The Shepherd’s Path, Part 21: Angels

The Shepherds use the term “angel" to refer to any legged combat platform or derivatives thereof. The origin of the design of the angels dates to the Later Crusades and the fall of Kir Arya. The Prime Knights of Kir Arya used combat walkers called Paladins as their primary mechanized combat unit. According to historical records, Paladins were large, fast, heavily armed, and well armored, which allowed them to engage all types of foes in nearly any type of terrain. After the fall of Kir Arya, wrecked Paladins were taken and analyzed by both the Council and Compact nations that took part in the invasion. They all came to the same conclusion, however, about the design's long term viability. Paladins were technologically feasible but would be prohibitively expensive, and would need massive overhauls to be usable by pilots who were not Prime Knights.

When the Shepherds first located Sanctuary, they found a veritable treasure trove of technology and equipment including a damaged Paladin combat walker. As the Shepherds began to build up a military force, they turned to this wreck to see if they could use it. Just as before, building full Paladins was not possible. Instead, the Shepherds took aspects of the design and made a series of combat vehicles that collectively mimicked the Paladins combat capabilities. Advances in AI and computers also allowed for breakthroughs in controls, allowing anyone to pilot the new machines.

There are three classes of angel: Cherubim, Seraphim, and Ophanim. All three are powered by quickly swappable battery packs that are designed for long life and ease of replacement. Angels will often carry additional battery packs, and a trained crew can switch them out in as little as 3 minutes. These batteries power the electric servo motors and hydraulic pumps that drive the machine’s joints.

Angel model numbers are given with a three-letter prefix standing for Sanctuary (S) Angel (A) and then a third letter. The third letter is C for Cherubim, S for Seraphim and O for Ophanim, resulting in SAC, SAS, or SAO. After this is a three-digit number which indicates the order in which it was approved for service. This sequence resets for each type of angel. SAC-003 would indicate a Cherubim that was the third to enter service, but SAS-003 and SAO-003 also exist. Generally, the Shepherds prefer upgrades, overhauls, and redesigns instead of replacement designs. As such, many angel designs have been in service for centuries. Which version of a unit is indicated by a ‘-‘ followed by a letter to indicate the version. Add-on equipment packs are represented in the model number by Greek letters after the number. For example, the letter ɑ is used for the “Arch” series commander parts, while ε is used for the “Nissi” ECM suite. Currently, the model number of an Arch Apostle is SAC-001ɑ-AL. This indicates it is the first cherubim to enter service, is equipped with the Arch commander parts, and is in revision version AL or the 38th revision of the base Apostle cherubim.

Cherubim are the most common type of angel. They are bipedal, and have human-like proportions with two arms and a head. Based on the reports of Black Talon observers, several key features have been identified. Pilots enter the vehicle from a hatch on the back by the base of the neck. Cherubim are highly flexible units, capable of rapid weapon swaps in the field. Their small size and small battery system, however, mean the majority are restricted to a single main weapon in order to maximize operating time. Cherubim also typically have a system of jump jets which allow them to use quick controlled bursts of air to vault over small obstacles like walls and wrecked vehicles. 

Reports on the next class of angels by Black Talon observers are more rare. It is not suspected that this is due to secrecy so much as observers simply not being around them. Called seraphim, these angels that feature more than two legs and lack arms. They are often described as looking like a tank on legs. Typical Seraphim feature an elongated central body with multiple protruding from the sides. Seraphim take the place of traditional tanks in the Shepherds’ arsenal. Interestingly, reports suggest that a Seraphim has only one pilot and its support virtue takes a more active role in running the vehicle.

There is even less information about the final class of angel in field reports for the Black Talons. THe ophanim are small bipedal walkers that lack arms but are fast and have limited flight capacity. This class of angel was designed to mimic the speed and maneuverability of the Paladins. Ophanim take the Cherubim jump jets and extend them to allow full VTOL operation. Ophanim units perform cavalry missions such as reconnaissance and harassment.

Angel pilots also deserve some attention. Observers have noted that culturally, angel pilots are closer to aircraft pilots, especially those of early human history. They have adopted the moniker used by those outside the Shepherds to describe their mounts, “Angels of Steel''. There is a great deal of emphasis on skill and accomplishment with the title of ace (award at 15 kills) being a notable achievement. Upon achieving ace rank, pilots get higher priority on requesting new machines an can even have their angel painted in custom colors. Angel pilots can be somewhat arrogant at times although given their track record against the Post-Collapse States it’s not entirely unreasonable. Angel pilots display a lot of internal rivalry, but in a respectful way and will not tolerate outsiders getting involved in those rivalries. Amongst the Shepherd’s civilian populace, angel pilots are celebrities. Not only are their deeds and victories celebrated and reported on like athletes, but merchandise and other objects with their likeness or symbol are often created and sold.  It is not unreasonable to see a school child wearing an angel pilot's personal emblem, machine number or unit insignia on a shirt in the way another would wear the logo or jersey number of a professional athlete.

Private Raymond Mannerheim ran his hand along the back armor plates of his Apostle. “His Apostle.” The idea and phrase still felt new to his mind. His fingers excitedly traced the plaque on its upper back. He looked at and read.

Private Raymond “Clock” Mannerheim

52nd Battalion “Daywalkers” 

The tips of his fingers traced out his name and unit. He thought about all the hundreds of hours of training and practice building up to this moment. He was the first of his family in a long time to achieve angel pilot status, and this would be his first combat operation. Raymond’s trance was broken by the intercom crackling to life.

“2nd company, prepare to move out. Habiba team, proceed to bay 3-2. Cardozo team, proceed to bay 3-3.” Raymond grabbed the door control handle on his Apostle and slid down into his cockpit seat. His mind nearly turned off as his hands went through the practiced startup motions. He connected his safety harness and watched the light indicating his virtue’s connection to the angel come on. As he and his virtue finished startup and the front display came online, Raymond reached into his vest. He pulled out the antique pocket watch that had been in his family forever. It had been with him since he was a child, and was even the inspiration for his callsign. He flipped it open and looked at the watch hands moving steadily forwards.

“You ready to go, Clock?” came a voice over his radio. It was his team leader, Sergeant Edson Cardozo.

“Yes sir,” Raymond quickly replied. “3-9 ready to move out.” 

“Sounds good. Third team, move out!” came the reply of the team leader.

Raymond put his watch away and began the procedure to move his Apostle out of the service bay and out to bay 3. His stomach was doing backflips. Raymond clamped down on his nerves like he was trained to. He would not let anything ruin this moment. The world would know the name Mannerheim.