Some Quid Pro Quo Is In Order

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Not long ago Sera had spoken with her master Kana, who had proposed the idea of wearing armor in combat when warranted. Armor? A Jedi wearing armor? The idea at first seemed utterly ridiculous. She had seen soldiers and warriors wearing armor, but that was because they rarely had the gift of the Force to aid them in their tireless struggles on the battlefield. However, as she sat in her dorm at the temple on Ossus, she constantly thought back to those words. Armor...If it were light enough not to inhibit my acrobatics, and saber technique, perhaps, just perhaps it would be worth constructing. After all, more protection is always a fantastic benefit in the heat of battle. Especially if it protects against the most deadly weapons.

Sera pulled out her datapad and began looking through a compiled database of armorers, looking for the right one. She would need a company loyal to The Republic, and one that would perhaps be interested in some kind of quid pro quo deal. Sera was as broke as broke could be, so offering credits for the construction of said armor would be out of the question. She did not wish to trouble her master, or the newly reformed council with matters concerning funds, so she had to go about this objective alone.

After a number of unsuccessful attempts at contacting a few known Republic companies, she was on the verge of giving up and simply moving on, content to deal with the issue sometime later in the future. Sera glanced down once more at the datapad before turning it off, noting another, relatively small company, in comparison with the others. THI. Interesting. The company produced a number of weapons and a unique armorset that were to be sold exclusively to members of the Galactic Republic. Perhaps they would have interest. Picking up her comm she dialed in to the office of THI, in hopes of speaking with whomever was in charge to discuss her proposal. A proposal she really didn't even have, but hopefully it would come to her as they opened dialogue.

"Thank you for contacting THI, Meredith speaking, how may I direct your call?" The voice of an older woman came through, it appeared to be that of a secretary or switchboard. "Yes, hello. I am looking to speak with whomever would be able to negotiate a contract for a unique piece of equipment." The young Jedi asked nervously, unsure if that was even the correct way to phrase what she was looking for. Without hesitation, the woman answered her request, "Specialty orders are generally handled by Miss Tyven. She is currently out of the office. Would you like to leave a message and I will deliver it to her when she returns?" Sera smiled, not that the woman could see, but she was ecstatic. "Yes, please! My name is Seraphina Shel'tah. I am a Jedi of the Galactic Republic. I would like to speak with her about constructing a custom piece of armor, please give her my comm and let her know I am looking forward to speaking with her at her leisure." Meredith politely responded to her request, "Absolutely, Miss Shel'tah. Please allow Miss Tyven twenty four hours to reply, her schedule tends to wind up over-booked quite frequently, but I will give her the message ASAP." With that, they exchanged good-byes, and disconnected the call.

Sera laid back on her bed, looking over the day's schedule at the temple. She would have a full day herself while awaiting the call from [member="Kayleigh Tyven"].

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Kayleigh stepped through the doors to her family's legacy, THI. Taking the turbolift to the director's office, she rounded the corner through the double glass doors as Meredith flagged her down. "Miss Tyven, a message was left for you while you were out. A Jedi, one [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]? She was requesting the manufacturing of a custom piece of armor, I believe. I let her know you would contact her. She left her details which I've forwarded to your datapad in your office."

The young CEO nodded, with a smile on her face. The woman was more or less her mother, she was certainly old enough to be, but she was also like a mentor to her, and she was entrusted with all things related to THI. She had Kayleigh's authority to make financial decisions, and also was to be appointed the next CEO, should Kayleigh be unable to perform her duties. "Thank you, as always Meredith. You are my lifeline." She stepped into her office and closed the door, snatching up the datapad as she relaxed into her chair. The board behind her was filled with designs and calculations, including her "to-do" list which related to the most pressing projects and deadlines that had to be met.

Looking down at the contact details she tapped in the information to the comm and waited until she heard Seraphina answer her call. "Yes, good afternoon, Jedi Shel'tah I presume? This is Kayleigh Tyven, of Tyven Heavy Industries. My administrative assistant Meredith informed me you were requesting a custom order relating to some armor? She provided me with your contact details. What is it you are looking to construct, exactly? I don't typically receive requests from the Jedi, though this appears to be a changing trend as of late."

