Lets Get Phriky

[J3C0]

Mierin nodded, then quickly spoke to the pilot. The ship lifted off from the ground and then picked up. They shot off like a rocket, and then flew towards the factory. It wasn't far away from the mine thanks to logistical reasons. The armor she had in mind wouldn't be produced here, but its early refinement were to begin. Quickly they moved towards the facility, rushing hundreds of kilometers in mere minutes.

“There is a factory near here.” Mierin said as they rushed ever forward. “They are designing something for me.”

She paused for a moment, looking over to him. “Well in truth, its more for you.”

Mieirn looked at him as they reached the facility, setting down on the landing pad with a loud thump before the doors pushed themselves open. The Sith Pureblood stepped out onto the ramp, only to be greeted by half a dozen engineers and factory foremen.

 

[Menoetius]

"For me? You shouldn't have," came Orin's response, likely his best attempt at humour. He had his answer, and using his higher reasoning skills, he deducted that the surprise was, in fact, weapons or armour and the recipient was him. Scratch that, him and his guardsmen. Nobody would oversee the extraction of hundreds of tons of Phrik and strong arm the royal houses of Alderaan into funding weapons and armour for one man. No, this was likely a large scale operation to outfit many men, perhaps with even higher aspirations. It was a big mine, after all.

A big factory, too, Orin mused as the building came into sight.

The dull thud of landing was followed by the signature hiss of hydraulics as the door slid open. Orin assumed his place behind Mierin as they departed, before coming to her side when they stopped.

"My lady," the foreman began, bowing. "We've been preparing for your arrival."

[member="Darth Mierin"]

 

[J3C0]

She pushed past the men and women that greeted them without responding to them. She didn't care about them, she wanted to show Orin what he and his men would receive for their service on Alderaan, for all the things they had done for her.

Of course the retinue followed her without question, not worried about her ignoring them.

“I listened to you have Coruscant, Orin.” She walked quickly and wandered into the factory, the noise was immediate, and the resounding thundering blow so of hammers and electronic droids welding things together was immediate. They had already begun.

“I heard of your need, of what happened in that Valley.” She craned her neck to look towards one of the assembly lines. A massive plate of Phrik lay there, being bent in place by a massive droid. “I've decided to do something about it, for you and your men.”

Mierin motioned for him to follow into the Factories Command Center.

 

[Menoetius]

The mention of the valley sent phantom pains through Orin's damaged shoulder, causing him to roll it a few times in an effort to alleviate the pain. He groaned very slightly, in a way that signaled more annoyance than pain, and continued to march beside Mierin. The sound of machinery grinded his mind, making him agitated. There was something about the sparking, the welding, that set him on edge. Perhaps it was the similarities between bolt guns and hydraulic presses to the sound of gunfire and artillery.

Despite his uneasiness, he was excited. Orin hardly ever received gifts, not even on his birthday, and to receive something from his lady lordship herself was nearly unheard of. He found himself smiling, a rarity in itself.

Judging from the plating on the conveyor belts, he reckoned it was armour, added protection. "Armour, my lady?" he asked, the roughness of his voice masking his giddiness. As he asked, they entered the command center.

[member="Darth Mierin"]

 

[J3C0]

“Precisely, Orin.” She said the words with amusement and joy. This was truly something great. As they entered the control Center she pulled the blue-prints from one of the boxes nearby, knowing that it would be there. She placed the piece of flimsy onto the table and unfurled it.

The Schematics for the armor revealed themselves immediately, and of course the men and women who had crowded around her began to look at it. Most of them had already seen it, but it was admittedly quite a bit of work. Mierin motioned for them to move away so that Orin could see. This was for him and his men after all, to protect them and give them an unheard f advantage in combat. It was necessary.

“An armor like no one has ever seen.” Mierin placed paperweights on both ends of the blue-prints. “Power armor.”

She pointed to the blue-prints, and let Orin look.

[member="Commander Orin"]

 

[Menoetius]

[member="Darth Mierin"]

Pushing his way past the workers, he stood before the blueprints like a man was witnessing the birth of their child. They looked glorious, to say the least. He studied them intricately in the short time he had been gazing upon them, investigating them for anything that could be edited or changed to improve the survivability. After all, this armour would be donned by his men and himself - protecting not just them, but their chances of protecting Mierin.

"This is good," the monster of a man stated after a good few minutes of silence.

He turned to face Mierin and asked, "I see production is already running... Are there any prototypes?"

That rare smile morphed into a grin.

 

[J3C0]

“One.” Mierin said with a grin.

She had known that Commander Orin would want to test this. She had known that Orin would want to fight and use this armor before anyone else. This was a simple thing in her head, this armor would be used by his men, and he had a right to test it. Mierin had told them to prepare a prototype version of the armor.

This one had been made with Phrik that was left over from other projects.

