Shock Piston

Shock pistons are structural shock absorbers built into the outer icosahedral frame of the Daban Urnud. They appear as pipeline‑like cylinders half‑buried in the rubble covering each facet, wrapped in fin‑like trusswork to prevent buckling when under load. At each end a piston swells into a heavy steel “knuckle”; five such knuckles converge to form the base of a vertex‑citadel.

Appearance and Construction

• Pipeline‑like cylinders reinforced with fin‑like trusses to resist buckling under compression.
• Each end expands into a heavy steel knuckle; five knuckles from different directions meet beneath each vertex.
• Facets do not bolt solidly to pistons: each triangular rubble field stops short, with a gap sewn across by cables and pulleys to leave the system free to flex. This slack is necessary for the shock absorbers to function.

Function and Role

• Absorb structural shocks and distribute loads between facets and vertices of the icosahedral frame.
• Provide limited “give” so the frame can flex rather than transmit instantaneous loads.
• In practice they can serve as traversable structures: teams can cross gaps by hand‑over‑handing along the trusswork when moving between facets, though snapping magnetic boots against the pistons’ steel may create an audible signature.

Context of Use

During a covert approach across the ship’s outer facets toward the World Burner, a team timed movements through darkness and used the shock pistons’ struts to cross the gaps between facets. Sunrises on a facet can be explosively sudden; movement across exposed trusswork was coordinated to avoid illumination by nearby vertex‑citadels.

Status

Integrated components of the icosahedral frame, widely distributed along facets and converging beneath vertices. No independent control interface or habitation has been observed; their role is mechanical load management within the ship’s structure.