Post by Christopher Enyar on Feb 9, 2009 13:07:32 GMT -5
Ravana landed down on the station above Kuat. The damage to her ship was extensive, and she would need to have professionals working on it. It had been a few days since she had escaped from that damn Force user. She needed to study up on them while she was out, too. She already knew Sonic Pistols were good, but she would need more then that. He was definitely not playing this last time around.
She docked down into the station. After a few minutes of shutting down, she stepped out to be greeted by the engineering crew. One man stepped out. He had short brown hair, and black eyes, and human. “I can see your ship is damaged,” he said. “Are you here for repairs, or do you need anything else?”
“I will need repairs, and a few upgrades,” she said. “Where do I sign in?”
“Check in desk is right out this door,” he said. “We will get to work on repairs. With this kind of damage, you might be at Kuat for a while, Ms.”
Ravana nodded and headed through the door. She always hated paperwork, but it was better to go to the places that were legal and full of paperwork then to go into some of the shadier areas she could get repairs with a side order of slit throat. It took her an hour to get everything signed and accounted for, and it was going to be expensive to have all the work done that she needed. And on top of that, she was here to get more expensive things as well.
She sighed to herself when she handed in all the paperwork, and went on her way. This was one of many stations around Kuat, specifically it was the one built for those seeking repairs, parts, equipment, and other such things. The military grade stuff was kept away from this station. The Republic would have it’s own little station out here for it’s warships. Of course, a couple military grade weapons were available for sale to the place, but nothing that you would find on a warship unless you were willing to go the black market route. Of course, what with half her weapons in her backpack being illegal in most systems, she was willing to go that route to get one upgrade in.
Black Market on Kuat was one of the better ones. Under the radar, and they can get things added to your ship that make it look like normal repairs and upgrades. Got to love a good and secret black market.
She looked around the shops. Seems there was a new boom of droid shops around the station. Security, protocol, and… oh, Human Replica Droids! Ravana always wanted one of those. They had become pretty advanced as of late. You could make those things into just about anything, or everything. They were a jack of all trades type of droid. With just the right programming in them, you could have them be a mix of Protocol, Pilot, Combat and Assassin droid. They also had more personality abilities then some droids that could fit into those roles.
Protocol droids were annoying, Pilot droids generally stayed quiet and followed orders, Combat droids ranged from annoyingly quirky to silent killers, and assassin droids were so varied and usually illegal in most systems. A human replica droid, however, was meant to mimic humans, although Ravana heard that some were said to be rather oddly cold in personality.
Didn’t matter. Ravana wanted one, and she needed a better pilot then herself, anyways. So, she went into the shop that advertised high quality HRDs.
“Well,” said the man behind the desk. “We don’t usually get woman wanting our HRDs. Usually rather sick-minded men. So, I am guessing you might be wanting more then a pretty face and the… exotic package that is usually included.” He didn’t even wait for a reply before he stepped out from behind the desk. “That backpack of yours is loaded with weapons. So I can guess you are either a mercenary or a bounty hunter, because soldiers are not generally packing so much equipment. And soldiers are usually on their own government stations.” He giggled to himself. “Oh, I was hoping someone like you would be coming,” he said.
“Were you now? And you would be…?” she asked. He was rather accurate. She could not even tell his race because he was hooded.
“What I am about to sell you is probably a good reason not to use our names right now,” he said. “If you are caught with her, it would be bad if they knew I made her. It’s illegal to sell droids with assassination programming.”
“And I am getting the grand droid at what cost and why?” she asked him. Something was a bit fishy here.
“Pretty cheap for what she is,” he said. “But also because she is… my masterpiece. All those others are poor imitations of her. The only finer Human Replica Droid in the Galaxy would be the one who made Fleet Admiral in the Republic, and that one is self made by the AI, as the rumors go. My masterpiece must truly get out into the world. The universe must witness my creation! And those others who have come into my shop before you… they would not use her to her finest abilities. But an up and coming mercenary who has probably chosen her weapons with expert eyes… you would be able to see her true potential. With her, you would go far. She can pilot any ship you need her to, wield any weapon with expert hands, and speak a rather large number of languages.”
“There has to be some kind of catch her,” said Ravana, mostly to herself. But the guy seemed rather sincere, if not a little insane about his work.
