[Scratch Build] Caseless COMPLETED!!

[Sgt.Reynolds]

Ain't that just the way? Dropped ten Sols on a cable extraction kit from some company named Phobya. Damned if I don't have a 'phobya' of their products now. Didn't work worth a 10mm round at an MBT. Ended up thinking back to the days

at Boot and improvised:

Flattened down some steel pins and used those instead.

[Sgt.Reynolds]

Time to bend over bracket-wards. This side panel's going to need some help staying fixed on the run.

Yeah, man. Works for me.

 

Gonna have to think about the internal shielding now. Need to stop the EMI and UV acting up and ruining my date. Made some support struts for the mainbo' out of some old acrylic boxes. Melted them down, reformed them and made the edges square. Attached the standoffs from the back of the board. Good job these things are integrated these days - never used to be.

Test fit the parts again to measure up for clearance:

 

 

[Sgt.Reynolds]

I have a theory.

 

Lay there this morning, not willing to give up this position, but knowing I'm going to have to get out and loot to find the parts I need. Can they see during the day? I don't think so. They seem to rely on the Seekers to do the hunting and

fighting whilst they go into some sort of standby mode and seal themselves inside those shimmering shields.

 

 

Occasionally, one of them will emerge to issue orders, but then it quickly disappears again. The heat never changes, except when there's a storm, so I'm guessing it's something to do with the UV radiation from those suns. I can't work

during the night any more so am going to try and mix up some UV rad-paint from what's lying around so I can crack on. Hopefully they won't pick it up.

 

If I'm on my toes, going to have to get done what I need to use these machines for, pack it all up and 2-4 out of here.

 

 

Cut a template for the GPU shield:

 

And put the mounting slots in it using needle files (hate damn needles, man):

It fits! We're 5by5 so far.

[Sgt.Reynolds]

Couldn't sleep again. Too close to the end of this build. Need to get finished and get moving. Something occurred to me though.

 

This is where they've gone wrong and where I have a chance as a one-man unit. While the A-Units don't seem to come out during the day and rely on the Seekers to do all the wet work, they've designed those things to be as hands-off as

possible. 

 

Meaning solar power.

 

Meaning no night time activity.

 

I guess the batteries just can't store the huge amount of energy required to operate those logic circuits and servos for any meaningful length of time without the direct suns-light. The Mg panels are converters! Ones I've never seen

before, mind. And I thought I'd seen most things, especially since that chick in the bar on Mars. I can use those panels, if I can figure out the wiring.

 

Rigged the power supply from one of the tracking units I salvaged from that Seeker up to the board. Can't use the tracker anyway since I don't talk machine, let alone Seeker. Small enough to be portable but powerful enough I should be

able to power this unit up, at least for a few hours each day.

 

Going to need to stealth the inside of the crate though, otherwise the EM signals will escape and be picked up. Used cargo tape to mask everything off in prep.

 

Found some old data-sheets lying about too. Must be from the old days, since they're printed, rather than digi, but then this place has a surplus of trees and not much sand, so I'm guessing they went old school. Shame they don't have the third page like The Sol, though. That might have made this a bit more fun. Or at least passed the time...

 

[Sgt.Reynolds]

Stealth time...

Yeah, those headlines seem about right. Reason I joined up in the first place. If it's all going to kick off, might as well be on the side dishing out the shooters.

Exhaust shield for that rear PSU blowout, as well as the magnets for the front and side intake filters:

Plus one for the display unit adapter, to shield the signal from the oppo rads:

Then got the front data input shield finalised:

And started carving out the main trigger panel:

 

 

 

 

 

[Sgt.Reynolds]

They're shelling this sector from orbit in two days. Maybe three, but this fight is so reactive, even that forecast could be a wet finger in the wind. As good as one anywhere else, I suppose.

 

They're trying to nullify the fast-movers by just burning the dirt out of the place with plasma. God help the pockets of souls I've seen through the scope, hanging on in determined fashion. Think they know there's nothing left to do but

fight. Can't even go and assist or I'll be as flayed as they will be. Best thing now is to get on.

 

Checked the plasma cutter:

Rigged up some EM shielding for the display unit and the solid caps on the main deck

And measured up and hacked out the vis-screen on the side panel. Can't believe this has all been done using hand tools, a drill, a DRE Model 3L and a grinder. The guys would be impressed.

 

[Sgt.Reynolds]

The shelling started yesterday. How are they staying JUST ahead of it? Must be by a day or so. They don't even seem to be in any hurry, scouring for survivors as they go, determined and thorough.

 

Taking all I got to lug this crap through overgrown derelictions. Haven't even got any liquor left. If I'd been back on station I could at least have had one of the base wives go get some. It's all in one box now though - just disassemble,

work, reassemble. Every evening. Just to be in with a shot.

 

Got the data links harded in:

And the filtration adapters:

Feet, to give clearance for the base suckers to do their thing, cooling VRMs, 'sinks and feeding the display card:

Then one of them beast Cooler Master Sickle Flows. THAT should keep the degs C down:

Stuck the exhaust in, and the twin 60s, gettin' down on the floor:

Then the PSU from that 'bot:

Damn thing fits good. 

[Sgt.Reynolds]

So I weighed it all up last night - if I stay here, hidden and wait for them to pass, they'll be looking forward rather than behind, which should give me some breathing space. BUT...that means the shelling is closer and at some point, I'm

going to have to go back through their bloody lines to get to an RV.

 

Time to power up and start Tx'ing. Need to know if there's a unit still out there. Funny if not, after all this effort. 

 

Hilarious.

 

Deal with that when it happens, though. Don't let it chuff your head now.

 

They're not especially fast, just tireless. Working two shifts versus my one. One and a half, really, but I can't keep this up for long. They have those two shifts, two workforces - one with the daylight hours and one working in the

darkness. WITH the darkness. Different kind of unit we're seeing now. Dammit! I'M seeing. Only me here. Ignore that - moment of oddity. Distraction.

 

Focus, man. Focus. Get some work done and move on. Worked in the dark tonight, to finish the shielding.

Also got the filters on the low suckers:

And everything else starts to fall into place. About damn time - reckon I've got maybe 72 hrs left in this body and on a 29 hr day-cycle, I can't even figure out how long that is. 72 hrs, I guess!

Support for the GPU shield. Must be nice to have some support.

Then I remembered what my old man told me, way back when, on one of those late night sessions building units for fun - he used to say "no point polishin' a turd". That's when we knew we were done with a part - when we both agreed we

were "polishin'".

 

EM shielding in, needs the red paint touching up:

Also needed the wiring tidied:

Wiring tidied:

[Sgt.Reynolds]

This mission is a bust. The only thing now is to get out and report. Got power, so going to fire it up and start broadcasting...

Maybe they'll come, maybe they won't. Going to leave the beacon on and keep 'em shiny - maybe I'll see them before they see me. Maybe the plas will hit. Maybe they'll lock on and beam me out of here.

 

Otherwise, I may well be doing the same thing in a year's time...