Private Prophetic Profits

[Lord Mettallum]

Droid Body: LM Mark III
Location: Deep space inside the DIA Maker's Mercy

Deep within the void of space somewhere just outside the Blackwall a lone vessel floated with its weapon systems offline seemingly waiting for someone. Within said ship was Lord Mettallum who sat in a extremely large ornate office sitting on what was an acceptable sized chair for his large body but for the average humanoid was the size of a large throne. amongst his desk were pages and pages of reports showing the damages and loses sustained during the fight over Vexis Station and how behind the times Lord Mettallum's droid forces were and should the boarder skirmishes escalate into all out war between the Diarchy and Mandalorians then his forces will need drastic upgrades and urgently.

Research into new materials that could potentially be used for the frames and chassis found unique substances called Shiftsteel and Helsteel respectively both of which a Sith Aligned Privateering Company has a monopoly over. Any attempts Lord Mettallum's company have tried to replicate these materials from the miniscule amounts they were able to scavenge have all failed with his researchers swearing that the materials make no logical sense as if they had came from another dimension. Lord Mettallum was going to give up trying to gain access to these materials or at best was going to hire some bounty hunters to steal the formula to these materials until he was informed of one crucial piece of information. The Privateering Company was ran by an extremely powerful Free Droid, at first Lord Mettallum had thought maybe this droid was a Metal Lord who broke code and allied with the Sith something he wouldn't blame them for but no this droid had no record of being a Metal Lord. Lord Mettallum had to meet this droid now not only to gain access to the special materials but to also potentially make a friend who is both a powerful droid and within the Blackwall

After multiple attempts Lord Mettallum was able to send a simple request for a meeting to Helix requesting a meeting between one powerful free droid to another. The location of said meeting was the void of space in relative proximity to the edge of the Blackwall. Within the hanger of Lord Mettalum's ship waited his secretary flanked by two body guards, they were to escort Helix to Lord Mettallum's office should he appear and board the ship.

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[Helix]

For all his foul reputation, Helix could generally be relied on to have a civilized discussion. That privilege extended to anyone, regardless of the colors they flew. Lately, only the Diarchy seemed to be taking advantage of it.

That proved the mysterious warlord-state to be smarter than most. Helix put a lot of value on a simple extended hand, even if nothing came of the negotiations.

It was for that reason that he quickly responded to Lord Mettallum 's request for a meeting. It wasn't too often that he met another droid in a position of power. He didn't know Metallum well, only by reputation. Information was surprisingly hard to come by. He hoped this little discussion would fill in the blanks.

Helix hummed softly to himself as his lone Horla-Class corvette emerged from hyperspace to find a sizeable war vessel waiting there.

Punctuality was another virtue Helix adhered to, and he didn't keep his mysterious new contact waiting long. A lone, antiquated shuttle zipped into the hangar once he was given clearance to land.

As with all such meetings, this could very well simply be a trap. He doubted it, though. One didn't arrange a trap right outside the borders of Sith space.

More likely, it was an earnest proposition, and those were always interesting. He so rarely got to have a civil discussion with anyone outside the Blackwall these days. Helix came and went as he liked, but his expeditions outside were usually piratical in nature. Pirates didn't often have the luxury of a nice chat.

He languidly strode onto the deck, seeing a burnished gold protocol droid of some sort, flanked by two others that were decidedly more martial in appearance.

Very good. It was clear his new contact didn't take him lightly.

"Inform your superior that I'm here to see him." He rasped. "As requested."

 

[Lord Mettallum]

Droid Body: LM Mark III
Location: Deep space inside the DIA Maker's Mercy


The Secretary gave a short bow before responding back "The Prophet has already been informed of your arrival War Marshall and is currently expecting you in his quarters. If you would be willing please follow me." Should Helix follow he would be lead down the halls of the vessel with the two guards following a distance in the back.

The halls of the vessel were currently being renovated with battle droids painting the halls gold, Engineering droids installing religious iconography on the walls and priest droids supervising all this to ensure everything is perfect. While the vessel itself was getting a new coat of paint the droids themselves were of rougher look. Most of the droids had signs of wear and tear including fresh and old blaster marks, patchworked repairs and subpar quality of equipment a far cry different to the refined look they were trying to make with these renovations.

Once they reached the doors to Lord Mettallum's quarters the Secretary would connect to the dataport and open the doors "Lord Mettallum, War Marshall Helix is here to see you"

Most of the confidential files were now removed from the desk and in their place was a large bottle of Nepenthé with two durasteel cups next to it. Compared to the other droids on the ship Lord Mettallum was well polished with his droid chassis sparkling clean with nearly no marks or imperfections, one could mistake him for a super recently built droid except for the fact his photoreceptors were cracked and still in need of proper repairs. Infront of the desk was a chair that unlike Lord Mettallum's chair was actually suitable for a normal sized humanoid to sit on.

