Valley Guard

The hydroelectric dam that generates electricity for those living in the small town of Glint below, although rather eroded at first glance, has endured decades of freezes and thaws, petty vandals, and even the occasional rampant battle frame from surrounding counties. Glint's citizens became concerned, however, when formerly-nonexistent power outages became frequent, sometimes occurring a half-dozen times per night. Dam operators discovered that thieves, riding silent labor frames, recently came during twilight to run high voltage cables directly from the generator substation to their own hideouts in order to charge their supercapacitor-powered mechs more quickly. They dug deep, wide trenches, then filled them in, in order to reasonably conceal these cables.

After disabling the rogue power lines, Glint's leaders made a radical decision to prevent future outbreaks. Rather than send out humans to alleviate a recurring (and inherently-dangerous) situation, they requested the assistance of a large, sentient combat frame to walk about the dam every night, armed with a phased concussion cannon. Swift, efficient, and intelligent, the frame's intentions were not to kill, but to deter would-be "current vermin," as these thieves were called, from ever causing power interruptions again.

The "Valley Guard," as the bipedal frame came to be called, did a marvelous job, learning day and night about what a current vermin could do next. Some also thought that it observed Glint's citizens in day-to-day life out of mere curiosity. A few believed that, on moonless nights when it couldn't find any thieves, the Valley Guard gazed in awe at the stars above.

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Rapidograph pens on 9" x 12"Strathmore 300-series Bristol board. GIMP 2.6 and Faststone Image Viewer for minor cleanup and leveling.

Special thanks to Jeff Wang for helping me fix the mech's right shoulder during this drawing's development.

Merry Christmas, everyone! God bless, and hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday season!