Private Do You Wanna Build a Mandalorian Armor?

[Hilal Vizsla]

Hilal chugged down more Cola as she continued to look over her blueprint for her armor. Her apartment was a mess cluttered with so numerous cola bottles, and crumpled paper filled of rejected ideas and math equations that went nowhere. There were also multiple holes on the walls the majority of them were in front of Hilal. She really needed to control her anger but not having even a basis of her Mandalorian was biting her in the ass. It was a project Hilal had undertaken months ago after saving enough credits from her small shop. Considering that she was only 16 years old, Hilal was as strong as a Jawa and as durable as a Bouncer. They were weaknesses that Hilal knew wouldn't serve her well as a Bounty Hunter not even as a soldier for the Enclave. As much as Hilal, loves her small shop it was only a means to an end and her goal was to become a Bounty Hunter just like the rest of her clan.

Scribbling some notes with her electric pencil, Hilal took out a calculator and began computing the calculations. Her lips moving rapidly as she whispered on what she wanted from her armor. It was supposed to be durable that's for sure capable of enduring blaster bolts, Lightsaber strikes, absorb any elemental damage. In addition, Hilal originally envisioned the armor to enhance her speed and strength to the point where she could not only take on but overpower, species such as a Wookie. She had an exoskelton written out as well as the helmet which will help breathe in noxious gases, communicate with other people, and have a Heads Up Display analyzing Bounty Hunter targets. Hilal may not have the physical capabilities of a regular Mando but she loves technology and she will use that to her advantage.

The problem was that every calculation that Hilal, the total price was the price of a small Star Destroyer way beyond what Hilal saved. "This utter chit," Hilal sighed placing her face onto the blueprint. She might as well be drawing nothing because all of what she wanted out of the armor was pure fantasy.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

"Yeah, but that doesn't sound as fun."

An Astromech rolled along beside Alora with beeps and boops rapidly flying in response.

"Who cares? So it costs as much as a moon. People overprice moons all the time."

Another series of shrill beeps followed.

"Especially Nar Shaddaa. You've been there. You know it's overpriced. Imagine how much clean-up you'd have to do. The stench is probably forever."

A low, descending woo agreed with the armored woman's assessment.

Finally they came upon the place Alora had heard about. Her honey-brown eyes peered down at the bot as they stood outside the door. "Alright, you can stop hacking that poor bot now. Don't see why you bothered; not like I can't hear you anyway."

The astromech suddenly spun on the spot, then cycled its dome to take stock of the area. It paused to look at Alora, then began to roll back the way they'd come. Gambit's voice filled Alora's ear then, 'Yes, but I do enjoy having a body of my own from time to time.'

Alora shrugged. 'I could always make you one.' Not that he'd accept. Never did no matter how many times they had this conversation. Well, with that said, she turned and hit the doorbell on Hilal's place. Time to go shopping. Maybe Alora would find a supplier. Seemed unlikely -- the Enclave wasn't exactly a tech-hub -- but a woman had to start setting up trade connections somewhere. Help build up the cyber-scene in Wild Space. Sounded like a fun use of her time anyway.

Hilal Vizsla

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Current outfit

"Wait? What?!"

Hilal immediately got up from her table seeing a fellow Mando enter her room. "How did you get in here?! How come the alarms didn't go off?!" Hilal squeaked trying to reach for her personally made Blaster Pistol before giving up.

"Blah!" She sighed. "I would've been a corpse by now, so you probably want me dead sooo....."

Her heart stopped when she realized that she was looking at the security cameras she installed last week. "Oh damn!" Hilal's entire face was red with embarrassment. Looks like the security worked perfectly and she could get a customer soon.

"Better get ready!" Hilal quickly ran out of her room but not without taking one last sip of her Cola. She quickly ran outside and leaned against the wall, not realizing she was still holding her Blaster Pistol.

"Hey if you need any parts for your armor!" Hilal shouted as to the streets. "Come to MEKA where we have the highest quality parts at the lowest prices!"

More like the cheapest parts at low prices, her supplier has been busy lately and Hilal had to make do by building some of the parts on her own. Still nothing wrong with some exaggeration, it's Business 101 after all.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora blinked when the door opened and Hilal took on the role of marketplace crier. Honey brown eyes batted, darted to the side to see if there was a crowd that demanded such aplomb, before they fixed on the woman that'd surfaced. "Uh, and is that blaster to create need if I said 'no?'" A beat. Then a smile slowly started to creep up on the young woman's face.

