#laser actuator

[sw5w]

Triple Quad Turbolasers

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 01:53:48

[appelsiinilight]

You may have heard of analyzing doc ock through the lens of physical disability (and unintentional allusions to it that arise in the process of writing villains with augmented bodies), and now i present to you: analyzing doc ock through the lens of adhd

[mx-anthropy]

I saw a few people saying don't trust mech repair shops that are clean, and that you gotta go to the ones that are dirty and have crap everywhere 'cause they'll do a proper job and fix your rig cheaper and better.

While I agree in general, it's an even better sign if that shop has that *one* bay and workbench area that is conspicuously clean. Every good workshop has *that bay*.

That's the bay for when they need to go cleanroom on something. Pulling and refurbishing laser arrays, injection pumps, etc. Manually recalibrating gyros. Re-valving joint dampers. Fabbing up "custom" bracketry to fit that aftermarket heat exchanger that's *supposed* to be a direct bolt on OE style replacement and you just *know* it's not going to be that simple cause it never is, but the efficiency is so much better than the factory crap and who the hell wants to pay for a new genuine exchanger anyway, if you can even get one?

The number of absolute cowboy techs I've seen that think that just because they've done a bunch of work on their pa's agricultural mechs for years, they know everything there is to know about mech internals, strip down and reassemble a combat-rated set of hand actuators literally just on the god damned shop floor, only to wonder why all the hydraulics piss fluid out as soon as they run it through a test cycle. They might *look* the same as pappy's mech actuators, but they have way tighter tolerances and they run *way* thinner fluids in them. You get so much as a nick in the sealing surface of one of those rods and it's not gonna seal again. And before any goobers come for me saying "JuSt RuN tHiCkEr OiL" if you put anything thicker than 2W-5 in those things they'll just lock up. Won't leak but you'll not be using that hand for anything but karate chopping your opposition.

Anyway rant over, TLDR next time your stompy death machine needs actual proper work done, and not just entire unit assemblies throwm at the problem, take it somewhere that actually cares to understand the concept of machined tolerances.

[wolf-among-mechs]

WLF-Xb-KNT Wolf Knight

Description:

The WLF-Xb-KNT Wolf Knight is highly specialised one of a kind mech made from primarily the chassis of a Black Knight and a number of parts from a Battlemaster. Made to the whims of a mechwarrior with a strange idea with some mechtech experience, the Wolf Knight was constructed allegedly from a dream, that was then committed to paper, explored and executed. Its primary purpose is to be an upgraded Black Knight with heavier armour, jump jets and extensive re-engineering of the Black Knights interior and sensor suite. The interior was remade to fit a powerful Extra-Light engine. The chassis and frame was remodeled extensively and changing to a more common frame model of pieces of changed BL-7-KNT Black Knight pieces and that of a BLR-1G Battlemaster. Despite its Frankenmech design, the focus on off the shelf parts allows the Wolf Knight an ease of access for repairs and maintenance to a surprising degree despite the heavy modifications. The most taxing parts are its dual Myomer and servo system and the cockpit to sensor connections. The refit process documented the notes of these two extensively but nevertheless requires a very qualified engineer to repair and maintain. It makes extensive use of Triple Strength Myomers that run through the mech coupled with finely and highly tuned actuators, calibrated after the pilot's movements, the Wolf Knight can swing the great blade's motions in its hand with tilts, flicks and even whips in its attacks. This is made possible with a secondary Myomer system that works on tandem with the more powerful one, giving increased agility and precision. Lastly this secondary Myomer system is backed up and tied into an integrated hydraulic servo system with the fibres themselves attached to limit switches for a natural pullback and resistance. The practical nature or battlefield application was contentious even by the refitting engineers but it was found difficult to argue against the one placing the order. One of its most curious features and the namesake is the re-engieering of the sensor suite of the Black Knight. It uses similar principles as the originals Beagle Active Probe system which uses the small laser to scan. Instead it has a second sensor tower, giving it two "ears" on the Knight helmet. Together with the pilot harness this is called the High Oscilation Wave-Length system or H.O.W.L. for short. It functions by generating pulses and frequencies through the heart rate monitor and neurohelmet's brain wave readings. Which in turn create an algorithm that is impossible to predict or even anticipate for a computer. This forms the basis of the skip-frequencies used in the sensor system in its pulses. The effect shifts the Mech's position by one to two meters between pulses on hostile sensors, slightly distorting the Wolf-Knight position, velocity and direction. Even skilled combatants can be caught unaware of their mech suddenly shifting the targeting to compensate. Leading to glancing shots. However the H.O.W.L. system distorts command and control communication over long distance, forcing it rely on short wave range bands. For this reason, it is usually only active during active combat operations in order to allow for strategic coordination. This, along with the precise movements of the arms is achieved by a specially made cockpit. Rather than the usual joystick configuration, the mechwarrior wears a harness that can mimic arm movements of the pilot. In addition it keeps track of the pilot's vitals and uses these together with the helmet to modify the frequencies of of the sensor suite and probe. The harness is heavy to move and is is wholly integrated with the neurohelmet and cockpit at large and tailored for a single individual and does not interact well with ejections.

Armament:

The Wolf Knight wields a large sword in the right, though functionally is follows the design principles of Fedcom-era hatchets. Otherwise the loadout is very similar to that of a Black Knight. A Lord's Light 2 rather than the royal versions' Kinslaughter ERPPC in the left arm allows for long range sniping with an original Maxell DT medium laser mounted under the main cannon. It is supported by two Magna Mk III large lasers as shoulder cannons along with parts of the housing used for a Rifleman. Instead of the the original torso mounted McCorkel mounted in order to make space for the new internal systems. Using parts and housing from a a Catapult on each side of the torso is a pair of Martell Medium Lasers and Omnicron 1000 Small lasers. Allowing the Wolf Knight to brawl with to a similar degree as a standard Black Knight.

Sixteen Double heat sinks allows the Wolf Knight to remain at range and fight without significant overheating. Once it gets close and pounces with the shorter range lasers it can easily activate the full potential of the Triple Strength Myomer system.

Inside the chest of the Wolf Knight however remains the Beagle Active Probe from which the black knight was noted for carrying. It has been wired to a Ceres Metals model 666 Communication system that connects into the Beagle Active Probe together with the original TransComm Beta targeting system.

The engine is connect to a RedLine-F Series Outland Supercharger system that allows the Wolf Knight to pounce on targets with the blade. Four Chillton model 600 Jump jets give it an extra level of mobility. However the XL is a weak point in long engagements where endurance becomes the dominating factor as a single torso side being blown apart would stall the engine.

Made in blender by kitbashing a number of things together.

[boinkingbattlemechs]

Crusader

The Crusader was initially designed as a close combat BattleMech for the Star League Defense Force, but soon proved itself to be a very adaptable, multirole design. This reliable workhorse of the SLDF, while not excelling in any one job, was quite capable of accomplishing just about any mission, whether it be close assault, anti-aircraft defense, counterinsurgency, or even reconnaissance. Its versatility and large number of manufacturers ensured the Crusader its place as one of the most common heavy 'Mechs in the Inner Sphere.

The Crusader received its baptism of fire during the Reunification War and remained a common fixture in the regiments of the SLDF for many centuries. Even after the fall of the Star League, the various Successor States continued to field large numbers of Crusaders in their armies, thanks to factories located on Tharkad, Oliver, Asuncion and Bernardo. House Steiner in particular was a notable Crusader user, thanks in part to their well-trained technicians who could have damaged units turned around and ready to fight in a single day. A variety of new production variants and field modification kits were turned out for the Crusader after the recovery of the Helm Memory Core, just in time for the Clan Invasion.

In the wake of the Clan Invasion, one of the first new Crusader variants was built by the Cosby BattleMech Research Firm, the (in)famous producer of the No-Dachi 'Mech. Hoping to overcome the lack of prestige of their previous design and win the favor of the Coordinator, the company acquired manufacturing rights to the Crusader through the hostile takeover of another company and unveiled an updated variant of the 'Mech around the start of the FedCom Civil War. Additional variants would continue to be produced in the years since, including models utilized by the Word of Blake during the Jihad.

The primary long-range weapons on the Crusader were two Magna Longbow-15 LRM-15 launchers, providing the Crusader with long-range fire support capabilities that can compete with the Archer and Catapult. These were supplied by two tons of reloads split between the side torsos. For short-range combat, the 'Mech carried two Harpoon-6 SRM-6 launchers and two Intek medium lasers. Finally, to deter infantry attacks against the Crusader, two M100 Heavy machine guns were mounted on the 'Mech. One ton each of SRM and machine gun ammunition was carried in the center torso.

Each arm was equipped with an LRM launcher, laser, and machine gun, while the SRM launchers were built into the legs and mounted at hip height to provide a stable firing location and avoid interference with the LRMs' flight path. Early Crusader models had issues with the arm-mounted launchers and lasers overheating and causing stress to the actuators and internal structure, but this was rectified with the additions of the now-distinctive collars which deflect hot gases away.

The Crusader was well-protected with twelve tons of armor, particularly around the legs, which made it a good hand-to-hand combatant. A thirteen and a half ton fusion engine allowed the Crusader to achieve a decent cruising speed of 43.2 km/h. One disadvantage to the Crusader was its inadequate heat management system, carrying just ten standard heat sinks to handle all the waste heat produced by its weapons and equipment.

