Private Welcome to a Cyber Paradise

[Alora Vizsla]

Location: Gambit, Landing Pad, Kestri

Alora stood outside of her ship with the helmet off and her hands inside a large panel. Bright, honey brown eyes were focused on the internals of the ship. It was hard work being so stealthy and avoiding all the lasers. Most people thought it was easy, but that's because they just saw the results of all the hard work between conflicts. A Captain had to make sure the massive baffles hadn't been compromised from being struck. Couldn't have holes in the ship. Make sure the engine was tuned so it wasn't literally burning fuel and begging for someone to shoot them. Then there were the shields and guns that didn't get a ton of use, but if things went sideways they were pretty handy in a pinch.

All that before the upgrades! Alora never stopped hunting for new materials and technology to incorporate into her fancy home. She knew Gambit appreciated all the effort though.

Nearby the portable beacon flashed and broadcast a signal for ships in the area as usual. Always had to make sure no one tried landing on them because they didn't look out a window. Fact was, most cockpits couldn't see under a ship as it landed. Design flaw? Not really when space was big enough for it not to matter. Also what sensors were for! Except when a ship was actively denying sensors feedback.

The young woman stepped back and reached over for a wrench to finish tightening down the replacement component. Another day in paradise! Which was surprisingly true. Kestri really didn't have a lot of 'watch your back or you'll end up with a bolt in it.' Probably had to do with it being a secret Mandalorian stronghold, which was pretty cool. It did make Alora wonder though... how long could it be kept a secret if there were so many ships flying to and from it? Eventually people would notice as their sphere of influence increased.

Perhaps later Alora would look into some theoretical designs. She loved keeping tabs on the academic circles. All kinds of crazy ideas. Most of them never panned out, but you never knew until you tried.

Tag: Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai wasn't supposed to be up and about so much. She was still recovering and figuring out all the new stuff in her body... or what was left of it. Doc had been a great help in her road to recovery, and she was going to be in debt to him for the rest of her life. There was no way in existence for her to repay not just all the work he did on her for free, but also his friendship and patience in helping her to literally get back on her feet. And not just the physical aspect, but the mental aspect as well.

The Shistavanen's walk was awkward and robotic as she made her way through the town towards her friend's ship. She wore a thick jacket and pants to fight back the cold of Kestri, though her feet were bare. She realized how weird it looked given they looked perfectly normal aside from the claws, but she didn't feel the cold. It was bizarre, she could feel that it was snow beneath her, but her body didn't register that it was a problem. Why would it? It wasn't like cybernetics could get cold anyway. Same with her hands. While synth-skin and -fur helped her to look normal, faint details betrayed that look entirely.

Though her neck was the biggest problem. She couldn't remember a time where her mane was actually shaved off entirely. It was growing back at least, but the difference was clear and she didn't like it.

Her metallic feet clacked against the duracrete landing pad as she approached the brightly coloured Mandalorian. She hated the sound. "... Hey, uh..." She spoke up as she carefully came to a halt behind her friend, swaying a little as she tried to keep her balance. Her cybernetic eyes were glued to the woman, the crimson glow clear even in the day. Her gaze was wide as she simply stood and stared, trying her hardest to remember her name. She knew her, she fought with her and everything. Yet the name or details on how she knew her exactly was completely lost to her. "Kark me, um..." Her eyes pinched closed and a hand, awkwardly stiff, rested over her brow as she fought with her mind. "I'll... be completely honest, I can't remember how we know each other but I know we do." She admitted with a forced chuckle.

It was horrible to be in this position... but she was fine with it. This was likely the best way to get everything sorted again. At least she knew she was with a trustworthy and familiar face.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora slowly wiped the rag wound about her forearm across her brow as she stepped back with a smile. Got the last piece installed. That's when Gambit whispered in her ear that someone was approaching. Well, not just someone, but the Wardog. Oh, Alora had smoothed over the whole 'flipped off' thing long ago, but you know how computers were... never forgot a thing. Though you could bury them in so much data it made looking something up almost impossible.

Even with the forewarning, however, the handywoman didn't turn to watch Shai approach. It wasn't until the woman spoke up that Alora turned with wide eyes as if it were a surprise. Her hand set the wrench back down on the small cart nearby. "Heya," she called back with a great, big ol' grin.

That's when Alora noticed there was something... okay, a lot of things different about Shai. Honey brown eyes batted at the sudden change, but Alora kept the smile up as Shai seemed to struggle to continue the interaction. There were telltale signs everywhere the young woman looked that the Shistavanen had considerable cybernetic work done recently. In the space of a second Alora had mentally prepared a schematic laying out all the components over a representation of the woman's body, if she'd have been the one to do the work anyway. Likely some differences, but nothing significant usually.

