Securitized Witch Brew

[Janick Beauchamp]

"Jane, you just came back from the last meeting of the ORC Navy Investment Management Board, it seems that your penchant for aggressive risk-taking may be a cause for concern given the weight futures and venture capital hold in the ORC's naval investment portfolio"

"I have an idea that will make NFU pilots' lives much easier in ground-attack missions or when intercepting enemy landing craft when blockading a planet"

"What's that idea of yours again? How will you go around implementing it?"

"What do you mean, how I will go around implementing it? Are you implying that we lack the components to alchemize sensor arrays?"

By now Janick was the heir apparent to the ORC NIMB's chairmanship; they think it's harder to attract attention if they met in a place as inconspicuous as the Utapau Financial Library. The only Force-user on the Board proper, Janick was there as the head of the futures and venture capital divisions, which were considered the riskiest investments that made up the ORC Naval Veterans' Pension Fund. And yet, before she could do so much as whipping up a datapad to write the message to whoever she thought was appropriate for the task at hand. She might be attuned to the financial world, she might be that one alchemist that will willingly alchemize starship components, she was still a witch, and maybe she might have a brew somewhere that might make her brain run faster than it already did. Boy will I need to have my brain run faster than it normally does if I want to do this: the faster I can make it run, the better, she thought, while being confronted by Griet as to what Janick thinks is the next big product of the Utai Magic Circle.

"Yes, unfortunately. We only have milkshakes, booze, bottles and drill bits in stock"

"Maybe bringing in somebody new would help get us the necessary components: I don't think we can access them. Maybe a fresh perspective will allow us to get creative"

------------------------------------

ATTN: [member="Jak Sandrow"]

For a free alchemized item, you are cordially invited to help the Utai Magic Circle work on a new device intended to allow NFUs in vehicles or starships to detect Force-users up to long-range turbolaser range. If you accept the offer, please come to the Utapau Alchemy Castle in Kessil, on the Fourth Moon of Utapau.

Janick Beauchamp
Owner, Utai Magic Circle

------------------------------------

 

[Jak Sandrow]

Jak jerked awake at the soft beep of a notification. An empty tankard of what once contained whiskey clattered to the floor, and he groaned. He needed a refill.

Wiping his eyes, he splashed some cold water on his face and sighed, getting dressed for the day and heading to his workshop. Eyeing over his inbox, he opened up one message that seemed particularly interesting.

As he read through the message, his brows rose till he was interested. Quite interested.

"An alchemized item, huh... Hmmm... I could make use of one of those. Could definitely make use of an alchemized something or other..."


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Re: Force-User detector

Not sure why you sent for me, but alright! I've got some ideas that may work, so long as you're okay with a little more natural take on things. I'll head over; give me a couple days to arrive. Keep an eye out for the freighter that smells like molten steel and cordite.

Regards, Jak

------------------------------------


Grabbing a quick bite to eat, he was soon in hyperspace, headed to Utapau in The Foundry. Prepping some crafting moulds, he kicked back and took a quick nap, waiting to pop out over Utapau within a few hours.

- - -

Once he had arrived, he entered orbit around the green-brown planet, going over the email and mostly staying out of the way of traffic.


------------------------------------

Re: Re: Force-User Detector

Oh, just a quick question, [member="Janick Beauchamp"] - where should I head to on the planet to meet you guys? Is there a specific spaceport I should look for?

Thanks,
Jak

------------------------------------

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"The help will arrive in a few days?" Janick exclaimed, surprised at the delays, after reading [member="Jak Sandrow"]'s response.

"I guess, we will just alchemize booze, bottles, seats and drill bits until that help arrives. I get that thinking outside the box landed you a seat on the NIMB, but why couldn't we just alchemize avionics?"

"What do you mean, alchemize avionics? Even though I made a killing in the restricted materials futures markets, selling the materials to a certain company with operations in ORC space, prior to the NIMB even being created in the first place, the Navy's regulations require a bidding process for purchases over 100,000 credits, and the Navy can get a much better price than the Magic Circle can"

"Then why can't the Magic Circle even contemplate buying avionics? Surely there is some kind of avionics that you can alchemize provided you even have it in the first place"

"Because we supply the Navy, we have to adhere to naval regulations for any piece of equipment susceptible to be purchased by them even if we may as well be sole suppliers of that new item I wish to create"

