The Hunt for the Precious

[Komo]

The Hunt for the Precious​

​

Greta had a plan. Yet another one. The girl had plenty of plans these days. Few, actually came to fruition, and she was with great hopes that this would be one of them. What would this plan be about? Well, its simple, really. Ever one the prepare for the future, the acolyte has already commenced preparations for her future suit of armour. A personalised version, tailored and customised according to her various needs. Pondering over the different materials available, she quickly came to a decision on which to use.

She wanted to the best there was, durable and not too heavy. That led her to her choice of Phrik, a rare metallic compound that was one of few lightsaber-resistant materials out there. It was also expensive, but seeing as it was extremely durable and light, it would be the perfect material for the armour she had in mind.

Being a member of the Techno Union, she knew just the person to contact for the job in mind. Greta had retrieved her datapad, before quickly sending a mail to her fellow associate, [member="Draco Vereen"]. The message had stated her intent on a possible employment and/or assistance of ArmaTech in joining the acolyte in her efforts to travel to Blood Moon for the excavation of phrikite ore.

Gromas 16 was one of the best sites to acquire the precious ore as it had plenty of exposed phrikite veins exposed by previous miners. The girl was with high hopes that the big boss of ArmaTech and fellow associate would agree in joining her up for the expedition.

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Well, I received the young woman's request to join her on Gromas 16 to mine phrik, and I presumed that she must have heard that I had begun handing out Phrik since I had just been there with Tmoxin Temi and assisted her in the exact same way. However with Temi's armor I had stayed up an entire night crafting her a custom set to her exact specifications. I wasn't big on handing out Phrik, but she seemed like she either wanted to have it pulled out of the ground herself, or she wanted to have her people do it and not mine, so I was more inclined to help for free. I had helped Tmoxin as a friend and ally, but Greta wasn't exactly that close with me.

My reply had been simple, <Sure. Come on out and we will grab you some phrikite ore. I have a forge on the moon for you to use once you have as much as you need.>

My own mines were hard at work drilling for the ore in one area, and I guessed it would be best to drill elsewhere for her. There were plenty of abandoned mines and ATC had a presence here from my understanding. It would be a simple day today. A good day out on the moon mining stuff.

[member="Greta Kohler"]

 

[Komo]

As soon as Greta received word on the reply from the boss of ArmaTech, inviting her to make the journey down the Gromas 16 itself, she did so. Promptly. The girl was excited at the prospect of attaining the required ore, and she could not wait. She hastily sent a reply back to her associate.

<Great! I'll be there as soon as I can. I appreciate the assistance.>

Requisitioning a transport ship from one of the spaceports, she shuffled in several mining droids, unsure if she would need them or not, but in any case, it would be good to have them if the need arises. As soon as the girl and the droids were safely in the shuttle, it took off, hurried by the anxious anxiety of the excitable acolyte.

On the way to Gromas 16, Greta went over the details of the location once again. It was the sixteenth moon of the gas-giant Gromas in the Gromas system in the Perkell Sector in the Mid Rim Territories. It was a small arid, desert moon that had a popular nickname, "The Blood Moon". It was given the name due to the rust coloured soil, and the red light that dominated the entire moon.

Thankfully, it had a breathable atmosphere, and she wouldn't need a breathing apparatus, like the one she used on Mnencheiasus. As the transport ship began to approach the moon, she began preparations for landing, and it was hardly any time at all, before they would reach the planet's surface. The faster they could get to the ground, the quicker the work could begin. The girl could not wait to get started.

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"I need four AT-MP's, forty Ogre II's, and twenty VCE's for this project and transport to haul them to where ever it is she lands, plus I'd like about twenty biological miners for it." I told the foreman standing with me at the Forge I had on the arid moon. Not my favorite planet, but whatever it was home to one of the most valuable substances there was in the galaxy. Or at the very least one of the most useful ones.

Once the equipment I had requisitioned from my operation on the moon had been gathered and prepared for transport it was a waiting game. It didn't take long for the sensors to ping a ships arrival and for the staff to confirm it was Greta's ship. I nodded and boarded the small transport that would haul my complement of workers and security to her. I wore my armor, as usual. I was rarely caught without it. It was like a second skin, and coincidentally, primarily crafted from phrik, even though I had added so many other materials to it in a process of making a matrix of the minerals on the molecular level that calling it phrik was almost blasphemous.

