3) Landmates

LANDMATES

Landmates are operator-piloted armored suits designed to provide the pilot with superior protection, freedom of movement and firepower. In Olympus, landmates are made available to the general public and widely used by law enforcement and the military. Public landmates must be registered and cannot be equipped with heavy armor or weapons. Landmates are still pretty expensive, but the low end domestic models are fairly affordable (It's a little like buying a suped up sport motorcyle, according to Shirow). Repairs on landmates are still relatively expensive, and those citizens that keep them for private use usually know how to fix their own units. Each part in a landmate is handmade but may be swapped between similar models.
To use a landmate, the operator must step up into the "cockpit" and fit her arms into the slave arms in the torso (this is why most landmates appear to have 4 arms). The pilots legs fit into the thighs of the unit and the pilot's head is usually about in the middle of the torso. The cockpit is the most heavily armored part of the unit (of course!). Most pilots wear a thin suit of datafilm, but it is possible to wear a full suit of Gasium armor in the more advanced combat models.

Combat landmates are engineered for peak effeciency. They are generally not intended for prolonged use without upkeep. As such, they do not generally carry more than a couple of extra clips of ammunition. There is a small cargo space in most units, where the pilot can keep a set of clothes and a small cache of personal equipment (pistol, communicator, etc.)