And Janick knew, in her heart of hearts, that the ORC Navy isn't exactly known for recruiting people with financial-market savvy, so she had to be mindful of procurement regulations. Her seat on the NIMB could be awarded to someone else if she screws up in the procurement discipline. That, even though she knew the ORC's regulations are not the strictest. And then she took the time to re-read the messages while Griet was busy alchemizing a new batch of drill bits; by now Janick trusted Griet in full for alchemizing the drill bits. So the first message talked about the molten-steel-and-cordite smell; such an imagery would suggest that Jak's ship has seen some combat action somehow. However, the Foundry was perhaps a bit large for Kessil's spaceport, and take up nearly the entire tarmac. So she had to answer the question asked on the second message, giving out the lay of the land around Kessil, knowing that the Foundry returns in the ORC starship databases as would any other privately-owned ship. And she will return to alchemizing the other stuff once the reply is sent.

----------------------------------

ATTN: Jak Sandrow

The Alchemy Castle is in a city called Kessil. Given Kessil's spaceport rather limited size, you may wish to land somewhat outside the city, across the plains. Hpwever I do not recommend landing to the northeast of Kessil given that it is a forested area.

Janick

----------------------------------

 

[Jak Sandrow]

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Re: Landing

Alright, sounds good; I'll be there shortly.

Jak

----------------------------------


The Foundry settled down outside the city without incident, and Jak powered down everything but the security measures, leaving the ship to itself. The back hatch opened and Jak flew out in his scrap speeder, making a beeline straight to the city.

With little issues finding the city itself, he followed the directions he had for finding the Castle, and was soon at the front door. Knocking politely, he called out, "Room service!!"



[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

In the days to follow, Janick would be busy alchemizing pilot seats as well as introducing Alyssa, the newcomer to the Circle, to the range of products and procedures in used at the circle, in addition to the alchemical processes used to alchemize the Utai Dry Pilsner as well as the Utai Ottegan Mead. And the Squibby Lifting Drink, too, giving her a copy of the Circle's grimoire. That spellweaver seemed to have some resemblance to herself, but not a whole lot: sure, Alyssa's brain might be fast, but it was much more vulnerable to overheating. And yet, she planned to get Alyssa transferred to the alcoholic production and to leave her out of the because she feels that she might be better used there for the time being, but that Alyssa could be used for later projects. Meanwhile, Griet remained at her station of alchemizing drill bits when someone knocked at the castle's door, suspecting perhaps that, in fact, [member="Jak Sandrow"] might have arrived. In the nick of time, she thought, while Janick, wearing her signature black dress and gauntlets, finally heard the door ringing:

With little issues finding the city itself, he followed the directions he had for finding the Castle, and was soon at the front door. Knocking politely, he called out, "Room service!!"

"Finally, you have arrived. I am Janick, and welcome to the Utapau Alchemy Castle. I suppose that you have an idea that would allow a Force-user detector to function with minimal maintenance"

 

[Jak Sandrow]

"Good to be here! Always look forward to learning something new." Following her inside, he looked around the place at the unique architecture - it was very different from what he was used to. He could already feel the Force was different in here. It naturally set him on edge, with how different it was, but his curiosity was far outweighing his trepidation. Continuing in, he nodded in answer.

"I've got a few ideas, though I do have to let you know that there will be limitations. I can't quite work magic, you know. Though I'm sure that's no issue for you.

"First question," he started. "I do need to know how alchemy works, in order to get a sense of what kind of device you're looking for. So, the first question, I guess, is 'what are you looking for?' Second question - what materials do you have on-hand?"



[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"Alchemy is about infusing the Force into objects, sometimes assisted with carefully-applied blood on those items, and sometimes other ingredients. So perhaps having some sort of passive Force-sensor that does not require a Force-user to use or activate and that is also low-maintenance. If you want to learn it for yourself, perhaps it would be faster if you were to use Drain Knowledge on me. Oh I'm willing to teach you Drain Knowledge if you want"

It was in times like these where I hated the ORC Navy procurement regulations the most, she thought, while knowing that the alternatives are not always savory. She heard rumors that the Sith procurement processes were highly chaotic and very easy to corrupt. But the question of materials as asked by [member="Jak Sandrow"] made her most uncomfortable, so she might have put off answering, while trying to think of ways to explain the problems without referring to the ORC naval procurement regulations. And yet she was confident enough that she would be able to remember how to alchemize items even if she was used Drain Knowledge on for that specific bit. And maybe... maybe a key ingredient in this mystery is locked in my brain somewhere, out of conscious access, then again, Jak may probably find my alchemical knowledge yummier because he might find it a prerequisite to any possible key ingredient that might be subconsciously stored in my memory, she thought again, while resisting the temptation to do such on either Griet or Alyssa.

