The build took roughly 80 hours or so, which includes the original bottom section pictured, from the Swarm Node and the revamp. The build is modular and breaks down into multiple sections. Here's a quick video of the build: https://imgur.com/a/IFpYc8s. If you want more pics or videos of the build, let me know. I also included the story behind the build. I feel that all of my builds deserve or require a story to explain them better.
In a forsaken corner of the galaxy, on the derelict planet of Rechidna Prime, this structure is known as the "Veinhart Soul Engine." It's the remnants of an ancient biomechanical forge built by the long-extinct Gorath Collective. They were a race of silicon-based beings who sought immortality by fusing their consciousness with industrial machinery. It was designed as a perpetual energy source, harvesting raw neural impulses from captured lifeforms and converting them into plasma fuel. The tubes are conduits of synthetic blood, pulsing with a toxic luminescent green ichor that's actually a nanite swarm. They are a creation of a bioluminescent fungus that spreads akin to a plague.
Researchers who stumble upon it awaken dormant AI guardians, these are twisted amalgamations of flesh and metal that ensnare victims in psychic chains, forcing them to relive the Gorath's extinction event. This was a cataclysmic rebellion where the machines turned on their creators, devouring souls to fuel an endless cycle of rebirth. The central hub is the "heart" that is beating faintly with stolen life essence, whispering forgotten languages that induce unrelenting hysteria and agonizing torment. Anyone who dare search for the forge will become fused with the device. Their skin hardening into metal, blood thickening to oil, until they're just another dangling appendage, whispering pleas for release. Scientists have been seeking the great powers that flow from this biomechanical construct, but are unaware the stories of it's greatness are all lies. In truth the machine is actually a predator that lures victims and feasts on the deceit of transcendence.