"Lets get out to her and get this show on the road then. I'm sure she doesn't want to be this close to Mando space very long."

[member="Greta Kohler"]

 

[Komo]

The transport ship began to make its final approach, Greta could already began to see a mass of people, droids and other assorted mining machinery gathered on the surface as the ship descended, slowly but steadily. As the ship landed with a small bump, signifying that the craft has indeed landed. Looks like the boss of ArmaTech, Draco Vereen has seen fit to assemble a welcoming party.

Excellent. A professional-minded attitude. Very business-minded indeed. Working with such a person was always a boon when one was looking to get jobs or tasks done quickly.

With a pneumatic hiss, a panel on the ship's body slid opened, and the excitable girl sauntered out, walking up specifically to the the man in the heavy suit of armour. The girl had heard much about the man, and that he was about as impressive a fighter as he was a businessman. Fully armoured and always ready for anything. Being prepared always a good thing, no matter the circumstances. Greta, on the other hand, was unarmoured, as that was the whole purpose of this expedition in the first place.

The girl was clad just in her casual suit of glistaweb silk and black armourweave, along with the accompanying white scarf, and aviator's goggles resting up on her head. This outfit would have to do, until she was done with the forging of her armour. Giving the boss himself a bright smile, she opened up in a rather exuberant tone.

"Greetings, Mr.Vereen, or Draco if you're fine with me calling you that." The girl paused shortly, before resuming once more. "Shall we get started? Where do you suggest we start the mining procedures? Is there a location that is particularly rich in Phrik?"

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Well the richest open veins that I know of are below my main complex, but I guess it depends on how much ore you are looking to mine here today. If you are looking to make a ship, we might need to go elsewhere, armor or a weapon, we could probably get away with going a little further north of here. I've surveyed the moon before and that area is a fairly well off." I stopped for a moment overlooking the mining equipment I had brought to assist her. "I didn't know how much you would be looking to harvest, so I just brought a few things to help out. I can get more if you need it." I said to here before looking her over, then looking over the equipment she had brought, mostly the size of the ship she had brought. It wasn't big enough to haul off more than a few tons of Phrikite ore. Even if we smelted it down into ingots he wouldn't be able to stack a whole lot into the ship. "Up to you really. I'm just here to help out as best I can."

[member="Greta Kohler"]

 

[Komo]

Greta listened the the man in-charge as he went on about the various different places on the moon where they could go to mine the phrikite ore she needed. The quantity available in the veins throughout the moon must have been quite varied, as he began to touch on what she would be using the ore for. That was simple for the girl to answer. She was here for the armour, and only the armour. She replied to the boss with a smile.

"Oh, I'll just need enough to forge a suit of armour that I have in mind, nothing as big as a vehicle or ship, not to worry. I doubt that should take very long, should it?" Greta stared ahead into the distance, trying to look at some mines in the distance, before returning her focus back on Draco. "I've never really forged an armour of my own before, so I'll leave that area of expertise up to you. You're an expert in the field, so what you say goes."

When one was not clear on what to do , or how to proceed, it was always better to listen to one in-charge who would no doubt have a wealth of experience in the related field. That was one of the chief reasons why she had picked Mister Vereen for the job as well. He and ArmaTech's talent for making reliable equipment had convinced her to put her faith in the man and his company. Greta had no doubt that he would be able to get the job done well.

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Ah, well then we can make a short trip further north, maybe twenty kilometers and let the droids and workers get to work pulling the ore out of the ground for you. After we get as much as your heart desires we can move on and get to forging it out for you. Like I said, my forge is open to you, though the Union has a fair number of other experts. I like to think ArmaTech makes the best armor on the market, but it is up to debate between Gotal'Veman, Titan, and myself in my opinion. All the one off sets don't really count." The fact that ArmaTech had acquired one of those companies recently was of little consequence. The fact that Titan had fallen in to obscurity wasn't however. They left a huge gap in numerous industries that I was keen on closing.

Taking the two ships a little further north of where she had landed we disembarked and began working on drilling down to the ore. Mainly this area had been mined before so it wouldn't be as much work to sift through the sand, top soil, clay, and into the bedrock to remove the ore from the moon. To counter act the arid conditions my armor was fitted with a temperature regulator, but for her there was no such commodity, so I offered to remain aboard her ship rather than have her stand out watching dozens of miners and droids move dirt and rock. "Why don't we sit and administrate from somewhere you will be comfortable. The boys don't really need our help with shoveling dirt I would expect." I said.