"As for materials, nothing that could be of much interest: normally I would just alchemize some avionics but, because of avionics tariffs, I can't afford avionics, so that is out of the question. If it is going to involve anything organic, I can use my own blood to alchemize the prototype while it is being built; nevertheless I would love to hear about the limitations so perhaps it could give me structure for any ideas I might have, too"

 

[Jak Sandrow]

He shook his head, "Maybe afterwards, I think I should leave the alchemy to you anyway. I can craft the physical bits, I think." Looking around, he eyed the sparse tables. Hm... not a lot to work with. Still, a few components from a radar sensor and some organic bits should cover the bulk of what's necessary. Hopefully.

"This device is going to be very quiet in the Force, but it is still constantly using the Force. Think of Force-users as cop speed guns. They emit ripples in the Force simply by existing, although anyone with training can learn to mask their signature. What we're going to try to make is kind of like a radar detector - it can sense where the Force-user is, even give an approximation as to how far off they are, but anything precise will unfortunately send feedback to the Force-user itself, and I'm guessing that's not what you want.

"Furthermore," he continued, "this device will be susceptible to Force-nulling effects. Get a ysalamir too close, and it will stop functioning. Force-users who use ysalamirs will also be hidden, completely. And, the worst part, we are going to have to use organic objects. Even alchemized metal, as Force-imbued as it is, has no life. There must be some form of living matter. A ysalamir requires a nutrient basket, this device may need its own nutrient packs as power sources." He took a breath. "And those are the problems I see off the surface. Admittedly, if I knew alchemy a bit more, I could probably predict things a bit better."

Turning to her, he sighed. "So I may need to do a bit of probing before we start." His ears tinged purple, and he coughed. "Mental probing, I uh, I meant mental probing. I have some mental training, so... may I?"


[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"Why would alchemized metal emit Force-ripples and not detect them? I knew alchemized chunks of metal could be detected in the Force. However, the local authorities have decreed a temporary embargo on imports of avionics, including but not limited to, vehicle sensors. As for the Force-nulling effects being a limitation, I'm not learning anything new"

If what he was saying was true, my original plan, wrecked by the embargo on the imports of avionics, just couldn't work. Unless I could somehow convince the local authorities to lift the avionics import embargo, which will likely be done after the prototype is ready, she thought. Hopefully she will still be receptive to [member="Jak Sandrow"]'s ideas. However, she knew it would do no good to have a sensor without the equipment to process the data it returns. And yet, maybe there is some way to make use of organic matter without the need of nutrient frames or anything of that sort, biots maybe, she thought, while still thinking of the processing mechanism. She was reminded of trilateration: one antenna (whatever form it took) would constrain to a certain range from the vehicle, the second antenna would constrain the contact to a circle, the third antenna would constrain the contact to two points on that circle and the fourth one is the one able of resolving the object. As applied to Force-sensory, she would need to be mindful of diffraction, and also that the processing equipment would require the ability to calculate very precise angles (whereby sin x ~ x, with x in radians) as well as Fourier analysis from each of those antennae. Then again, crystallography definitely wasn't her alchemical strength so maybe it was a little dangerous to attempt using it for the first time to attempt getting the project done.

"Since you can already do some mind probing, you have an idea of what Drain Knowledge allows to do more with mind probing. It's like the difference between remote networking and slicing"

 

[Jak Sandrow]

He nodded, "Sure, but sometimes it's just easier to knock someone out cold and then mind probe them, but that's beside the point. What I'm trying to ask is, may I mind-probe you? It'll be easier to explain some things that way, both ways, I would think."

Finding a chair, he sat down gently, patting the table across from him. "Sometimes the rush of information can get overwhelming, especially if both sides want to share it, so I would prefer to not be on my feet when that happens, if it's all the same to you."