The armor wasn't exactly up to snuff yet, wasn't quite finished, but it would do. It would also allow them to test for anything that needed changing, anything that could be improved upon. Simple things of course, nothing major would need to be altered, the design was approved by Mierin after all. The Sith Pureblood shot a look at the blue-prints, watching it for a moment before letting out a satisfied smile. This was progress, this was forward movement. Like the Dark Blades like the Dweebits.

She motioned to the engineers.

 

[Menoetius]

[member="Darth Mierin"]

The engineers immediately scurried off, their mission known without command. Moving through corridors and production lines, they arrived at one of the factory's many warehouses. This one was all but empty. Empty except for the nine foot tall metallic structure standing in the middle, a sleek yet monstrous statue of a human form. Except this wasn't a statue, no, this was a suit.

Meanwhile, Orin completed his study of the blueprints and turned his whole body to face Mierin. He had one question, one important request, to propose.

"Can I test it?"

Somehow, his grin grew larger.

 

[J3C0]

Mierin stretched herself. She took her hands off the table and then looked to Orin, the engineers having scurried off. The armor would take time to prepare, its massive plates and servos that needed to be precisely tuned to the wearer would take a little bit to actually set. The Sith Pureblood knew this, it was one of the major disadvantages of the armor.

“Of course.” The Sith Pureblood said beginning to follow after the Engineers.

Surprisingly, she was excited.

Mierin was hardly ever excited, only when she was making progress was she truly excited. The Dark Blades had been an amazing leap I starship technology, and this? This was completely new. The galaxy had never seen true power armor, had never seen what properly trained soldiers could do with such a thing. She was excited to see what her guard would do, what they would be capable of.

 

[Menoetius]

[member="Darth Mierin"]

If Orin had been a teenage school girl, he'd probably squeal and jump and down. Thankfully, he was a middle-aged, battle-hardened, warrior so his response was an appropriate nod and a "Thankyou." He followed Mierin, mind lost in the confines of thought.

This was quite the advancement for him and his guard if the whole operation could pull it off. There were some logistic problems, such as the five thousand guardsmen in active service. Would the armour be produced to that scale? That would be a mighty fine dream, but a reality? Orin doubted it. The Phrik required to make basic armour for them all was already outstanding.

As they made their way to the warehouse, Orin just had to ask. "Are you planning on outfitting the entire guard in these powered armours?"

Then they entered, the sheer size of the warehouse making the armour appear smaller than it actually was. Orin increased his pace, likely leaving Mierin behind, to get to the armour as quick as possible. Engineers surrounded it, prodding it with mechanical adjustors and software editors.

"We're nearly ready, sir," one of the engineers said when Orin stopped before the hulking suit of armour.

About fifteen minutes of waiting later and he was inside, the suit already beginning to encase him in massive Phrik plating with the help of the engineers.

"Time it takes to prepare and wear might be a problem," Orin announced, just before it fully encased him.

 

[J3C0]

“No, not the entire guard.” That wouldn't be feasible sadly. The time it took to build these, the wear and tear, the maintenance, and the cost. There was no real way they could create nearly five thousand units of this armor, they simply did not have the resources yet. It was a disappointing reality, but it was true. Sadly they would have to stick with only the elite of the elite, enough of them would be outfitted however, those that would fight with Mierin, those that would stand at her side.

“Thats impossible I'm afraid.” Mierin said quietly, almost disappointed. “It would take up too much time, too many resources.”

She shook her head.

It wasn't that big of a deal really. The larges portion of the guard didn't ever actually see combat, only about a Hundred or so at a time. The rest were stationed aboard the Crimson Wraith or guarding the One Siths other assets. That was simple logistics.

“Would you like to test it fully?” She said the words with a smile.

 

[Menoetius]

[member="Darth Mierin"]

As the suit fully enclosed, there was a hiss of air as it pressurized, effectively making the armour not just powered, but space worthy. Orin was stuck in darkness, unable to move, for but a moment before the HUD activated and the servos squealed to life. Orin's grin had been plastered on his face for the past twenty minutes and it was not going to disappear now, oh no. He maneuvered around, taking slow steps and making every joint, every servo, perform in various ways.

A few minutes of this and he felt sufficiently comfortable in the armour, at least when it came to movement and the limits to that movement.

When Mierin asked her question, he turned to face her, looking down on her from a few feet higher than usual.

"What are you proposing?" He asked, voice distorted by the exterior audio projectors.

 

[J3C0]

[member="Commander Orin"]

Mierin smiled, taking a few steps back and clearing some space in the room.

This wasn't a massive room, but it was enough for the two of them to have a bit of a scuffle, even with the mass of the armor that Orin now wore. From her hip she pulled her lightsaber, the curved hilt laying in the crook of her fingers as if it belonged there. Her neck cracked slightly, and she ignited the blade with a snap and a hiss.

“A duel.” She said quietly.

In theory, the armor should be completely and entirely lightsaber proof.

Even if she stabbed him continuously head on with the lightsaber it should not be enough to breach the armor, at least on the phrik plate parts. In the duranium section of the armor it would be a little easier to pierce through, but it would still take several minutes of direct pressure to cut through.

