"She called me ‘Cub’ the first week we deployed. By the second, she was Mom. By the third, I realized I would happily charge a tank if she told me to. And somehow, I don’t think I’m the only one."

— Sgt. R. Dallis, Celestial Securities

Humanoid Overland Operations Kit

The Galactic Robotics HOOK is the centerpiece of Ceresian defense and security: a towering humanoid exosuit piloted not by humans, but by Uplifted orcas linked through quantum-locked control pods. Standing at nine feet tall, fully armored, and designed for extreme environments, the HOOK is simultaneously a war platform, a symbol of Unionhouse Veylan’s security infrastructure, and—through its pilots—a member of a uniquely intimate military culture.

Originally conceived by Galactic Robotics for use in corporate warfare, the HOOK was considered too costly and too awkward for most professional militaries. Human pilots could never achieve the same body-awareness with a HOOK as with their own bodies, leaving the machines underperforming against well-trained, properly equipped troops. But when Ceresian orcas adopted the system, the platform found its ideal users. With a mind already adapted to operating at pod-scale, comfortable with remote consciousness, and culturally oriented towards teamwork, orcas embraced the HOOK as their natural extension.

Form and Function

The HOOK is a humanoid war platform, roughly 50% taller than a human being. It is fully enclosed in diamondoid armor plating, with armor-foil layered around the joints for flexibility without compromise. Its head is an oval dome, the faceplate made of shaded crystal that recalls the visors of Old Earth spacesuits.

While humanoid in shape, its Size is decisive. HOOKs are capable of wielding weapons that would otherwise require technical mounts or heavy tripods—autocannons, electrolasers, Suppression rockets, or even high-yield restraint systems. On the battlefield, this allows a HOOK to serve as the anchor of an assault squad: the heavy centerpiece around which synths, drones, and human soldiers form a protective cordon. The HOOK carries the destructive weight, while its squad manages the agility and perimeter defense.

As a matter of culture as much as preference, Ceresian pilots paint their HOOKs black and white in the patterns of Orca skin, often with flashes of blue from the flag of Ceres. The result is a bizarre but striking sight: a towering black-and-white Warrior striding through the streets or leading troops across alien terrain.

Pod and Pilot

The Orca pilots of the HOOK are not physically inside the chassis. Instead, they are housed in quantum-linked immersion pods buried safely beneath Ceres’s oceans, often in heavily reinforced vaults. Through Quantex communication, their minds are projected instantly into the chassis, experiencing the machine as an extension of their own bodies.

This distance does not reduce the intimacy of their connection with the squads they lead. In fact, it seems to enhance it. Orca pilots, with their innate social instincts, develop deep emotional bonds with the human, synth, and drone squad members assigned to them. Familial nicknames are common, with hardened Celestial Securities officers casually referring to a nine-foot combat platform as “Mommy,” “Uncle,” or “Big Brother.” To outsiders this can be disconcerting; to those within the system, it feels entirely natural.

Deployment

On Ceres itself, HOOKs serve as the primary police and defense force, patrolling the cities and vaults alongside Celestial Securities. Their massive Size and armored presence act as both deterrent and reassurance, and their command role in mixed squads ensures cohesion even in moments of crisis.

Offworld, a HOOK is rarely deployed alone. A single orca-piloted chassis almost always arrives with an entourage: dozens of synths, swarms of drones, and a cadre of Celestial Securities officers. In these squads, the HOOK forms the unshakable center, wielding heavy firepower while their team sweeps the flanks. The combination of overwhelming firepower and pod-bred loyalty has made HOOK units an intimidating presence wherever Unionhouse Veylan needs to demonstrate its reach.