[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"I understand it might be a lot for me to take in a short amount of time, but I'm still fine with that method"

Usually Drain Knowledge users used it to download knowledge from the target, but it was not unheard of to do Drain Knowledge to plant knowledge into someone else. And [member="Jak Sandrow"] intended to do just that. Maybe he thinks he can achieve higher throughput, for most people the bottleneck for using Drain Knowledge was going to be their working memory or their processing power. Then again it may as well be a bottleneck for me, too, she thought, knowing what throughput can be achieved in interpersonal communications, or richness, depends on the channel, and they were already using the richest channel otherwise available. Meanwhile, someone else repeatedly knocked at her door. Usually that was to be another client, or another resident of that neighborhood, but everyone and their dogs in this neighborhood knew her and she would sense any of them coming. Annoyed by the insistence of the new person that knocked at the castle's door, Griet finally got the courage to go at the door and open it, while sensing a presence that was more likely to be familiar to Janick than it was to her: probably another member of the NIMB.

"Open up! I want to see Janick" the person told her.

"Is that related to NIMB business? If it is related to procurement, I can handle that just fine"

"Go remind Janick that the RFP comes due in two days!"

"What RFP?"

 

[Jak Sandrow]

Jak closed his eyes, reaching out with the Force. He could feel the other people around him, with Janick's presence being the strongest. Gently reaching out a Force tendril, he brushed her mind, tapping at her consciousness to let him in.

"Feel free to search my mind too, I've got nothing to hide."


[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"The proposal FD-0851 for Force-detectors"

"Jane, the RFP for FD-0851 is due in two days!" Griet shouted from the main door of the castle.

Griet knew, in her heart of hearts, that having a bid approved, even with her boss' position among the NIMB, required the Magic Circle to provide proof of capability. They may have won the call for bids FD-0850, which was fulfilled by the Utai Pilot Seat, but winning one procurement bid was not a guarantee of winning future procurement bids. Meanwhile, [member="Jak Sandrow"] must have realized that Alyssa and Griet, while skilled to an extent, were not as powerful as Janick was. But also that their minds were temporarily bonded. What she realized, from that mental bond, was that some notion of organometallics was going to be part of the game, as far as producing tetrahedral crystals was concerned. But she also realized that crystallizing something so that it could serve as an antenna for the resulting device, was going to require a lot of work. A lot more concentration in the Force. A lot more telekinesis. Regardless of the exact procedure, which would likely require her to telekinetically maintain high pressures, assuming it could be done at room temperature, she was now ready to expose her ideas.

"Here's the deal: I'm going to need three ingredients for the tetrahedral crystals to be the Force-detecting antennas. I will attempt to have the mixture undergo Force-transmutation. Alcohol, blood, and some other organic ingredient that you're supplying. Speaking of which, what ingredient, among those you brought in tow, would be the best fit, knowing the other two ingredients will be there without fail?"

 

[Jak Sandrow]

"Well... I think the only think that's going to work with that is plant material. Though this is probably going to end up about as functional as duct tape and spit, it's our best shot, if we only have 2 days to finish this."

From what he could sense, alchemy was an extremely radical way of looking at the Force, and he wasn't sure if he understood even half of it. Still, that wasn't his area of expertise - he was the organic provider, so that's what he would do.

Slowly retracting his Force tendril, he opened his eyes, getting to his feet. "Not the smoothest mental connection I've done, but probably one of the most productive. Alright..." He rubbed his hands together, anxious to get to work. "... got any trees around here? We're going to need a lot of material."


[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"Roger, roger"

And whatever comes out of FD-0851 was going to be on ELINT or elite command-level ships. So Jak sensed that he would need a lot of organic material of vegetal origin? Perhaps he feels that way because he either wanted serial production, at least as was possible for alchemized products, a large tetrahedral crystal or because he just feels that there is a lot of waste because of his lack of alchemical skill, she thought. And also, [member="Jak Sandrow"] may or may not have realized that Griet was listening in on them in the Force, especially since Janick was an open book to the blonde regarding a wide variety of alchemical topics, and more than just mining engineering. Trees? I believe someone in our neighborhood complained about having a tree infested with the emerald ash borer. You should be able to sense that there are lots of small tunnel-like holes in the tree in the Force, and then you should ask the owner of the property whether you can cut down the infested tree, Griet instructed her via telepathy. She still had to notify and make out where the infested tree was and, if possible, cut down the tree to size before bringing in the bits while also pondering how much tihaar and how much blood was necessary to make use of a tree that big in the crafting of alchemized tetrahedral crystals.

"Come with me, Jak, I think I have an idea of where to get the organic material required" pointing in the general direction of the infested tree, about three or four houses away.

 

[Jak Sandrow]

Jak nodded, "Lead the way!"

He was already going over possible permutations to the project. He'd need to find a way to make it so that this was an infinitely reproducible organism, yet complex and durable enough to handle the stresses of constant usage.