The guard were going to fight Jedi of course.

 

[Menoetius]

"If you wish," came Orin's reply, the gruffness of his voice not lost through the speakers.

From studying the blueprints, he knew the armaments the suit came equipped with, but he wouldn't be using slug throwing weaponry or flamethrowers against his lady lordship, oh no. He didn't want to kill her. Instead, he jerked his right arm and a phrik blade extended, reflecting light off its shiny surface in such a manner that it'd likely hurt one's eyes if one were to look at it.

After extending the blade, he didn't hesitate in charging the Sith Lord, powered legs propelling him with incredible speeds towards her position, non-blade arm reeled back and ready to bat her away like a ball once within range.

His grin was finally lost, replaced by the steely look of concentration.

[member="Darth Mierin"]

 

[J3C0]

Well this was problematic.

The force could augment her strength quite a bit, but the armor did so far more than the force could ever manage. The arm struck her like a battering ram, and instantly she went flying. Her bones didn't shatter mostly because of the force, but as she flipped in the air and landed on the ground she thought that perhaps the armor was made too possible.

She could lose this.

The lightsaber slipped from her grasp, thrown towards Orin in a hail of a red twirling plasma. Immediately after Mierin jumped forward. She used the force, pushing against Orin with a massive press of the force, hoping to throw him against the far wall.

This would be difficult.

 

[Menoetius]

The Commander was almost surprised that Mierin hadn't simply dodged out of his way, or was he really that fast? Regardless, he turned to face where she had landed, stomping towards her at a casual pace. Despite her request to duel, he really didn't want to kill her or even harm her. His hesitance to keep attacking was just his way of showing he cared.

Then a lightsaber was thrown at him.

Now usually, he'd be sweating and jumping away from the saber in the hopes of not being sliced and diced. But not today, no, he was wearing a suit of fething Phrik power armour. He batted the saber away with a gauntleted hand, creating a fizzing noise as the plasma impacted on the Phrik. Safe in the knowledge that Mierin was more or less OK, he began to advance once more, before an unseen force acted upon him, sending him flying across the warehouse.

The impact was hard, sending chunks of duracrete flying in different directions. The suit, however, seemed fine. Glaringly apparent was just how fine the suit was when Orin ripped a chunk of the duracrete out of the wall, holding the massive slab in both hands for but a moment before throwing it towards Mierin like a deadly, one ton, frisbee.

[member="Darth Mierin"]

 

[J3C0]

[member="Commander Orin"]

Dear god. This was ludicrous. She moved like a ghost, slipping and dashing like a serpent to the side. There wasn't even an attempt to break the stone or cut it in half. She simply moved to the side, rushing away from the rock and letting it smash into a nearby wall. Seconds later Mierin called the lightsaber back to her hand.

She rushed towards Orin, dashing forward at her Royal Guard Commander.

Mierin rushed forward at him, moving and nearly becoming a blur as she rushed at him. A jump at the last second pushed her off the floor and directly up into the air. She launched a kick towards his face, a single powerful force infused foot.

 

[Menoetius]

Although the physical capabilities were certainly impressive, Orin found himself falling in love with the HUD. No matter how fast Mierin moved, the hud kept track of her, constantly judging distances and speed, feeding him information throughout her entire maneuver.

That said, it couldn't amplify his reflexes. Thankfully, they were pretty damn fast, on account of his force sensitivity and Guard training.

So Orin did something he would never be able to accomplish as a human. ((Following has OOC permission)) He reached up with his non-blade hand and grabbed Mierin's leg in mid air, using her own momentum to swing her down towards the ground. That would be her own weight, momentum, and five times Orin's human strength, all thrusting her towards the ground in a blur of movement.

She should be fine.

Should.

 

[J3C0]

Oh the pain was real. She struck the ground with one solid heavy thud. She heard the cracking of bones, and winced in pain. Her ribs broke, one of them at least. Pain lanced through her, but no anger came. Mierin had asked for this, had told Orin to do this, so there was no anger in this. Yet the pain was real still, and she could feel it feed the darkside within her.

It gave her focus, it gave her strength.

She noticed something. Her eyes focused on a piece of the leg. Her eyes shifted, narrowed, and noticed something. Mierin scowled and then grasped behind the leg. The Sith Pureblood tore out a cluster of unprotected wires, ripping them from the armors legs and tearing them out in her hand.

Simple, but effective.

That flaw would have to be removed from the armor.

[member="Commander Orin"]

 

[Menoetius]

[member="Darth Mierin"]

Orin and the armour immediately fell to one knee, sparking behind the leg, systems powered down entirely. He was left in darkness, being held within the armour that could be his tomb if Mierin wished. The only thing that kept the suit from falling forward ontop of Mierin was the peculiar way that it dropped, leaving it perfectly balanced in a weird position.

A few moments passed before Orin said rather plainly, "I think we've found a flaw, my lady."