A 'Demi-Shell' from my Anno Astra setting...

Fuji Heavy Industries Shoki

Intended for civilian, law-enforcement and security use, the commercially available Shoki was designed for speed, silence and maneuverability while operating in a built-up environment such as many urban areas. Weighing in at a little more than 2 tons, the Shoki’s light weight and generous foot area gave it a ground pressure slightly lower than that of an average human male. Armor, thickest in front of the cockpit, was a lightweight composite composed primarily of plastics & a pseudo-organic material, based on chitin, with limited self-repairing capabilities. While not intended to stand up against dedicated, armour-piercing munitions, the frontal armor was deemed more than adequate against conventional small arms. To reduce weight even further, the internal, load-bearing framework was made of a blend of metalled glass alloys and fiber-reinforced plastics characterized by high elastic moduli. CNT layers were woven concentrically around the alloy core, in a helical arrangement which was looser than the norm. This, in conjunction with the demi-shell’s carefully-arranged artificial musculature, took the place of conventional shock absorbers. The soles of the feet were made of a rugged, pressure-regulated, inflatable elastomer reinforced internally with monocrystalline iron whiskers, providing maximum contact and traction with the ground while minimizing environmental damage. Instead of a centralized power supply, the cores of the internal framework’s structural members were composed of ‘spin battery’-type storage cells which formed a distributed, highly redundant system. The individual members were also laminated with a piezoelectric material; the natural flexing that occurred during normal movement produced a small but significant trickle of electrical current which helped in prolonging the Shoki’s operating time.

Due to its construction, the Shoki’s hardpoints were not rated for particularly heavy loads. The various weight-saving measures that were implemented also limited its ability to use heavy weapons and other equipment. Its lack of a conventional shock-absorbing system also gave the operator a rougher ride when compared to other demi-shells of the same size class. In spite of these drawbacks, the Shoki enjoyed brisk domestic sales, due in no small part to its low operating and maintenance costs. It proved popular with domestic law-enforcement, as its light weight made it easily transportable by civilian air and ground transport and its near-silent operation, coupled with its low ground pressure, allowed it to operate in high-density residential areas with a minimum of disturbance.


Blablabla, sci-fi technical gobbledegook, writer's block, etc. This was already done last January, but I really couldn't think of anything worthwhile to write about it until recently.

Oh, and the small reddish glowy things in the slits are cameras/monoeye sensors/whathaveyou.