[is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not]

BattleMaster BLR-1G 'Kazoku no Meiyo'

(aka "How might Yori have modified her great-great-great-grandfather's 'Mech when she become Coordinator?)

BattleMaster BLR-1G 'Kazoku no Meiyo'

Mass: 85 tons Chassis: Hollis Mark X Power Plant: VOX 340 Cruising Speed: 43.2 kph Maximum Speed: 64.8 kph Jump Jets: None Jump Capacity: 0 meters Armor: StarGuard IV Armament: 2 Micro Pulse Laser 6 ER Medium Laser 1 ER PPC 1 Streak SRM 6 Manufacturer: Unknown Primary Factory: Unknown Targeting & Tracking System: HarfordCo XKZ 1 Introduction Year: 3153 Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-X-X Cost: 17,571,793 C-bills

Type: BattleMaster Technology Base: Mixed (Experimental) Tonnage: 85 Battle Value: 2,404

Equipment Mass Internal Structure Endo Steel 4.5 Engine 340 Fusion 27 Walking MP: 4 Running MP: 6 Jumping MP: 0 Double Heat Sink 19 [38] 9 Gyro 4 Small Cockpit (Armored) 2 Armor Factor (Ferro) 230 12

Internal Armor Structure Value Head 3 9 Center Torso 27 36 Center Torso (rear) 11 R/L Torso 18 25 R/L Torso (rear) 7 R/L Arm 14 24 R/L Leg 18 31

Right Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm, Hand Left Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm, Hand

Weapons and Ammo Location Critical Heat Tonnage Double Heat Sink LL 2 - 1.0 Double Heat Sink CT 2 - 1.0 Nova Combined Electronic Warfare System RT 1 - 1.5 2 ER Medium Laser RT 2 5 2.0 2 Double Heat Sink RT 4 - 2.0 ER Medium Laser LT(R) 1 5 1.0 2 Micro Pulse Laser LA 2 1 1.0 ER Medium Laser RT(R) 1 5 1.0 CASE II LT 1 - 0.5 2 ER Medium Laser LT 2 5 2.0 Streak SRM 6 LT 2 4 3.0 Double Heat Sink LT 2 - 1.0 Streak SRM 6 Ammo (30) LT 2 - 2.0 Double Heat Sink RL 2 - 1.0 Armored Cowl (Armored) HD 1 - 1.0 Cargo (0.5 tons) (Armored) HD 1 - 0.5 CASE II RA 1 - 0.5 PPC Capacitor RA 1 - 1.0 ER PPC RA 2 15 6.0

Features the following design quirks: Accurate Weapon (all), Battle Computer, Battle Fists, Combat Computer, Cowl, Easy to Pilot, Extended Torso Twist, Improved Communications, Improved Cooling Jacket (all), Improved Sensors, Jettison-Capable Weapon (PPC), Multi-Trac, Variable Range Targeting

[professionalscrublord]

Rainbow Six (ft. Black Knight)

Finally finished painting the mechs I magnetized with torso-twist actuators (the things that aren't represented on any record sheets :P) I couldn't decide on a unit color for these 7 mechs so I just did every color. I imagine they're a multi-national counter-terrorist Mechwarrior unit. Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple would evidently be the five Great Houses, so that leaves Orange and Black. Let me know if you have suggestions for who those might be. (Clan Wolf? ROM?)

Individual shots:

King Crab KGC-010

Cut off the LL and sculpted on flush-mount PPCs, nested in SRM-6 shrouds, and extra cooling vanes out the back. The red ink pooled up in a weird way in some spots which I'd like to avoid next time, but overall I like the color. Magma basing.

Axman AXM-1N

Extra action-figure arm ax-tuator for hot choppy-choppy action. I thought about magnetizing the full-head ejection too just for lulz but decided it would be too hard to cut under it for removal. Rocky desert basing.

Bushwacker BSW-X1

I cut off the LRM-5 pod from the LT and sculpted on a classic X-shaped one a la Mechwarrior 3. The old triangular one is being repurposed for a ground turret. The yellow looks a little green-brown IMO but I'm aware of how hard it is to make good yellow pigments, it works for a dirty look. Especially with the way the ink pooled into a burnt-looking brownish color in spots. Happy little accidents. Sandy desert basing, I added wash around the outside of the hexagon then dripped water into the middle to push the wash back out into a circular distribution.

Highlander HGN-732

Lush vegetation basing. Some rocks under the grass flock, and some green ink soaked in around the edges to give it some depth. The base got super hot because of how quickly the glue dried when soaking into the sponge-like grass flecks. Exothermic reaction, yeah, Science!

Nightstar NSR-9J

The blue color came through great. Silver primer, blue speedpaint ink, dark wash, and a gloss varnish ontop, adding up to a delicious candy-coat look. Yum. Marsh/wetlands basing.

Exterminator EXT-4D

The previous colors were all a single speedpaint color over metallic silver, but as I didn't have purple ink I mixed red+blue for this one. The color came out a lil muddy, not quite as bold as the others when mixed IMO, but at least it's still purple. Volcanic glass basing.

Black Knight BL-9-KNT

Moved the stock BL-6-KNT's head laser to CT and sculpted axe from scratch to create the BL-9. I felt the plain brown gravel basing looked close enough to where he was standing in the movie already.

"It's just a flesh wound!"

[karriethemechtech]

Sabretooth SB2-RT

Mass: 100 tons Chassis: Earthwerks AS IV Power Plant: Vlar 300 Cruising Speed: 32.4 kph Maximum Speed: 64.8 kph Jump Jets: None Jump Capacity: 0 meters Armor: Hellespont Lite Armament: 2 ER PPC 5 Medium Pulse Laser Manufacturer: Majesty Metals and Manufacturing Primary Factory: Unknown Communication System: Tek BattleCom Targeting & Tracking System: Tek Tru-Trak Introduction Year: 3146 Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-X-D Cost: 16,031,000 C-bills

Overview Proposed as part of Project: BIG CAT for the Magistracy of Canopus, the Sabretooth was designed by Majesty Metals and Manufacturing in 3146 as a hardy, brutally effective brawler.

Capabilities The Sabretooth was the most troubled of the three BIG CAT designs; early drafts were unfocused and confused messes; months of prototyping went into fitting all of the necessary components onto the frame. To accomodate the bulk of all of the components, Endo Steel was escewed in favor of more traditional materials. The 'Mech is armed with two Clan-spec ERPPCs for long range, mysteriously supplied in the same way as the Yaguara's large lasers. For closer ranges, the machine mounts five medium pulse lasers, all across the top half of the 'Mech, as well as two massive claws. These giant blades are capable of decapitating a mech in a single swipe, making the Sabretooth a terrifying force up close.

Deployment The Sabretooth is used among the Magistracy Armed Forces in much the same manner as an Atlas--find a target, approach, and make that target cease to exist, while shrugging off as much fire as possible. Indeed, the Assault 'Mech's snarling visage is starting to develop a reputation all its own.

Type: Sabretooth Technology Base: Mixed (Standard) Tonnage: 100 Battle Value: 2,547

Equipment Mass Internal Structure 10 Engine 300 Fusion 19 Walking MP: 3 Running MP: 5(6) Jumping MP: 0 Double Heat Sink 18 [36] 8 Gyro 3 Cockpit 3 Armor Factor (Light Ferro) 307 18.5 Internal Armor Structure Value Head 3 9 Center Torso 31 47 Center Torso (rear) 15 R/L Torso 21 32 R/L Torso (rear) 10 R/L Arm 17 34 R/L Leg 21 42

Right Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm Left Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm

Weapons and Ammo Location Critical Heat Tonnage Supercharger CT 1 - 2.0 Medium Pulse Laser RT 1 4 2.0 3 Double Heat Sink RT 9 - 3.0 ER PPC RT 2 15 6.0 Claw LA 7 - 7.0 Medium Pulse Laser LA 1 4 2.0 Medium Pulse Laser LT 1 4 2.0 3 Double Heat Sink LT 9 - 3.0 ER PPC LT 2 15 6.0 Medium Pulse Laser HD 1 4 2.0 Claw RA 7 - 7.0 Medium Pulse Laser RA 1 4 2.0

Features the following design quirks: Distracting, Stable

And here's the final of the three Project: BIG CAT designs! This one has...wow, that's a lot of armor. A LOT of armor. And can swipe your head off in one punch if you're not careful! Yikes. I'm glad I'm on the same side as these things.

[on-a-mechtechnicality]

Roost

Sigrid stared at the work order. Sometimes things that appear simple are difficult. Sometimes things that appear difficult are simple. Sometimes things appear difficult only to those with enough context to appreciate them.

MechTech: Sigrid Guntran Initial assignment: Highlander ‘Old Bird’s Nest’ Bay: 14 Work order:  Left leg - realign ankle actuator Center torso - repair armor panel (laser hits) Reactor - general maintenance Other - Full systems check Notes: Sigrid, Melissa asked for you specifically on this job. You got this. -Karrie

She had the context.

