A free Wookiee

[Bobawwa]

Bob nodded as [member="HK-36"] spoke, surverying the parts that he was to use. Everything was top of the line, the vines were cut fairly fresh. It would be fairly easy to make smaller bowcasters, as well. They'd be less powerful, sure but still far more powerful then a slugthrower. Far more deadly. He pushed that thought out of his head.

Bobawwa looked up at the droid as he began speaking again, after the short pause. If he wanted weapons that owuld intimidate others; bwocasters wher ethe way to go. Anyone that knew of them, even Wookiees, feared being at the wrong end of them. If mad eproperly, full sized ones were properly in punching through heavy armor easily, ripping off limbs like butter. He'd even hear dof tipping the quarrels with Baradium... Which would make them all the more deadly. The Wookiee's bowcasters were one of the main reasons the Transdoshans kept back as much as they did. And now he was equiping soldiers with them? He was sure any millitary led by HK-36 would be kind enough... but still. He was helping people kill people. Bobawwa tried to ignore that, surveying the parts again.

<<"You're right.">>

 

[HK-36]

[member="Bobawwa"],

HK nodded to him before clasping his hands,

[Shyriwook] "Alright, this is the part where I shut up and you take the lead, where do we start? The stock?"

The droid asked motioning back to the collection of lumber and tree produce along with metal parts on one of the tables.


As much as the writer would love to write more in this post or deliver some unnecessary exposition, it was time for Bob to show off his bowyer skills and for HK to step back a bit.

 

[Bobawwa]

Bobawwa nodded, and began looking over the pieces. With any other weapon, a blaster rifle or slugthrower, he would've been compeltely clueless about what to do. Weapons and violence were not his strong suit. However, nearly all Wookiees knew how ot maintain and use a bowcaster- and most knew how to repair and build them. It was an importnat part of their culture, as well as the way the Wookiees protected themselves from the dangers of Kashyyyk. Bobawwa sorted the pieces carefully as he spoke. "There's two kinds" Bobawwa removed his own bowcaster from his back, and placed it on the table. It had a visible magazine on the size, holding it's ten quarrels. "Quarrels and blaster bolts. Quarrels are stronger, but requires strength." Hence why only Wookiees could use them. "Unless you add a way for it to ready itself." Which was how modified ones could be used by others.

The Wookiee inspected each piece carefully before he did anything with them, making sure everthing was there and ready. He nodded satisfactory afterwards, and placed the stock in the middle of his workspace to start work after [member="HK-36"] answered his question about which time they were making.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Bobawwa"],

[Shyriwook] "We can do that via build-in automatic pulley system, we are capable of making wires and cables made from special Graphite material, it is strong enough to withstand strikes from a lightsaber."

The droid nodded, motioning for one of the aids to bring a spool of the Graphite Wire in question,

[Shyriwook] "With it we would be able to let bowcaster ready itself without interfering with the magnetic systems. I believe that Bowcaster quarrels are able to envelop themselves in energy on their way out of the weapon system?"

The machine asked, looking to Bob once more,

[Shyriwook] "Letting them to be a combination of both energy and solid projectile, a more modern take on it, is that something your people developed over time or just a modification your kin do on it once they wander the Galaxy for a period of time?"

So basically he was asking if bowcasters that dealt additional plasma damage, like Chewbacca's did, something that would be common on Kashyyyk or if it was seen only among Wookiees who went offworld and gained enough knowledge to make modifications like that.

 

[Bobawwa]

Bobawwa nodded. A pulley system is exactly how modified bowcasters work to allow smaller sentients use. The Wookiee glanced at the spool of wire, and set it down between the polarizers and bowstring catch on the workbench. The Wookiee nodded at [member="HK-36"]'s second question. "Most bowcasters do." The Wookiee glanced over the parts again, before realizing something. Most bowcaster quarrels were explosive, none of them were sharp. And the fact that they were coated in energy made sharpening the point a waste of time. So why did the droid want Tilkulni teeth on them? And if they were meant to be explosive, why make them out of phrik? The Wookiee frowned, and expressed his concern about the ineffectivity of HK's idea to the droid. He'd probably have some explanation the Wookiee hadn't thought of, but it's always a good idea to ask.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Bobawwa"],


[Shyriwook] "Ah, indeed that ability would be wasted on a Phrik tipped quarrel."

The droid nodded before explaining more,

[Shyriwook] "But, what if we would be able to simply turn off the enveloping systems when using Phrik ammunition? Then instead of an explosive weapon it would be armor piercing one against vehicles and heavy infantry, when that is not needed then switch enveloping back on and use cheaper Durasteel ammunition and you have an explosive weapon to be used against light and medium infantry."

He would reveal his idea,

[Shyriwook] "Going off with that we can also make specialized ammunition for trick shots. If there is one thing greater than pure firepower is versatility, and when you have great firepower and greater versatility mixed together, then you truly have a weapon nobody will want to face from the wrong end."