“My only price, aside from a few credits, is that you use her well,” he said. “Become great, using your own skills and hers. And when I hear your names on the sung with praise or fear, I can smile to myself.”
He walked into a back room, and she followed. There was some kind of tank in the center of the room, with what appeared to be a girl inside. This woman had black hair, and was human in appearance. Almost the perfect human in appearance. “Her lungs breath air and her heart pumped blood, although, like all her organs, they are entirely synthetic, consisting of bio-fibers. Her bone structure is constructed of high-strength, polymer-covered alloys, and thousands of micro-gyros embedded in her joints give her a perfect sense of balance. Both her bones and organs appear entirely Human when scanned, as does her flawless, cloned skin. The skin is the only truly organic part of her body, cloned from genuine Human skin specifically for her. Her muscles, however, will not fool scanners—in order for them to provide her with greater strength; they were made of a material that scanned as an unknown tissue. One of the few ways that she might be seen to differ from Humans is that her body temperature is ten percent cooler than is considered normal, cold enough to kill a Human. Her eyes hid advanced sensors, providing her with infrared, low-light and telescopic vision, while her locked-access memory records input from her sensors, including audio recording. She also has an integrated, encrypted comlink for secure communications. Of course, she can also eat, drink, and do anything that any human could do. And I do mean about anything. She is also trained, even physically, for any combat situation. After all the modifications I have made to her brain, she has truly become my best work.”
“My only question is, does she have a name?”
“Morrigan Hel,” he said. He clicked on a few buttons, and suddenly those eyes that hid all the special gizmos inside opened. They were a light shade of blue, another addition to an already flawless form. The fluid in the tank slowly emptied, and this form stood naked. As the tank opened, she stepped down and picked up a towel, and wiped herself off. She took a look at Ravana. “Is this to be my master?” she said.
“Yes,” he said. He admired her like a father admired a child.
The Human Replica droid came up to Ravana and shook her hand. It was oddly creepy how human she was. “Nice to meet you, Master,” she said. She had a pleasant sounding voice. The creepy guy must have worked on that too.
“Um,” said the wonderfully brilliant response of Ravana. “You can just call me Ravana.”
After getting Morrigan dressed, they left off for Ravana to finish shopping. Morrigan was mostly quiet on the whole way, but Ravana noticed that Morrigan paid extra attention to almost every detail. After making some special deals for her ships upgrades that were not going to appear on the papers, Ravana and Morrigan checked into having a room to rent.
“So,” said Ravana. “Any reason your creator was so obsessed with getting you sold?”
“He is truly as sincere about having me become great as he seems,” responded Morrigan. “He simply cares, perhaps a bit too much for a human.”
“Yeah, I’d say,” Ravana replied. “Well, just so you know, the upgrades I am getting to my ship should make sure that you could pilot the ship perfectly by yourself. I’ve been piloting it alone for now but I am not the best pilot. Better gunner.”
“What kind of ship do you have?” asked Morrigan.
“Conqueror-class Assault Ship,” said Ravana.
“Good model,” said Morrigan. “Well armed for a transport ship.”
“Well, with my upgrades to it,” said Ravana, with a smile. “It will be better then just well armed. She will fly like a hawk when everything is done.”
“Does it have a name?” asked Morrigan.
“Artemis,” said Ravana.
