I want to buy some Beskar

[Jaxton Ravos]

Jaxton wasn't generally in a "tech" mindset, believing that one should better their skill in the Force rather than the effectiveness of their technology, but times had changed and Jaxton had found that his normal "T-Shirt and Lightsaber" equipment just hadn't been holding up well lately. Determined to rectify this a bit he set course for the planet of Mandalore, hoping to find some of the toughest stuff around, Mandalorian Iron. Or at least, that's what he'd heard. He hadn't dealt with the stuff himself. That was a probably a blessing, as Mandalorians were fierce combatants, and Jaxton held no ill will towards them. Best be polite and make sure they held no ill will towards him either.

Walking into a weaponsmith's shop, hopefully a good one's like say [member="Ijaat Akun"], he headed up and gazed upon the diplays of beautifully crafted swords, knives, hammers, axes, glaives, and a bunch of other melee weaponry. Someone was hard at work, and was very good at their jobs. Heading to the counter he got the attention of the shopkeeper, perhaps the smith, and started conversation.

"Hey, what is your policy on special orders?" He asked. There was a lightsaber displayed clearly on his hip and a backpack on his, well, back, but his demeanor and clothing would suggest an average spacer that just happened to have a lightsaber rather than a Sith or even a Jedi. His name and face weren't nearly as well-known as they used to be, a fact he was admittedly happy about, but there was a chance the Mandalorian might have recognized him as a former Jedi Master from back before the original Sith Empire was defeated. He was hoping not though. He preferred to conduct business as a man, not as a title.

 

[Julius Sedaire]

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

Ijaat looked up from his alchol induced haze. Usually he didn't hang out in the crappy little shop front he had. But beskar'yaim still smelled of her, and her touch was radiant across it. The newcomer looked to be some upjumped spacer who probably found an old lightsaber and might be able to use the Force enough to fool little old ladies into buying some sort of scam artifact or insurance. Whatever or whoever he was, he was sure as hell not in any shape or form a mandalorian. So he took his time standing up, dusting off his green trousers and adjusting the brown tunic he wore, taking time with the last buttons.

"Dapends on wha the spezjuhl orduhr iz..."

The smith drawled, a drunken Concordian Dawn accent sprawling forth as he tried to answer mostly coherently, failing.

Too damn much tihaar.. Stupid man...

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

The odor that wafted from the Mandalorian's breath was nearly cringe-worthy, his motions were slow and exaggerated, his words slurred and mixing. Perhaps Jaxton had walked into the wrong shop, or perhaps it was just "The Mandalorian Way" to be a bit drunk in peacetime. Maybe it was the weapons on the wall, or the benefit of the doubt, or the will of the Force, but Jaxton decided to stay anywayas and give the drunken smith a shot.

"Well most of it's not that special. Just a bunch of parts to be assembled later." Jaxton said and pulled out a datacron, laying it on the table and pressing a few buttons until it generated a holographic display of some schematics. He might have recognized part of it as what appeared to be a lightsaber, another part of which seemed to be a larger powercell, and then a cord connecting the two.

"But this part here." Jaxton said, pointing to cord. "I need that to be flexible like a normal cord, but still durable enough to stand up to lightsabers and sith swords and the like." Zeltron features would look up from the datacron to the drunken mandalorian. He'd be free to analyze and examine the schematics as he wished.

"Can you do it?"

[member="Ijaat Akun"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Ijaat grinned and nodded, smiling. The sudden appearance of schematics clicked something in him to life. While he still spoke with a bit of a slur, he scrubbed at his thinning hair and examined the item, a hand on his chin in a pondering motion, wondering. There was a tricky bit of business in this proposal. He flexed his hands as he reached under the counter and pulled out a pair of crushgaunts carved and worked like pieces of art with electrum inlay and more, scenes of suns, moons, and hunting beasts and demons all done in a knotwork style.