Not a big deal, however. Well, it was for Shai, but Alora didn't mind the fact Shai changed. What did concern her, however, was the hesitation. There was a reservation to the woman's tone that was in stark contrast to the boisterous, bold, and even outright outrageous quality Shai exhibited every other time they met. That suggested it was more than embarrassment or even self-loathing about her condition. If it had been just those things Shai would probably have ramped up her scandalous demeanor to the extreme rather than tone it down to the point of being bashful.

It wasn't long before the shoe dropped and Shai admitted not quite remembering Alora. Not just Alora's name -- people forgot such things sometimes -- but how they met. Descending out of the sky on top of a Walker surprising Shai and then them having a back and forth in combat though? Not usually something you'd probably forget. Not exactly 'day to day' activity.

The schematic overlay in Alora's head was immediately updated to be far more comprehensive.

Like, how had Shai afforded all that?

"Oh." Alora nodded before she began to stride out to meet the Shistavanen. Her gloved hand was extended out toward Shai's for her to take. "I'm Alora Vizsla. We met on Kaddak where we shot a bunch of criminals terrorizing the innocent." A quick jab over the shoulder back at the Gambit with her free hand followed. "This is my stealth ship. I even have a decked out mechnic bay and cybernetic lab on board. I've been known to make some pretty choice gear. You want to come aboard? Sit down, talk, have some caf." Maybe get all that cyberwork checked out? Alora didn't know who did the job, so hadn't a clue if it'd been done properly or with quality materials.

POYO! Shai Maji​

 

[Shai Maji]

If Shai had the fine motor ability to take a quick step back, she would have when the woman stepped up to her and reached out to shake her hand. She looked at the outstretched hand for a moment before her own cybernetic hand slowly came up and her cold fingers slowly, jaggedly, closed around her hand. Like a robot learning personal interaction for the first time, her arm moved up and down before she let go. She felt crushed in the moment. Not only couldn't she remember the person's identity, but she couldn't even do a handshake properly.

Her battered gaze slowly moved up to the woman's face as she searched her mind for the memory. "Kaddak..." She muttered before Alora offered her caf and a seat in the ship. She gave a nod as she carefully followed after her. "Yeah... I'd like that. You don't... have hot chocolate by any chance, do you?" She asked nervously as she stepped into the ship. After finding a seat she sank back and continued to figure out the moment Alora recalled. After what felt like a couple minutes longer than it should have taken, a smile appeared and she sat up. "Kaddak! I was in a bigass walker, right? You dropped in from above?" She spoke up much louder than intended. She was, quite frankly, simply happy that she remembered bits of the bits she forgot. It was already awkward enough when she met with her mother again and failed to remember that it was her mother.

She patiently waited for her drink until it was time to actually take hold of the mug. Very carefully her fingers wrapped around the mug while her other hand supported it from underneath. "Thanks." She muttered with a smile before she sipped at the drink. "If I spill, I'm sorry. I'm still getting used to... this." She nodded to her arms as she took another sip. "I'm sorry, Alora. I really am. But things are... fuzzy these days. I'm still getting the grip of everything." She apologized. She didn't need to. She didn't have to say sorry to anyone that she was more a machine now than a person. A frown appeared on her brow as she sat back and nursed her drink.

"I remember you did cybernetics. I was hoping you can help me out, actually." She spoke up again as her cybernetic eyes looked over to Alora.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora took note of the way Shai held and shook her hand. About as recent a change as she'd expected. Hadn't been that long since they last saw one another. Though a shake hadn't been the intent, the result ended the same. The young Mandalorian's fingers wrapped about Shai's hand in order to guide the woman up the loading ramp and into the Gambit. And in case Shai tried breaking free she'd find Alora had a surprisingly firm grasp.

"Hot chocolate? Of course," Alora cried as she looked back over her shoulder at Shai. As they stepped into the mechanics bay that sat in the center of the lowest level of the ship, its Captain called out, "Gambit, bust out the chairs." Two chairs unfolded and slid out into the center of the room for the two occupants to enjoy. Each had a good deal of padding that could accommodate even heavier species.

Of course, the Mandalorian released Shai's hand at that point to slip over to one side and crank out some delectable drinks.

Just as Alora finished making the drinks and turned back toward the Shistavanen, a cry of recollection filled the room. "Yep!" A moment later, Alora extended a large, hot mug of hot chocolate out for Shai to take. Naturally the young woman waited until both of them were sure the mug was in hand before she let go.

Afterward, Alora stepped back to claim her own seat with a mug in her grasp as well. A big smile returned as they both took a sip. It was a rich, creamy hot chocolate -- a premium brand in fact. Buying high-end components wasn't the only luxurious thing Alora bought. Wasn't like she had been hurting for credits. People paid out the sphincter for some of the goods and information her and the Gambit acquired.

"Don't worry about it. I've spilled far worse than hot chocolate in here. Why there was a time I spilled this insanely corrosive substance while we were still in space! The Gambit didn't stop complaining for weeks," Alora crowed with a little rock back and forth on her perch.