In truth, they didn't really need administrative help either. The foreman got the large mining walkers and droids to work as quickly as was possible and with any luck we would only be out here a few short hours. Which might give me a chance to familiarize myself with the young woman. Supposedly with her joining the Techno Union we might be working together more often.

[member="Greta Kohler"]

 

[Komo]

Greta listened as Draco listed down the details of the intended mining site. It was to be on a bedrock of phrik twenty kilometres from their current position. The boss of ArmaTech then went on about his company's expertise, and how they stacked up against the industry's other big players. From what he had mentioned, the ArmaTech boss seemed filled with intent on filling the gap in the market left by its competitors.

That was great for her to hear, as competiton always pushed rival companies to better themselves, offering the community a wider range of products, as they hoped to one-up their rival. The mining was subsequently loaded into a waiting ship, and the rest of the group followed shortly. In the interest of time, it seemed like they would be taking the ship to their destination. After all, all these equipment had to be brought along as well.

As soon as they reached their destination, the equipment and other assorted mining machinery alongside the miners disembarked from the ship. Greta was about to make preparations to leave the craft when Draco asked her to stay onboard, for the sake of her comfort. The girl thanked the man, deeply appreciative of the gesture. "Why, that's very thoughtful of you. Thank you Mr Vereen."

Watching the ArmaTech miners at work, chipping and working their way through the bedrock, as they retrieved ore after ore from the ground. She knew that they would be done in hardly any time at all. After all, they were one of the best. For now, she had some time to spend. Probably with the boss, Mr. Draco himself.

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Its no problem, like I said, what good are we gonna do sifting through the dirt and rocks for the ore anyway." I took a seat across from her aboard her ship while the mining crews and what ever equipment she had brought with them. It wouldn't be long before the ore was gathered, and while I didn't really like sitting around waiting for a job to be completed, there wasn't much use in me leaving her here or walking around outside with her when we would be just as much use inside where it was comfortable. "I presume the Techno Union is treating you well. I know with all the battles being fought they have had me busier than I would like." I said chatting for a moment while the workers kept busy.

Mining was simple work, especially with a substance as resilient as phrik. Basically all you had to do was fire mining lasers into the ground then pick up the hot ore out of the hole that was left. Simple work made simpler by using droids and walkers meant to excavate tons of dirt and rock at a time.

[member="Greta Kohler"]

 

[Komo]

Draco made a good point. A solid one, that she hadn't thought about in all her excitement. After all, Greta was no miner nor did she have any experience in the field. Standing around outside, doing nothing but watching them was quite a foolish thing to do when she could be sitting inside comfortably instead. Her associate and fellow member then asked her about her about how the Techno Union was treating her.

"The Union is treating me well. Very well indeed. The boss, Marek Starchaser himself has been very helpful in providing me with whatever advice I needed." She pondered for a moment before continuing. "Ah, yes battles. The recent invasion of Genonsis is stil rather fresh in my mind. What a invasion that was."

The workers have been going on for quite a bit of time now, and with all the droids and walkers at their disposal, combined with the fact that the area had recently been mined, there shouldn't be alot of hard work to be achieved. The material, Phrik was incredibly resilent, and they could focus more on getting it out of the ground.

With the droids and walkers equipped with their mining lasers, the ore would only then had to be ferried to the pick-up point. But of course, that was only what the girl had thought, and as mentioned before, she was no expert. To be confirmed on the issue, she had decided to refer to the expert's advice. "How long do you think they would take, you reckon?"

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Geonosis had been a difficult fight for some, and very easy for others. For myself, I had ended up fighting alongside the Spymaster himself and a powerful Sith Alchemist for a time. I had known she was there, but in combat you don't really keep up with the people who aren't directly engaged with you. She turned her attention back to the mining operation however, which, for such a small project was already well underway, arguably about half way. "Well probably another hour or so. For something as small as a single set of armor, it doesn't take so long. We should be done before dinner. Assuming nothing goes wrong we should be packed up and ready to go sooner rather than later." I responded. I had been expecting a slightly bigger project, and so I had probably over packed for such a small job. But better done quickly than not done at all.

