Brand New Skin

[Laira Darkhold]

I have been thinking for a while now, I know kind of a stretch for a guy like me, but I had nonetheless. I wanted something that could provide good protection for troops in the field and defend tanks against kinetic rounds, which had become more popular in recent history. In the past Blasters had almost completely replaced slugthrowers, especially during the Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War era’s as Slugthrowers weren’t able to compete against the power of blaster weaponry. Armor continued to evolve and left slugthrowers behind in technology. But the last several years had seen a mass increase in the use of slugthrowers, and though personal armor was adapting that could withstand slugs, vehicles hadn’t seen the need to evolve until recently. They were designed to withstand heavy laser cannons, and some even a turbolaser strike, but they weren’t able to compete with hypersonic kinetic energy penetrators that had just started to make a comeback in galactic warfare. With their success in the field it wouldn’t be long until warfare evolved again, utilizing these in mass in tank on tank combat, and at the precipice is where change is necessitated and only those that change survive. In this galaxy you either adapt or perish.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

I thought about the idea for quite a while, trying to figure out what my idea really was. It had started as a simple thought that whoever made the next high grade armor for vehicles was going to be rich in the near future, then it evolved to make that someone be me, and then I started tossing materials around. The easiest thing to do would be to mine Phrik and Beskar as heavily as possible, but that was expensive and completely impractical, besides impossible to mass produce equipment for soldiers and vehicles in the field of that material. So the next thought was what to create the armor from, duranium, while simple to produce from abundant materials wasn’t resistant to kinetic energy rounds, or at least in my knowledge of the substance. Durasteel was effectively downgraded duranium, so next my mind leaped to bronzium. Heat resistant and proven against turbolasers in thick enough armor plating, it was a good material, but I had no idea how to make it or what alloy to make from it and another material in order to make it capable of stopping anti-tank rounds, and that was the key in all of this. To make something that could do both.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

I decided it was probably best to bring my ideas to Benji, who was much more knowledgeable about this stuff than I, and might be able to fabricate what I wanted, or know of a material that already fit all of the requirements I had in mind. It would be best if I organized my thoughts and requirements before I brought it to him however, as I wanted to be able to discuss the idea with him reasonably, and discuss the intended materials necessities and applications. First it would need to be able to be mass produced so that forces across the board could utilize the material in combat. It wouldn’t be much good if only a select few could have the armor, as that would simply be a less cost effective version of phrik and beskar. It would need to be resistant to laser fire, obviously because while slugthrowers were making a comeback they had not replaced the blaster and probably wouldn’t ever. And it would have to be extremely resistant to slugthrowers since its primary purpose would be to stop hypersonic rounds being fired at vehicles. It needed to be light weight so that soldiers could wear body armor of the material and it needed to be easily repaired.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

I finally approached Benji about it after several days of tossing around ideas with myself and carefully arranging my thoughts to best hold a discussion with. I decided it best to have the discussion over something like breakfast since he wasn’t exactly busy on another project at the moment and the facility on Taanab was handling most of the work, really all he did right now was occasionally oversee production and meet with clients, off which there were few. Lucerne Labs had assisted us in several ways, they had even brought us in on several of their projects, but they didn’t offer us much in the way of new work based in mass quantity so we had been in a lull for now. “Well Benji, I have this idea you see,” I started, attempting to finish a sentence without being interrupted to no avail.

“Oh, have you now. It’s either astonishing or you have a project that’s going to give me a severe case of insomnia.” He chuckled continuing to munch on some form of cereal.

“The second, I figure. Unless you are a genius and I am some kind of idiot, the second one.” I said, setting myself up for another shot.

“Well I am a genius, and you have been known to make stupid decisions.” He interjected between bites.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

“Well, as I was saying, I have this idea. Kinetic rounds are on the way back in for tank on tank combat so whoever makes the next vehicle armor capable of counter that trend is going to be very, very rich.” I said, kind of pleased with myself and how professional I sounded.

“No armor will last without being resistant to Kinetic rounds and Laser blasts. That’s why it died off in the first place. The ceramics of the time got turned to slag by blaster cannon fire, much less main laser cannons on tanks.” He pointed out. It was an interesting point of history that I didn’t know about, and it was good to know. It would assist in building the idea and actually bringing it to fruition.

I decided to continue on anyway without addressing it yet. “Well, no one is currently countering kinetic rounds and they are making mince out of tanks right now, they are just in small supply so no one has really seen the need to counter them yet.” It wasn’t a bad explanation, almost all the tanks the Republic had were laser cannon or proton cannon mounts, but I wasn’t completely sure that my statement was true.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Benji could tell now that I was serious about something and he had become much more interested, he probably wanted to know where exactly I was heading with all this. “I am talking about designing and fabricating a material that is capable of resisting kinetic rounds and absorbing energy rounds. Keeping blades from stabbing the heck out of someone wearing it and not being wholly made from metal so as to keep its electrical conductivity low. What do you think? Is such a thing even possible to make?” I asked, hoping he would have a very easy solution for all of my concerns.

