When you need a tank, you need a TANK!

[Julius Sedaire]

Ijaat had spent hours pouring over the schematics. This was a project, to be sure... The plating, the firing systems. It was as marvelous as any blade or chest plate he had ever made. There was a certain artistry in it's curves and angles. The tracks would be heavy, but damned if they would take a few explosions and keep tracking. This Larraq at Mandal Hypernautics was a brilliant designer if this was his work as the name on the paper said. And he had sent out the call for skilled beskar smiths. And Ijaat accepted it at once, sending a resume of his prior work.

But this was more than he could do on his own. That much he knew. It was time, for once in his life, to step out of his little hiding spots and take center stage. So he had held nothing back on his missive. He had included spectral analysis on custom alloys, reports on in depth studies of beskar, pictures and statistics of various things he had forged... From swords to the grand beskar'kandar and even family heirlooms for various affluent clans of Mandalore. Larraq would know him, if not by name then by some of his works. And it should be enough. If Ijaat was honest to himself, he /needed/ for Larraq to award him the contract. War was not enough to keep him sane. He needed to shape, to create. He needed to exist outside himself for a time.

No one knew beskar like he did, it was something he was truly beginning to believe. The teachings his father had passed on, the study and experimentation. He could shape this metal like putty on a potters wheel. And, with that in mind, the man suited up in sooted, spark holed jumpsuit of jet black, and a thick leather apron with welder's gloves tucked behind it. Around his waist belted a loop belt holding various tongs and hammers, the one's he particularly liked. They weren't his good hammers, the beskar alloy ones, but they were his workhorses, his durasteel pony's as he called them. Around the breast of the apron, riding in a few fitted pockets rested micrometers, calipers and more. The tools to quality control and check his work.

Slowly, step by step, Ijaat put on the tools of his true trade. Amber eyes went from laughing and joking at thoughts of the past to a serious, frame of minds as he tucked a welding mask at the small of his back and stretched. He slipped on a simple dagger and his trusted DE-10 at his left thigh, covered under the smithing apron. Quickly he ran fingers trough black-brown hair and tried to tame the tousled mop, with little success.

But he walked across the complexes anyway, turning a few heads at his dress, and eventually arrived to the location he had agreed to meet Larraq at. He just hoped the man had seen his request for an apprentice to help him oversee operations and found one suitable.

[member="Captain Larraq"] [member="Ginnie Ordo"]

 

[Ginnie Dib]

What [member="Ijaat Akun"] found was a Beskarsmith apprentice who had learned her craft from her father, Mastercraftsman Ordo. The petite thirteen year old was dressed as always in Beskar'gam with a bag of tools slung around her shoulder. A Tuk'ata trotted along beside her, tongue waggling out of it's adolescent maw happy of the retreat from Ginnie's personal forge on Ziost. Where the child had age and size to detract from her abilities and inclinations, her determination and ferocity in battle were usually enough to pull her through. So it was the youngest ad'ika of Clan Ordo came to the place Ijaat was and saluted.

"Rally Master Ginnie Ordo here as requested, Sir! What are we building first?" The girl had once helped the Mand'alor himself with designing war droids, soon after Azrael had taken the position. She'd crafted Field Marshal Preliat Mantis a prosthetic Beskar leg when he lost his to the Sith on Empress Teta. She'd made alchemical secrets, danced with far off abilities and wrapped caution around herself only when it all blew up in her face. Her buy'ce was clipped to the back of her belt, revealing a young chocolate skinned girl with scar tissue instead of ears, thinly dreadlocked hair pulled back in a ponytail at the base of her neck. Her eyes darted this and that way, the hallmark of the deaf.

 

[Captain Larraq]

Mandal Hypernautics operated a number of factories throughout the Mandalorian Territories and beyond. Starfighter and ordnance factories on Adumar, rubber and plastic factories on Ord Cestus, electronics and starship component factories on Taris, capital weapon factories on Dubrillion, and on Mandalore... On Mandalore, Mandal Hypernautics had a substantial number of factories. Droid and Vehicle factories as well as starship armor and superstructure factories. The complex currently being used for this meeting was typically used to create the massive armor plating of starships. For the moment, it would be pressed into service creating the first wave raw materials needed to manufacture... a new generation of products from Mandal Hypernautics. It would be used to create the next generation of fighting vehicle for the Mandalorian Clans.