With a bounce, the colorfully maned woman popped over the threshold with a wave of her right hand. "Heya, I'm Alora Vizsla, and I like building things. Mostly tech-based things. Cybernetics in particular. Being so far out on the Rim there's not a lot of high-grade supply moving in, is there? Creates a profitable demand, wouldn't you say? Especially for Mandalorians that throw themselves into every war zone involving Sith or anything Sith-related." Alora made no effort to conceal a slow scan of the interior with her head panning one side to the next. "Have you already set up a reliable supply?"

Hilal Vizsla

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Current outfit

"Wait a minute!" Hilal squealed a big, grin formed on her face when the woman told her that she was from clan Vizsla. "You're from clan Vizsla?!" Hilal could hardly contain her excitement, her heart was racing, her grin expanded to the point where she almost looked like it was a Nexu sized grin. "I'm from clan Vizsla too!" Hilal began to flail her arms her blaster pistol waving up and down. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe I'm meeting a fellow clan member my name is-"

Hilal in her elation accidentally fired her blaster pistol in the air. The young woman squeaked as the blaster bolt penetrated through one of the birds flying leaving a large hold on his chest. The dead bird fell from the sky, hitting the flabbergasted Hilal on the head before landing on the floor. Hilal stared at the half-cooked bird for a bit. Her mind momentarily shut down trying to process her actions. "Ooops," Hilal giggled nervously. "Sorry about that, It's just that well-"

She sighed. "I'm Hilal of clan Vizsla," she said immediately placing her pistol behind her pants. "It's not everyday I get to meet my clanmates given that we Mandalorians have been scattered for years."

Hilal spent most of her life alone, no parents, no friends, just her, her droids and her pile junk that she intends to sell so she can get started on being a Bounty Hunter. "But yeah!" Hilal laughed. "I've been building some stuff too! Mostly my armor but it's a work in progress!"

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora stared at Hilal as the other woman seemed taken by name dropping her clan name. Then the excitement kicked in as this was apparently a happy reunion, which caused a big smile to spread across her face as well. Like, it was totally understandable what Hilal meant. Alora would have probably said why except for the negligent discharge of her pistol that fried a bird, whose charred corpse bopped the other woman on the head.

There was obvious -- and appropriate -- embarrassment at what had just happened. As giggly as Alora could be she always adhered to best blaster principals! Though that didn't mean the mistake needed to be flaunted or the evidence left behind. With a calm, smooth draw, Alora drew one of her disruptors and vaporized the remains of the dead bird.

"Great to meet ya!" As she holstered the pistol, Alora gave HIlal a grin of her own. "I felt the same way when I first found the Enclave here. After Mandalore I was all on my own, which got me to earn mass-tons of credits, but it's nice being able to talk with people and not worry how they're trying to mess you over." Those years alone had been full of dangerous and illicit jobs skirting or violating almost every law on every civilized planet knew to Human-kind! Well, maybe not that bad, but when you built a stealth ship it was a shame not to put it to use. Especially when you made bank doing those kinds of jobs. Even if the customer tried to kill you afterward.

"Armor, huh? Can I see? I build all kinds of things in my mech bay all the time when I'm not fidling with cybernetics."

POYO! :: Hilal Vizsla

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Current outfit

Words can't describe how excited Hilal was to meet a fellow clan member and she was just as stylish as she wanted to be! Maybe they were long, lost sisters? Doubtful though, she has dark skin and Hilal's skin is so white that she's translucent. Still to meet a fellow Mandalorian who was friendly, upbeat, and more importantly part of Hilal's clan. It was as if fate smiled on her once in her lonely life. "Lucky you!" Hilal said jumping up and down like a Rabbit. "You have to tell me your secret of making so many creds! My shop has been lagging behind in profits lately!"

It was that damn supplier who was constantly delaying on Hilal. It also didn't help that what little profits that Hilal had been getting was spent on her armor. Still, there was something wrong with the supplier and she'll need to talk to him soon. But for now....