The ‘Mech was Melissa’s. Commanding General Hazen. The big boss, in charge of the entire SLDF. This was her personal ‘Mech. Melissa would never stand for formality but Sigrid knew. She knew this was important and not a job to be taken lightly.

The ‘Mech was ancient. And not just ancient. Systems from multiple eras and places and standards had come together to form a precariously-balanced ecosystem of technology. Upsetting any of the components, even to make it ‘better’, had the potential to unbalance the entire tower and cause it to crash down.

The ‘Mech was an heirloom. Components from all over Clan history had come together to create this perfect fusion of history and significance in the shape of a Highlander. Every component a piece of art, every single system a fragment of history, every scratch, dent or mark cataloged and revered.

And Commanding General Hazen had requested her to work on it. That was okay, no pressure.

Breathe. Deep in, slow out.

It would be easiest to start at the bottom and work her way up, and at this point there was no point worrying more. There was a job, it needed doing, she needed to do it. She grabbed her toolbox and walked over to the proud ‘Mech in Bay fourteen. Even powered-down the Old Bird’s Nest was an impressive sight. Tall and regal, befitting the Black Watch, which it led from the front.

And here it was, shut down, ready for Sigrid to give it all the care and attention it required to do its job once more. She placed her hand on the paneling of the towering ‘Mech’s foot.

“Not long now, girl. We’ll get you what you need.”

She took off the panel, one fastener at a time. It reminded her of the first time she saw this foot, Melissa’s head poking out and Sigrid having no clue how she should act. She still didn’t, really. But she knew how Melissa wanted her to act, and that was enough.

She set the panel aside and hopped onto the foot, and then down into the cavity. She was thankful the work lights were positioned the way they were, allowing her to just see the adjustment marks on the joint. Where they were supposed to be was not where they currently were. Thankfully, that was an easy fix. The adjustment bolt was right there and–

And it was already bottomed out.

That was not what she wanted to see. A bottomed-out adjustment bolt meant that there was no more slack to take up, no more way to easily adjust the alignment. But the alignment needed adjusting.

She took a step back and had another look at the complete mechanism. She couldn’t see any obvious signs of damage or warping on the components, no cracks or bends. She ran her hand across the surface to feel for burrs or subtle clues. What she found was her fingers wedging themselves into the clearance. They shouldn’t be able to do that.

What it meant was that the center wasn’t sitting in, well, the center. The inside of the joint was supposed to have a gap around it, roughly equal in all directions, so it could move freely. The fact that her fingers got stuck meant that it was narrower near the bottom.

And that meant that the likely culprit was the wear plates. But that was okay, that’s why they were there. Anywhere there are heavy components rubbing against each other with enormous forces, such as needing to withstand 90 tonnes of force with every step, there are wear plates. They were a lot easier to replace than the entire ankle joint, but it did mean this adjustment had just turned from a ten-minute job into a two-hour one.

She stepped back and mentally took stock of the situation. She needed to replace the wear plates deep inside the Nest’s ankle joint. If she tried to take the ankle joint apart while there was still half a ‘Mech resting on it, it’d explode into a million pieces and the Highlander would topple over. This would be bad.

She needed a way to get the weight off of the left leg, and somewhere else. Anywhere else. There was the ceiling-mounted crane above the Bay, but there was no way that would be able to support the entire 90 tonnes of ‘Mech and lift it clean off its feet.

‘Mech designers are smart though, and had already thought of situations like this. The Highlander had a mechanism inside each knee joint that, when activated, would lock the opposing knee in place. Even if the ‘Mech itself was powered down. This would allow ‘Techs to lift the knee and work on the ankle or foot or myomer without risk of damaging the components. The tricky bit, though, would be accessing that mechanism. There was no way to attach the crane’s chain to the massive knee in order to provide the required force.

Thankfully the designers had thought of that too. Two innocuous-looking bolts, on each side of the knee joint, could be removed and replaced with hardened bolts with hooks on the end. The crane could connect to those and lift the knee from the outside.

It did make her wonder for a moment why it was just the left ankle that needed aligning, before she remembered the chassis type. She bet five C-Bills against herself that Melissa favored the left foot when performing Highlander Burials.

She climbed back out of the hole and over to the terminal. The downside of working in a MechLab this big was that it took absolute ages to fetch the replacement parts, consumables, and anything standard-sized from the warehouse. The upside was that you didn’t have to.

She scrolled through the list of parts in stock, selected the appropriate ones, and pressed the big ‘request for delivery’ button. Four max-length eye bolts, and two full sets of Highlander ankle joint wear plates. If she didn’t replace the right ankle plates too, it’d only be a matter of time before the Old Bird’s Nest came in again. Plus, doing it now would make it easier to calibrate both of them to be the same angle.

Next step would be preparing to relieve the strain on the ankle joint, and that meant getting the heavy crane into position, as well as her climbing harness. No access ladder to that part. At least directing the crane could be done from the terminal, but for the other part she needed to make her way to the nearest lockers.

She picked out a properly rated harness and started putting it on over her coveralls. It wasn’t hard, just time consuming. She emptied her pockets; medkit, water bottle, tablet, several tools, in order to make it easier to pull the climbing gear over her clothes. She was barely done and on her way back when she saw the electric flatbed pull up to Bay 14. She finished attaching her tablet back to her wrist and walked the rest of the way.

“Hey Snaps!” she called out, “Got you on delivery duty today?”

The driver got out and offered his fist, which hers met in a smooth motion as she walked along the truck to the cargo bed.

“Yeah, all hands today with the amount of repairs we got. Plus showing the new kid the ropes.”

From around the flatbed Sigrid could hear fastening straps being unclipped to prepare for unloading them.

“Sigrid, I’d like you to meet–”

By the time the words left his mouth, Archaea’s arms were wrapped firmly around Sigrid’s waist, and Sigrid’s were returning the gesture around her upper back.

“--or have you met?”

“We met before Sigrid is so cool we disassembled a Thug and she showed me how to use a laser cutter and she is the one who gave me my toolbox and… Sorry!”

“I helped her get set up on her first day, yeah”, Sigrid supplied before turning to Archaea. “Fancy running into you today. You enjoying yourself? What have you got for me?”

Archaea released the hug and nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah!” She hopped the few feet to the back of the truck in a single bound before pointing to three boxes in turn.

“Bay fourteen gets crates A2,” point, “B4,” point, “and B5!” Another point, and then a pause.

“C-could you help me unload? They are so heavy.”

“Absolutely,” Sigrid responded, very thankful that there was an actual upper limit on how much could be loaded into a single crate. Wear plates could get heavy in a hurry, so spread out over multiple boxes made the actual moving easier. She had to strain to lift the first two boxes.

“Old Bird got you working on her nest then, has she?” came the voice of Snaps as she unloaded. “Probably about time she got a good once-over from someone other than herself. Means she trusts you, you know?”

“Yeah. No pressure, right? Don’t worry, I’ll treat her right. Make sure she’s in top shape before she’s asked to walk back out onto the field again.”

The third almost lifted off by itself. That would be the eye bolts then. Boxes safely on the ground, she watched Archaea clip the belts back in place ready for their next delivery.

“Thanks again Sigrid!” she called out, before giving a quick hug and hopping into the passenger seat. In the driver seat Snaps was looking over the next deliveries as Sigrid walked up.

“Thanks for the speedy delivery, see ya ‘round, both of you.”

“You too, Red,” came the reply from Snaps. He offered his fist once more, and was rewarded with another smooth bump. With that he hit the accelerator and the vehicle drove off to its next delivery. Sigrid turned back to the Nest.

The crane had moved into position overhead, and three lines were dangling in front of the Highlander. Almost ready, just one more ingredient. She opened the lightest of the crates, and took out two of the eye bolts. Hardened material with a loop on the end for the crane to grab on to. They were heavy duty, but then they’d have to be considering what was about to be asked of them. She put them into the pouch hanging from the back of her belt.

One of the lines she hooked onto her harness, the others she made sure were the right height to reach the Nest’s left knee. Then it was just a manner of raising herself to that height too.

She liked being on the side of a ‘Mech, with nothing holding her up but a safety harness and very sure footing. Somehow it made her feel closer to the ‘Mech, better able to appreciate the sheer difference in scale between her and the Highlander, and yet knowing precisely how to make it do exactly what she wanted it to.

She found herself face-to-face with the enormous knee joint of the titan, and sidled to the side. Here she found a single red arrow pointing towards one of the identical-seeming bolts. She undid it.

Sometimes the things that impressed her most about ‘Mech design weren’t the mighty weapons, or the powerful myomer actuators, or the centimeters of highly engineered armor. It was the simple things.

Things like the linkage connected to this bolt hole. She took the eye bolt out of her pouch and threaded it in. It was several times longer than the one she had taken out, and for good reason. Deep inside the knee joint was a linkage that served no purpose when the ‘Mech was in operation, so it was detached. But for a MechTech, it was one of the more important pieces of mechanism. She hooked up the crane to this eye.

She moved around the other side, and found another red arrow. The other eye bolt was inserted here, and she hooked it up to the crane’s other strap. Then she lowered herself back down to the ground.