Placing her feet up on to her desk she pressed the large executive chair back into a recline as she glanced out toward the horizon from her office.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The voice of [member="Kayleigh Tyven"] came through the comm, and she exchanged greetings with the THI employee. "That is correct. Meredith was very helpful. I am in fact looking for an armorset to be constructed for the upcoming battles with the Sith. I am in need of something that is lightweight, maneuverable, but is chiefly capable of a few very specific things. One, it needs to be able to defend against lightsaber strikes. Being a member of the Jedi Order means that my opponents are typically also wielding lightsabers for the Sith. This is the most critical portion of the armor. Next, I will require it to be highly mobile, yet equally protective among the joints as the primary areas. Finally, I would like something that is resistant to explosives and blaster fire. Whether this can be accomplished using a simple shield generator, or somehow incorporating advanced armorweave, I will leave that up to you."

The Jedi Padawan paused for a moment, thinking about a way to word the following critical sentence. "I do however, need an alternative form of payment than standard credits. I am by no means rich, in fact, I am the polar opposite, and I cannot requisition funds from the Order at this time. Whatever it is you would have me do I am entirely open to. Of course, if this cannot be done I understand. I've already spoken with a half dozen other companies who were unable to assist due to my...situation."

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Kayleigh was always interested when it came to matters of fighting the Sith. Those wretched criminals destroyed her home. They took her entire planet and made it into a burning pile of scrap. They forced her company off-world to Tython. She had more than enough hatred for the Sith to be interested in helping the Jedi Order in any way she could. However, what [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] was asking was no small order. The ability to protect ones self from a lightsaber required materials. Materials that were difficult to obtain and laced with red tape.

Removing her legs from the desk she stood and turned to the board behind her desk, jotting down a number of ideas as they came to mind. Mobility and the resistance to explosives could be done. A shield generator powered off of a number of rechargeable power cells would suffice, and mobility was her specialty. She had designed a number of lightweight, highly maneuverable armor sets in the past, and would rely on that knowledge to construct the prototype in the future.

"So, what you are looking to accomplish is not out of the realm of possibility, but it certainly is not on the cheap. You will need Cortosis in order to obtain the lightsaber resistance you are looking for. I can design a high quality armor weave for you, which could include cortosis embedded gauntlets and leg guards. or boots, with an amplified shield generator that will withstand explosives from anything as simple as a thermal detonator all the way up to a full scaled tank shell."

Turning back, the young lady sat back into her chair and tapped her fingers on her desk a few times. "This is a costly endeavor, however. It will require a few hydraulic drills to be transported to Mnencheiasus, a very unstable planet in its' current state. These drills will need several days to mine the required Cortosis ore, which must then be examined for quality before being implemented into any type of armor. Doing this for free, while I can appreciate the necessity to better arm the Jedi in their struggle with the Sith, this is also a business, and the business dictates that all endeavors must yield profit."

Kayleigh sat forward, clasping her hands together as she formulated her thoughts, "Jedi Shel'tah, if I am to undertake this, I will need two things in return. The first being that you accompany my team and I to Mnencheiasus, then assist in the setup, and defense of the mining operation. The second thing I will need from you will be a favor. In the future, I will need your assistance with obtaining an item that I wish to use in a starship I am planning to build. I will need your assistance to obtain this item. When it comes time, I trust I will have your support?"

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Kayleigh's words rang through Seraphina's ears like the coming of righteous salvation. Cortosis. "Done." Sera said simply. If this endeavor could be undertaken without her personal expenditure of credits, she would realistically do whatever [member="Kayleigh Tyven"] needed of her in the future, though generally speaking, agreeing to terms like this rarely ever turned up pleasant when it came time to repay said favor. All the same, she needed this material, and there was no other way for her to obtain it, short of begging the Republic for substantial credits simply to protect a single Padawan. It wasn't worth the logistical costs to them. "I would like to meet at your leisure to discuss the specifications I'd like for this particular armor set, and also to get your input as well."

The Twi'lek was practically bursting with excitement that she had finally achieved the first goal in her plan. The road would be long and tedious, but in the end would so very much be worth the effort. An armor set fashioned in this manner could very well mean the difference between life and death during the battles with her Sith enemies. And when dealing with a lightsaber, a partial hit, is still a hit, and nobody wants to feel that burn. Sera wasn't an engineer, nor was she the owner of a company, so she had no relative theory as to how long the process may take to develop this armor, but hopefully she would survive the coming battles to at least don it once.