Dev These War Machines Were Made For Walking (Sith Order)

[Darth Strosius]

Faldos

Darth Strosius idly tapped his fingers on the holo-table that he sat at as he awaited what the communications officers had informed him as incoming guests. Normally he was not one to invite people to the smuggler world turned Inquisition stronghold but these, especially not anyone from the Sith Order itself, but these were special circumstances. Although the Ouroboros Crisis was in its dying throws his actions during the Tsis'Kaar's rebellion had not been so soon forgotten.

To most he was still merely an apprentice of the Pale Assassin that had a change of heart and decided to join the winning side. An apprentice that had been the main face, ironically enough given his seemingly forever masked visage, and now sought to bring an end to the war he helped to perpetuate. However his loyalty to the Sith Order was still disputed by those who cared enough to do so, and as such displays of 'goodwill' and 'loyalty' were in order.

The Council of Faldos had convinced him to make displays that were more elaborate and varied than simply bringing death to the enemies of the Sith Order, and as such this little event had been arranged. Before the Crisis the Inquisitorial Armory had been making strides in regards to arming and expanding upon the existing armaments and vehicles of the order's forces and this showcase was meant to be an example of that continued effort. A display of three prototype walkers that were meant to help modernize and empower the ground forces of the Sith Order.

Darth Strosius himself was there to ensure that the display went smoothly and that all critiques and suggestions made for the walker designs were handled appropriately. Some of the engineers could get rather testy and not everyone was as appreciative of correction as he was. So there he sat at an empty table, surrounded by windows that showed a vast plain that would serve as the testing ground for the showcase. Engineers and guards as well as a few officers wandered around as the final checks and confirmations were being made.

The masked Sith perked up from his slump in his seat as one of the officers approached and saluted him. "The first guests have arrived foe the showcase sir. We shall be ready for the display in but a few minutes." Darth Strosius nodded and stood from his seat, smoithing down his robes and crossing his arms behind his back to appear more formal and presentable for what was to come. "Very well. Let them in, we can get the initial bantering and introductions out of the way before the showcase begins." The officer saluted again and moved off to open the meeting room doors while the masked man sighed and rolled his shoulders. So it began then.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"You've never been much for banter though, have you?"

Alina didn't wait for the door to open, instead rather brazenly walking into the room with her head high. And eyes again narrowed on Alisteri. Just for the moment, before they looked off towards where the showcase would begin. She had her reasons to be here, mostly on behalf of Aurora Tech, and perhaps to bring some ideas to Darth Xyrah for their own endeavors. Many hands, many pies.

"You're acting like quite the dutiful subject of the Emperor. I'm sure he'll be quite pleased you're assisting the Empire so well."

Darth Strosius

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"There, there, Alina. I'm sure he's learned a valuable lesson or two."

The image would flicker into existence at one of the seats at the table, projecting the image of Darth Arcanix, Taeli Raaf. She had been vaguely intrigued to see what might be in development at this test, especially since her Sphere focused heavily on science and research in all fields and her own technical background with her megacorporations.

"And I believe congratulations are necessary for our newest Lord," she continued, crossing her legs. "I certainly hope whatever is to be presented lives up to such... promising potential."

Killing Ophidia to claim mastery and clemency for his part in the rebellion... how Rule of Two of the young Lord Inquisitor. He would be bare watching in the future, and she wondered how her own apprentice felt about Alisteri claiming Lordship. But that was likely a conversation and lesson for later.

Darth Strosius Alina Tremiru

 

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Strosius felt his eye twitch as the doors burst open to reveal a rather familiar face, one that made him tense and nearly punch a hole in the meeting table. Of course she had to be here. Before he could fire back an impassioned retort though, the holotable flickered to life and another familiar Sith appeared in one of the waiting seats. Two Sith that he had far from positive relations with given their last meetings. At a meeting that he barely wanted to be at himself. How droll.

He sighed and readjusted himself, idly fiddling with the sleeves of his robes as he nodded to two Sith. One in person and the other in hologram. "Talk is cheap when there is work to be done and wars to be won." The masked man stated simply, crossing his arms behind his back as he regarded the master and apprentice.

"Congratulations are appreciated Lady Raaf, but unnecessary. There are far more...economic matters to discuss." He shot Alina a slight glare at her remark but chose not to give her a reply. Better to play civil for now, he knew what the both of them were capable of. "I was unaware that such vehicular developments would be of interest to you two."

Alina Tremiru / Taeli Raaf

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Alina frowned, just a little. She was hoping to dig into him a bit more, but with her Master here and telling her not to, she figured it'd be best to bite back on the sass she reallt wanted to give Alisteri. She found a seat, plopping down to lounge comfortably. Ignore the fact that he'd now become a Sith Lord while she still hadn't.

Death had delayed her, but she couldn't keep falling behind.

"I lead armies against our enemies while the Sith Empire was still whole. I am always curious on what funds that, and what tools they have. As powerful as Sith are, they cannot rule on just their power alone."

And it would be good to know the current desires for the military wing. Designs could be drafted by that, in a hopes to bring even more work to Aurora's table.

"As you said, there are wars to be won."

Darth Strosius | Taeli Raaf

 

[Taeli Raaf]

It was a gentle reminder for her apprentice there would be a time and place to get her aggression out on the masked Sith with them. A look of amusement crossed her face, however, when the new Lord pondered why they might have an interest in such demonstrations. She would have thought he would remember the resources at her disposal, but a reminder might be needed.

"I might remind you, Alisteri, that I do control one of the galaxy's largest megacorporations that makes and develops weapons and ships among other things," she stated. "I take interest in anything under development, especially if it can be improved in a way that benefits all parties involved."

