Operator


 * Information:
 * Name: Designated 'Operator' by The Eye, 'Secret Machine' by the German military
 * Affiliation: German Army/unknown extraterrestrial
 * Rank: Unknown
 * Operator: Hpt. Hans-Jurgen Jaeger via Rank 4 Armour- 'Silber' Class

The 'Operator' is the towering secret weapon of the German Army and apparently the series' titular Armour.

Appearance
The Operator is by far the largest Armour shown in the series so far, completely dwarfing all others. Such is its size that the machine itself requires a second Armour, such as a humanoid German Rank 4 Armour, to operate it. Physically, its design bears little resemblance to other Armours, appearing as a long-limbed humanoid made of an oddly-coloured metal. Recessed designs on its fuselage are initially red, but start to glow blue when the machine is invaded by The Eye.

Synopsis
The first warning as to the Operator's appearance comes from Griff's  Eye, which detects it moving towards thier position alongside a massive concentration of German machines. Despite initial confusion over The Eye's designation of the machine as an 'Operator' [also the term used within the series for any Armour pilot], the British forces mobilise to engage the inbound force. Though daunted by its sheer size, Cpt. Harcourt launches an artillery attack on the Operator, though this proves futile. The Operator watches over a pitched battle as none of the weapons used against it achieve even superficial damage to its armour. During the battle, Cpt. Harcourt's Armour proves able to temporarily support its foot from underneath, to enable a group of 'Tommies' to escape being crushed under its tread. However, Harcourt is killed when his Armour gives out, exploding in a massive gout of flame under the Operator's tread. Using a combination of The Eye and the claw arm of 'Hangman',  Griff manages to ascend to the Operator's shoulder, where he manages to penetrate its armour and interface with its systems using The Eye. Expressing his distaste for using extraterrestrial technology, Hpt. Jaeger exits the Operator's mouth in his own Armour, and engages Griff in combat. Due to the damage sustained by Harcourt's Armour exploding, and perhaps also due tho the lack of anyone controlling it, the Operator topples, falling heavily to the ground and dislodging the two Armours battling atop it.

Armament and Abilities
Aside from its sheer size, the Operator appears to carry no weapons, relying solely on its crushing tread and the demoralising effect created by its size in battle. It is never even seen using its arms to fight. The Operator's armour is able to easily withstand any armament up to and including a heavy artillery shell, only taking damage from an entire artillery-equipped Armour exploding at point-blank range under its foot. Its only real weakness seems to be the integration effect of The Eye, against which it has as little defence as other Armours- perhaps even less, given how quickly a machine of its size was taken over.

New Era
The Operator is technically the first Armour to appear in the New Era comics, as several are shown falling to Earth in the first panel. Humanity's discovery of these machines is deemed so momentous that the calendar is restarted at 1990 and termed the 'New Era'. By studying the technology within the Operators, humanity's own technology is able to advance, explaining the anachronisms within the series such as humanoid war machines and computers being available in NE 0014 [1914].

Trivia

 * The Operator has been confirmed to be of alien origin, both by Jaeger's remarks and a statement by the author. It has also been confirmed as being connected to Griff's Eye in some manner. This both explains how Griff was able to use The Eye to defeat it so easily, and implies that Banse and Blaize may either be extraterrestrial themselves or have connections to such.