As she instructed the crane to tension, she heard a clunk as the mechanism engaged in the ceiling of the cavern. Then another chunk as a mechanism that had lain dormant in the Highlander’s knee activated, transferring the full load of the mighty machine to the other leg as the knee lifted, slowly taking the ankle with it.

She kept a close eye on it, making sure that the sole of the foot never left the ground. She needed just enough clearance to unload the ankle joint.

And stop.

The motors in the crane ceased their movement, but still held the knee just ever so slightly bent. The Nest looked nearly the same, but Sigrid knew she was now balanced on just her right leg. It was time to verify some findings.

She hopped back onto the giant foot in front of her, and then into the cavity. It felt different in a way that was hard to quantify, now that the weight was off. Here she could see the ankle joint, the adjustment screw, and the center she ran her fingers over earlier. She ran them across the surface again. This time they did not get stuck, and there were no imperfections she hadn’t felt earlier.

She turned her attention to the adjustment bolt and undid it as far as it could go, spreading the parts further and further apart until she could access where the massive ankle joint met the foot. What she found was exactly what she expected to see, but no less awe-inspiring.

The wear plates had been worn to be no thicker than a sheet of paper at the edges. She grabbed one to remove it and it crumbled where her fingers touched it, ground down over time by the movement of the ‘Mech. Every step, every turn, every Burial was another millimeter worn away, until all that was left crumbled at her touch.

She shifted her grip, slowly working her way through the crumbling section until she hit something solid. With a gentle tap from her hammer she shifted the plate loose from where it was hanging on. Lifting it out and into the light, she could see the lines where it had rubbed against the ankle joint, again and again and again, until both surfaces were worn away.

They did their job well, and now it was time to retire.

She tapped the upper plate with her hammer, and it fell into the lower plate’s cradle, looking just as thin, especially around the heaviest wear spots. She made sure to clean the area of any debris and shavings before resting the worn-down sections in the crate, taking the fresh ones out.

The difference in weight and size was incredible - she could wield the old ones with a single hand, but needed both of her hands to carry the new ones into position. She started with the top plate, propping it up in the lower cradle and tapping it into place with her hammer. When she was satisfied it wouldn’t fall down, she retrieved the lower plate. It was a lot easier to install, letting gravity do most of the setting.

Then she turned her attention once more to the adjustment bolt. Both fresh wear plates now in place, she was able to start tightening it again. It hit its mark with almost alarming speed, showing her just how far down the plates had worn.

She checked if she had her tools before extracting herself from the foot. A place for everything, and everything in its place. That place was not in the left foot of the Old Bird’s Nest.

Once satisfied, she lowered the crane again, firmly planting the Highlander’s foot on the ground. She felt the two bolts in her pouch and hooked up her harness again. Unhook the crane from the knee, unthread the eye bolts, reinsert the old bolts, and then do it all again.

She put in the move order for the crane and held on tight to the knee. It would move without her, pulling her up slightly as the line stretched across the gap between the ‘Mech’s knees. When it was halfway across, she pushed off. Swinging by the chain, she landed on the other knee and grabbed her handholds. The crane finished its movement shortly after.

Here she repeated the same process, unthread the bolts, thread in the eye bolts, attach the chains, lower herself down. She took off the cover plate for the right foot, and performed the same inspection again. No deformations, no visible cracks or scratches. She ran her fingers across the gap. They did not get stuck. She knew the check was unnecessary, but it wouldn’t be right not to afford this side the same care and attention she did the other.

Only then did she raise the Highlander’s right knee.

The wear plates on the right ankle joint weren’t as thin as the ones on the left, but still had a lot of visible wear. Definitely favored her left leg. It did mean that there was a lot less debris to clear out of the cradles after she removed the wear plates. Still, it paid to be thorough. Metal particles stuck between the plates could wreak havoc on the smoothness of the motion.

It took exactly as many turns of the adjustment bolt to get the left and right joints to their mark, making Sigrid appreciate the standardization even more than usual. She climbed back outside and freed the Old Bird’s Nest from her sling, setting both her feet firmly on the ground.

If everything went well, this meant the next five years of ankle alignment work orders would be a simple matter of turning the adjustment bolt.

One job down, two more to go. But first tidying up; it wouldn’t do to get in her own way. Right knee freed from eye bolts, crane’s chains retracted to the chest of the Highlander, climbing gear stowed away, everything back in her pockets. She found herself on the lift rising up to meet the Nest’s torso plate. Assault ‘Mechs were always so tall, especially the ones with a humanoid body plan. She didn’t think any amount of exposure would acclimate her to this.

No sooner had she finished her thought than she came face-to-face with the scarred armor plate. She ran her fingers across the molten and scratched surface, gliding across the edges of where the holes were, and the deep scratches caused by the glancing blows.

This armor plate was old. Older than her, older than Melissa. Possibly even older than the Clans. It had been there to protect the ‘Mech, to protect the pilots past. And now it had been there to protect her friend.

“Thank you.”

The Nest protects Melissa. The armor protects the Nest. And now she protects the armor.

She took the chains from the ceiling crane and hooked them up to the damaged plate before starting the disconnect process. Thankfully none of the bolts had taken a hit, so one by one they came undone at her touch until only momentum held it in place. She placed her hand once more on the scarred plate and provided the last nudge.

It swung out, suspended by the crane above as she guided it down to the floor to be picked up. She wanted to be sure it got the care and attention it needed, so she walked ahead of the forklift to the machine shop. It arrived with the damaged plate moments after she did.

Standard procedure would be to cut wide around the damaged subpanels to make sure no damaged material remained, but in this case it would be better to cut tight, to make sure no undamaged material was removed. She knew how important it was to Melissa to keep as many of the Nest’s components original as possible.

The removal of the subpanels was slow going. Not quite tedious, but definitely slow. Cut, examine, let the tool sneak up on her marks. Taking her time was worth it, to make sure she could examine the resulting surface. Take too much off at once, and you risk overshooting. So slow, deliberate increments were the order of the day. 

As she was chipping away, a strata of paint jobs revealed itself to her. Underneath the SLDF green a brilliant silver, and beyond that it just kept going. Vibrant yellows and blues, muted grays and blacks, a shining white that reminded her of the Word of Blake, but was more likely to be ComStar. And then, all the way at the bottom before the bare metal made itself known, the exact same shade of SLDF green that was at the top. All preserved in this piece of history.

She made sure to set the biggest shards she took off apart, given the historical importance of the component. Likely some in the Clans would appreciate her saving them.

When she was done, nothing remained of the tell-tale scorch marks that indicated laser hits, and the scratches of glancing blows were cleaned of any soot or debris.

Lamellor armor was always tricky to work with due to the layered nature, but at least it wasn’t as messy as HarJel variants. Those always extended the work time by at least a day just to get the gunk off of the tools.

She was thankful for the other ‘Techs on duty today that helped her find appropriate-sized chunks of replacement armor to be shaped into the new sub-panels. Attaching was a slow and repetitive process, but this job demanded nothing less than perfection. With a steady hand she affixed the new panels, filling gaps where needed until only the different colors showed where new replacement panels connected.

The experience in the spray booth was contemplative, like she was adding to history. The color codes of the SLDF’s muted greens were on file and abundant in stock. She had done this before, on the Old Girl, on the Raptor IIs, and would do it many times more. And now it was time for Old Bird’s Nest to take the stand and be supplied with a fresh coat on her torso armor.

Before it could be mounted though, she needed to make sure the underlying components were still in good condition. The walk back to ‘Bay fourteen was a lot more relaxed than the way to the fabrication area. She didn’t have to worry about outpacing a forklift for one, and for another the part of this repair where she was most reliant on others was behind her.

The lift rose again, and she was face to face with the Old Bird’s Nest. Above her the rectangular window of the cockpit loomed, and right in front of her, the internal systems of the mighty ‘Mech were lain bare.

She remembered exactly where the armor had been pierced, and on the components underneath she could see soot marks and molten slag in those exact places. Thankfully only surface problems, the armor had done its job well. The conduits underneath showed no signs of warping or cracks as she ran her hand along each one in turn. For all the advanced diagnostic tools in existence, there would always be a need for a well-trained eye and a gentle touch as part of a MechTech’s repertoire.

The repaired plate was waiting for her on the floor of the ‘Bay, the crane’s chains dangling by the side of the moveable platform and ready to be attached. She lowered the platform and hopped off.

One chain into each attachment point, and with a few taps on her tablet the panel was raised into position by the chest of the ‘Mech. She hopped back onto the platform and followed it.

Attaching it was a simple manner of finding her marks, top left, bottom right, top right, bottom left. Once those were in, she went around the perimeter to attach each bolt in turn until not even a direct impact would shake this panel from where it was. With the final bolt in, she touched the now-dry paint on the freshly installed panel.

“Keep her safe for me.”

She kept her eyes on the panel as the lift took her back down, feeling it slowly transform in her mind from the component she installed, to part of the Old Bird’s Nest. It was always a curious sensation to see something she made be absorbed into a ’Mech, and look like it was always meant to be there.

She shaped it. With her mind and her hands and her experience, she shaped it. And now it was part of a larger whole.

She climbed the ladder up to the center catwalk and sat down on the floor by the workbench. She was dreading this next part. Not because of the work involved, but because she knew how important it was to her. When she closed her eyes she could sometimes see this exact access door, Karrie jumping out as speakers blared and the hellfire that was the plasma created by suborbital insertion licked the hull of the DropShip.