He thought about the issue for a few moments then he replied, “It technically is possible, as all things are technically and theoretically possible. The issue is there is no known substance that is mass producible and has the qualities you mention. It would have to be artificially synthesized and fabricated in a dedicated facility designed around the production of such a material, and no sane being is going to open a factory on a hunch some jarhead had.” He finished. He was trying to be realistic and make sure I understood the complications of such a project, but he didn’t deter me. Not in the slightest.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

“We could develop it in house, though right. Maybe not produce in large quantities but produce.” I asked, knowing he wouldn’t like the path I was taking us on, but it was a damn good idea and I wasn’t going to let him sink it just because he was lazy.

“No, not with the equipment I have on hand. I would need several pieces of expensive equipment and several tools that are relatively hard to come by to even get started and even then I don’t know where I would begin.” He answered, trying hard not to show his interest, but failing to keep me from noticing it. Even still he was being serious about needing things.

I was in the mood for a supply run anyway, though so going and picking up some equipment he thought he might need wasn’t a bad job to start with. “What you are telling me is, you want me to go get you this equipment so you can get started right away. Cause that is what I am hearing through all your jabbering.” I said comically, trying to get him to lower his defenses.

He looked at me, chuckling just a little. “Alright since you are serious I will do some research and tell you what I need. You go get it for me while I relax here, sitting back and resting up for a few weeks’ worth of all-nighters.”

 

[Laira Darkhold]

He spent the day doing the research on developing Ceramic-Composites, heavy metals, and smelting alloys, focusing mainly on what top of the line equipment he would need. After about six hours of shifting through data on the HoloNet he came to me with his first list, I know it was only the first because he said so. “This is going to be the first things I will need. A Hot Isostatic Press to assist in making the plates, a Plasma Laser Ablation Machine in order to produce carbon-nanotubes, an Electroplating machine to compose metal matrices, and several other things. Here I wrote them all down for you so you wouldn’t have to remember all of it. I will probably need more things down the line, but for now, we can at least get started on what you have there.” He said handing me a datapad with a number of things I didn’t know existed before he handed it to me. It was a healthy list of stuff, but luckily he had listed where to come by the equipment next to each item. “I will handle the acquisition of materials to be used and tested from here, mainly because that doesn’t require much work on my end, and I am pacing myself on this particular project. Now get going and find my crap.”

 

[Laira Darkhold]

I left for Denon the same day, I figured it was best to keep moving on this project and not slow down or wait on it. The only way it was going to get done was if I got everything Benji needed and he worked on it day and night until it was finished. That was the only way anything ever got done, when somebody put their mind, body, and soul into their project and saw it to completion. Denon was a Republic held world, at the edge of Republic Space, right on the border of Sith Territory, not far from Balmorra, for that matter. The trip through Hyperspace was easy enough, no rough bumps and no random Sith encounters to speak of, though being this close to their border did make me a little uneasy. I would try to keep ArmaTech facilities in the Mid Rim because of their influence and raw ability to capture planets. I flicked the comms over to open and shot a message down to Denon Ground Control, “This is vessel YT2400807 requesting permission to land in the Capitol District.” I said to the officer on the other end. They took their time running my identification and comparing it, but inevitably I got a response.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

“Come on in at transmitted route vessel YT2400807. Welcome to Denon, Master Chief.” The officer said. Good they like our military here, I thought to myself. Maybe I can use that to my advantage and actually get something I want done here without much fuss about it. Within twenty minutes the Dragon was touching down at a space dock in the Capitol District. The reason for the name was two-fold. First it was the location of the planet’s capitol infrastructure, and second, a point of pride for the planet, was this was where the Galactic Alliance placed their temporary capitol following the Yuuzhan Vong War. The people here seemed to never forget that when the bright jewel of the core had been uninhabitable, their home had been the next best place. Whether that was true or not, I cannot say, but it was an accomplishment to these people. I descended the ramp and took off strolling through the district looking for the appropriate merchant to purchase Benji’s equipment from. It was not the hardest thing to find, the machines weren’t expressly rare in their field of science, it was just that it was a relatively unpopular field of science. Within about three solid hours I had found the proper store and had purchased a good half of Benji’s list, the Isostatic Press and the Electroplating Machine being the main pieces.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Nanotechnology wasn’t incredibly well known to most, and even those that had knowledge of the science were few and far between I discovered as I walked through the Capitol District of Denon. I asked several shop keepers where I could find a science academy or lab, and most of them shrugged. The other two machines I had purchased were fairly common in the industrial business, but they had no idea what I was talking about when I asked for a plasma laser ablation machine or an Arc Discharge Device which was another thing Benji needed. Finally I spoke with someone who pointed me in a direction. It would take me to a university known for having a science lab, but the merchant was unaware whether they would have what I wanted.