"I can microionise the beskar into a cloth like fabric substance that will be almost lightsaber proof, and even resist those cunning sith swords.. S'not a problem at all. It's how crushgaunts are made. But tell me, why would I work so hard and give away something so precious as beskar to one not of the mando'ade?"

The smith gave the spacer an appraising glance, his eyes still slightly hazed, but a glint of the predatory hawk in them as the gold-brown orbs bored into the man's own, weighing him. Outsiders just didn't get quite what they asked for when they shambled or stumbled in stupidly asking for the most precious material Ijaat had access to. It wasn't plentiful, it wasn't easy to work, and what was more, it was a hallmark of his people. Giving it out to those not of the Clans was a very rare honor, but this man didn't seem stupid, so he was curious as to how the man thought he deserved it.

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

It seemed the notion of work, of decent challenging work and not just general things like "I want a sword" got something clicking in [member="Ijaat Akun"]. He could still smell the aftertaste of last nights netra'gal but his demeanor changed. His body shifted, and it was obvious the gears in his head were beginning to turn. The smith then reached under the table and pulled out a pair of crushgaunts, the kind most of the galaxy just spread rumors about. It was more than a simple work of the forge, not only in skill in crafting but also in art, with portrayles of suns, moons, demons, and beasts laced around them. A beautiful work it be seen that Jaxton examined it thoroughly, but didn't go to touch it, figuring it more respectful not to, or at least to wait until the smith told him he could.

"I don't know." Jaxton started. "Beskar is precious, a distinct part of Mandalorian culture. I'm not sure if you will make it for me and I wouldn't fault you if you didn't. But I do need it." He said in a soft tone as he picked up his lightsaber and put it on the table, as non-threatening as a man could pull a lightsaber off his belt.

"I've fought too many Sith wearing too many Vong Crabs or phrik power armor to think I can do real damage with this thing anymore. This design is based on an older lightsaber, when you needed bigger powercells to get the same effect. So I'm looking to get a little more 'oomph' into the blade by going back to that design with more modern powercells. Which is why reinforcing that cord is so important. If I lose it I'm suddenly fighting with a paperweight."

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Ijaat rubbed his chin as he thought. Work always sobered him up, and this was certainly something different and challenging. To say he was familiar with lightsabers was an overstatement... There wasn't really any familiarity with making them, per se, but in order to check and see about how to best fight and destroy them, he had become very effective in knowing how they worked and what made them tick. There was a moment of silence, and he looked at the man heavily with a weight in his eyes.

"Everyone is fighting Sith now-a-days lad... So tell me, why should I be granting you this right? How are you special from any other jetti or such? Tell me that and we'll talk... How is your fight all the more precious, what have you done that is different?"

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

The more and more they discussed work the more and more sober the smith seemed to get. Buzzwords like "Lightsabers" and "Sith" seemed to hit him a little bit every time he spoke. He seemed critical, but at the same time he didn't seem sarcastic or as if he were trying to push Jaxton away. Just trying to learn more about his situation. Why he was worthy of his craft. It wasn't the best bargaining position truth be told, but it was still a pretty good one in Jaxton's eyes, and one he could work with.

"Precious? I don't know if my fight is more precious than anyone else's. The Sith are horrible people, and everyone has a story of this loved one or that family member that was hurt by them. But my fight is different because I can see what the Jedi and the Republic are doing isn't working. Right now open combat isn't working for them. Need to take a closer approach. Gut them from the inside. Get them to start hating and fighting each other more than the rest of the galaxy."

[member="Ijaat Akun"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

The Sith... Even just thinking about them brought back nightmares to Ijaat. The house in flames, utter ruins, thick black smoke billowing from it as they drug away his wife and young children. The searing pain of the lightsaber of that sith lord slicing his achille's tendon, the shame as he fell to the ground unable to stop them, crawling after them as they left, taking his family and his hopes and dreams with them. There was little to no illusion of what they would do to his children and wife. And for years he had become a monster worse than they in some ways, much worse.