She didn’t want to experience that again. She didn’t want Karrie to have to go through that again.

I will turn this reactor inside out to find the root issue before I allow that to happen again.

The access hatch loomed ahead of her on the left side of the Highlander’s torso. More memories came over her, better times on Terra, lightning scars, focus.

Sigrid closed her eyes. Anger at the injustice, fear at the consequences, duty as a MechTech, care for her friends, protection. They all flashed by her in rapid succession. She needed to focus. Take those feelings, push them aside, and let them power her conviction to see this through. There was work to be done.

She opened her eyes and stood up. Eyes keen, hands steady, she opened the hatch and climbed in. The area inside the torso was at once spacious and cramped, especially for someone her size. Thankfully she didn’t need much room yet. Her full collection of diagnostic tools consisted of a flashlight, a trained pair of eyes, and a sensitive set of fingers. The reactor was ahead, dormant and cool.

The sensor alignment on left side #3 magneto array on the reactor. That was what Karrie was in here to fix. It was a good place to start. She bent down and took a look at the adjustment mechanism. There were no tool marks, no impact marks, nothing that would indicate why it would suddenly move.

Maybe it wasn’t the sensor that had moved. Maybe it was what it was measuring. She let her hand rest on the housing for the adjustment mechanism, careful not to touch the screws themselves. It helped her think, and be more connected to the ‘Mech.

What was it measuring? That would be the timing for the plasma peak inside the housing. But it needed to be precise, and aligned exactly with the location of the peak. What would shift the peak? Internal forces, either positive or negative pressure.

She traced her hand over the labyrinth of pipes, slowly moving up the reactor housing. What would influence the pressure? The release valves. Each magneto array had three of them, calibrated to stagger their releases irregularly to prevent resonance from occurring and…

Shifting the peaks.

She stood up, tracing the pipes further and further up to the maze that was the reactor’s crown; a tangle of pipes and bolts dancing across the central structure. Chaos to an observer, poetry in geometry to a MechTech. A loose crown bolt could offset the stagger just enough to cause a cascade. She ran her hands across the circle of them, while her eyes focused on finding the one for the #3 array. Both found their mark at the same time.

There was a small, barely perceivable sound as her hand brushed the bolt. She could feel it more than hear it, but it was loose. Just ever so slightly. She took her spanner, adjusted it to the correct size and slid it over the bolt easily. A small turn later, and it was seated tightly.

A thought at the back of her mind drew her attention.

It cannot be that easy.

MechTechs have worked on this machine before. So many talented ‘Techs, the best the Inner Sphere and the Clans alike have to offer. It cannot be that simple.

She ran her hands across the bolts again, this time focusing not on identifying them, but identifying differences. And the #3 one was different. Something deeper was amiss here. Bolts get replaced all the time, as they wear out, as they get lost in rebuilds, but that’s not a problem. They’re standardized. Identical. Made to the same specifications each and every time. So why was this one different?

She took her spanner again, and unthreaded the #3 bolt. It looked exactly like how she expected it. The weight felt correct, the thread felt correct. There was some thread locker on it. The high temperature version. With the bolt in her hand, she exited the access hatch and moved over to the workbench. When all else fails, measure and inspect. The bolt was marked with its size, manufacturing date, and producing factory. She took out a set of thread gauges and found the correct one to test the bolt. It slotted in perfectly. No wiggle room, no imperfections. This was as standard a bolt as could be found. So why was it the only loose one?

She went back into the hatch, and climbed onto the reactor crown. Was there something wrong with the bolt hole? Her flashlight revealed no obvious damage, no wear marks, no cracks. Nothing. But then she saw the other bolts. Same information. Size was identical, but the manufacturing date was old. Very old. These were from when the reactor was produced. Originally produced. Before the Exodus.

She didn’t want to disrupt the working parts of the reactor, but removing and reinserting a crown bolt should be part of regular maintenance. She took the #2 out, and went back to her workbench. Somewhere she feared she was just making the difference up, but the tread gauge confirmed it. It moved ever so slightly, and holding it against the light she could see the miniscule gaps.

Shit

There were many possible implications of this, and none of them good. She had her first answer though, and that meant she needed help. She put the bolts, both the ‘new’ to-spec one and the old one in her pocket, and started on the long walk towards the machine shop.

The trip was enough time for her to clear her head, come up with a plan, maybe think on what she found. But it wasn’t long enough to finish thinking, as she soon found herself face-to-face with the door leading to the shop. She stepped in and looked around. She hadn’t had the time to look at today’s schedule yet.

“Kirsty, good to see you on shift today! Got a minute?” she called out.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“What would you say this is?” She handed the machinist the older bolt she took out of the reactor.

“Standard sized bolt, manufactured on Terra in… is that correct? Where did you get this?”

“Old Bird’s Nest, reactor’s left side #2 crown bolt. And you’d think so, wouldn’t you?” She handed her the thread gauge.

It was interesting to see Kirsty’s face go from self-assuredness to confusion to comprehension to a wide-eyed stare back at Sigrid. “What is this?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out. Thread gauge is good, by the way. Here’s a newer bolt.” The #3 bolt changed hands. “So I’ve got two things I need. One, is I need one made to this specification. You’re one of the best machinists on this drop so if anyone can do it, it’d be you. The second, is I know you’re also very well-connected. I need to find out what happened to cause the drift. I don’t believe the original SLDF was sloppy with their precision.”

“Yeah, you… yeah.” was all Kirsty could say. “Machining is going to be an absolute bitch though. Do you have at least enough time for me to get… three or four setups for this?”

“I do. Nest’s not due for deployment for another day or so. Can you send ‘em over to ‘Bay fourteen?”

“You got it, chief. And once I find out more, I’ll let you know too!”

“You’re the best, K. In so many ways!”

And with that, she walked back to her Bay. She knew enough about machining that she understood what she was asking. Thread cutting happened in increments - cutting a thread precisely in between those increments? That required an incredibly skilled machinist. Kirsty was one. She would pull this off.

Meanwhile Sigrid would entertain herself by updating the maintenance log. When she arrived at her Bay, she hopped onto the foot of the Highlander, like she did this morning. But this time, she made herself a comfortable seat around the ankle joint and detached her tablet from her wrist. She pulled up the maintenance log. Filling it out while she was waiting for parts was a good use of time.

She realized it was taking its time to load, which gave her a moment to contemplate. For some ‘Mechs, filling in the work log was a formality. Like Death Knell. She knew the logs would be scrubbed before long, just like it was scrubbed of anything else identifying.

For The Old Bird’s Nest though? It was a ceremony. There would be a list of some of the best MechTechs around, going back to when Melissa first acquired her. When currently Commanding General Hazen first acquired her. And she’d be adding her name to that long list. The log finally loaded and displayed its first entry. Right there, she was expecting; final prep before delivering to commander Hazen.

And then she looked again.

Jun 2766 T MacEvan: Final prep for delivery to cdr. Hazen. …

This was… not Melissa. 

This was Elizabeth.

Part of her wanted to probe deeper. Wanted to know which part of the ‘Mech had originally belonged to her. Wanted to know everything. It could have been the reactor, it could have been a single control panel in the cockpit. In the end, it didn’t matter.

The ‘jump to current’ button lit up in the corner of the screen. She thoroughly ignored it and gave the list a flick.

Name after name scrolled by, engineers, MechTechs, names of historical figures. Military units, mercenary companies, every service performed on every single part of this ‘Mech contained here within her tablet.

She sat there for minutes, just scrolling through the list, taking in all the names. Many she didn’t recognize, some she did. Each of them at the top of their field. Every entry telling a story. She spotted two engineers performing calibrations at each other. She spotted Y. Virtanen changing to Y. Virtanen-Murad. She spotted the #3 left magneto array sensor starting to need calibration after the crown bolt was replaced following a rough battle. She considered the gravity of what she did. What she was about to do.

She reached the bottom of the list.

… Sep 3153 M Hazen: Calibrate IFF signature registry Oct 3153 M Hazen: Realign L. ankle joint Oct 3153 M Hazen: Realign #3 L. reactor magneto sensor Oct 3153 K DeLacey: Realign #3 L. reactor magneto sensor (I filled this out for you, please verify when you have the chance? -Sigrid) Oct 3153 S Guntran: Replace L. ankle wear plates Oct 3153 S Guntran: Replace R. ankle wear plates Oct 3153 S Guntran: Realign L. ankle joint Oct 3153 S Guntran: Realign R. ankle joint Oct 3153 S Guntran: Replace torso armor Oct 3153 S Guntran: Replace L. reactor crown bolt #3_

Her name was on here now. Added into the story - into the history - of this ‘Mech. Forever part of not just the Old Bird’s Nest, but the SLDF.

An approaching electric truck caught her attention, Snaps waving as he got closer, Archaea sitting quietly in the passenger seat until the flatbed came to a stop by her Bay and she stepped out to untie a container.

He was the first to speak up. “What in the hell did you have Kirsty make? I swear I’ve never seen her so excited to make something or this creative in her cursing.”

