Private Best in Show

[Shira Varanin]

IBORG PROSTHETIC AUGMENTS RESEARCH BASE SANTORA COVE
MANAAN
864 ABY

Shira's metal hands left indents on the landing pad's rail. A wind had kicked up, and a five-story tumble into the ocean had zero appeal. The wind intensified as the IGBC shuttle touched down. Apparently the bank had purchased a controlling stake in iBorg, and Shira was the welcoming committee slash tour guide for an IGBC representative. A half-submerged arcology off the Manaan coast, Santora Cove ranked among iBorg's finest cybernetics facilities.

Unpleasantly, its products and glories included a good chunk of Shira herself, hence the assignment. The wind wasn't the only reason her hands left dents in the railing. Get this over with and she could get back to working with Darkwire until iBorg demanded to trot her out again.

The shuttle's ramp descended. Shira headed over to greet the bank rep.

"Welcome to Santora Cove. I'm Shira."

Darth Empyrean

 

[Veles Oshu]

“A shame. Apparently, Adrian has been killed.”, Dorian said as he tucked his holocomm back into his jacket pocket.​

​

He wasn’t, per say, as close to Adrian as he was Adekos, but there was some hope there. Sith didn’t make friends very often, so Maliphant didn’t appreciate having to start over the harsh cycle of vague trust just because a Jedi got a little trigger happy with the lightsaber. However, he didn’t say another word on it - letting it ruminate instead.​

​

The ship landed, and the airlock opened with a harsh shrill of pressure - wind almost instantly filling the cabin with a raging intensity. Dorian sighed as he took a few steps out of the transport, a few members of Blackwell’s security force behind him and his partner. With a smile, he approached Shira -​

​

“A pleasure to meet you. I assume you’re the guide for us today? I’m Dorian Harper, and this is Cauldur Dune.”, Dorian said with a motion back to his partner.​

​

Shira Varanin │ Caulder Dune​

 

[Shira Varanin]

Veles Oshu Caulder Dune

"Mister Harper, Mister Dune - yes, I'm your guide today." She gestured out over - far over - the cove and the sea beyond it. "We're on Level Thirteen: executive landing pads, emergency decontamination and containment, and security. Also a lovely place for a sandwich and a view."

And down over the railing- "Levels Nine through Thirteen are above sea level. Admin, research, prototyping, a good portion of manufacturing are all underwater. Some lovely views down there as well. We'll work our way down unless you have a preference." She twitched her head at the nearest turbolift. "Shall we?"

 

[Caulder Dune]

Veles Oshu | Shira Varanin

​

The Deputy Director's face contracted, as if having come into contact with something rotten. Indeed he had: foul news. "Why do all your picks for the board either die or desert?"​

​

It was a rhetorical question. They both knew the answer had something to do with a shallow pool of potential recruits. When the ship landed, Caulder Dune followed diligently behind Harper. He was an aged and Umbaran, and aside from his advanced age, bore no real distinctive features. His gait was clipped, and he relied heavily on an ornate cane for support.​

​

His usual protocol droid was conspicuously absent.​

​

Caulder greeted Shira with a flat, "Charmed," and proceeded wordlessly along with the rest of the delightful group to the turbolift.​

 

[Veles Oshu]

“No, no preference at all. Please, lead the way.”, Dorian mused with arms behind his back - a stupid grin on his face as he let her go through the motions of a good tour guide.​

​

Thirteen levels. Quite large, but he wasn’t a speculator on cybernetics. This was certainly something Adekos would be the true judge on - he just hoped he was proud of Dorian’s work. In all likelihood however, he probably wasn’t.​

​

Caulder Dune │ Shira Varanin​

 

[Shira Varanin]

Veles Oshu Caulder Dune

The turbolift had been built for just such tours. It offered excellent views as it descended, slowly, into the arcology of Santora Cove.

"We're passing Level Thirteen now," she said. "You can't see it, but there's an Angel Eye sensor suite here - short-range detection of any cloaked vessel, even if it has a gravitic modulator. It's a pretty brief warning time, but every little bit helps. And if said cloaked ship doesn't have a gravitic modulator, we also have a crystal gravfield trap that'll spot it from a proverbial mile away. Expensive gear, but we've killed four stealth infiltrators since iBorg built Santora Cove."

The turbolift slid into an open-air multilevel factory floor crisscrossed by assembly lines and small cargo trams.

"Levels Six through Twelve," Shira explained. "Cybernetics manufacturing. iBorg has plenty of manufacturing capacity, but Santora Cove builds the premium offerings - the cybernetics that need the strictest tolerances, rarest components, mirror finish, not a speck of dust inside and so forth. Cranial and spinal implants, but also bespoke prosthetics."