"From the inside, eh? You want to beat the Sith at their own game and rot them from the core... Now that, is better than any damn fool crusade to just crush them and drive them before you. How do you plan to accomplish that, and why do you need my craft for it, lad?"

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

Jaxton leaned over and picked back up his lightsaber, igniting it a horizontally, revealing a cylindrical blue blade of plasma and filling the air with a gentle hum.

"I'm skilled enough in illusions to change my spots." Jaxton said and the metal cylinder of the lightsaber would seem to extend into a longer handle while the blade itself would turn a violent crimson. Jaxton's body itself would seem to change as well, his visage resembling that of a Chiss. The White Current illusion would be melt away as the blade was cut off and put back on Jaxton's belt.

"It's worked so far. From there I've been talkin in people's ears, whispering schism sorta stuff. If I can manage to get one of the higher Sith alone I take a shot at getting rid of 'em. Taken down one Lord already. But most of the higher ups are sporting vong crab armor or alchemied crap or phrik plated power armor. This design here." Jaxton said, pointing to the blueprints. "Will make cutting through it all a lot easier. But with the powercell being outside rather than in I need it to have a bit more protection than durasteel."

[member="Ijaat Akun"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Watching the blade ignite, Ijaat didn't really even react to twitch, yell or otherwise. Maybe he truly was a few sheets plus three to the wind, or maybe he craved death and didn't care anymore. Whatever it was, he regarded the blade as it changed, eyes neutral, face stone-set and calm. As the man talked, the Mandalorian nodded, listening to him. It was risky, this scheme of his. And what is more was it was something he quite liked. There was a strong sense of justice to it, of sweet, sweet irony and humor that appealed to a sadistically sarcastic part of him, and he genuinely smiled, the expression even reaching his eyes as he held out his hand.

"Welcome to Gotal'veman Arms & Armor, sir... We'll get you just what you need..."

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

Jaxton smiled. extended a hand, and gave the mandalorian's hand a firm shake.

"Thank you." He replied, before reaching behind and into his pack, pulling out a crystalline ore and setting it on the table.

"This should help for the payment." Jaxton said. If the smith knew his metals, and Jaxton was betting he did, he'd recognize it as stygium, the king of cloaking material. A 'spoil' of sorts that he'd gotten from killing Darth Odium. "Managed to take that from them. I'm not one for ships so it's not a lot of use to me, but I figure the Mandos can do something nice with it." It was valuable stuff. Far more valuable than credits. Though, Jaxton knew this man wasn't in it for the payment. If he was he wouldn't have asked so many questions, just 'how big is your wallet'.

"I really do appreciate the work." Jaxton thanked the man, hoping he'd realize the stygium was more a thank you than a business tactic. He'd figure he would though. Half-drunken starts aside, the man seemed pretty sharp once he got goin about his work.

[member="Ijaat Akun"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Eyeing the stygium, Ijaat raised an eyebrow, but said little, nodding as he picked up the ore and examined it like a jeweler might some precious jewel. He had ideas for this ore, oh yes he did. An infiltration suit came to mind immeadiately. Maybe not for him, but for someone. A stygium-triprismatics alloy, a shield disruptor. Like a shadow storm-trooper, but even stronger... Anyone wanting to keep the wearer out best have some really, really good defense networks. This much though, was more than enough to fit that project and likely more.

He smiled and gestured to a stool in front of the counter and nodded softly.

"Sit... We'll walk through the specifics of your design to make sure I get the right alloy and shielding and such... Wouldn't want it to be insufficient to the task at hand, that's not how I do things"

Speaking, the smith had turned around and grabbed a mug, dusting it off with a practiced hand that in another life had once owned a cantina and ran it with some success. Flipping the mug he poured, oddly enough, ice water, coughing a bit as he took a pull of the liquid and then dipped his hands into a sink full of it, washing first them and then dousing his head in it, coming up coughing and sputtering and reaching for a towel to dry off his hair and face.

