Tailor Made for a Blood Monarch (development)

[Tmoxin Temi]

At the Techno Union party, Tmoxin got the chance to pick Commander Vereen's brain about his company ArmaTech. After a long discussion around armor technology and the latest materials, Tmoxin said:

"While I thought the Olympian Battle Armor was protective, I'm looking for something more lightsaber resistant."

Both of them were Force users. Tmoxin herself was a Dark Jedi and no longer hiding it from either Techno Union colleagues or the whole of the galaxy. Was it cheating to go up against a lightsider with saber-resistant amour and not robes?

No. It was survival.

Draco agreed to a commission to make the Morpho CEO a specialized suit of armor, so she traveled to ArmaTech facilities on the gas giant, Gromas to look at prototypes and to then be measured so the gear would be exactly tailored to fit her body.

She landed her luxury yacht, The Sovereign Stingray in the ArmaTech hangar and walked into the lobby of the Combat Systems Company to meet up with Commander Vereen.

This time it was refreshing to be in a secure, bustling bastion of industry like ArmaTech versus a battlefield which is where both the Hapan and the Dinobot Commander were normally stationed together.

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Survival was something ArmaTech had devoted an enormous amount of time and effort into increasing. On the battlefield, if a soldier could survive longer than his opponent, that increased the likelihood of victory. If an officer could continue giving orders and wasn't vulnerable to sniper fire, that would increase the likelihood of victory. Survival was more important than output in my opinion. I had dedicated an entire wing of the corporation to improving personal armor's across the board, and, after the successes and learning curve from the ACS-004 Line, we had learned a lot.

Gromas wasn't my favorite planet. Not even close. Nar Shaddaa out shined it by a mile, but it was where you went to get Phrik, and seeing as Tmoxin Temi had requested that I make her a set of personal armor, this was where I was needed. The last time I had done something like this I had taken a shot in the dark and things had escalated from there. I wasn't hoping for similar results here. But Morpho wasn't a bad company to be attached to, and Tmoxin was good to have on the battlefield, preferably alive, and in one piece.

When her ship landed on the facility I was alerted by a secretary, and while I was in a dour mood, perhaps I could maintain a steady appearance. She need not know what I had gone through. We weren't that close. "Show her in please." I said to the secretary who walked off to find and lead Tmoxin back to the lounge I sat in. Plush red chairs, a couch, polished black surfaces and a panoramic view of the moon where miners and droids continued excavating Phrik from the barren surface.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin was escorted by a secretary to a meeting room where Commander Vereen was.

She immediately came over to him, and without hesitation, kissed him on the cheek as a close friend would. She did not notice the officer’s mood to be anything but cordial.

“What nice décor,” the Hapan CEO said, genuinely appreciating the red and black color scheme of the ArmaTech lounge. “And oh look at that!” she said, walking over to the expansive view of the mining operations. "It's absolutely breathtaking!"

The view reminded her of a similar time, looking out over a shipyards on Balmorra, impressed by the ant-like precision of construction and industry she witnessed below her. But she was much younger then, and the specific friendship that necessitated that particular meeting had ended in a betrayal. One that she had enacted. Betrayal seemed to be the mainstay in many of her friendships over the last few years, she mused darkly. All the more reason to make sure she was staying loyal to those who had been her support system recently.

It’s time to make a new start, she thought, hoping that if she repeated it enough times, it would be the truth.

She pulled her gaze from the panoramic view and smiled brightly at Draco. “It’s good to see you again. ArmaTech is quite an impressive place."

She took a seat in one of the plush red chairs and crossed her legs. Tmoxin titled her head at him and said, “I’m really at your mercy here. I know a little about science and pharmacology, but it’s been eons since I’ve had to think about what armor I was wearing. Beyond the usual white stormtrooper armor.”

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

When she leaned into kiss me I blushed deep red at first, but my anxiety faded the moment she simply kissed my cheek. "Thank you. I keep an antechamber like this for recieving special guests like yourself at each of my mining complexes." I said, appreciating that she was so friendly. We had fought together more than once, and she had graciously accompanied me to the victory celebration following Geonosis. It could be assumed we were friends, though I had made no such assumption myself. Perhaps though. She did defect from the Sith and join the Techno Union, so maybe with time she could be trusted more.

"I'm always glad to see you, Tmoxin, and thank you. Once Doldur is captured ArmaTech will be expanding again, so I've had my hands full with preparing everything for that. Its good to change focus and work on something fun for someone I like." my voice a little more jovial. She was a good distraction from my mood. And impressive may not have been the best words, but there were ten thousand biological workers at the complex, mining, extracting, smelting, and refining the Phrikite ore into Phrik Ingots, and that was not to mention the droids and equipment in use by the facility.