After another sip, the colorfully adorned woman tipped her head to the left at Shai's prompt. "I'd be happy to, Shai. Not many Mandos work on tech stuff that don't involve guns, armor, or ships. I'm always here to help out when it comes to cyberware. Especially friends." A smile returned for a second or two. "What did you have in mind?" Alora could propose a few enhancements and even maybe some help with Shai getting adjusted to her new life, but the woman was already struggling to express herself. It wouldn't help to just ramble on and make all the decisions for her. Especially not before learning what it was weighing on Shai's mind most at that moment.

POYO! Shai Maji​

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai snickered as Alora mentioned her ship complaining about what happened. With what she had seen of Alora and her ship, she was tempted to get something similar for herself. "It's still bizarre how you can have a fully functional AI onboard. I mean... I know how you do it, but to actually make it work, I got no idea. I'm an engineer, not a programmer." She commented as she looked around.

Her attention turned back to Alora when she offered her help. Shai's gaze turned to her hands as she sipped at the delicious hot chocolate. "Beskar." She muttered softly as she stared straight ahead. "Beskar and help." Her gaze turned back to Alora with a scowl. "I ain't gonna let Coruscant slide. They ruined me. They took everything from me, and now they took my body from me. I'm a kriffin' cripple as I sit here, and that ain't gonna last if I have a say about it." She finished her drink and set it aside, nearly slapping it off the table as she sat back. With a deep breath she recomposed herself. "I want your help with more intensive stuff. Doc... my friend... has been helping me out to get where I am now. But he ain't a soldier or anything. I need help to get my muscle memory back."

She looked down at her hands for a moment. "And then this." She held her hands out as she studied them. "Doc used the best that he could get his hands on, I can't thank him enough for it. I can actually feel again." Her hands traced over her pants as she smiled softly. "But it's not gonna be effective against lightsabers and force users. I need your help to replace the plating of the arms with proper beskar. I can't forge yet, but I can get my people to do the forging. But I need someone's help to fit the pieces and do the sensitive stuff."

"I know this is awkward, me forgetting you and then immediately asking for help, but I don't know any other Mandos that know cybernetics." She muttered

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Coruscant? That caused Alora to blink. Shai meant the whole invasion of Coruscant? With all the lasers and explosions and stuff? Shai had been there? Alora had been there too with Silver. They hit a hotel and evacuated some people to sate the young one's hunger for danger. Completely irresponsible, but hey that was the way Alora rolled. If she were an upstanding galactic citizen then she wouldn't have broken blockades, slipped by customs, or extracted sensitive materials without some corp's security noticing in order to survive on her own. Rules really only applied when they were necessary to establish and maintain relationships with people Alora cared about. So, precious few people until the not too distant past.

Effective against lightsabers and Force users? Yeah Shai was going where Alora kind of figured given Coruscant and all the work done on the Shistavanen. Also made sense given the earlier mention of beskar, which she echoed again in short order.

"Why's it awkward?" Alora asked after Shai finished. "You're recovering from massive trauma and surgery. I know how you feel, Shai. The whole world's stopped making sense like it used to -- or, more specifically, your body's stopped making sense and that's coloring everything else. What you need is to get accustomed to the changes, gear up, and get back in the game." Hey, like, being consumed by vengeance wouldn't be good, but wanting to kick the asses of those that hurt you? Totally something to aim for and get you motivated.

Alora set her mug aside and stood up. She crossed through the room to a door and toggled it to open. Through the hatch sat another, smaller chamber with a cyberchair in its center surrounded by metal arms suspended from the ceiling. "You get the beskar, I'll make plating and even entire limbs made of it. The Enclave find out and threaten contracts? I know a few off-the-books forges out there. Mandalorians are scattered throughout the galaxy; Enclave doesn't have a monopoly on forges." A smile popped back on her lips as Alora looked back at Shai. Now, maybe the Enclave wouldn't care either way, but if they did... what did Shai think a stealth ship was for?

"While that's all being arranged though," Alora strode back toward her chair unless Shai seemed interested in a tour, "we need to build an exercise routine. Not talking bench pressing a metric ton. We need to work on fine motor skills as much as punching some Force user's head clean off. Can't have you telegraphing your moves to people that claim to be able to see into the future or whatever. It'll also get you back in shape to do some forging again, right?" Every second of Shai's life couldn't be 'kill the Force users' right? At least Alora would hope the woman had something more constructive to do, like Alora herself.

POYO! Shai Maji​

 

[Shai Maji]

A growl escaped Shai as Alora reassured her that this was all understandable. In an instant she glared at Alora with borderline rage as she spoke. ”What the kriff would you know, huh? You don’t know what it’s like. You don’t know how it feels to wake up without any eyes or limbs. To be sitting here like a karking failure without any ability to control what’s left of your own body.” She snapped with a snarl. She turned to face her and accidentally knocked the mug off the table. She cussed under her breath as she stared at the mess, the glimmer of tears creeping along her scarred eye sockets.