The kids going to Science and Technology University of Denon seemed tiny and skittish. I had trouble keeping one’s attention for long, but I was finally able to squeeze a directory out of one of them after about thirty minutes of wandering and staring at signs I couldn’t hardly understand. The directory took me to a main office, which was much more accommodating, having an attendant droid I could actually speak to and ask questions without having to guess and hope I was right.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

“I am looking for a Nanotech Laboratory. I need to know where to purchase equipment and I was hoping one of their technicians would be able to help me.” I explained to the attendant droid. Alright now we are getting somewhere.

“Our Nanotech lab is on level five, floor six, room five six nine eight three. Currently the professor on call is Doctor Lan-gren.” She said through her vocalizer. “I can contact him to let him know you are coming if you would like mister Vereen.”

“That’s fine, I’ll head up there now if that’s okay.” I technically asked but in reality I didn’t wait around for a reply. I was already tired of waiting around and walking after folks. I wasn’t ever known for being a patient man, anyway. The turbolift was able to get me to the appropriate floor in no time and the room was relatively easy to find. It even had a sign on it when I finally found it. I knocked on the door and an elderly bith woman opened it. She looked the part and her nametag sure enough said Dr. Lan-gren. “Hello I’m Draco Vereen,” were the only words I was able to get out before she started inspecting my armor very closely.

“That is some very nice tech. It could do with some enhancements though.” Boy was she right. I could really use an upgrade after getting the heck beat out of me with its first combat action.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

“Oh, this is something a friend made for me. Actually that’s kind of why I am here. Benji Idiro sent me to acquire an Arc Discharge Device and a Plasma Laser Ablation Machine. I figure a Nanotech Lab would know who to contact about purchasing those machines. He needs it to work on a new project.” I explained to her.

“I don’t know a Benji Idiro, mister Vereen, was it. But I do know that you can get the machines from NanoCorp. Is that really all you came for? All the way up to the six level for that little blurp.” I guess she wasn’t wrong. Certainly I could have called and asked that.

“Well I figured this was more appropriate for such a request. I figured that they wouldn’t sell just one machine to a person, but they might to a university.” I tried to hide my own stupidity.

“Certainly, they wouldn’t. And you want me to order you one?” She deduced, incorrectly but hey if it works, don’t fight it.

“Yes,” I said and let it hang in the air. She wasn’t the sharpest tool from what I had gathered when it came to social interactions and I accidently stumbled on solving a problem I didn’t know existed.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

After about an hour negotiating with her, she finally agreed to falsely order me a machine to be delivered to a warehouse for me to pick up and in exchange I paid her relatively handsomely. After a week of waiting they shipped the modules I needed and I stowed them away on the Dragon with no one the wiser. She got almost her year salary in a lump sum from me, I paid for the machines, and I got the machines. Everyone won, technically. I decided it was probably best if I headed back to Benji so he could get to work on the project. The trip back to Jabiim was quiet, only one hiccup when I got stopped by Republic Customs over Onderon and they had some questions about what I needed Nanotechnology for. I explained that I had no idea; I just ship it from one place to another. They let me slide for not having a shipping manifest because of my military service, but they did document the stop, so that might hinder my next promotion. Jabiim was cloudy and stormy as ever, rain blasting down from the sky, lightning striking all around the ship, several times hitting the craft, and thunder booming across the sky for miles. It was like the planet knew we were up to no good and wanted to stop us before we could.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Lifter droids in tow and a whole cargo hold full of machines I walked into the shop with Benji’s supplies. At least for now I could sit here and help him with the project. “It’s about time you made it back, youngling.” Benji called from his work bench. He was tinkering on something, but it didn’t seem important by the way he tossed it off to the side when I walked in.

“Yeah, I know. The good news is I got you brand new, top of the line, equipment straight from the manufacture.” I smiled, knowing that would please him. If he didn’t have to tinker with the equipment to get it to function properly he would be able to work on this immediately.