HK nodded at that,

[Shyriwook] "Plus then it can become useful off battle in some rescue missions, such as grappling a burning building to create an escape route or climb it, or more likely, create rope bridges and climb mountains to look for missing hikers and tourists if we develop a grappling hook ammunition for it."

 

[Bobawwa]

They weren't just building a bowcaster... The concept was certainly interesting, and owuld most likely work. Sure, it sort of seemed like overkill, a bowcaster was already extremely powerful, this would make it... Hm. This would be interesting to see in use. The Wookiee nodded at [member="HK-36"]'s idea, before surverying the parts again. They'd just have to add a switch to the power pack. The Wookiee got to work- starting to add the base pieces; the bow launc shaft and polarizer casings; into place. <<"The polarizers are magnetic. They throw the quarrel forwards at fantastic speeds. Is Phrik magnetic?">> If not, this would be more of a slugthrower then a bowcaster...


(Sorry for the short post, I just woke up)

 

[HK-36]

[member="Bobawwa"],

((No problem!))

The droid shook his head at the question,

[Shyriwook] "I do not think so, you see as most Ferrous alloys like primitive Iron and Steel showed us, they get most of their strength from their density. Of course there are some steel alloys that are thought to be stronger than Iron yet lesser in density, but the strongest primitive Steel alloy, Stainless Steel was both denser than Iron and magnetic. Same applies to our current ferrous alloys Durasteel and Mandalorian Iron, however it is not noted to be that much weight difference between Durasteel and Primitive Steel, and of course it is not as heavy as Mandalorian Iron when equal units are compared, but it is said that Mandalorian Iron can be made lighter by addition of carbon."

He explained before continuing,

[Shyriwook] "However due to malleability of Phrik and its innate lightness I believer its durability depends on atomic structure than pure density, as such I do not think it is neither ferrous nor magnetic. But we faced this problem before, not the first rail gun we made, you see what we do is we put a durasteel core within the arrowhead or shaft's center as we know it is magnetic, it is enough for the magnetic field to latch onto it and launch it."

Often it was quite enough to utilize such projectiles, of course the more durasteel the faster the projectile would be launched.

 

[Bobawwa]

Bobawwa stared at the droid for a moment, blinking slowly. The vast majority of that went far over his head... but he got the gist. No, phrik isin't magnetic because it's not dense enough. Or something like that. Maybe. The Wookiee rubbed his forhead. After a moment, he nodded. A magnetic core would be plenty enogh for the field to grasp it, and throw it forwards. Though with the explosives ones it would be difficult to have both a durasteel and explosive core, but they'd figure it out. The Wookiee got back to work, attaching the conducting rod with the polarizers onto the front of the stock, followed by placing on the secondary barrel, followed by the main one. The Bowcaster was already beginning to take shape- though most of the parts that actually made it work where still lying on the table. It had bene a long time since he'd made one of these, he'd used his for as long as he could remember without having to make many repairs, but he remembered; working slowly but surely. Who could possibly make a bowcaster better then a Wookiee?

[member="HK-36"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Bobawwa"],


[Shyriwook] "You put down two barrels here, what is the secondary barrel for, just stabilization?"

The droid asked, wondering what two barrels would be used for.


And it was true enough that Wookiees made the best bowcasters, just like droids made the best droids, drones, and smoothies! And Ropos made the best "Awwww". Anyway, other than asking that barrel bit the droid kept watching Bob work and nod from time to time, it all seemed logical and made sense, carefully he would observe the furry engineer's work.

 

[Bobawwa]

Bobawwa nodded. Smart droid. He'd have to be of course, to make the types of weapons he'd seen in the various cubicles of this lab. He assumed [member="HK-36"] at least had a part in making most of them.. He always could have hired someone, like he was doing with Bobawwa, but somehow he had the feeling that this wasn't a common practice. The Wookiee shrugged. Didn't matter.

The Wookiee examined each piece carefully as he put it on, careful to make sure none of the pieces were damaged or poorly made. They were not. Next he took the Kthysh vine, testing it for strength. It was fairly easy to make them into bowstrings, and they were extremely strong, making them perfect for the job. However, he'd need a knife. He didn't carry one, and he didn't see one among the piles of equipment. <<"These will have to be made into bowstring.">> The Wookiee turned to HK as he spoke. The exterior of the bowcaster was almos finished- placing the innards would be the easiest part.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Bobawwa"],

The machine would nod and motion for Bob to hand him the vines,

[Shyriwook] "Allow me, if you will."

The droid offered as he raised one of his fingers with his other hand, a small but sharp blade extending from his fingertip to reveal one of the metal talons he had in his hands and legs, he didn't need a knife if he was a knife!

[Shyriwook] "Just let me know how thick you need it to be made."

And so HK would make a cut in the veins to separate them into strands they could then weave together to form the strings, wax and molten plasteel was available to seat the strands together then into permanent weave.