She fell quiet as her head drooped in shame at her outburst. She knew herself. She wasn’t like this with anyone that didn’t deserve it. Why was she like this? Her gaze lifted as Alora showed her the odd room that looked like it was pretty much made for something like this. It reminded her of the stuff back at Doc’s place. She continued to sit dead still in silence, despite her evident desire to go check the room out. She didn’t want to go through the struggle of standing up and keeping her balance only for a quick look around. Her crimson gaze followed Alora as she walked back to her seat.

Despite her downtrodden mood, Alora drew a soft chuckle from her as she explained her game plan. A plethora of jokes and comments popped up in her head, yet she couldn’t muster the courage to say them aloud. ”... Thank you. I’ll get the beskar and forge sorted. Just send me whatever details you’ll need for this. I want everything plated. Arms, legs, claws, everything.” her voice was soft and low as her eyes shifted away.

Hoping to alleviate some tension within herself, she looked to the shattered mug. ”Where is a broom or something? I’ll help with that.” She offered before clearing her throat. She was barely keeping it together in the moment, and now a sense of nervousness swelled at the thought of picking up the pieces without toppling over. Not caring for Alora’s answer, she took a deep breath and carefully got down on her knees to scrape together the pieces as best she could.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora stood there as Shai exploded emotionally. It wasn't anger at her personally. Just an unbearable frustration at being unable to change terrible circumstances or tragedies that'd befallen someone. A corner of the young Mandalorian's lips twitched at the accusation, but that was her only reaction, and that was just before the mug was knocked over.

After the briefing and Shai's soft response, Alora moved around the perimeter of the room. By the time the other woman had knelt down to pick up the pieces, Alora crouched down in front of her with her arms crossed over a small half-dome bot pressed against her chest. "You don't have to do this alone, Shai," Alora said softly after a moment. There was a sad irony to Shai picking up the pieces of the mug as she sought to do with her life. "And not all at once. We'll take the steps at your pace, but once we start a step we push through to the end. Failure's not an option." Slowly the cleaning droid was set on the ground, but Alora held it in place to keep it from moving in on the mess until Shai was ready.

"Want another mug? I buy in bulk. Knock more than my share over setting them all over the place." A small smile graced her painted lips.

POYO! Shai Maji​

 

[Shai Maji]

Her broken gaze shifted up from the mug to look at Alora in front of her. She studied the little bot as Alora reassured her that she wouldn’t have to walk this path alone. She was right, of course. Shai knew she couldn’t do it alone, the Doc proved that quite well. And now she sat there, on her knees, listening as another friend told her exactly the same.

Shai slowly sat upright on her legs with her shoulders sagged and her head hung low. Her hands rested in her lap as she gave a soft sniff. The only thing that halted her from breaking down entirely was the offer of another mug. A gentle smile appeared as Shai slowly lifted her head. ”Another mug would be nice.” She muttered. Her gaze drifted to the shattered pieces again as she started to chuckle. ”At least... can I still do this? It’s not a bad way to get some practice in.” She admitted as she slowly brightened up. She hadn’t smiled or laughed much after her operation, but the few times she did were welcomed with open arms.

She persisted, scraping together the broken pieces before she attempted to pick them up. It took a while and the smaller bits slipped from her grasp multiple times, but eventually she got the majority of the pieces together before she carefully rose back onto her feet. After throwing away the pieces she returned to her seat and waited for her next mug.

”... How... do you know? How I feel, I mean.” She asked cautiously. ”Was that just optimistic reassurance or... do you really know what this is like?” She hoped that if her suspicions were correct, she wasn’t overstepping a boundary in some way.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora continued to smile as Shai accepted the offer for another cup. It was good to see her friend wasn't breaking down. Not that there was anything wrong with a good cry, of course. Just seemed like Shai liked presenting the tough exterior. Though they really hadn't been around each other enough to know if that was only with strangers, and there was really a gentle soul in private.

"Alright." A tap on the top of the little droid followed Shai's request. "You wait until she's done, then clean up the liquid. I don't want to see you giving her any grief over who gets to pick up the pieces, okay?" Alora waited for the little one to chirp before she stood up with a hand lightly atop Shai's shoulder.

Back at the little kitchenette, the young woman combined the fine ingredients and made sure the temperature was just right so it was soothing, but also drinkable in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, truth was Alora didn't buy the cups in bulk. Nothing was bulk on her ship. Except the emergency rations, but that was kind of the point -- being for an emergency. Shai didn't need to know that though. Wasn't like the mugs were made out of beskar anyway; though that much was self-evident.

They finished roughly at the same time with Alora extending a new mug of cocoa out for Shai. Her brown eyes widened a bit with the question that fell from her friend's lips. Guess the woman was perceptive even when dealing with her own grief. Alora lingered a moment before she stepped back to reclaim her own seat to buy a moment's time.