Sigrid grinned knowingly. “SLDF standard bolt.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Okay okay, bit more to it than that, I think she’d have to recalibrate her entire setup twice over to make this thing. They in there?”

“Yeah. Plus a note.”

Archaea finished unloading the crate and silently clipped the retaining straps back down.

“Yelling might’ve gotten to her,” he supplied.

Sigrid walked over, and saw Archaea flinch as she approached. She opened her arms in the offer for a hug. Archaea took her up on it, burying her face in her coveralls. She didn’t need to say anything for Sigrid to know. She knew what it was like.

“You good soloing the next few deliveries, Snaps? I think a moment would do her good.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I got this.”

She looked down at the top of Archaea’s head. “What do you think? Would you like to stay here for a bit?” The midnight black crown of hair nodded slightly, still pressed tightly against her.

She let go with one hand and waved to Snaps as he accelerated, then turned her attention back to Archaea.

“It’s okay, let’s go sit by the foot. I’ve got some water, and I think it’s time for lunch anyway.”

The walk to the foot of the Highlander was slow, but that was okay. Sigrid picked a spot on the wall-side of the ‘Bay, out of view of everything. Times like this didn’t need rushing, they needed care. Archaea didn’t extract her head from Sigrid’s coveralls for the walk, nor for the slow descent into sitting on the floor. She wasn’t crying, but it looked like she was just tired of the world for now. Sigrid knew the feeling well.

She sheltered Archaea from the world, providing soft comfort, and big arms to wrap her up and hold her, until she was ready to face existence again. The first sign this was happening was a small voice coming from her side.

“You’re still really warm.”

She smiled at that, giving a gentle squeeze. “Must be the crawling around in the reactor core.”

She released the squeeze, giving Archaea a chance to peek her head out. “Takes a lot of fuel though. Would you like pancakes?”

At this her head detached from Sigrid’s coveralls. “Pancakes?”

“Yeah, Karrie made ‘em fresh this morning! Even got syrup this time. Would you like some?”

There was a frantic nod from her side, and at that signal she pulled her toolchest closer. In it was a bundle of grease paper, a carefully-wrapped fork, and a sachet of syrup. It made Sigrid feel safe.

The pancakes were room temperature, no longer as hot as when they were fresh. But they somehow made her feel warm inside anyway. She hoped Archaea could feel the same.

From how quickly she was eating, they definitely made her feel like more. This was good, Karrie had made a lot of them.

Archaea looked like she was feeling a little better. No longer as quiet and… still, as she was when she delivered the crates. More comfortable taking up space again.

“Looks like you needed that. Feeling a bit better?”

“Yeah, I-... Thank you Sigrid. You’re a good friend.”

“Takes one to know one,” she replied. “Ready to face the Lab again?”

Archaea nodded, and they got up together. No longer fully attached by force of hug, but enough that they moved in unison. As they rounded the corner of the foot, the quiet hum of an electric flatbed made itself known. Archaea waved at it as it approached.

When Snaps stopped, he smiled. “Feeling a bit better Kid?”

“Yeah, Sigrid is the best she knew a quiet spot so I could rest and she had pancakes and we talked about... Sorry!”

Snaps’ grin broadened at that. “Glad to hear it, you ready for the next few? I picked up a shiny new set of crates.”

Archaea gave Sigrid a last hug before dashing off again and hopping into the passenger seat. She fastened her seatbelt and nodded enthusiastically.

“Off we go then. Thanks again Red!”

Sigrid waved at them as they drove off before turning her attention to the freshly delivered crate. Opening the lid, she spotted three bolts and a note.

Dear Sigrid, 1) Fuck you, you know how much of an ass it was to precisely machine a bolt 0%<x<1% out of spec in every single dimension? 2) I could kiss you right now, that was the most fun I had on this drop! I had to use every trick I know to pull this off but I’m awesome so I made it happen! Got you a spare too. 3) I don’t know if you know how big a deal it is that you found this, but if this is what I think it is you are going to get so much writing credit. So. Much. 4) If you see the Old Bird, tell her I said ‘hi’ and that I haven’t forgotten. Love, Kirsty

The bolts looked identical to each other, save for the markings. One had the original markings from Terra, the other two bore the current year and the DropShip machine shop. The sizing information had the addition of -SGu. Probably a good idea to differentiate them from the in-spec sizing with the same name.

She climbed up to the catwalk, and crawled back into the access hatch on the Highlander’s left torso. Through the maze of pipes, to the reactor, up to the crown. She made a mental note of how the #2 bolt felt when it went down, and was very satisfied when the #3 felt identical. No more loose threads, no more slight wiggle. She tightened both of them down.

All that was left now was to re-re-recalibrate the sensor. That was a job best done with two people though, the running back and forth between the cockpit and the reactor would get very tedious otherwise. That left just a single part of this work order left to do, a general systems check.

She extracted herself from the torso, and closed the door. She touched her hand to the latch and gave it a push. The sensation helped cement in her mind that she had in fact closed it. No more cause to worry.

She climbed the ladder to the top catwalk, and climbed onto the Nest’s shoulder. The cockpit was locked with a softkey, and Melissa had trusted her enough to provide her with one. She knew how much that meant. Probably four people in the galaxy had one.

She tapped it and listened for the soft beep and the even softer click that unlocked the cockpit as it was accepted. She closed it behind her and sat down in the pilot’s seat. Four people. Only four people in the entire galaxy had ever seen this cockpit, as it was right now. The Old Bird’s Nest.

This was as close to Melissa’s sanctum as anything could be, she doubted even her own bedroom held more significance to her. Every single console, every adjustment of the seat, the exact ergonomics were tailored to her specifically. If she closed her eyes, Sigrid could almost imagine her sitting here, hands on the controls, talons grasping the specially designed pedals.

Her fingers danced through the startup procedure. Screens lit up with diagnostic information, performing self-tests on all the systems it could access. Panels lit up, warning lights illuminating and dimming as every system was checked. The systems beneath the damaged chest plate passed their tests, as did the ankle actuators.

Her helmet wasn’t plugged in, so the Highlander wouldn’t be able to move. Even if she was plugged in, she knew Melissa would have the controls locked. Still, when performing a full reactor startup, procedures were there for a reason. Sigrid paused and keyed the radio transceiver on the control panel in front of her.

“Bay Control, this is Sigrid Guntran, piloting Highlander ‘Old Bird’s Nest’ in MechBay fourteen. Requesting clearance for reactor test cycle startup. How copy?”

The response came almost immediately.

“‘Old Bird’s Nest’, Bay Control. Cleared for reactor test cycle startup in thirty seconds.”

“Bay Control, ‘Old Bird’s Nest’. Starting reactor test cycle in thirty seconds.”

Sigrid waited. Overhead a warning light switched on to alert anyone working in the area that a full ‘Mech powerup was about to happen. The thirty seconds would give them the time they needed to clear the immediate area. Sigrid suspected there wasn’t anyone there, but acting on suspicions like that without verifying is what got people hurt.

When the timer ticked down, her fingers resumed their dance. The shrill whine of the auxiliary generator was replaced with the thrum of the main one. Diagnostics danced over her screen. If her fix behaved as expected, the reactor should supply only three quarters of its rated power. The thrum became louder, until the full potential was reached. At almost exactly 75%. The only thing that remained was recalibrating the now-offset #3 magneto array sensor with Karrie or Melissa. One in the cockpit to monitor output, the other to make the actual adjustments. Those would have to wait until one of them was available.

She powered down the systems again, watching each component return to cold and dark until only a single screen was illuminated. It displayed a message:

Playing audio file MHazen_HelloSigrid

And then it too went dark. Before she could question what that was, Melissa’s voice filled the cockpit.

“Sigrid. I know you are working right now, and I would have liked to tell you this in person... but things have gotten in the way. I wanted to say that to have you working on my 'Mech… I appreciate it. Truly. You and Karrie are the two Techs I trust with her. So thank you. Oh, and there is a further message for both you and Karrie, so share it with her, will you, Sigrid?"

On the dashboard ahead was a small data chip plugged into the command and control interface. Melissa had mentioned this before; it used to be mounted in an Orion. Kerensky’s Orion. She reached out and detached the chip, trying and failing to not consider the weight of what she did today.

She worked on the command ‘Mech for the entire SLDF. She worked on equipment older than the Clans. She requisitioned custom-machined parts to address an issue that had been overlooked for decades.

She added her name to the log of people who came before, the best in their field. She received a vote of confidence from Melissa Hazen. Her, Sigrid. From a little town outside Naragajan.

She turned the chip over in her hand, wrist resting on the console. Kerensky’s console. Now Melissa’s.

She considered that maybe. Just maybe.

She actually was good enough.

[labselkie]

hi guys. i got really emotional (i think jealous is a good term. yeaaah) and pumped this out in a half hour. i’m hoping this is a better coping method to cope w my coping method other than just crying about it; which is my usual go to! so! hope u guys r doing wonderfully <33

Sky-Spider was growing to despise the Society.

First they mistreat her friends, kicking them out for just being themselves- Sure, they liked to start shit, but who was Mr. O’Hara to downright ban them? He had plastered their pictures around like wanted posters, “Earth-138 visits PROHIBITED” scrawled below their smug faces. There were already versions of Felicia Hardy in the HQ, so why would the one dating a Spider be ushered out like an animal?