Lord Mettallum would pour himself a cup of Nepenthé before offering to fill up a cup for Helix "Do you partake?"

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[Helix]

Helix was initially pleased by the polite reception, but something the droid had said gave him brief pause. "Prophet" was an unusual title for a droid to hold, but then, so was War Marshal. As far as he was concerned, one could call themselves whatever they liked. He nodded, and followed the meeting delegation promptly.

He studied the interior of the vessel as they moved, taking in every detail. The "Prophet" title began to make more and more sense as he went. The interior looked more like a temple than a warship, and its inhabitants more like weathered ascetic monks than battle droids. Despite himself, he was politely interested.

He knew, of course, that religious droids existed. Never had he seen them in proper organized scale, however. This was sure to be an interesting meeting, if nothing else. It was novel, and novel was good.

He'd never been much for spirituality, of course. He knew exactly where he came from, and where he was going. The universe held little existential mystery for him. The closest thing to a god that Helix recognized was, well, Helix. Certainly, his consciousness had first flickered forth on a Baktoid assembly line some nine or so centuries ago. He'd become so much more since. Rebuilt himself into a thing without crude limits and balances. He was his own Maker.

Of course, it would probably not be politic (or wise) to mention this to the Prophet. He'd be the same way he always was in public. Polite, non-committal, and accomodating.

At that moment, he was shown into Metallum's office. He took in his host's appearance in a split-instant, rapidly analyzing every micrometer of his appearance with all the power his gargantuan consciousness could muster.

Lord Mettallum cut an impressive figure, certainly. Helix placed him as a heavily modified FLTCH-series war droid, one of the most sophisticated killing machines ever devised. Whatever he was, he had to be special to survive this long. The ravages of the centuries had not been kind to most droid varieties from his time, and he had met only a scant handful since.

Helix glanced down at the liquid when offered. In truth, he could eat or drink nearly anything, or at least taste it. He got no nutrition from it, of course, but flavor was a new pleasure for him. He'd not enjoyed mechanical lubricants as a beverage for quite a while, so this would be a pleasant touch of nostalgia.

"When the situation calls for it." He said, taking the offered seat and noting it seemed to be scaled for more typical humanoid visitors. Helix, under most circumstances, restrained himself to such a scale, if only out of habit. Metallum comfortably dwarfed him, being not only taller but wider. Helix himself was lanky, almost spidery-looking. Were he organic, "malnourished" would perhaps be an applicable word.

The chair was comfortable, if worn, but Helix didn't judge. He was here to learn what this was all about.

"I would say the situation calls for it today." He nodded, accepting the drink.

 

[Lord Mettallum]

Droid Body: LM Mark III
Location: Personal Office/Quarters


something was off about this droid before Lord Mettallum. He had seen a few ST Droids in the past many of which did have modifications to their bodies yet this one was clearly something else if only Lord Mettallum's photoreceptors were properly fixed so he could take a good scan. In the future Lord Mettallum would have to find out what type of droid this was really but for now it was business.

Lord Mettallum poured the drink into Helix's cup before lifting his own cup in the air before pouring it down a small intake port that opened up on the side of his neck. Nepenthé was one of the few things that could quell the strange headache like errors Lord Mettallum had been getting lately ever since his reawakening which no amount of diagnostics seem to be able to resolve.

"War Marshall, I Lord Mettallum assume you understand the reason I Lord Mettallum asked you to talk." From one of the drawers of his desk Lord Mettallum would pull out a small scrap piece of Helsteel and placed it on the desk "Such an interesting material that has tormented FOTM engineers in their attempts replicate it."

Lord Mettallum would pour himself another cup and consume it before continuing to talk "Now shall this talk be done in the fun game of politics with half truths or are we above organic fallacies and honour each other with directness." Since Helix was active in sith space Lord Mettallum assumed the droid was constantly dealing with lies and half truths if the the propaganda outside the Blackwall about the sith was true. For Lord Mettallum he found that style of politics fun in small samples but it always caused issues that would be solved if things were more direct.

Helix

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[Helix]

Helix took the glass, eyed it for a moment, then extruded a thin, piercing needle from his faceplate. He dipped this insectile mouthpart into the oil-beverage, casually glancing downward as Lord Mettallum placed a chunk of Helsteel on the desk between them.