A subject Alora had been avoiding for some time, but unavoidable under the circumstances. Could play dumb. The hopeless romantic trying to console a friend without knowing the ice-cold despair that gripped a person's heart. An attempt to be there when someone needed them. It was that or sit there in silence, which was about as good as Shai not having come at all. Alora could do those things, but Shai was taking it really hard. Like, the amount of work done was extensive. Most got a limb or two replaced; not every limb, every eye, and her spine. That kind of thing raised questions especially when the mind seemed 'fuzzy' on what happened before all that.

"After the Mandalorian Union fell, I was on my own," she finally responded. "About Eighteen. Had my own ship. This one, but it wasn't a tenth of what it is now back then. Just a simple, old freighter. I was just a simple, if rogue young woman. Well, I was exploring a planet one day just trying to earn my keep when I got injured. Bad." Alora leaned back in her seat and looked over to the side. "Anyway, cyber-doc happened to be nearby and decided to help me. Actually," a quiet chuckle interrupted, "they needed me. Needed somebody. Worked out in the end, both of us getting what we wanted. Kinda."

The Mandalorian's brown eyes slid back to Shai. "I, uh, don't really talk about this. But it's where I learned almost everything I know about cybernetics. Why Wanderlust Wares has some gear no one else has seen. Designs and tech lost to time. Certainly helps pay the bills." Subdued laughter fell between her lips. "So, yeah, Shai. I know." Alora sat up and then leaned forward to reach over and lay a hand atop a cybernetic knee. "And everything you're feeling? Perfectly normal. But you have friends, and we're here for you."

POYO! Shai Maji​

 

[Shai Maji]

Accepting the mug, she tried her luck a little and held it with one hand as she listened to Alora. Her grip was awkward and a little shaky at certain angles, but she was managing to keep her mug up with only one hand. A bit of a confidence boost in her current state. She was surprised to find out that Alora was in the Union as well, though from the sound of it she wasn't that deep in the heat of things.

She wanted to ask more, like what she had replaced and how it was for her. Though that seemed to be a bit too intrusive for a moment like this. So instead, Shai sat back and sipped at her shaky mug of hot chocolate while Alora reassured her that this was normal... and that she was there for her. She looked down at the woman's hand for a moment, making sure to keep the mug upright, before her own hand rested over Alora's. A weak squeeze followed as she looked up at the woman with a smile. The mug was set aside and she wrapped her cybernetic arms around the woman in as good a hug as she could muster in her state.

She said nothing as she held onto the woman. She was so used to feeling her mane against someone's face as she hugged them that it felt odd to feel Alora's face against hers. After a while the hug was simply getting awkward but Shai didn't let go. "I'll be honest, I feel off balance right now." She snickered as her grip slowly loosened up. "If I fall over, don't be surprised." She warned as she carefully shifted back into her seat. Luckily she didn't topple over as she got situated again and sipped further at her drink. "I'll get the stuff sorted when I'm done with this mug. And really... thanks, Alora. If you ever need anything, just ask." She offered gently.

**********​

It was a couple of weeks later when the Beskar was ready. The size was perfectly made to spec and loaded into a crate transported by one of Shai's worker droids from her factory. She had been visiting Alora every day to work on reflexes, more intensive moving, whatever was needed. She fell, hurt herself, cussed and shouted at Alora, and nearly shot her accidentally when her arm opened up to reveal a blaster. But not for a moment did she give up.

And the results were already showing.

Her posture and walking went from borderline infant to robotic in the time she spent with the brightly coloured Mandalorian. Her fine motor skills were still taking time, but at least she could hold things more easily and train with a blaster again. No matter how Tired got or how frustrated, she would get up and keep practicing. Whether it was with Alora, the Doc, or with her mother in the factory.

She was running late for the day's lesson. But she did chase the droid off to push the crate on the hoverbed herself, so it wasn't a surprise that she took a while. "Yo, Al! You here?" She called out as she reached the ship.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

"Ooh," Alora felt herself drawn into Shai's sudden hug. She wrapped her arms about the woman to return the favor. It was good Shai wasn't trying to hold it all in, even if she wasn't being an over-sharer about it. The fur was an interesting touch too which the young woman had some time to ponder as the hug drew on. Wasn't like Alora was going to break it!

When talk of imbalance and toppling came up, Alora smiled and quickly noted, "Not going anywhere." Not that Shai ended up needing a supporting arm to stay upright. As for their exchange, well, a bob of the head accepted Shai's offer. "You got it. And you can call any time." The company wasn't called Wanderlust Wares for nothing -- though with the whole Enclave thing there was a stable pot of call. Still, Alora roamed. Apparently as much as Shai did as it turns out with both of them roaming right into a fight. Maybe some time Alora would ask about that.

