They were from the Project.

[ standing in one place overwhelms her, carolina turning to walk... somewhere. anywhere else. she just needs to not be still in this room, pacing as she talks. ]

Another set of simulation troops that hated Freelancers and wanted revenge for being used. Their armour got updated with the lock at some point and they still had plenty of access to tech from their bases. And then the sims set traps, pretended to be allies, and our teammates wound up here.