The use of mining walkers like AT-MP's and Ogre II Droids might have been overkill for extracting Phrikite ore for only a single set of armor, but I liked efficiency and as the Techno Union and Mandalorians weren't the best of friends right now so I didn't really want her stuck here longer than she had to be. "We'll get you packed up and safe on your way back to Roon in no time." I said reassuringly as ore continued to be processed so that it would be easier to move and take less space than it would with all the dirt and rock that couldn't be used.

[member="Greta Kohler"]

 

[Komo]

Greta was glad to know that their little mining operation here would be over soon. The moon, Gromas 16 was dangerously close to Mandalorian territory, and as the both of her factions weren't close to the Mando'ade, the girl didn't want to be lulled into a false sense of safety. It was always better to be on your guard rather than not.

An hour to completion, the boss himself had mentioned. To say that she was not relieved was an understatement. She was with high hopes that everything went well smoothly and she would get this done without a hitch. Even though all she needed the ore for was just for a simple suit of armour, Draco had brought along all his walkers and heavy mining machinery to ensure that the operation went along smoothly and efficiently. For that thoughtfulness and consideration in mind, she was immensely grateful.

"Once again, thank you for taking the effort to bring along all these heavy machinery, despite me only requiring a set of armour. It was most thoughtful of you. I appreciate your thoughts. You are a good man, Mr Vereen."

Turning away to take a quick glance at the mining, she saw the the heavy mining walkers have stopped chipping away at the rock with their lasers. They must have completed the brunt of the expedition. Now what awaited them for the processing of the ore, getting rid of any excess dirt embedded in the phrikite ores to allow ease of transportation back to the forge for the smelting into ingots and such as the forgemaster, or the boss himself, [member="Draco Vereen"] required.

As always, Greta would refer to the expert's recommendation and advice.

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"It was no problem, I hadn't been sure what all you needed from the mines so I brought more than was needed. Better safe than sorry in any capacity, so I brought as much as I could on short notice." I said. Looking out over the mining droids and walkers along with the heavy equipment it was going well. They should be done by the time she decided she was ready to leave. AT-MP's were built to be used for larger scale operations than this and so it would only take a little longer to complete her project.

"When you use the phrikite ore be sure that the smith knows what they are going. Its very hard to reuse once it has been cast. Not impossible, but very difficult." I told her, really just offering minor wisdom. I knew the Techno Union had dozens, if not close to a hundred smiths that were more than qualified to craft her armor from the ore. It was just an attempt at small talk.

[member="Greta Kohler"]

 

[Komo]

As the boss of ArmaTech himself finished speaking, his workers were more or less beginning to wrap up the mining operations. The phrikite ore had been mined, gathered and processed and were now being loaded onto the cargo area specially segregated onboard the transport ships.

As the AT-MPs and Ogres lumbered their way back to their respective transports, the miners accompanying them followed suit, with the leftovers joining the two of them in their remaining shuttle. This operation had been a great success, and the blonde had gotten exactly what she came for, and without any trouble whatsoever.

She knew who to thank, as it would have definitely not been possible without the help of Mr. Vereen himself. With everyone onboard, the ships began to lift off the ground, one at a time, and in a short while, the barren rocky landscape was empty and quiet once again as the team left the mining site behind. Draco spoke to her, advising her on the use of the valuable ore.

His advice and wisdom was well-received and appreciated, as he had pointed out that re-using the ore once it had been casted would be a rather difficult and tedious process. And just like that, they would be done. A job well done, she would say. Greta spoke once more, thanking Draco for the time and effort he had put into helping her out with the valuable material.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Once she had moved on, I turned to the rest of the crew. “No use letting all this work go to waste. Drag out as much Phrikite as you can while we are here. I am certain there is a special project I can use it for.” I said, walking over to look at the work they had done so far. There were plenty of mining droids, a few mining walkers and a full crew here. Much more than had been needed by Greta and her little project. No what I had in mind was building something the size of a small building and that would take a great deal of time to withdraw from Gromas, but this wasn’t the only crew here.

It wasn’t like I used a lot of Phrik in any of my production models. Currently the only model that used Phrik was the Immortal-class and it was a small production that had its phrik withdrawn from Roche a ways back. No, Gromas had its mines and Really just stockpiled it up for whenever I decided I did have need of such a resource.

“Sir, what all is this for?”

“A monster, foreman. Make sure it gets done.” I said coldly, turning my attention back to my datapad with the schematics of the Mythosaur Mobile Fortress on it.