"Well... I have made something similar for another friend of mine" I said keying into a hologram project to pull up the schematics for a different set, though the hologram did not show who it had been for. "But I assume you want something, more conservative."

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

"Doldur is closer to my operations as well, so I am pleased to hear that, Commander," Tmoxin said. And the truth was that she was satisified to have so many of her closest confidants in the Mid Rim. When she was with the Imperial Inquisition branch of the One Sith, the Hapan CEO was never in one place for too long. Draco would be familiar with this as well being an officer.

"I hope when you are on leave, we will be able to visit each other."

Although military deployments for the Techno Union consisted of protecting home interests. Unless they were helping an ally, everything was centralized to the Southern Systems. It was likely they wouldn't be traveling to the Unknown Regions anytime soon. One could hope.

She sat up with interest as Commander Vereen activated the holo unit and an amour model sprang to life. Tmoxin chuckled and said, "When I was Sergeant in Arms for the Ravens I wore much less than that on assignments. But it's really up to you, Draco. That works for me or I could look at a different design. As we've discussed the primary specs need to be that it's lightsaber resistant. Any chance it can be resistant to Vong designed projectiles like blast bugs?"

"I suppose that would hamper movement which is the point of a suit like this."

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Well, I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to visit you, miss Temi, but it could be a while with everything going on in the galaxy." I responded to her query about visiting each other. In truth, I was no longer truly interested in such a way, but I kept my personal life secret so she would have no reason to know why and it really didn't concern her anyway. ArmaTech was fairly spread out, with production facilities in Mandalorian, Techno Union, and Silver Jedi space, with mining operations throught most of the outer rim. ArmaTech's claim to fame was having access to every mineable resource in the galaxy. Beskar, Phrik, Cortosis, Isotope-5, among others.

"Well, some of the systems included in that set are-" I paused. I had gone through great lengths to acquire some of those systems for Chiasa as a gift. But that was different, this was business, and assisting an ally, not offering gifts to a princess in hopes of gaining her favor. "Difficult to obtain." I finished the sentence. "Phrik armor weave and durable, yet light weight phrik-terenthium matrix scales covering vital areas. We can even add some ciridium to the scales to make them flexible."

"As far as making the set resistant to kinetic projectiles, ArmaTech includes a personal energy shield featuring both ray and particle shield. But the great weakness of mobility is kinetic force. Always has been. Always will be. The shield can cover that weakness for a time, but not indefinitely." I told her. Even now Phrikite ore from the mines was being set aside. Once we hashed out the details, I could take her measurements and forge the suit for her.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

"I like all of your ideas, Commander Vereen. But you're right I wouldn't want to limit mobility."

She walked around the edges of the holo model, inspecting the design. "I will wear this suit of armor primarily to fight Jedis so light-saber resistant and mobility is at the top of my list for specifications. The rest I will leave up to you."

Tmoxin may have been picky when it came to the wardrobe for a cocktail party. But when it came to armor? She would let the experts run the show.

Still the suit of armor he showed her was functional and fashionable. "I do like that particular model. Maybe something similar?" she suggested. "And then when I'm ready, where should I go for the measurements?" the Hapan CEO asked.

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Lightsaber resistance is why we came to Gromas. The mines here control Phrik. And ArmaTech mines the moon steadily. Already I have placed an order for, and the workers have begun to sit aside some of the Phrikite Ore for your use. Mobility is easy, I will cover the scales in Glistaweb and Shell Spider Silk to add protection and to conceal them. I know women prefer to look good in combat whenever possible." I nodded. My own armor used Phrik as a base.

"That particular model was a one off custom order. But we will make something similar, perhaps more professional looking for you seeing as you are a military officer." I said, still fondly remembering seeing the armor on its recipient. "Measuring is a simple holographic scan. Nothing too fancy or anything." I said, pulling a small Holographic scanner from a pocket and handing it to her. "If you would like some privacy for measuring you can retreat to the refresher and bring me back the scan when you are done. Its a simple three dimensional outline."

Phrikite ore was simple, light-weight, and strong as all get out. Being turned into ingots and then being systematically and studiously molecularly alligned into a matrix with other metals, offering it their qualities with out reducing its own like an alloy. Such a process was difficult, and couldn't be readily mass produced like an alloy, but it was a superior craft, something beyond normal metallurgy.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Looking attractive in battle certainly didn't hurt, Tmoxin thought. But it wasn't a specification in her mind, unless she was on some kind of undercover assignment as she had done during her time in the Red Ravens criminal syndicate. Thinking back to those days, there were plenty of missions that required her to be in a skin-tight dress with stiletto heels, a full face of makeup, with no hair out of place.