"There... Always help sober me up.. Now lets talk specifics, no?"

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

Jaxton in honesty wasn't expecting to walk through the process, so when the smith motioned to a stool and told him to sit? He was a bit surprised. Figured Ijaat would just look at the schematics of his parts, cast the metal himself in private, give 'em too him and call it a day. Either he had really walked into the right forge or the mention of stygium had really piqued his interest. Either way Jaxton took the seat and moved over the holodisplay of the schematics as the metallurgist gave himself a good wash down, coughing slightly as he came back.

"We've all had those nights." Jaxton said with a smile as he opened the schematics back up and started interacting with it. "Obviously the exterior needs the most reinforcement. I've already talked to you about the cord. Thinking that should be about 1.5, 2 metersish long. Makes sure I don't impede my swing and in a pinch I can swing it around in a chain-whip sort of fashion with a lightsaber on the end." Jaxton paused and began to think for a minute.

"Hey, do you think I could put a few small spikes that shoot out there." He pointed to right about where the blade emitter was. " Make somewhat of a crossguard and if I need to can try and stab into something with the lightsaber and then make sort of a poor man's grappling hook? At 2 meter's might not be much help, but the crossguard at least will be useful."

[member="Ijaat Akun"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Nodding at the suggestions, Ijaat scrubbed at his eyes a bit and eyed the schematics where Jaxton indicated them, considering what he detailed in his mind. The chain like part was actually a very wise move, be rather helpful in a pinch and a good surprise to any opponent. He'd want to make sure to take extra care with how thick the wall of the micro-ionised beskar was, so that it flexed right and wasn't in any danger or kinking or twisting in the wrong way at the wrong moment. The spikes were another idea and he reached over to manipulate the design, adding pyramidal spikes with steps and jags to help them bite and stick. Smiling a bit, he turned the blue prints back to Jaxton and nodded, indicating a switch just to the side and even height of the ignition button.

"This close to what you were envisioning lad?"

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

The smith listenend intently before reaching his hand into the holographic interface and beginning to put his own shape to it, pulling out an array of pyramidal spikes, each jutting out at specific points in order to add a little more bite. As he completed his adjustments and nudged the blueprints back to Jaxton the smith put up a small but noticeable grin. The pride in his work was obvious. A good trait for any craftsman.

"Yeah. That's great stuff." Jaxton said a bit excitedly as he messed with the holographic display, looking over the design and seeing how best to integrate it internally without interfering with the other systems. All he needed was quick spring there, reroute that circuit path around the back and . . . it was good. They were in business.

"So come back in a week or so?" Jaxton asked how long he should expect it to take in a bit of a roundabout sort of way.

[member="Ijaat Akun"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Smiling, Ijaat sat down and began typing into the projector, keying up several screens scrolling with mando'a script as it began to key operations back at his forge, transferring the design to the replicae and other machines to begin manufacture. Nodding to Jaxton, he smiled and pointed to the machine.

"Actually, you can come with me. If you don't mind an over-land flight, by the time we get back to my facility, the basics should be done or in process."

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

"I'd love to." Jaxton said with a grin and stood up out of his stool, and presumably went to follow [member="Ijaat Akun"] to his speeder or other over-and-flying vessel. The capital city of Keldabe remained impressive, spires of steel implying a prosperity of the nation. It was funny to think that this planet was originally a savage wasteland, filled with giant Mythosaurs lording over it's territory. If the Mandalorians had half the strength and courage of their metaphorical ancestors than they'd be strong allies indeed.

"So beskar-smithing." Jaxton started, trying to engage in a bit of small talk as well as just learn about the man making his lightsaber in general. "Is that a father to son thing or do you have to apprentice to a master, or how do you typically train for that? As tough as beskar is I can't imagine forging it to be something a guy can just learn off the cuff." Jaxton asked, curious about the man's occupation.

[member="Ijaat Akun"]