"I'm building a protype though!" Hilal said still beaming at Alora. "I'll be taking on my first Bounty Hunting contract soon! Well...."

Hilal nervously brushed a lock of brown hair over her shoulder. "It's my first serious Bounty Hunting contract, I've done some before, but they were really minor ones like chasing people who skipped payments. Nothing glamorous, or exorbitant and they were like what? 3 contracts I've taken."

She wasn't taken seriously as a Bounty Hunter, to potential she was a little girl who could barely lift a pebble, much less take on hardened criminals. Hilal heard the laughter and the mockery. It was a lie! Hilal had Mandalorian blood beneath her veins! She would prove them wrong! When she's done with her, those clients will be begging her for contracts! "In any case!" Hilal said smiling. "The prototype is almost done, I just need to tweak and test it before doing my first contract. I need the money and the final version of the armor cannot wait."

Hilal gulped. "So, you wanna see it?" She asked. "You'll be the first to look at it!"

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora blinked. "Well, since you mention it. It's not how I started, but it is why I'm here." She hadn't managed to build Wanderlust Wares by having a bad eye for merchandise. People tried to rip you off all the time. So, Alora noticed the quality of Hilal's supply and found it... lagging behind, like she'd said.

Before dropping the lead, Hilal bounced into her interest in pursuing her first bounty. Not a bad way to earn credits. Long as you had the knack for it. Not just anyone could be a real Bounty Hunter; and it certainly was 'The Life.' Still, any way you made credits in order to live another day as top notch in Alora's book. Well, except being a murderous Sith intent on slaughtering the masses, of course.

Prototype? "I would love to see it! Building things is awesome, and if it's used for succeeding at a job so much the better. That's really the long and short of how I came to credits; just one big cycle of earn money to spend money to earn more money. Eventually you get to a point you don't have to keep burning money and you just keep making money." If you lived long enough. No need to be a wet blanket though!

They could get back to business once Alora got an eyeful of this prototype. She expected there'd be a natural transition into the heart of the matter. Not to mention it would totally benefit Hilal, and Alora liked the other woman so far. Seemed like they could get along wonderfully.

POYO! :: Hilal Vizsla​

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Current outfit

Hilal took Alora's hand and pulled her through the store. "So, this is my shop!" Hilal said giving her an awkward looking grin. "I've ran for about 4 years! I didn't even need to buy the land or anything! I just set up shop and started to sell parts!"

She winked. "Squatter's rights after all," she said with a giggle.

Along the parts, a quadrupedal droid began to run towards Hilal, causing her to smile and kneel down to pet him. "I would like you to meet DOGS." Hilal smiled. "I just built him last month, he is an assault droid who can scout out enemies and even provide support once I get started on Bounty Hunting!" The droid rubbed himself around Hilal's leg causing her to roll her eyes. "I built his personality to be like a Dog!" She said. "But he acts like a Cat!"

It was a bug that Hilal was still trying to fix, it wasn't terrible but still annoying considering that DOGS was supposed to behave like a Dog. "Now DOGS," Hilal said. "This is Alora Vizsla a fellow Mandalorian."

DOGS scanned Alora making sure she didn't have hostile intentions to his owner. "I'm going to take her to my room make sure to keep this area secure okay?"

The Droid did a mechanical bark while Hilal walked up and entered her cluttered room. "Sorry about the mess," Hilal shrugged kicking a rusted droid part. "Been working on the parts."

From the corner of the room lay the prototype, Hilal placed her hands on her hips frowning at the design. It still wasn't perfect but it was progress.

"What do you think?" Hilal asked Alora.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora's eyes widened when Hilal suddenly pulled her through the store without warning. Then the woman went on about Squatter's Rights, like that made everything okay. Not that she was complaining -- to herself -- mind, but the conversation had certainly taken a turn.

Before any comment was forthcoming, a four-legged 'DOGS' showed up and demanded pets. Of course 'demand' might be overstating it, but when a dog ran up to you it was pretty much an unstated, low-key demand. From an assault droid. Alora leaned a bit to the side to stare at the short thing. "An assault scout that also serves in a support role." With a nod Alora wondered if it knew how to play cards and could sing little ditties too. She tried not to chuckle.

An assault dog-droid that acted like a cat too.