* * * * *​

Though Alora and the Gambit didn't end up doing a whole lot of wandering for the next several weeks. Shai popped on over, and Alora set to work spending the time getting the woman accustomed to her new body parts -- what they could do, what they couldn't, and what they couldn't yet. The last bit, of course, took most of their focus. They'd talk, of course, but there wasn't time to lollygag about. Physical therapy wasn't a job for layabouts -- it took time and hard work. Muscle memory was such an insanely powerful tool, and something they developed when they still didn't know how to talk properly. Building that up again when you had an actual frame of reference... well, it was frustrating, but they'd do it.

It didn't even matter that Shai yelled at Alora. The bubbly woman didn't even flinch. Of course she dropped the smile sometimes to take on a Drill Sergeant approach when the other woman started complaining or suggesting she was done. Shai wasn't done until Alora said she was! If it took riling the woman up to get her to chase Alora around an obstacle course, Alora wouldn't hesitate! Though that time Alora contorted around a blaster bolt with her arms flailing about to keep from toppling into the shot was a pretty close near-hit.

Today, when Shai arrived, the machine bay stood empty. After a few seconds the door across from the cybernetics lab slid open to admit the colorfully adorned Mandalorian woman. Some radiant lighting and sounds of machinery quietly working from within the room was heard before the door buttoned up in her wake. "Hey there, Shai!" Alora turned to stride over to where she and the cargo stood. "Looks like you've got quite the haul there today. Loaded it yourself, right?" It would be just like the workaholic to take it upon herself to get the goods loaded and then hauled over there. As though Shai had trouble with heavy lifting.

Kind of the strange thing about by cybernetic. When you were organic flexibility was easy while raw strength was hard; but heavily augmented it was the other way around. Metal parts could bear greater loads with less wear. Simple physics, really. Precision -- the fluid motions and tight tolerances most associated with droids and stuff -- was hard. Droids and cyborgs demonstrating their skills stirred up emotions of envy and jealousy among full-bodied organics; but anything you spent hundreds and thousands of hours perfecting would!

POYO! Shai Maji​

 

[Shai Maji]

A warm smile formed almost immediately when Alora emerged from her secret room and approached Shai, dropping a comment that merely made Shai swell with pride. "Hell yeah! For the most part, loading the crate onto the pad was the droids' doing." She proclaimed as she flexed her cybernetic arms. "It's getting easier every day, just the small stuff I'm still gettin' stuck on." Her smile faded slightly, though it didn't disappear. There was no denying that the help and support she got from her friends were the biggest contributors. Not just her physical progress, but mental as well. Every day got a tiny bit easier as she adjusted to the reality of her situation. There was still a long way to go... but at least she was going.

Pushing the crate forward, she made her way up to the ramp and stopped it in a corner out of the way. "Every plate made to perfect size." She commented as she turned to face Alora. "I wanted to try my hand at makin' them myself... but I didn't wanna mess this up. We might have enough Beskar to go around now, but I still don't wanna waste it." She looked at the crate as she spoke, her chipper tone faltering for a moment. It didn't last long before she brightened up and opened the crate. "Oh! Almost forgot. Refill for ya." She pulled out a tin of very nice hot chocolate and handed it over to the woman. "Congratulations, you also got hot chocolate privileges when you come over to my place." She snickered as she pulled out a plate and played with it in her hand.

"Okay so... what now? We fit these and then I kick your ass afterward for a test run?" She joked, sitting down on the crate.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora smiled as Shai showed off her extra-strong limbs. Definitely good to see the woman more like her cheerful, over-the-top, outrageous self again. Yeah, it helped feeling more comfortable with your own body. There was work to do, but the important thing was Shai hadn't given up. Long as she stuck with it, she'd be stronger than before and ready to kick some Sith arse.

When the large crate was set aside, the young woman peered at it and then to Shai. Well, Alora certainly hoped they were perfect size! No one liked an arm that was too big or too small. It made you look silly on the battlefield and took all the focus away from how cool your moves were. So, yeah, probably good that her fiery friend hadn't tried making them herself. There was always next time. No, no, not when she lost something else (heaven forbid), but upgrades! Depending on what Shai had in store for them this first go around.

Before they got down to business though, Shai pulled out a tin of hot chocolate. Alora grinned as she reached out to accept the offer. "Thanks, Shai," she purred just before hugging the tin close. "You're always welcome to drop by for hot chocolate. I might even have some exotic blends from around the galaxy now and then, if you want to experiment." Alora blinked, glanced off to the side for just a second, and then looked back at Shai. "Not the blend from Kamino though. Doesn't matter what they say, that isn't chocolate." Chocolate did not grow underwater; that was just wrong.

"You have to catch me before you can kick my ass, Shai," Alora crowd in response with a big grin. "But if you got time, I got the chair all set."

Alora strode over to the other side of the bay and toggled the cybernetic lab's door open. "You want to do it all at once, or just some of it? I hope the pieces weren't made too thick. Guess I could always tune the tension to compensate; just let me know if your limbs feel too heavy or too light later, 'kay?" Beskar wasn't exactly aluminium when it came to mass or density.

