ED301-Gnome

At around 11 meters tall, the Gnome stands as the generalist and poster child of the ESU’s AA regiment. Painted over primarily white, Gnomes sport a simplistic aesthetic and design when compared to Olympus AA. Their closest comparison might be the Peltast or Hoplite, which are fundamentally similar in bulk and overall functionality. Gnomes, however, are shorter. They aren’t as armored as Hoplites, sitting somewhere in between the GR4 and GR5, but retain Hoplite-like mobility and (surprisingly) load capacity.

All this means is that Gnomes are decent, but cheap. A Hoplite outguns and outlasts, while a Peltast’s lower armor and increased mobility allows it to outflank and outrun. ESU AA squadrons are, however, mixed. They are frequently composed of captured MR and older refurbished 6MW machines, which both gives their units a unique advantage in creativity and surprise, and a dreaded lack of cohesion. The Gnome’s existence as the ESU’s first readily mass produced “modern” AA thus gives their AA regiment some much needed synergy.

Gnomes are painted alabaster, with streaks of blue or teal along with brief colored marks running along these streaks, often to indicate group or standing within the ESU. The head of a Gnome is shaped humanoid, with a wide visor hiding a mono-eye system. A single thick ‘ray-fin’ juts out from the top of the head, appearing like a cockatiel’s crest. During combat, this can extend out and upward much like a cockatiel’s does, venting out steam. This was partially designed to intimidate and impress, and partially to address the Gnome’s overheating issues.

The torso is plain, with most of the bulk reserved for the area around the cockpit. The cockpit itself is held within a small, somewhat confined feeling cube. Rather than the panoramic view that is standard on second generation AAs, Gnome pilots have to deal with a three screen view- with the primary screen covering frontal cameras, and their left and right screens covering those adjacent cameras. What is new is the addition of an ejection mechanism. Pilots can now opt to eject out from the neck/upper back of the machine, flying out on thrusters into the air and landing several meters away. Below the exit for the ejection are its two main thrusters, which are small circular openings along its back. With the way the chest is shaped, it appears to have a ‘backpack’ on its back, but really its back simply extends a little outward.

Similar to Hoplites, Gnomes possess wide, bulky shoulders, which hide their arms and serve as a good area to brace weapons. Shoulder pads and thick padding hide much of the joints on the machine, a design intended to cut costs. Beneath the shoulder pads and integrated partially into the shoulders are winch systems, which allow the Gnome to lift and carry non-AA designed objects with greater ease despite their size. Their arms are plain, with a grand total of one hard point on each arm to account for any additional weapons.

Three armored flaps form around the waist of the machine, once more hiding joints. Its legs are thick and end in short, armored feet. Each foot is composed of two short ‘talons’, which form up in the center at several points, and allow the machine to brace on rough terrain. When not in used, the sharp implements of the feet are folded up against the square foot. Attached to the back of the legs, hidden in the armor, are two pieces of long metal with wheels strung along their centers. When in urban environments, they slip down and attach to the rear of the feet, allowing the Gnome to effectively ‘skate’ around. This configuration gives it a distinct advantage in urban environments, such as cities or suburbs.

Overall, the Gnome is not a special machine. Though it has an important place within the ESU military as a figurehead and a rallying cry, its actual performance is nothing to write home about, making most of itself within urban environments- areas which are shunned as locales to engage in. That being said, as the war continues and drags on, both sides are seeing cities becoming more common of a place to engage with each other, and so perhaps the Gnome’s natural affinity might become useful.