Tmoxin took the holoscanner from Draco and nodded. She had been fitted for garments before and knew the drill. The Hapan CEO went into the refresher and undressed down to her underwear, knowing a better reading would be had if she didn't have outer clothing on. Holding the scanner an inch away from her skin, she quickly scanned her head, torso, arms and legs. She also made sure to scan her fingers for glove size. She redressed and came back out of the refresher, fixing her red hair as she did so.

"Here you go," she said, handing the scanner back to Draco. "Will I be able to take the armor home with me today?" Tmoxin asked.

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Eh... you would have to spend the night and retrieve it tomorrow afternoon. I have an idea of what is needed for this and I will be going to the forge as soon as we are done to begin working on it, tinkering with it. I have a fairly good idea of what you want this suit for." I thought for a moment. Mining the mineral and refining Phrikite into Phrik was the easiest part of the design. It was certainly going to be more difficult crafting it, but that is why I have blacksmiths, engineers, and metallurgists on staff to assist me. "Yes, tomorrow afternoon I will have it ready. There are plenty of guest rooms available, though perhaps only one or two for a woman of your stature and prestige." I said, gesturing behind her to a waiting servant Droid. "If you need anything let someone know, they can grab me if you need me."

Mining ore on Gromas was fairly simple, especially compared to Roche, which also had a much less used Phrik Mine. I had almost retracted it, but given the constant losses of the Republic Military, I simple assumed that their hold on the planet was unlikely to remain much longer, even if it wasn't the Mandalorians who broke it. Mining Walkers numbered in the dozens, thousands of labor and mining droids, a construction droid used to demolish larger outcroppings. All of these things made mining the ore on this scale incredibly easy. Made the operation flow smoothly. Pulling out enough ore for one person was simple. She was also a petite woman and wouldn't require much compared to an average person anyway, and her design was primarily threading and scales, which would require less material. Adding in the two hours of overtime I had authorized for all miners and the mining was basically already finished.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

"I can stay until tomorrow," Tmoxin said, checking her datapad. She had cleared her schedule to make time for something this important. Some may call her deceitful, dishonest... and at times, well she could be an outright queen, but she knew that this tailored suit of armor the Commander was making could save her life.

This act of kindness was something she didn't take for granted.

"I'm sure any of the guest rooms will be just fine for me," she said. And anything had to be better than her unpleasant lodgings on Kamino. She never did get that list of amenities from Gerion Ardik and had quite the suspicion he had just conveniently deleted the list after she had sent it to him.

As she followed the servant droid out of the meeting room, Tmoxin turned back to Draco and said, "Thank you again, Commander. I can't wait to see the finished product tomorrow. Please don't stay up too late working on my account."

And even if the guest room wasn't as nice as she was used to, as long as she could lay back in a soft bed with a glass of wine, watching the HNN Nightly Financial Report, she would be just fine.

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

I smiled as she left, only to do exactly as she had asked me not to. I wasn't a schooled metallurgist. I was a smith, having learned from practice. Smithing takes time, takes strokes of the hammer, running of belts, and use of machinery to complete. It is work no matter how you make it. When I had found my way to the forges after seeing her off to her room the small group that would be assisting me in creating the set convened. The Phrikite Ore we selected from the mined ores were pure to begin with, but in the refining process we added a small amount of Ciridium to allow it some flexibility before we began threading it. Threading metal was not an easy process in of itself. Wrapping wires of Phrik around Molytex fibers proved to be time consuming, more so then having the threads woven into the dual layer mesh that would form the outermost layer of the weave.

The Suits overcoat was lined with hot pressed scales. The scales, as had been proposed, consisted of a metal matrix of the Phrik-Ciridium Alloy and Terenthium to vastly reduce the weight of the scales. This would provide her with excellent protection against piercing weapons. In fact, scale mail provide the best protection against blades piercing the suit. The scales however wouldn't be up to par in mitigating blunt force trauma and kinetic force. She would need to be careful if facing an opponent that favored such weapons, but that was why mobility was emphasized in the suit.

Finally Glistaweb and Shell Spider Silk was woven and dyed and formed into the blaster resistant material, lined with phrik scales over her vital areas, and phrik threads elsewhere. It wasn't the most advanced set I had ever produced, but it had been fairly good. In the morning I simply grabbed a shower and packaged it up for her in a suitcase. "There you are Tmoxin. Hopefully you will live a little bit longer while you are wearing it. Then perhaps we can go to another party together."