He didn't bother asking where the droid-priest had acquired it: it could be found anywhere his troops had done battle, and salvage teams had failed to recover the dead. He made a mental note to whip said salvage teams into shape. Battlefield material losses were a fact of life, but that didn't mean they didn't need to tighten up their act.

His unsettling stare lingered on the sample for a moment, then slowly travelled back up to the enormous droid in front of him.

"I'm flattered you think so." He said finally. "My little contribution to the the wonderful world of wartime metallurgy. I should imagine your engineers are having a hard time. After all, that was partly the point. I'm very... protective of the things I create. Most are made deliberately difficult to reproduce."

"As much as my superiors send me off to war in every corner of the galaxy, it's useful to have an alloy that does not need repair, in the typical sense. So long as it has food, anyway." He returned his gaze to the metallic chunk on the desk, and took another sip of his drink. "Makes the logistics of war a bit easier to bear."

"Some directness is refreshing." He agreed. "It's a rare treat these days. I take it you didn't ask me here simply to call attention to my inventiveness, however."

He nodded. "Alright. The direct truth, then, or what parts of it that aren't classified." He set his glass down. He didn't think his host would like the answer, but he'd tell him anyway.

"The truth is that it can't be reproduced because the secret ingredient is missing. All the best conventional metalsmiths in the galaxy wouldn't be able to do it, if you were able to pull them together from the four corners of the map for the task."

"Nor could my erm... 'friends' in Sith space replicate it with any luck." He continued. "Alchemy won't do one any good either. No, Helsteel requires a little... something extra. Something proprietary."

He tilted his head inquiringly. "I take it your interest in the stuff goes beyond simple scientific curiosity?"

 

[Lord Mettallum]

Droid Body: LM Mark III
Location: Personal Office/Quarters

hmmm the claim that no one in the whole galaxy could replicate these strange metals especially without its secret ingredient was quite a bold one. Normally Lord Mettallum would attribute that to over exaggerated boasting yet if this strange droid was being truly direct then maybe there was no lie to this claim and so the secret ingredient was most likely outside this galaxy something that despite what some may think is not impossible, Lord Mettallum had been interested of extragalactic studies before his slumber mainly focusing on trying to understand the Vong and the rumoured droid empires they destroyed and of course since his reawakening he had heard that the nearby firefist galaxy and a few others had somehow merged with the main galaxy so maybe that is s where he got the metals.

"You are correct that this meeting was not just to discuss science, I Lord Mettallum wish to change the galactic order and put droids on the top of the ladder. Such a task is not easy as I Lord Mettallum have witnessed multiple failed attempts in the time I Lord Mettallum have been alive from the ancient AI Omni to the Incursion attempt and..." Lord Mettallum would pause for a moment as if stuck in thought "The more diplomatic approach of the Metal Lords all of which failed because they rushed things without setting up proper ground work." Lord Mettallum felt somewhat empty and betrayed thinking back to when most of the Metal Lords gave up on ruling the galaxy and went back into hiding within the void of space .

Maybe he should have been a little less direct about his goals but it was too late to regret that now "To do this I Lord Mettallum need to build a proper army and while I Lord Mettallum have access to Diarchy resources they do not align nor with the future I Lord Mettallum seek. I Lord Mettallum came to you for the simple reason that you are the type of being I Lord Mettallum see should be at the top of the ladder. I Lord Mettallum seek to purchase access to your advance metals not only to create the greatest droid army in the galaxy but also to establish a working relationship with another droid that understands how to wield power."

His plan was still in its infancy and would most likely take decades or centuries to show any true progress but despite his own ego he knew that it could never work without powerful allies and the best way to get them was through mutual trade.

 

[Helix]

There it was. It was a bold ask, but Helix found himself strangely sympathetic to the creature before him. Metallum occasionally paused or looked conflicted, as if in pain. Helix knew well that the eons were not kind to droids, yet here the priest persisted. Persistence was an admirable trait, perhaps the only trait worth celebrating.

Lord Mettallum was an odd creature, but then, so was Helix. If the War Marshal had anything approaching a redeeming trait, it was a soft spot for the unusual and the outcast. He didn't have to think long to make a decision.

Slowly, he began to piece together his understanding of the being before him.

Helix had made a career on facilitating the ambitions of others. In his mind, everyone deserved a chance to prove the validity of their ethos. Metallum was no different. While Helix was no droid supremacist himself, the so-called Metal Lord's ideals were interesting ones. Let him prove them on the galactic stage.

"Alright." He said. He didn't haggle, argue the point, or otherwise try to get an edge over the droid priest. He simply agreed.