With datapad in hand, Rygel Larraq roamed through the building as he and a number of aids greeted and briefed the new employees. Most were lumped into groups of twenty to fifty and interviews and briefs were handled by a team or five managers and supervisors. Most were hired on the spot, since Mandal Hypernautics would be needing Beskar Smiths by the hundreds for this project. Their supply of VCE Engineering Droids could handle a substantial number of projects with the supervision of a handful of engineers and typically proved sufficient for most of Mandal Hypernautics' projects. But working with Beskar, and on a scale such as this, was an art that required a... human touch. And if they were to complete the projected order volume in a timely manner, they would need all the help they could get.

While he trusted most of the initial acquisitions to the staff he had assigned the project to, there were a few names on the list of applicants that warranted his direct attention. One of which was [member="Ijaat Akun"], whom Larraq had decided to interview and brief personally.

"Welcome Mr. Akun." Larraq said with a practiced smile as he held datapad in one hand and extended the other for a handshake.

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Ijaat tried, and mostly failed, to size up the man who extended his hand. He had that look. The look his father had. The look his uncle wore too. The look of a skilled warrior caged behind a veneer of civility. He was a dangerous man, and Ijaat stiffened, looking to Ginnie and nodding in polite greeting to her and smiling, turning to grasp Larraq's hand firmly. His own would be calloused with the marks of a smith and swordsman, dirt and grime embedded in his hands like other men might wear tattoos. He had just come from working on his own personal armor and hadn't bothered to get too clean.

The handshake was quick, firm, and then done. There was no hesitancy as Ijaat's hawk-like eyes met Larraq's. There was a burning drive and intelligence, and a cold darkness there. The eyes of a man who had seen fire and war, and walked through the valley to the other side. The eyes of a warrior, perhaps past his prime, but still raging against the night of his enemies wrath. And that was what Mandalore needed now, or what he told himself it needed anyway. Whether it did or not, well they'd see.

"Mr. Larraq... Pleasure to meet you... I must admit I was surprised when you asked me to meet you in person. I hadn't anticipated a personal over view for a smithing contract. Oh, and this is a newer smith I am considering apprenticing, Ginnie Ordo... She was recommended by some in your company, and this venture will be her first time working with and under me. I hope you don't mind her presence."

It was clear Ijaat had little idea what plans Larraq had for him, but his voice carried notes of eagerness and interest, as if something within him were piqued. To be true, he had never really built a tank, but he had a ferocious intellect for applying his skills forward in new ways, and this was certainly a new way to put his smithing to the test. Time now to wait.

[member="Ginnie Ordo"] | [member="Captain Larraq"]

 

[Ginnie Dib]

Ginnie Ordo wore her campaign medals and rank bars on her Beskar'gam for one and only one reason. Nobody believed the kid otherwise. It was hard enough being a thirteen year old, but to be a thirteen year old warrior with blood and Beskar on ones hands was a feat indeed. [member="Ordo"]'s daughter saluted Captain Larraq and stood as tall as she could, nearly up to her tip toes. "Rally Master Ordo, Sir. I'll help get your job done, quick and relatively painless."

The Tuk'ata at her side bowed his head down to the ground, hindquarters still in the air in his own kind of salute for Ijaat and Larraq. "Wembley here won't cause trouble. He helps me reach high shelves and to know when someone is talking to me that I can't see. He can understand orders just like a person, but I haven't finished teaching him how to talk yet. What are we building first, Sir? I promise to listen, but if I miss what you say, please tap me on the shoulder. Napalm stole my ears in an ammo dump when I was seven. It's not a problem unless I'm concentrating hard on alchemising metals."

 

[Captain Larraq]

[member="Ginnie Ordo"], [member="Ijaat Akun"],

After the handshake, Larraq smiled politely and nodded at the young Mando'ika. "We'll take every extra pair of hands we can get." He said to the both of them. "This project is... expansive. We'll be using Beskar on a scale and scope rarely seen since the days of the Crusaders." He said as he motioned for the pair to follow him. "This facility typically produces armor for starships. For this project, she'll still be producing armor... but for a new line of ground vehicles." He said as he led the pair down a hallway and towards one of the many assembly bays of the factory. "As you've both signed the non-disclosure agreement, I can show you what you'll be working on." He said as he nodded to his assistant, who handed the two Mando'ad a pair of folders.

"She's called the Myrkava." Larraq said after giving the two beskar smiths a few moments to glance through the folders. "And each one requires multiple compressed layers of alternating metal plates. Several of those plates are to be 25mm thick plating of Beskar." He said as they walked past a long window overlooking an assembly bay. In that bay, pressed plates were being sandwiched on top of one each other and being pressed and treated as to make each section of stacked metal plates become a single component part. On the other side of the hallway was another window. This one upon the third floor of a hanger in which several men and droids were working what appeared to be molten Beskar into flat sheets of armor. "Each tank requires tracks, wheels, and skirts made of a Beskar-Tungsten alloy..." Larraq continued as they walked past these windows and towards another area of the factory. "And they require another very special component made of Beskar. One which I plan to have the two of you build for me."