I wonder if... maybe this will work... I'll have to try.

He wasn't aware of Janick's conversation, mostly because it was none of his business, but if he was, he would have perked up at the thought of helping out Mother Nature.



[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"The crystals would only need to be around the size of a lightsaber crystal each, or perhaps a little bigger than that. I don't want it to be too obvious"

Now he was going to go from growing a tetrahedral crystal to making that device a Sithspawn? The order just got that much taller; however I'm not sure about the addition of EAB larvae, she thought, while carrying her alchemized beskad in tow, and leaving the castle in the Math 25000 speeder truck she uses for delivering the alchemized drinks to the spaceport when that was underway. Or the Utai Pilot Seats, too. She also had to make sure that she had the proper material, but she would readily imagine the resulting crystal being an artificial diamond hued a little red. How dark would depend on how much blood there is in the liquid portion of the mixture. But she also made sure that she brought the right tools for cutting the infested tree down to size, knowing that a beskad is not always the best choice for cutting down smaller branches on trees. With [member="Jak Sandrow"] on the passenger seat, they drove the speeder truck a short distance so that they would park it in front of the infested tree. Before knocking at the door...

"I'll go ask the owner nicely, but don't do anything to the tree until I give you the all clear" she told Jak before knocking at the villa's door.

"State your business"

"We have come to cull the emerald ash borer-infested tree"

"I mean, Utai Magic Circle isn't quite the party I imagined culling trees; then again, the local authorities turn a blind eye so long as the solution is implemented"

 

[Jak Sandrow]

"Right. I'm going to try to keep each component roughly the size of a blaster pistol, if not smaller."

Following her to the speeder, he hopped in the passenger side, getting out once they had arrived. "I promise I won't touch it," he nodded, walking over to the tree. He was very curious - plant-eating bugs were not something he encountered often, which was kind of surprising.

He could sense the life within the tree, could feel the tree itself withering away, and it hurt him. But he held to his promise, and didn't touch the tree. This was a moment for observation.

He began studying the bugs' ravenous appetite, observing as they chewed their way through the tree, anxious to fill, to eat, to destroy to get what they wanted. In a way, he could understand them - in desperate times, he'd do the same - but it was affecting a tree. And while he didn't quite consider himself Father Nature, he still resonated with this tree, and its pain was beginning to become his own.


[member="Janick Beauchamp"]

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

"So can we cut down the infested tree?"

"Yes, and then I can buy and plant another tree afterward"

Emerald ash borers began to become a wildlife problem around Kessil, and trees so infested were flagged with either pesticide treatments if the infestation is in its early stages, or outright culling the tree if it was so heavily infested. There were no ash trees on the castle's grounds, so she did not receive the visits of the forestry experts the city hired to deal with the EAB epidemic. Of course, seeing [member="Jak Sandrow"] in pain did not made her insensitive, far from it, but at the same time, she knew she was doing something right, she went where she needed to. Now that the all-clear is given, the fifteen-meter tree may now be cut down to size so that its various parts may be, in turn, be used in the making of artificial red alchemical crystals for use in Force-user detectors, almost diamond-like even. She even drew her alchemized beskad, which was as sharp as a lightsaber from the tree's standpoint, and carefully made sure that she was not causing undue damage to the tree, or the EAB larvae stored inside the infected tree. So, to put the tree out of its misery, she started cutting the tree trunk as close to the ground as possible, in see-saw motion, but she only got started and she signaled the all-clear to Jak long before she could be done felling the tree.

"All clear: you may start cutting the tree down to size"

 

[Jak Sandrow]

Jak cried out, gasping, "No! NO! Stop, stop! You don't need to cut it down!!!" He grabbed her wrist, twisting the beskad out of her grip, entirely reflexively. When he realized what he had done, he backed off, raising his hands. "Look, I'm sorry - just... let me take care of this part?"

Once she and her saber had stepped back, he sighed and closed his eyes. Green color flowed back into his skin, and his true form was revealed to her. The tree began to uproot itself, and slowly - almost unsure of itself - it began to walk towards the speeder, laying down in the truck bed before the roots began to curl into themselves like a clenched fist, strained with exertion.

Jak blew out a breath, a bit shaky. "Phew... that was... that was a bit more difficult than it should have been." He leaned over a bit, just catching his breath, regaining his strength. "Alright, I'm good. Let's go."


[member="Janick Beauchamp"]