POYO! Shai Maji​

 

[Shai Maji]

"Oh don't worry, I'll be falling in a lot for some. Saves mine for when I'm out and about." She quipped as she stepped towards Alora. Her joke wasn't lost on Shai as the girl mentioned the chair being ready for the operation. She was glad that it wasn't an actual operation, merely them swapping out plates and playing a glorified puzzle game with them. At least Shai took care to pack each limb's parts into a separate segment of the crate.

Though she couldn't simply let Alora get away with her joke.

Without warning, Shai wrapped an arm around her neck to pull her close. "What was that about catching, huh?" She teased, adjusting her grip to hold Alora in a powerful bearhug. "Now what, huh?" She joked, swaying left and right as she held onto Alora with immense strength. After a few seconds she let go of her and looked to the door. Her wide grin faltered as she remained quiet for a moment.

"Nah. We do it all. I ain't gonna play around and stuff, we swap everything out." She finally answered softly with determination in her eyes. "Oh... and don't put me under. It's just plates, I ain't gonna be starin' at a karking nightmare face again, that's tonight's problem." It wasn't a request as she glared at Alora. She took the crate and pushed it towards the room as she walked with Alora. "Oh... and I want the old plates. I wanna do something with it." She spoke up with a mischievous smile.

Once the crate was parked in a nice spot, Shai stared at the chair for a moment. "I take it I'll have to strip down to my tightey whiteys for this one?" She asked with a snicker. After getting rid of her unnecessary clothing, she sat down on the chair and waited for Alora to get started. She was somewhat self-conscious of her body, the scars and marks all over from her previous failures were all on display now as she waited for the girl to start. "Just ignore the damage, please. I'm not in the mood to explain each lightsaber or blaster scar right now." She muttered, glancing to her with nervous eyes.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora grinned at Shai promising to stop by and mooch. Hey, mooching hot chocolate was a fine price to pay for company. Not that Gambit wasn't pleasant, but both of them agreed the young woman needed to make friends with more people.

Speaking of which, the violet-haired woman let out a small eek when Shai wrapped an arm about her and drew her in close. Alora flailed her arms out to the sides helplessly in the headlock. Seconds later the big woman switched to bear-hugging the beanstalk -- by comparison. Alora giggled and laughed at being held 'captive.' "That's cheating. I totally wasn't ready," she cried merrily. Shai could feel Alora squeeze under her immense strength, but depending on how sensitive her tactile inputs were they might feel more resistance than was ordinarily present.

The pressure suddenly released and Alora's full weight dropped back to the floor. Honey brown eyes panned around to regard Shai's thoughtful or pensive look toward the door.

A wide-eyed stare followed the tough gal getting ultra serious with that glare. Nightmare face? Sounded like Shai was still dealing with some underlying issues with her cybernetic condition. No doubt some post-traumatic stress. Had Alora overlooked that while they were focused on getting Shai physically in shape? Though dealing with the day-to-day was probably a good start to resolving the emotional issues... Difficult to focus on your feelings when all you felt was frustration just walking around your own house.

"No problem, Shai," Alora replied as they walked toward the lab. If Shai wanted to keep the old parts, Alora wouldn't complain. Few people wanted used parts even if they were in pristine condition. Could probably clean and donate them to a low-income clinic though, but they were Shai's to do with as she saw fit. Though... Alora hoped Shai didn't plan on building a macabre skeleton with them.

The cybernetics lab was a medium-sized room with the chair-bed the only furniture. Every wall was full of shelving and cabinets to store various supplies and tools needed for procedures. A large operating apparatus hung over the bed retracted toward the ceiling -- the thing that gave the place a 'creepy' vibe according to most. Not much Alora could do though... it was a 'small' ship without a lot of space to spare. Had to keep the machinery somewhere and 'up' wasn't being used otherwise.

"Gambit, shut the loading ramp, please?" Alora said aloud a half second before the ramp began to button up. It'd allow Alora to leave the door to the lab open during the procedure... hopefully alleviate some of the emotional weight by not needing to shut the lab door itself, but still provide privacy.

An exaggerated shrug followed the Wardog's question. "Well it's that or I destroy perfectly good clothing and you walk home naked."

While Shai got ready, Alora stepped over to the side to sterilize her hands in a small alcove. Afterward, she crossed over to inspect the contents of the crate. A piece or two was lifted for a visual inspection and a little weight check to evaluate their construction and composition. Looked like Shai wasn't kidding about getting it right the first time.

When the other woman got in the chair, Alora turned around and stepped over to her side. A warm smile followed Shai's request. "We're here for cybernetics, not story time, Shai. But I'm happy to hear tales over hot chocolate later." Even if that never happened, Alora just played it off like the the woman was being a silly head for even bringing the subject up.

"So," Alora spoke as she slowly set out the first set of plates and set to work, "once you get these bad girls in, what do you have in mind, Shai? I hope you aren't planning to try benching that Walker of yours. You'll make the guys feel insecure."

