Atlas

The Atlas was a large piloted combat mech fielded by Cerberus during the Reaper War. Where earlier walkers operated without a crew, the Atlas was built around a living operator who sat inside an armored canopy at its core, directing a heavily armed and armored machine into battle. It became one of the most formidable ground units in the Cerberus arsenal and was later adopted by the CAT6 mercenary company as well.

Design and armament#

The Atlas was a slow but imposing machine, a large target that nonetheless concentrated heavy firepower in a single chassis. It was equipped with a rocket launcher whose guided missiles were difficult to evade and which left a lingering burn on whatever they struck, and with a high-powered mass accelerator cannon for sustained fire. At close range it relied on a heavy claw arm, which it could swing, slam into the ground, or use to seize and crush an opponent outright.

For defense the Atlas carried durable kinetic barriers backed by armored plating across its shoulders, knees, and lower body, and it could fire smoke grenades to screen its advance. The operator sat within a reinforced canopy at the front of the machine; if the canopy was shattered the pilot was left exposed, and a captured or abandoned Atlas could be commandeered and turned against its former owners. When destroyed, an Atlas was consumed in a violent explosion powerful enough to threaten anything nearby.

Service#

The Atlas grew out of Cerberus efforts to build a heavier walker than the automated YMIR mech. According to records of the organization's design work, it was first conceived simply as a more powerful YMIR variant with a soldier inside, before a protective canopy was added and the frame was enlarged until the Atlas stood considerably larger than the mech it descended from. Its name continued a Cerberus habit of naming mechanical units after mythological figures, drawing on the Titan Atlas in place of the Norse names borne by the FENRIS, YMIR, and LOKI mechs.

Cerberus fielded the Atlas throughout its campaigns during the Reaper War, deploying it as a heavy unit that could absorb fire, protect lighter troops, and grind down defended positions through sheer firepower and durability. The CAT6 mercenary outfit fielded Atlas units of its own, functionally identical to the Cerberus models but finished in a distinct gray camouflage. A destroyed Atlas marked with the emblem of the Talons was also recorded, evidence that the machines saw use beyond Cerberus lines.