She had to shove through other Spiders to get to the wing she had in mind, leaping off the tyrannosaurus, pushing past a few Peters. The HQ was almost labyrinthine, pillars of steel jutting out from each and every wall. Normally, she’d practically struggle to find her way through, but not today.

She refused to talk to Miguel civilly about this. Not after he apprehended her lover.

The prison wing, a much darker hall with a void of a ceiling, full from wall to wall with vibrant laser walled compartments and cells. Although, for as intimidating as the mistreatment was, the machine the semi-circular wing led to was far more daunting. The arachnoid structure was the least of her worries.

Swinging in was like ramming into a theater screen, sharp gold walls hiding far more colorful villains from all walks of life. They were like bugs encased in amber, reduced to nothing more than nuisances to be fed to a beast and disposed to their former universes. A few goblins sneered at her entry, roars from sandy masses and men mixed with beasts shake her to her core. It wasn’t just fear, though, as for the past year a sense of pity had crept its way into her work as Sky-Spider. Some of the prisoners are caught up in heated debates with other Spiders, some were asleep, some were distant and unresponsive.

She can’t show weakness here, at least not yet, especially since the whole place was monitored. The bright halls made her head spin, until she found the criminal she was looking for.

“Liv!” Sky-Spider called, one hand rising to tear off her mask by the feather adorning it. Her other one pushes up to one of the walls, causing it to pulse like a broken TV screen. Olivia had turned her head at the sound of the other woman’s voice, her eyes widening at the sight. She looked so, so tired- Much more tired than she ever was when overworking herself at Alchemax, or when they were still fighting. The light of the lasers cast her in a ghastly light, the lines on her face that Sky had so reverently worshipped looking more like deep carvings in stone as she was wracked in worry.

“Oh, Luce-“ The doctor chuckles breathlessly, shifting where she sat as the actuators surrounding her slithered to the other side. She looked quite cramped, stuck curled into a ball and barely able to hold her own hand up to the wall. A weak smile spread across her lips, but Lucielle couldn’t smile back yet.

“What did he do to you.. How did he even find you, it was only five minutes!” She sobs out, crouching down to see the older woman more clearly. Sky blamed herself, she was quite good at that, but this time she felt fully accountable for letting a variant of Doctor Octopus know about the Society, let alone letting that woman even see inside.

“Hey, hey,” Olivia advised calmly, “I’m alright, honey, see?” She gestures to herself with her free hand, but her trembling voice and the restless coiling of tentacles did nothing to calm the hero outside the cell.

Lucielle’s brows furrowed, and her nose scrunched with her frustration. “No, no you aren’t!” She leans down to the cold floor, sitting on her knees and calves to more easily move closer. Her eyes, wracked with tears, darted around: to the other cells, over her shoulders, then back to Olivia before settling on her own bulky watch.

Right, the watch! Hobie had upgraded its security capabilities, in return for Lucielle helping him pocket some more materials. She was quietly planning before Olivia butt in once more, trying to downplay the situation.

“Look, we’re on another Earth! You know this is my life’s work, right? There’s a positive to this, I’ve never seen so many variants of a single person in one room ever! Not even in simulations!” Her voice, still shaking, is tinged with sharp enthusiasm. But Sky-Spider just keeps her head low, her heart wrenching in her chest as she types code after code into the small interface on her wrist. Her hands are trembling, and it isn’t easy to type in the gloves, but as Olivia rambles she feels the need to go even quicker. He said it wouldn’t activate the alarms, that she could use it once and that it would only last for ten minutes. Thankfully, she trusted him.

Click!

And a buzz, and the cell’s lasers dissipate as they shift to blue and fade to nothingness, leaving Olivia’s actuators to sprawl out like eels leaving a cramped tank. The villainess has no time to react, however, as her blue suited friend bounds forward into a tight hug. Olivia lets out a quick sound of shock. Her arms and legs are tense, but the tentacles do the work for her, all four pressing up against the Spider as they lie in the marks on the ground that designated the cell. Lucielle breaks into a fit of laughter, clenching her eyes shut as she clings onto the hug like a child who had a nightmare.

The doctor was still surprised, though, her wide eyes flitting across the hall. Sneers and taunts of still trapped villains make her head ring, but one thing snaps her out of it: the racing heartbeat against her own.

“I’ll show you all the worlds… All the worlds you could ever want to see,” Sky stammers, squeezing the hug tighter as the actuators never cease their coiling. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

Olivia is still silent, before the warmth encompassing her becomes too much to bear. She stretches out her legs to let the Spider get closer, and smiles weakly. Her arms dip under Lucielle’s.

“I could say the same for you,” She whispers. “Thank you.”

[kineticpenguin]

It ain't easy being a mech maintainer. There's absolutely zero respect for our profession. There's always some token chief engineer or some shit in the stories who somehow singlehandedly works miracles to keep you from questioning how this all works. But it ain't like that. And if I ever see a pilot turn a wrench I'll eat my fucking hat.

Listen, a mech's hands are delicate equipment. Yes, they're heavily armored, like every other fucking part of the goddamn things, but the laws of physics still apply. Which means that every time a pilot brags about how they can crush a tank turret in their fist or pick up an egg without cracking it, it means these things are full of sensors, and wiring, and actuators, and haptic feedback processors and it all has to communicate perfectly with a computer before the right signals are sent to the pilot's jackoff suit. Shit's delicate.

So these fuckers go out, heavily beweaponed with the best anti-armor weaponry known to man, missiles, guns, lasers, you name it.

And they fucking punch each other. With these intricately articulated, sensor-laden, networked hands. And they get mad when they don't work right afterward. I swear, someone oughtta let us just swap out those hands for bowling balls. Or better yet, instead of making us fix these things, we just settle disputes with a game of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots because it's the same damn thing at this point.

[doolallymagpie]

the fucking face of evil

[nyxgoddessofcandles]

Had this customer roll by the 'mech garage at the diner

customer requested...a lot honestly, notably though this formerly-urbanmech design spec has been uptonned to 45 tons, built on Clan Endosteel, with a Virtual-Reality Pod cockpit in the center torso and a compact gyro. Powered by a Clan XL 180 fusion engine cooled by 13 Clan Double Heatsinks.

They also wanted specifically Prototype TSM? I guess what's coming makes it make sense though:

The head is occupied by a Turreted Large Chem Laser with 3 tons of ammo in the side torsos, and for close range engagements it has...two Lances...I had to put lower arm actuators on an urbanmech. This thing is cursed. Maybe blessed? I'm unsure but there's definitely a higher power at play here.

Stuffed in a Nova CEWS we had laying around and a Void Signature System. All of this, clad in 13 tons of Hardened armor

Oh and the weapons are all armored. Yes even the lances.

They had us paint "UrbanKnight" on the side of the shoulder, under a shield-emblem, and requested custom modified software to internally designate it as a "UK-X". I guess X for experimental? Certainly fine by me, this is no longer an Urbanmech, not physically at least.

[neon-knights-mercenary-company]

The world outside of Rowan’s cockpit was cast in shades of grey.

Sleet drove away the sun, battered away at building and bunker alike, leaving them indistinguishable from each other, the metal titans moving between them nothing more than looming silhouettes. Tracers and the occasional actinic glare of a laser would disrupt the illusion, casting hundreds of tons of metal and myomer in stark relief, before the snow cloaked them once again in anonymity.

Rowan cycled her scopes from IR back to Seismic, as the frozen mess proved once again too difficult for her Marauder’s sensors to pierce. Holding still to get a good reading, she found her target- a Rifleman RFL-3N, providing the AA cover keeping their air support at bay. She lined up her PPC’s crosshairs over the center mass, and-

CLANK

KRACK

A split second before she depressed the trigger, an incoming shell caught her ‘Mech on the left torso, stripping away over a half ton of armor and throwing off her shot just enough for a lethal blow to thetorso to simply rip off half of the offending Rifleman’s firepower.

Fuck.

Rowan turned her attention to the new threat- a Centurion CN9-A, it’s AC/10 reloading a new cassette. She turned the stumble of the blow into a smooth twist and step back, putting a building between her and the Rifleman even as she brought her weapons to bear on the Centurion.

She missed with her large laser, but managed to track the Centurion with her arm mounts as the ‘mech twisted its torso. Her medium lasers carved great molten furroughs across a score of armor plates, rather than punching a hole through to the tender bits inside. This was no green pilot- that, or they just got lucky. Better to treat them as the former, though.

Rowan pushed her mech into a sidestep, behind the cover of a building as her lasers cycled. Seismics showed the Centurion closing the distance, but stopping before getting to the corner instead of rushing through.

Definitely not a greenie, then.

The Centurion peeked around the corner, only exposing it’s arm-mounted autocannon and part of it’s torso and cockpit, and fired off another burst, even as Rowan pushed her Marauder to move.

Her mech danced around the burst of fire, closing the distance, before swinging a leg out in a kick aimed at the barrel of the Luxor-D autocannon. With the clang of metal on metal, the end of the barrel sheered away from the gun, but the Centurion’s pilot pushed forward, nearly unbalancing Rowan. She windmilled the arms of her Marauder as she stumbled back, and the Centurion pushed it’s way fully around the corner.