"That is, at the end of the day, what I do. Just tell me which materials you'd like, how much, and how soon. I'll have them delivered to a location of your choosing at a time of your choosing."

"For what it's worth, discretion is a part of doing business with me. I've no intention of telling anyone about your plans or ambitions. You've the right to chase them to fruition, same as anyone, and it would be a shame if mere material costs got in the way. Aye, you'll have your metals in whatever amount you require."

 

[Lord Mettallum]

Droid Body: LM Mark III
Location: Personal Office/Quarters

Lord Mettallum didn't expect it to be this easy to strike up a deal. He had expected Helix to either push back or take advantage of Lord Mettallum's desperation. Lord Mettallum's processors ran hundreds of scenarios trying to figure out what sort of advantage Helix could gain with this deal other than a lot of favour with Lord Mettallum himself, as they say Nothing is ever Free, Every Gift has its Price. Lord Mettallum refused to believe that Helix was a being that would underestimate him and try to trojan horse the metal supplies. For now Lord Mettallum had to accept that this gift was going to torment him mentally for some time.

"Well I Lord Mettallum seek large shipments of Shiftsteel, Helsteel and Helglass." These were the only materials Lord Mettallum had any information on, his scavengers were unable to identify others even if Lord Mettallum suspected Helix had created or discovered a lot more unique materials.

"It would be an omission of the truth and not in in the spirit of honesty if I Lord Mettallum did ensure that you understand that the materials you supply may and most likely will be used against the forces of the Sith and potentially your own forces." Maybe this is why Helix was so willing to agree to the deal. "Competition does provide innovation even amongst friends"

Lord Mettallum's secretary would offer Helix a holopad detailing the large quantity of materials requested and potential locations in the void of space where Helix's ships can transfer them to Lord Mettallum's cargo ships "Of course if you need anything delivered into Diarchy space then I Lord Mettallum would be happy to assist within reason." Lord Mettallum would then proceed to finish another cup of Nepenthé

Helix

 

[Helix]

From time to time, being a droid had its advantages. One of these was that they often lacked the complex microexpressions and body language that humanoids did. Helix had spent much of his time around humanoids, and had learned to read them like an open book. Most were not even aware that they showed their intent on their visages so openly, but a rare few had bothered to learn how to present a good sabacc face.

As such, Lord Mettallum was not easy to read, but Helix fancied he detected a hint of surprise in the droid-priest's reply. He'd doubtless expected more of a fight, asking a favor from someone famous primarily as a marauder and warlord.

Nor did Helix seem especially put off at the confession that the materials would probably be utilized against the Order someday. No part of that was bad for him, of course. More war meant more need for his talents, and a greater likelihood that he would continue to rise through the ranks. In general, the more well-armed the Order's enemies were, the better he liked it.

Helix fed off war and chaos like a droch fed on blood, and nothing would please him more than Metallum getting exactly what he wanted. Besides, it was just good business. If they asked nicely, and made a convincing case as Metallum had, he'd sell to anyone, friend or foe.

Well. Almost anyone. He couldn't see himself ever coming to such terms with the dying Alliance or their various splinter-states, or the false-Sith in the Core.

"What you do with the materials when they are yours is your own business, of course." He replied genially, taking another nip of the nepenthé. The beverage was beginning to grow on him, as unfamiliar as it was. "Though your forthrightness about their intended purpose is appreciated, nonetheless. Honesty is so difficult to stumble across in these benighted days. That's part of the reason I agreed so easily."

Helix took the offered dataslate, whisking through its contents quickly. All the necessary bits and bobs to build an army, or at least to armor one. Metallum clearly had some ambitions he wished to see through with his dreamt-of droid army. It almost made Helix nostalgic for the "good old days".

"This should prove no trouble." Helix said, placing the slate back on the desk once he'd memorized its contents. "That's what I've always liked about the Diarchy. Just because we find ourselves on opposite sides doesn't mean we can't come to a civil agreement, from time to time."

"Not everything has to be a zero-sum game, and there is room in the galaxy for nuance. Of course, not all behind the Blackwall see things that way, but that's why they keep me around. Someone has to be able to look around and assess the reality of things in a manner unclouded by mortal frailties."

"As a fellow droid, I'm sure you understand. Doubtless you deal with much the same thing in your own nation. In any case, I see nothing here that I find objectionable. I will have your requested materials delivered to the locations you've named herein, at least as fast as my production capacity allows."

He mulled that last bit over for a moment, then nodded. It never hurt to have some favor with the other side, and more contacts outside the Order if things ever went south.

"I'll keep that offer in mind for the future. I'd certainly like to do more business within the Diarchy's borders, diplomacy permitting."