ATAS

## SUMMARY

As sensory extensions of the Hive itself, the Alta Turre Automated Security drones are incredibly coordinated and nearly impossible to avoid. As nearly nine foot tall armored soldiers with digitigrade legs and a secondary pair of arms, the ATAS are nearly impossible to destroy. The best course of action against these mechanical giants is to simply not engage.

## HISTORY

While the construction of the AI core referred to as the Hive was completed in 2038, along with the foundations of the city of Alta Turre, the first ATAS were not deployed until 2063, at which point they began integration into the ATSF. These first generation units were humanoid in shape and scale, requiring frequent power core charges or replacements by an operator. While they lacked any notable utility as autonomous units, they proved invaluable as breaching and coordinating assets. When entering a structure, the ATSF would frequently send an ATAS drone in first, allowing its armor to take the initial volley of any attacks against them. Each unit's link to the Hive was also greatly valued, as it allowed the AI core to use what it observed through the eyes of the drone to formulate strategic maneuvers, and better assemble a larger picture of the motion and patterns of criminal activity. Despite these advantages, ATSF members felt immediate distrust for the ATAS drones, seeing a future in which they could be completely replaced by their new robotic counterparts.

After eighteen years of data collection, analysis, and development, 2081 saw the release of the second generation of ATAS. These new units were slightly larger, approximately seven feet in height, in order to utilize new improvements in power cell technologies without upsetting their center of balance or thinning their armor. The second generation drones were deemed advanced enough to operate independently, controlled entirely by the Hive itself. Several ATAS-only units were assembled within the ATSF, primarily being relegated to the tasks that were too dangerous for human operators to perform. This included raids, detention of large groups of suspects, and various CQB scenarios. This increase in the capability and autonomy of the ATAS elevated ATSF mistrust to direct protest. Picketing, strikes, and "quiet quitting" were all employed with increasing regularity.

In 2110, shortly after the death of Rachel Anderson just one year prior, the third generation of ATAS was deployed. This release was accompanied by the launch of the first generation of Peacekeeper tank, a highly armored, highly armed behemoth designed to shrug off small arms fire and dispense a level of devastation that the bipedal drones were never intended to be capable of. While the first generation of Peacekeeper saw some use in battlefields around the globe, it was not officially deployed within the city. The bipedal drones saw a significant upgrade in power delivery, being equipped with not only an improved battery, but also a wireless method of charging, allowing units to return to base stations within Alta Turre's North tower to refuel as other units hit the streets to take their place. The new chassis design saw an increase in height, resting just short of nine feet tall when standing at attention, as well as digitigrade leg construction and the addition of a secondary pair of arms. While its primary arms were scaled to its form, giving the units a more human-like appearance, they became too large to wield weaponry designed for human hands, a must-have skill if units were to be deployed in warzones alongside living soldiers. For this reason, a smaller, secondary pair of arms was added, scaled for proper usage of any weaponry a unit may encounter. When not in use, the secondary arms remain folded close to the drone's torso, keeping out of the way of the primary appendages. Due to these drastic improvements in design and maintenance requirements, the ATAS were deemed ready to operate completely independently, replacing the ATSF.

In just ten short years, the fourth generation of ATAS was deemed ready for deployment, bring a new era of control in the year 2120. The short span between generational releases was largely due to the development of the Anderson Type B cell, a power source which utilized the particle-exciter that was harnessed previously in the far larger Type A cell. While the Type A was revolutionary on its own, it was far less energy efficient than its successor, produced more waste, and required a significantly more bulky and heavy containment system. The new Type B cell not only gave ARIA's bipedal drones an exponential increase in available power, it also solved the most pressing issue of power delivery in the Peacekeeper tank, prompting a new third generation model that was deployed within the city of Alta Turre itself.

Currently, the ATAS within Alta Turre consist of four bipedal models, operating alongside two variations of the Peacekeeper tank. This includes the Patrol, Riot, and Scout models of humanoid drones, the Lynx resupply drone, the Peacekeeper Mobile Datacenter, and the Peacekeeper MBT.

In 2138, after the release of development duties to the Hive itself, a new generation of ATAS was promised, coming with an expected release date of late 2143. The newest generation promises significant improvements to mobility, acrobatics, coordination, tactical behavior, and even human-like intuition.

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