Overview

Autom is an indestructible legacy defense mechanoid documented in the Phase 4 underground sector of SR388. It moves along a horizontal air route and activates a downward flame system when a subject passes below or approaches too closely. This is a narrow, specific behavior pattern, not a general purpose aerial drone.

The system matters because it assigns danger to vertical geometry. A corridor that seems open at floor level can be effectively sealed by a small machine above it, and the most important distinction is whether a route offers clearance beyond the heat cone rather than whether the unit can be chased away.

Autom should be read beside the surface-clinging Autoad and cover-oriented Autrack as another surviving layer of old ruin defense. Each has a different answer to intrusion: Autoad closes distance, Autrack uses protected fire lanes, and Autom makes the ceiling itself the point of control.

Chassis And Output

The visible chassis remains airborne without a documented support cable or ground contact. No recovered examination establishes the exact lift mechanism, internal fuel arrangement, or maintenance schedule. The field record can securely describe sustained hover and a stable horizontal travel pattern; it should not substitute an invented propulsion theory.

Its flame discharge is directed straight down. This physical restriction is central to the unit rather than a trivial limitation. A nearby ledge, raised side channel, or elevated opening may alter how the heat reaches a survey party, while passing directly below turns a short transit into immediate exposure.

Deployment Context

The known range is limited to SR388 Phase 4, where the unit appears in underground passages rather than outdoor skyspace or broad assembly halls. That setting favors a hovering device whose protected horizontal path can be repeated across a narrow ceiling and whose armament can cover the route directly below it.

No active command terminal has yet connected Autom to a named Chozo station. It remains useful to cross-reference the broader Chozo remnant and nearby Autoad and Autrack units, but shared location is not proof that these machines were issued under one identical command protocol.

Field Behavior

Autom holds a route, detects an approach, and directs heat downward. The available behavior does not support a claim that it hunts, evaluates identity, or adapts tactically after a target leaves its lane. Its danger comes from persistence and position: a stable automatic response repeated wherever its proximity condition is met.

A close route should therefore be mapped as a three-dimensional exclusion area. Note the ceiling height, lateral clearance, likely detection point, and the material state of surrounding surfaces. Thermal marks and damaged overhead fixtures may reveal an Autom path even when the unit has moved out of immediate view.

Provenance And Record Limits

The confirmed core is precise: an old aerial defense unit on SR388 that moves horizontally and discharges severe flame downward when approached. Its activity pattern establishes overhead route denial, but no surviving instruction fixes a broader mission scope.

The origin is associated with the technological remains of the Chozo settlement, but no recovered inscription fixes a manufacturer, command authority, or target class. Further study should seek a dormant unit, a service recess, and an intact local control line before assigning any purpose beyond what the machine presently demonstrates.