POYO! Shai Maji​

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai snickered at Alora's comment on her clothing. With her current position, she welcomed just about any crappy joke someone could throw at her. She needed the laughter for this. "Almost tempted to take you up on that offer. See how everyone in Tor Valum will react to me strutting home like a boss." She quipped. With a deep breath she relaxed in the chair as she waited for Alora to sort through the crate and get everything ready.

"I'll definitely take you up on the hot chocolate bit after this is done." She admitted calmly. "... Maybe a story or two as well." Perhaps talking about everything could help her out. She trusted Alora. And the Force knows that she had a lot of things on her mind that could do with some airing. Her thoughts returned to Alora as the girl spoke up, asking what her plans were when she had the plates installed. "Well... there's another Mando that used to be a Sith Lord. Might pay her a visit." She grinned wildly as she glanced over to Alora. A laugh quickly followed as she sat back in the seat. "Nah, I'm just gonna relax. There's gonna be more than enough time for me to test out just how much these cybernetics can do."

With another deep breath she got ready for the operation. As long as she didn't get knocked out, she was fine with it. "Hey, Al." She glanced at her again. "Thanks. For everything. You don't understand how much you've helped me this past month. Not just the physical stuff..." She muttered softly to her.

Alora Vizsla

 

[Alora Vizsla]

Alora looked up at Shai with lifted eyebrows at the thought of her poking a Sith Lord. Like, what was a Sith doing around the Enclave anyway? Sounded like someone had a deathwish. Was the feisty woman just pulling her leg? Well, whatever the case, not exactly the first thing Alora hoped Shai would do after getting her new toys.

Thankfully, Shai followed it up with a laugh and talk of taking it easy. Though if Alora was being honest, she didn't buy the cover story. Shai was a workaholic and with all the scars on the woman's body apparently 'work' involved fighting. "Ha, well, if you do test this all out in a fight, might not be a bad idea to do it on something or someone other than a Sith Lord first." Figuring out the weight balance and inertia of the new pieces in the middle of a fight with a Master of the Sith didn't sound like the best strategy.

"Hm?" Alora looked back at Shai as she'd taken another look at everything lain out to make sure they were ready. A quick blink then a broad smile followed the Shistavanen's gratitude. "That's what friends are for, Shai." She laid a hand atop Shai's for a moment.

"Now, do you want small talk while I work, or silence so you can close your eyes and totally pretend you aren't napping?" Seemed unlikely Shai would relax enough because of the procedure to drift off, but a little good humor wouldn't hurt.

Whatever Shai's choice, Alora would grab her cyberwrench and driver to begin carefully set to work on Shai's arm. No one liked a Cyberdoc that gouged up actual skin, just ripped things out of sockets, or damaged the synth skin. Precision and care was taken every step of the way, but it didn't slow down any of Alora's movements. One fluid movement after another would have her removing the old gear in order to drop in the new bling. Even the lighting overhead wasn't unnecessarily bright in Shai's eyes; just enough to light up the room with indirect lightning.

Naturally, Alora worked with a smile and a discrete peek up at Shai now and again to make sure she was handling it all well. The young woman did her best to minimize feedback when things were connecting and disconnecting seeing how the tough woman didn't want to go under. Fortunately with the gear being so extensive the connections were pretty easy and not prone to any 'pain' signals. Spine was trickier though -- you didn't just remove and replace the unit like you did an arm. So if there was new plating there might be a pinch or two from all the nervous system interfaces. Not much you could do about that really -- organic bodies hadn't evolved to by cyberware replacement easy and the cyberware could only make up for so much of the genetic mess of the organic body.

POYO! Shai Maji​

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai glanced over to Alora, followed by a soft chuckle at the question. "Small talk would be very welcome." She commented. But despite that, she wasn't very talkative throughout the procedure. Her eyes might have been closed, but she was very much aware of what was going on. At least it helped a bit to not see the machinery stripping her limbs of synth-skin and panels to replace them and reverse the operation. Apart from her quicker breathing, luckily, she didn't move or panic for even a moment.

The issue came when she had to roll over for Alora to work on her spine and ribcage. Her arms and legs she knew wouldn't be an issue at all. It was the parts actually integrated into her body and linked to the other cybernetics that would be an issue. And despite her hopes of staying awake through it all, she knew that it wouldn't be wise, no matter how tough she was. One nerve ending fired off and she would feel it all. Whimpers started to escape her and soon she reached out to grab hold of Alora's leg. The only thing she could find. "Nope. Nuh-uh. Knock me out. That's not going to be an easy swap. Knock me out. Karking stun bolt to the head, I don't care, just... I don't wanna be awake for this." She begged her with fear rising in her voice.

She couldn't remember it, but the nightmares did a fantastic job of letting her know how it felt. Brutal, excruciating pain. No ability to move or react. Just laying there, with no limbs and a body that didn't respond to anything. To be awake while someone picked at her spine and stuff? She would rather stun herself with her blaster than experience that.

Alora Vizsla