It took the better part of a day to set up so he elected to wait and get started in the morning. Bright and early the following morning, as always, we were up and having breakfast getting ready to start the monumental task of fabricating a new material. Benji spent the entire meal mentally going over what we would be doing, muttering occasionally, things like ‘thermal conductivity’ and ‘kinetic resistance’ were about the only words I actually understood.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

“Alright we will be starting by synthesizing diamonds. They are known for their thermal conductivity and extremely high melting point. That will be the base of whatever we end up creating, unless we find something better along the way. The ridiculously high melting point of diamonds and very good thermal conductivity, we can design the tiles to disperse the heat of a blaster bolt, which may allow them to survive blaster bolts like you want. It might also cook the person wearing it, but hey, it’s a start to what you are after.” He was pretty excited about this, I could tell. His comment about cooking someone wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear, but at least he had put a great deal of thought into the process of what we were working on here. He started turning on machines all around the workshop, setting them to run and having droids oversee the processes while he returned to his work bench. “Alright, so synthetic Diamond ceramic is the starting point. We are going to reinforce it with Carbon nanotubes, most likely single walled. They hold up fine and are the easiest to make in mass quantities and the most efficient way to mass produce them. Since that’s one of the main requirements we have to keep that in mind when developing this stuff.”

 

[Laira Darkhold]

He wasn’t wrong. If the substance was too hard to produce and couldn’t be produced quickly and efficiently it would negate its primary purpose of being a cheaper, producible, product to substitute Phrik and Beskar in the field of vehicle and body armor. It wasn’t meant to be as good as those two metals, but it was meant to come as close as possible while remaining cost effective. It meant there would be room for improvement no doubt. Substances existed that could do most of what I’m asking, but they can’t be put on every tank that rolls out of the factory or every piece of body armor that a trooper straps on. “If we use a variant of Syndite with carbon nanotubes reinforcing it will half to have a thermal resistant layer underneath. That would allow for the energy to be dispersed across the armor and not warp the metal underneath. At least in theory.” He said, glancing up at me to let me know it wasn’t proven tech we was working on, just highly educated guesses and a combination of good science and good materials. “I would use a thermal retardant inside a liner, but that’s impractical. How the hell am I going to do this?” He said out loud, but more or less to himself.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

He continued, busily working away on a data terminal and hologram projector, scrapping ideas as the machines ran in the background, making synthetic diamonds and carbon nanotubes to his specifications. Two hours of no results he was happy with resulted in a small crisis. He basically had a temper tantrum, and cleared off his desk. I had never seen him do something like that before so I spoke up. “You need to cool off man. We have all the time in the world. Nobody else is even working on something like this, so it’s better just to take your time, leave it sitting if you need to. It ain’t nothing to get hot over. Just walk away.”

He stopped dead in his tracks, face taunt, but not in anger or in frustration, just as though he had fallen into deep introspective thought. He mouthed the words don’t get hot a couple of times and then rushed to his data terminal, leaving me confused, and a little upset. I was confused and worried about him. He didn’t normally act out like that, but wandering off without saying anything and not explaining anything was right up his alley. “What the heck are you up to, Benji? I said leave it and comeback when you cool off.”

 

[Laira Darkhold]

I was trying to be assertive. I didn’t want him to snap and go ballistic again for a couple of reasons, first he was my friend and I didn’t want him to freak over this project and second I still needed his expertise for other projects as well. I guess you could say it was selfish, but I did care about the old man’s well-being. “I said come off it, so get up and let’s take a walk maybe go into the city for the rest of the day and get a good crack at it tomorrow.” I repeated my conditions again, slightly less stern or demanding, but still authoritative.

“You gave me an idea on how to block the thermal conductivity from cooking the person or metal through the tiles, so I have to research it. We will make the back piece of each tile from a thermal resistant substance. Something that has a very high melting point, and isn’t thermally conductive.” He explained, finally. I guess he knew what he was talking about, but I wasn’t sure what it was. “The reason I never came up with it was because I was trying to mix the ceramics, but instead I can use the carbon nanotubes to properly hold the two pieces together through lattice work and have the front face conduct the energy and heat through the tile and the back face very heat resistant.”

 

[Laira Darkhold]

I wasn’t that smart to understand all the science behind it, but I had to trust him. “What are you planning on using?” I asked quietly and retaking my seat. “I mean if it were that easy wouldn’t you have thought of it?”

“Probably eventually, but to fabricate two ceramics is difficult, not impossible, put difficult. Basically I will be isostatically pressing them into the same face material, one on top of the other with carbon nanotubing reinforcing the bond and the tile to maintain its resilience and toughness.” He said, probably over explaining the process to me. “Using syndite makes an incredibly strong material already, so the back piece doesn’t need to be very strong, just very heat resistant. I would also include a power armor liner in any body armor designed with this to further decrease the heat transfer into the person.”

“But someone could survive being blasted while in this thing, right? It isn’t worth putting a lot of effort if no one is going to make it back after being hit once.” I retorted, trying to get him to think and be sure this was the path he wanted to take. He seemed sure, but I wanted him to be certain.