She did leave unsaid something else though on his early remark about talk was cheap and their wars to be won. She had fought and bled in more wars and battles than either of these two, on both sides of the ancient and cyclical conflict, but that was all history now.

Darth Strosius Alina Tremiru

 

[Darth Strosius]

Of course they both had their own reasons for being here, although a part of him suspected that the master and apprentice were simply conspiring against him due to their recent disagreements in the past. Regardless they were here and he still had a showcase to demonstrate one way or the other. "I meant no offense," His gaze flickered between Alina and the holographic form of Lady Raaf. "I simply doubted that our humble showcase would attract such attention. I will ensure a more...grandiose display in the future for high profile guests such as yourselves."

Without further ado Darth Strosius tapped on the control panel for the holotable that sat in front of his chair, the previously blank surface now displaying the list of standard ground vehicles that the Sith Order's armies had at their disposal. "As you can see the majority of our planetary vehicles are of Kainite design and production. A rather disturbing monopoly, but more importantly it shows a distinct lack of variety in our arsenal. Particularly in regards to our walker options."

Being reliant upon the underlings and products of Carnifex made his stomach churn on its own but he chose to leave that part out given his present company. Disguising it as a matter of tactical need was far for efficient at the moment. "The engineers and technical minds of Faldos have been hard at work attempting to innovate and invent new walker designs and have come up with three models that each fill their own niche and which are ready to enter full production within the next few weeks. These prototype designs will be the subject of this showcase, any questions thus far?"

Alina Tremiru / Taeli Raaf

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Well that explains why you decided to dabble in weapon creation."

To better remove the influence of the Kainite through the Sith Order by diversifying their arsenal. It was why Alina had come here herself, if she were being bluntly honest. As much as she wanted to tease Alisteri and try to make some deals for Aurora, she knew as well as any other Sith that so long as they relied on only one organization, that organization would be the one in power. "What are the costs? For creating, repairs, the like."

Darth Strosius | Taeli Raaf

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"Always be prepared to put your best foot forward," she remarked.

Something she had learned over the last few decades was that, when putting on a display for interest parties or investors, you needed to really make a show of it. The more impressive the display or demonstration, the more likely the beings who were in attendance would be interested in investing resources or time in your project. This was no different.

A lazy look at the screen as the new Lord pulled up the current list of Sith Order ground vehicles certainly confirmed what he said. Kaine had always been one to ensure the forces of the Sith were properly outfitted, and because many Sith didn't really care what they were killing or conquering with, it had allowed him to accrue quite a monopoly. Not that it had been for her either. Many Aurora weapon designs had found their way into Kainite designs.

She didn't need the Force or to see beyond the mask to know that the young Lord putting on this demonstration did not like that monopoly for more than his stated reasons. But that was unimportant for the moment.

"What are the specifications for the first walker on display?" she asked once Alina asked her own questions.

Alina Tremiru Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"As usual when it comes to our works here at Faldos, we kept the need for special parts and unique manufacturing down to a minimum." When the vast majority of your resources and production facilities came from old smuggler tech one had to keep things simple. Advanced manufacturing simply wasn't available in any meaningful sense on the world. Yet. "Given that these walkers were all developed at the same time they share many of the same parts as well, motors, joints, and the like. Most production facilities equipped for making walkers should have little to no issues producing any of our line." Field repairs were so much easier when everything had similar designs to rely on. "Some of the designs are a bit more expensive than others of course, but overall nothing that an average factory can't handle."

Darth Strosius tapped on the console as Lady Raaf asked her question, nodding to the open plain beyond the window where the testing grounds were. From a warehouse sat along the edge of the testing ground a walker emerged and began striding forward across the wide open area. "Our first walker of the day stands at 10 meters in height and makes use of two legs to propel it along. We've given the line the name K'lor in reference to those horrid slugs native to Korriban." A rather amusing name given the context but not one made out of spite.

"In terms of armaments we wanted to make a general purpose walker that could fulfill a variety of roles on the battlefield. As such it boasts four heavy laser cannons, two missile pods, and a chin mounted double blaster cannon meant for use infantry and light vehicles." The walker paused as he pressed another button and demonstrated its firepower on some targets that rose out of the ground in front of it. The heavy laser cannons tore through the targets as missiles streaked out and blew others into pieces. The blaster cannon spun around and made short work of smaller targets that had cropped up around the walker, even managing to swivel behind it and fire. "Simple but effective armaments."

He tapped the console again and the walker turned and began walking back towards the warehouse as the holographic display on the table shifted to that of a cliff face. "Utility was also kept in mind during development and as such we were able to add in some powerful legs to the design." The displayed recording showed off one of the K'lor walkers approaching the cliff face, one of its legs moving up and latching onto the side of the cliff before the other followed suit. It effortlessly began climbing up the almost vertical surface as he continued.

"The K'lor walker's legs allow it to scale walls both natural and constructed, giving it access to almost any structure and base without the need for breaching any walls or having to land it within a compound or canyon." He then gestured to the rear of the walker on the display where the back appeared to be unusually large for a walker of its size. "In addition we included a compartment at the back of the walker that can be used for storage. Cargo, one squad of troopers and their equipment, or two speederbikes and their operators, a small storage space but one that can no doubt serve for some more elaborate operations featuring the walker."

Alina Tremiru / Taeli Raaf

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Efficient. Good. And you're not using after market parts you've scavenged for once."

Oh yes, she took that jab as she smiled faintly and continued to watch the display. He had all the access in the world to his Master's assets, but he never bothered to use them in all the time he knew him. Pride before the fall, as it were. Such a pride had gotten her killed.

"You are quite determined to ensure that anyone can produce them. But are you truly planning to allow that sort of free market with your designs?"

Darth Strosius | Taeli Raaf