Honey-brown eyes stared down at DOGS as Hilal made to introduce the two to one another. An innocent bat of the eyes accompanied the droid's scan. Everything was pretty much as expected -- cute Mandalorian in a beskar suit. Well, it wasn't a traditional fashion by any means because Alora had deliberately not followed the mold. Little detail aside, DOGS should have been satisfied. Unless Alora's disruptors perturbed it.

As the two women moved by DOGS toward Hilal's room, the woman apologized for the mess they found themselves in. Alora's eyes slid over the room curious what was in it without giving any thought to its state. Well, aside from knowing Gambit would have had a fit if she left the mechanics bay in such a state.

Her eyes stopped on the prototype that Hilal had drawn attention to in the corner. Alora stepped forward as she peered at it. "Huh, 'bout as traditional as mine, but you still got a bit of 'T' in the visor didn't you?" Alora looked to the side at Hilal with a grin. "Definitely gives a strong impression. Bounties'll definitely take you serious wearing something like that. You could put a five-year old in it and it'd still demand respect."

Then it was Alora's turn to plant her hands atop her hips. "So, what isn't perfect about it? One of the sub-systems? Agility? Aesthetics?" Not that it looked bad, but Hilal had said something wasn't right and the other woman seemed to have a...colorful flair about her unlike the prototype which was very forceful.

POYO! :: Hilal Vizsla​

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Current outfit

Hilal heart stopped as she quickly gazed at her visor, it looked T-shaped enough to her. Hilal knew how much Mandalorians value tradition. She valued the Mandalorian way as well but Hilal wanted to put some of her personal spin on the armor make her stand out from the rest. The young girl's eyes darted around the visor her mind trying to rationalize why the T-shape looked wider compared to the others. It was supposed to store the advanced HUD system which would grant her access to information on bounties and her targets. There was an AI that Hilal created which will access the targets and come up with the best course of action. Some enemies needed to be burned to crisp, others were more vulnerable to blaster bolts to the face.

"The T-Shape is there," Hilal chuckled nervously. "It's just a bit bigger than the normal but you can see it right?!"

Hilal formed a large grin on her face still trying to maintain calm. "Right?" She asked again.

Sighing Hilal knelt next to the prototype's left knee noticing some sparks coming out from it. "It's a pretty big suit of armor," Hilal mentioned taking out her hydrospanner that was on the floor and began to close up the malfunctioning knee. "It'll add another 8 inches in height, don't think clients will risk their credits on a little girl."

She looked at the Prototype again and shook her head. "It's too bulky," she lamented. "I did some test runs and it runs slower than a Bantha on quicksand. So far Mandalorian jetpack is a bit finnicky and the combat AI is not cooperating."

Hilal frowned. "I need to run more tests," she said. "I need to test its defensive capabilities and flight routines, last night I've recalibrated the Mandalorian Jetpack and improved it's acceleration."

The young woman stared at Alora. "I was wondering if you could help?" She asked. "These results could go a long way in determining what the final design is going to be. I'll also need to travel the Galaxy for any parts I need."

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora blinked and stared at Hilal as the other woman chuckled nervously. Why'd she ask twice? "Of course I can see it! I mean it's certainly more T-like than mine. I didn't even bother trying. Like, that's what the HUD is for. The visor is just for intimidation. Not that you'll get any Mando-Mando to agree; they'll probably say something about tradition and honoring the past. I say honor the past by surviving and kicking butt."

"Yeah, they'd have some cute remark. I get it all the time. Usually I just have to wait until one of them tries to grab me, then I throw them down on the floor and stick a disruptor in their face when they're facing the ceiling. Tends to get everyone's attention." Alora grinned. The height and full body armor would dispense with all that fuss. Maybe be more 'efficient' or something. That was cool; everyone operated differently in the field.

Hilal then launched into some thoughts on the design and some recent challenges faced with it. Alora listened attentively with a peek at the suit of armor now and again. It quickly came down to a request for assistance. "Sure." Alora turned on the spot to present her back to Hilal with a thumb stuck up over her should to indicate the built-in jetpack. "I mean I built this and got it working." She hopped back again again. "But the current design's bulk... it won't win any acrobatic contests, but we can definitely get it controllable and boost its speed -- especially when going mostly in one direction."