The Centurion’s medium lasers slashed a weeping red line across her ‘mech’s left arm, and managed to burn out the focusing lens on her own medium laser.

That fucker.

Rowan saw red.

As soon as she caught her balance, she shifted the center of gravity on her mech, and fell more than stepped forward into the offending Centurion, pushing it to the ground with all 75 tons of angry Marauder bearing down on it. The arm housing her now-ruined laser came down in a mad swing against the prone ‘mech, sheering away chunks of BAR-10 and leaving a section of the delicate structure exposed. A swift kick to shatter the knee actuator of the fallen ‘mech ensured it would have a hell of a time getting back up, and she sprang away back to her feet, uncannily smooth for the towering monstrosity she piloted.

Backing up a dozen paces, she fired off a final parting shot with her remaining medium laser. Her shot was aimed well, and touched off the ammo bin the opened up torso. The ensuing explosion breifly illuminated the battlefield, and in that moment through the red haze that had settled over her vision, she saw a model of ‘mech unlike any she’d seen before.

It’s shining silver form was superficially similar to her own Marauder, but it seemed to be some sort of frankenmech, with a Catapult’s twin-box style LRM launchers on the shoulders.

She decided to call it a Maraudapult, and was prepared to turn and charge the newcomer like she had the Centurion, when the IFF ping came back Friendly.

Rowan shrugged, and turned her attention back to the fight at hand-just in time to witness the Maraudapult obliterate a Hunchback-4G, that she hadn’t seen sneaking up on her damaged flank.

Woah.

Rowan took note of her savior’s IFF, resolving to buy them a drink when they made it off this fucking planet.

[chasingstardustandmoonbeams]

Hi! I saw that request were open could you do a Han Solo with “I could kiss you right now” “you’re more than welcome too” thank you if you can!

Wiping the grime off of your forehead you couldn’t help the satisfaction off your face. You’d been working on the Falcons broken down actuators and gas feeds for the last few hours.

“How’s it going?”

You turned to see Han, arms crossed and his usual smirk across his face.

You gave him a wide smile in return while you made your way over to him.

“Perfect actually,” you teased, “Laser cannons are back up and running even better than before.”

“You’re kidding?” Han reached out twirled you around. “Oh, sweetheart I could just kiss you!”

“You’re more than welcome to,” you’d said softly. Not even realizing the words had slipped past you.

Han’s smile only grew more broad. “Now, sweetheart if you wanted a kiss all you had to do was ask.”

Han cupped your chin in his hand, tilting his face towards yours.

“Han?”

“Yeah?” He was a little less sure of himself now the closer your face got to his. His breath hitching ever so slightly as you placed a hand on his chest.

“If you wanted a kiss all you had to was ask,” you whispered, growing more bolder as he lost his confidence.

Your eyes met his, there was something there you hadn’t seen before.

“You don’t need to tell me twice,” he mumbled as he closed the gap between you both. A smile present on both your lips.

[boinkingbattlemechs]

Locust

The Locust was one of the most common BattleMechs in existence, having been in continuous production since the design was first introduced by Bergan Industries in 2499. One of the smallest 'Mechs ever built, the Locust was designed exclusively for reconnaissance and quick strike missions, using its then-phenomenal speed to outrun most enemies. In a situation where it was unable to outrun its enemies, the 'Mech did have a light array of weapons with which to defend itself, but the Locust lacked the firepower or staying power to be a true front-line combatant and as a result few MechWarriors enjoyed piloting Locusts. Within its weight-class though, the Locust was considered an excellent 'Mech, overshadowed as a scout only by designs which mounted jump jets. Often when a Locust engaged in combat it was as a holding action until reinforcements could arrive, although when operating in groups of three they could swarm lone enemy 'Mechs that were separated from friendly support.

The main weapon of the LCT-1V Locust was a single Martell medium laser mounted in the center torso. Backing this up were two Sperry Browning machine guns, which effectively deterred infantry attacks against the Locust's vulnerable legs. These were located in either arm and fed by a one-ton ammo bin located in the center torso. Lacking hand actuators the Locust was vulnerable to other 'Mechs when engaging in close combat.

The primary asset of the Locust was its speed, using a 160-rated fusion engine to attain a cruising speed of 86.4 km/h and top speed of 129.6 km/h. This speed is necessary for the 'Mech's survival, since four tons of armor means the Locust can be quickly crippled or destroyed by direct hits. The standard engine-mounted 10 heat sinks are sufficient in most cases, although those variants which mount more energy weapons can suffer.

Bergan Industries built Locusts from eight different factories and supplied the Star League and its member states right through to the Amaris Civil War. During the Succession Wars the number of manufacturers increased and the design was being built in nearly a dozen factories, including ones in the Periphery. The wide variety of manufacturers meant production costs for the 'Mech were low and parts were widely available, leading to everyone from lowly pirates to corporate defense forces buying Locusts in large numbers. It also led to many different variants of the Locust, including a failed Davion version mounting a PPC, although those in the Periphery were largely limited to building the original LCT-1V model.

As the Succession Wars wound down those manufacturers within the Successor States began to experiment with new and rediscovered technology to build updated versions of the Locust. The Capellan Confederation in particular modified the Ares facility to build the LCT-1L variant of the Locust with a version of the Triple Strength Myomer that wouldn't catch on fire. Other updated variants, including the LCT-3D, LCT-3M, and LCT-3S were introduced just in time to take part in the Clan Invasion. After the war the Word of Blake approached Corean Enterprises about creating a new Locust variant for their militia, agreeing to buy the entire first production run to assuage the company's misgivings. The various Periphery powers, still largely reliant on the Locust, also began fielding updated variants of their own, although none of the Great Houses were much interested in revitalizing the line. Even into the thirty-second century though the Locust continues to be produced and used out in the Periphery.

* Manufacturers:

The following manufacturers produced the Locust at some time. Models and planets are noted where known. Vicore Industries was licensing its Locust variants to other companies by 3067.

- Bergan Industries has produced the Locust throughout its history, even licensing it to the four Periphery powers before the Amaris Coup.

- Ares: The 1V was in production from its introduction through at least 3054, by then being produced in limited numbers for triple-strength myomer testing using its 1L refit. The 1E was introduced in 2811, commissioned by the Capellan government to reduce dependence on ammunition. Production of the 1Vb was revived during the Jihad. The variant produced in 3080 was not specified. Bergan introduced its 7V during the ilClan era; the 7V2 is presumably a refit or production variant of the Bergan product.

- New Earth: The 1Vb Royal SLDF model was produced from its introduction in 2610, ceasing during the collapse of the Star League.

- Achernar BattleMechs' main facility was on New Avalon. The West Fabrication Facility on Achernar was a longtime producer of IndustrialMechs before its capture by the Word of Blake, who converted the plant to produce the Osprey; the plant was destroyed in June 3077.

- The WFF facility produced the 5W variant before its destruction.

- The New Avalon facility was producing the 3D in 3050 and 3054. They purchased the 5M license from Corean, with production starting in 3067.

- Alliance Defenders Limited: Produced the 1V in 3025, 3050, and 3054. The 3080 production model is not known.

- Bordello Military Goods, Inc. was producing an unspecified variant on Antwerp in 3080.

- Clan Ghost Bear salvaged the Locust line on Alshain after its conquest, producing the 1V by 3054.

- Corean Enterprises MacAdams-Suharno: Corean produced the 3M in its Stewart plant in 3050 and 3054. The 5M was part of the Project Phoenix revival, with the Word of Blake receiving the entire first production run during the early Jihad. The 6M was in production by 3071 and still going in 3085. The model produced in 3080 is unknown, though the 5W2 was in production by 3085.

- Defiance Industries: Defiance produced the 3S on Furillo in 3050 and 3054. The 5S was a Jihad-era design. The version produced in 3080 is not specified. Near the start of the ilClan era, they introduced the 7S.

- Diplass BattleMechs produced the 1V on Timbuktu until the SLDF invasion of the Rim Worlds Republic.

- Gibson Federated BattleMechs: FWDI produced the 3M at its Gibson facility in 3050 and 3054.

- Interstellar Armaments on Rockwellawan was producing the 1V in 3145.

- Majesty Metals and Manufacturing: MMM produced the ubiquitous 1V in 3025, 3050, and 3054. MMM was producing one or more variants on Canopus IV and Dunianshire in 3080.

- Pinard Protectorates Limited on MacLeod's Land still produced the 1V in 3050 and 3054. In 3080, PPL was producing an unspecified variant.

- Protectorate Military Industries on Erod's Escape was producing an unspecified variant in 3145.

- Rim Motors on Otisberg was producing an unspecified variant in 3145.

- Taurus Territorial Industries on Taurus was producing the 1V in 3050 and 3054. In 3080, TTI produced an unspecified variant.

The site or even producer is not always known or specified in available documents:

- The Marian Hegemony was fielding the 1V2 by 3067, though its source was unknown.

- The Magistracy of Canopus and Taurian Concordat were producing the 5V by 3067.

- The "Periphery-born" 5T was in use by the Capellans by 3085. The use of a machine gun array implies a Taurian origin.

(okay, holiday break is over, back to posting polls!)