eden employs has long been used on Utopia, though the Utopians took the suits down a different technological development path. The Utopians called their technological adaptations APES (Augmented Personal Environmental Suits) and they were prominent in the Horseman Wars that ravaged Utopia after the nuclear apocalypse. The Utopian forces still utilize troupes APES on the front line alongside automaton formations. Fundamentally the Trooper and Support APES are the same core machines as an Edenite constable and man at arms golems. However, during the opening weeks of the War for Terra Nova, Utopian APES units are much more advanced than their Edenite counterparts. This is mostly due to the higher standards of maintenance and availability of parts and support personnel. Most APES feature some sort of wave dye technology in their suits and can change camouflage at will and baffle most typical sensors. Some units even have access to second generation wave dyes that generate a near invisibility by projecting the images around them rather than camouflage schemes. Troupes of such APES are commonly deployed via aerial insertion as raiders and paratroopers. Their primary role is to disrupt Terranovan defenders and deal with troublesome targets via pinpoint strikes. These units were very successful and the CEF requested that Utopia help bring some Edenite units up to the same standard of equipment. The Edenite version of these units is more of a raider and marauder.

A common misconception among Terranovans is that Utopian armies are composed entirely of armigers and N-KIDUs. This is false because for most of Utopian history the APE suit was used for piloted combat walkers. The APE is more than power armor but does not use a traditional seated cockpit like modern walkers. Instead, the pilot is housed in the central body compartment and their arms and legs extend slightly into the APE. This design is a direct descendant of worker suits during the Concordat era and similar designs are seen on Eden. Despite their near ancient design, APEs are still a common sight among the forces sent from Utopia to Terra Nova.

Utopian N-KIDUs (Neural-Kinetic Interceptor Drone Units) were developed after the CEF conquest of Utopia. Cheap and expendable, these units are often seen in large masses supported by Armiger pilots who guide them into battle. Often, Armigers or APEs are not available to oversee every single drone unit and thus some are sent out without human oversight. These clusters are called SIN Clusters and are composed of a command drone with some combination of other N-KIDUs. These units are often given simple tasks such as search and destroy or to patrol certain regions and will continue to do so until new orders arrive. This has two major effects, first it allows Utopian units to cover far more territory than their manpower would imply. Second is that the Utopia NAI (Near Artificial Intelligence) communicates with each other and actually can leverage each other’s computing power. This makes the collective group “smarter” than each drone individually and allows each group to act more independently. SIN clusters have been deployed en masse with the invasion of Terra Nova where they are used in garrison duties, long range patrols, pacification, and general support duties. Locals have come to fear SIN clusters due to the lack of human oversight. These units are very trigger happy and if they are told to liquidate anyone they encounter they will always do so regardless of the nature of the target.

Automaton Infantry

Utopian warfare is dominated by automatons, or autos for short. Auto is a catch all term for any drone used by Utopians be it for combat, transportation, picking up garbage or even housekeeping. The most famous examples known on Terra Nova are the N-KIDU units. However, these are far from the only models used. Recent sightings of smaller, humanoid units have begun to trickle in. Classified as Trooper Automatons, the Utopian armies use these to clear dense urban terrain as well as hold and fortify positions against attacks. The Clearance teams in particular have a reputation for completely annihilating any opposing forces, human or auto, civilian or military, unless they receive an order to stand down.