 

[Bobawwa]

Well. That worked. A droid with knife claws. Bobawwa nodded when he'd cut them to the right thickness, and began to braid the strong fibers together in a small tight braid. Despite the size of their hands, Wookiees were extremely good with them. They were known for their craftmanship. Within moments, Bobawwa finished the braid. On Kashyyyk they would've used anything from pitch to nothing at all to coat the bowstring, but the molten plasteel would work. Bobawwa promptly coated the string, before laying it off wherever it was meant to be to cool off.


While the bowstirng cooled, Bobawwa began on the inner parts of the bowcaster. Most of the pieces were already availble, so it saved the trouble of making them. He installed the tension adjust, which would work with the pulley system once it was installed, as well as the power pack. Only a few more parts and they'd be finished...

[member="HK-36"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Bobawwa"],

The droid nodded, watching the bowcaster being put together before him, so far it all made sense, the position of the parts, which one connected to which, just like in circuitry, it was all about logic, streams of power, and each piece having its place,

"So what comes next?"

The droid asked, noticing that they were wrapping up the job, soon enough their first bowcaster would be made complete.

 

[Bobawwa]

Bobawwa continued his work, placing the last few parts where they went; the safety, the trigger, and of course the scope mounted on it's top. After a minute's inspection, making sure he'd done everythin correctly, the Wookiee slowly lifted the weapon. A powerful Wokiee weapon, strong enough to punch holes through armor easily and fire a quarrel far too fast for anyc hance of evasive manuvering. The main reason Wookiees could survive in the dangerous canopy of Kashyyyk. Only an ammunition pack with [member="HK-36"]'s specialized quarrels and the pulley system needed to be added now. The Wookiee handed it to his employer. <<"Finished.">>

 

[HK-36]

[member="Bobawwa"],


The droid nodded to reach for the weapon and lift it in his own hands to look over it carefully,

[Shyriwook] "Good, thank you, Bob. Now, let us talk about payment for you."

He would put the Bowcaster down on the table before looking to Bob,

[Shyriwook] "What would you require and I can make it happen, credits, a gadget or technology, even your own business within the Protectorate. Also, I was thinking about naming these the Bobcasters."

HK quipped in a pun, although the Wookiee may not like it, having his name associated with a weapon, but at least he can always ask for his flower business to expand, or start it in the first place when considering the timeline of the thread.

[Shyriwook] "I do appreciate your help, Bob, with this we will be able to keep our borders even more secured."

 

[Bobawwa]

Bobawwa raised the great swatches of fur over his eyes, the Wookiee equivalent of eyebrows. He honestly hadn't been thinking much about payment. Now that it was mentioned, however... He didn't have much use for large amounts of credits or gadgets, but there was his shop to consider... He'd taken it over from a friend after her death- somehow both after and before this thread started because wibbly wobbly timey wimey- but since then it had been in dire need of more room. More room would mean a larger variety of plants could be grown.. at the moment it was restricted almost solely to small plants and flowers. Expansion could mean all sorts of exotic plants, even rare flora such as Damsel flowers and Norris root... And even possibly at some point more storefronts- which meant more credits, which meant more room for expansion. He wasn't much interested in credits, more the opportunity to have access to more flora... And as his shop existed on Naboo, within Procreate territory, [member="HK-36"] could probably make that happen... Bobawwa asked.

[Bobcasters. I laughed so hard. "A legion of mighty soldiers, highly trained and armed with bobcasters." XD]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Bobawwa"],
((Glad you liked it ))


The machine begun his answer with nodding in affirmation,

[Shyriwook] "Yes, I can pull some strings and make that come true. We will start with some credits to invest into your business so you will have funds for expansion. I will also speak with the current Queen of Naboo, Feena, I will make sure she takes interest in your shop. That way you will get patronage of Naboo's government. Finally, I will speak with expeditionary forces of Protectorate and our biology research department, I will be able to direct spare specimen of flora, or those designed to be discarded, to come to you, you will get some new and unusual plants, and should you look for something specific, I will be able to find that as well."

The droid offered,

[Shyriwook] "I trust that will be generous enough?"

He asked his Wookiee partner

 

[Bobawwa]

Bobawwa's eyes widened. [member="HK-36"] was obviously a lot more important then he'd even thought... He knew the Queen? He'd speak with government departments... to help expand his flower shop? The Wookiee was speechless out of surprise and gratitude rather than his usual nothing to say. This was far more than he could've hoped for, there was no doubt in his mind now that making the bow caster was worth it. He'd be able to study and grow any rare flora he wanted! This was fantastic! The Wookiee just shook his head.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Bobawwa"],


"Good."

The droid nodded, taking out a credit chip and programming the amount in as well as electronically signing it, the initial credit investment HK mentioned about, he would then offer the credit chip to Bobawwa,

"I will speak to the Queen next time I will lead a stray patrol by Naboo borders."

Once the fund chip was accepted, the machine would clasp his hands,

"Is there anything else you would want to ask about or can I show you the way out?"

The machine asked, with the bowcaster manufactured there was not much more Bob could help out with, he would probably want to deposit the chip right away, it was usually not safe to carry large amounts of credits like that around. Plus there was more sights to see on Abregado than just the capitol, including rolling planes and river deltas filled with all sorts of flora.