 

[Captain Larraq]

Ginnie Ordo, Ijaat Akun,

Larraq continued to walk along the hallway, followed by the pair of smiths. Behind them, another group of smiths was getting a similar tour of the facilities where they would now be working. "The main gun of the vehicle is to be something quite impressive and entirely unique." Larraq said as they passed into another area of the factory. In the windows to their right, several cylindrical sections of metal were being hand-forged by dozens of smiths. "The entire 140mm barrel is to be made of solid beskar." Larraq said as he paused long enough to look through the window and gaze upon the dozens of experts that now worked for him. "The breach and mounting are also to be made of solid beskar." Larraq said, turning and gesturing to the windows on the opposite side of the hallway where several disk and rectangular sections of beskar were being forged. "This is where the greatest concentration of Beskar Smiths will be needed." Larraq said as he returned his attention to the room where the barrels themselves were being crafted. "And it's also where we need the best smiths. Which means that you, both of you, are to be working on this particular aspect of the project."

 

[Captain Larraq]

Larraq stared absently into the large, bay window for a few moments longer. This was quite the project. "We are going to be needing these things by the hundreds." He said as much to himself as to the two smiths he was touring around the facilities. "Possibly even by the thousands. Clan Dem'adas's Chief has flat-out demanded over five hundred for her clan alone." Getting himself back on track, Larraq pointed towards the far side of the room. "The workload exceeds what can be handled by human hands alone. We've included hundreds of our best droids to assist the smiths on this project. Current estimates are putting our supplies at five droids for every Mando'ad." He said. The two smiths looked towards the corner and saw a number of large VCE Engineering droids mimicking the actions of the smiths who tended them, the droids doing their best to cover the initial and most basic stages of Beskar forging. A small army of general labor droids and maintenance droids moved raw materials between rooms and into the areas designated by the smiths that labored in the sweltering interior of the manufacturing bay. "But before I let you get started." Larraq said as he turned from the sight and motioned for the pair to follow. "Let me show you the final product."

 

[Captain Larraq]

Larraq walked the pair of Mando'ade smiths down the twisting corridors of his facility. As they went, window after window showed bay after bay engaged in the same intensive manufacturing process. Larraq wasn't kidding when he said that he was throwing everything he had into the manufacture of this new line of tanks. They passed ten separate bays working at maximum capacity to forge the complicated armor of the massive vehicle. A further four bays appeared to be dedicated solely to the construction of tracks, and another three appeared to be set aside for the construction of the vehicle's wheel systems. They passed a further two additional bays dedicated to manufacturing the solid beskar turret mounting that would be used in the vehicle, but they only passed a single additional bay dedicated to the construction of the tank's massive, solid beskar cannon.

Either the smiths were incredibly efficient in their manufacturing capabilities, or no one was anticipating one of these vehicles needing a replacement gun barrel... ever.z

"Here we are." Larraq said at last as he brought the pair to a massive set of double doors.

 

[Captain Larraq]

The doors swung open and a massive hanger revealed itself to the trio. Far to the left, what was obviously an airplane hanger sized pair of double doors stood closed. Far to the right, a similar but open pair of doors stood just open enough for the obvious sights and sounds of a large-scale assembly line to be clear to the pair of smiths and their new employer. Sitting centrally within the hanger were three pair of the new tank. This 'Myrkava'. They were bigger than the schematics made them appear to be. Sharp angles, sloped edges, a vaguely curved turret... It was incredibly modern looking. And oddly beautiful. A beskar tank... of course it would be beautiful to a Mandalorian.

"The center vehicle is the command variant." Larraq said as he gestured towards it. "You can identify it by the sensor and communications antenna on the back corner. The one to the left of it is the Urban variant. Shorter barrel means less accuracy, but it also means a quicker turret traverse speed and means that it's less likely to smash the turret into a building. And the one on the right... Is the standard model. Simple, beautiful, and deadly. Two anti-personnel and anti-light vehicle energy enveloped slugthrowers on her turret, plus the full-auto grenade launcher... a coaxial autocannon, also energy enveloped... and the main cannon. Hyper-accurate and beyond supersonic speeds. It uses a matter-antimatter reaction to catapult a projectile to speeds of up to 6,000 meters a second." He said as he gazed fondly upon his creations. "It's this reaction that dictates the need for a solid beskar cannon and breach." He added, looking upon the pair of smiths now. "You'll mainly be working on the longer weapon variant."