"As for parts," Alora paused to grin, "just what I was thinking about coming here. See, I have lots of contacts in the Core, and I can arrange shipments, but having a stable place to drop off the merch is kind of important, you know? Seeing how you need gear too, I'm thinking we could work together. Cover each other's back. Keep an eye on our storage. Not that vod would steal anything, but I always plan for the worst. Like a Sith invasion." It would happen. Sooner or later. The pirates had already tried it!

"So." With a step in closer and around the back of the armor, Alora leaned in for a close look. "This is a standard issue jetpack? They're good enough for a warrior, but definitely not enough for something this big. We could lighten it, like mine, or beef up the pack. What are you aiming for? Agile, powerful, or balanced?"

POYO! :: Hilal Vizsla​

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Current outfit

Hilal's heart swelled with joy when Alora mentioned that she can get shipments for her shop. "Seriously Alora!" Hilal said unable to resist a cheesy grin. "Where have you been all my life?! You're a lifesaver! If you can get in contact with your people, I'll be eternally grateful!"

Mandalorians..... they may be perceived as selfish people looking to get a quick credit but they stick to a code. "That's the problem," Hilal said. "I've designed an exoskeleton that will enhance my agility and strength. But I'm having trouble adapting it to the suit it's probably more bugs that I need to fix."

If there was one thing that Hilal hated about tech, was bugs, bugs, and more fucking bugs. Every time Hilal thought she finished getting rid of bugs, more show up. It was like trying to cut off a limb from an Trandosian. Thankfully, Hilal had created some debugging software to take care of the issue. It wasn't perfect but it kept the bugs manageable. "I've done some playtesting a week ago," Hilal said hopping into her armor. "Still out of whack but I do want to test the armor's durability at least."

As the seals closed behind her, Hilal's advanced HUD activated as she began to move..... or rather stumble around like a drunk.

"Damn it," Hilal growled trying to maintain her balance. "I mean I've yet to get a jetpack Alora but I do plan on going to Tatooine soon. I've heard there's a merchant selling the brand that I want to install for cheap."

Hilal growled as the suit began to act up, more "system errors" began to pop up. The suit was struggling to boot up properly. "Fucking chit," she mumbled. "The systems are still buggy but I think I'll manage."

The young woman turned to the door. "Alora," she said. "Follow me to the training I installed out back. Time to really see what the prototype is made of."

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

"If?" Alora blinked and turned to stare at the other woman. "I've been in contact with them ever since I left the Core. Already had personal deliveries. Problem is I'm not always around, and it makes big orders difficult. So, if you need anything, just let me know." A grin split her face in turn.

Agility. Strength. Adaptation. Honey-brown eyes remain on Hilal for a time as the inventor went on about the woes of inventing things. Alora totally understood where she was coming from. Especially when you designed something like this suit from scratch. Once people saw a polished product they figured designing and building it were easy, completely unaware of just how much blood had been squeezed out of a rock to make it happen.

A soft, non-committal hum rose within Alora for a moment at Hilal saying they had issues and wanted to test the durability. Once the woman was in and the suit buttoned up, it was plain to see what at least a few of those 'issues' were. Balance. Coordination. Control. But, mainly balance. Could be the center of gravity, maybe some of the gyroscopic sensors.

A quick blink maintained Alora's stare. The jetpack hadn't even been installed yet? Hilal put in a weight as a stand-in right? Well, she could work on the whole balance issue without it and then recalibrate once it was installed. Fewer variables, arguably. Just seemed less work to have all the weighted components in place so calibration only needed to happen once. Either way was appropriate, really.

"Cheap?" Oh, how those words hurt.

I don't advise either of you seeing what that prototype is 'made' of, came the drool voice of Gambit to Alora personally.

Yeah, but does it have a receiver you can hijack? Debug the code, check if all the hardware's installed? Alora smiled and nodded for Hilal's benefit. "Coming!" She bounced out of the room in Hilal's lumbering wake. Was Hilal really thinking of doing a durability test? That suit was probably heavy. If it fell over after getting shot -- whether the impact left any damage or not -- it'd be a pain to set up right again. Hopefully it'd be up against a wall or sitting down. Though, seeing it walk maybe sitting down wouldn't be such a good idea.

POYO! Hilal Vizsla​