The next day, after getting some incredible new armors and weapons that would be sent to the ship and loaded separately, they went to the docking bay. Ravana smiled at the ship. It was now painted rather dark. It would appear almost invisible to people who relied on their eyes more then their sensors, like a fighter. “The Artemis is powered by eight Surronian ion engines mounted around the rear section—two dorsal and two ventral A2-grade ion engines, along with two port and two starboard A2.50-grade ion engines. Together, these engines combined to produce a sublight speed greater than that of the T-65 X-wing starfighter and only slightly below that of the TIE Interceptor.Under atmospheric conditions, the Artemis was capable of reaching speeds of up to 1,150 kilometers per hour. I had the original Class 1 Corellian Engineering Corporation H1.5 hyperdrive replaced with a modified Class 1 CRC H2-1 hyperdrive for even quicker hyperspace travel. In addition to the new hyperdrive, the ship also has a Class 10 backup hyperdrive in case the primary drive fails. The ship was already agile, but I had new systems installed to take advantage of the ability to adjust the engine exhaust nozzles. By allowing the pilot to individually adjust the nozzles using the onboard computer system, I eliminated the need for maneuvering jets and further increased the maneuverability of the ship. I also installed a set of four emergency braking jets at the front of the rear section to provide the ship with an advantage in firefights. We can utilize the braking thrusters in a variety of combat maneuvers, such as causing the ship to stop suddenly while being pursued, perhaps leading the pursuing ship to overshoot its target, leaving it vulnerable to the Stinger's weapon systems. The ship's weapons were also upgraded during the redesign. Its most obvious weapons are a pair of fire-linked ion cannons and two double laser cannon turret. The bottom laser cannon is computer controlled, while the top will be my position if we ever get in a fight. Though it does not initially appear imposing, this is merely a deception, and the turrets’ power rating is equivalent to a double heavy-laser cannon. In an atmosphere, the ion cannons have an effective range of 3.6 kilometers, while the laser turrets operate at a range of 2.5 kilometers. However, the ship's second most dangerous weapon is less obvious. The Artemis carried a large arsenal of proton torpedoes, which can be fired backwards at unsuspecting pursuing craft. Furthermore, the torpedoes could be deployed as a spray to maximize the chances of hitting the target. Our most powerful, and illegal for civilian use weapon we have is the projectile launcher. Reason it is illegal is because I have one military grade Baradium Missile in it. If we ever get caught up by some capital ship or pirate ship that believes we are just some smuggler ship we have a nasty surprise for them. The ship's shield generators are also enhanced to improve their performance. The ship is also designed so that it will only take you to pilot it. But I utilized an advanced MicroThrust Processors computer system to automatically monitor internal systems, redirecting power or activating reserve systems in the event of a major overload. This allows us to focus on piloting and combat duties. The ship's computer can also be set to autopilot, allowing it to automatically adjust its vector to follow an incoming descent course for docking. Other modifications includes an upgraded communications package to better monitor comm channels, and an efficient sensor cluster, located in the fore section, to provide the pilot with data on the ship's surroundings.”
“Impressive,” said Morrigan.
After entering the ship, they took off into a new beginning, ready for the challenges ahead.
She docked down into the station. After a few minutes of shutting down, she stepped out to be greeted by the engineering crew. One man stepped out. He had short brown hair, and black eyes, and human. “I can see your ship is damaged,” he said. “Are you here for repairs, or do you need anything else?”
“I will need repairs, and a few upgrades,” she said. “Where do I sign in?”
“Check in desk is right out this door,” he said. “We will get to work on repairs. With this kind of damage, you might be at Kuat for a while, Ms.”
Ravana nodded and headed through the door. She always hated paperwork, but it was better to go to the places that were legal and full of paperwork then to go into some of the shadier areas she could get repairs with a side order of slit throat. It took her an hour to get everything signed and accounted for, and it was going to be expensive to have all the work done that she needed. And on top of that, she was here to get more expensive things as well.
She sighed to herself when she handed in all the paperwork, and went on her way. This was one of many stations around Kuat, specifically it was the one built for those seeking repairs, parts, equipment, and other such things. The military grade stuff was kept away from this station. The Republic would have it’s own little station out here for it’s warships. Of course, a couple military grade weapons were available for sale to the place, but nothing that you would find on a warship unless you were willing to go the black market route. Of course, what with half her weapons in her backpack being illegal in most systems, she was willing to go that route to get one upgrade in.
Black Market on Kuat was one of the better ones. Under the radar, and they can get things added to your ship that make it look like normal repairs and upgrades. Got to love a good and secret black market.
She looked around the shops. Seems there was a new boom of droid shops around the station. Security, protocol, and… oh, Human Replica Droids! Ravana always wanted one of those. They had become pretty advanced as of late. You could make those things into just about anything, or everything. They were a jack of all trades type of droid. With just the right programming in them, you could have them be a mix of Protocol, Pilot, Combat and Assassin droid. They also had more personality abilities then some droids that could fit into those roles.
Protocol droids were annoying, Pilot droids generally stayed quiet and followed orders, Combat droids ranged from annoyingly quirky to silent killers, and assassin droids were so varied and usually illegal in most systems. A human replica droid, however, was meant to mimic humans, although Ravana heard that some were said to be rather oddly cold in personality.
Didn’t matter. Ravana wanted one, and she needed a better pilot then herself, anyways. So, she went into the shop that advertised high quality HRDs.
“Well,” said the man behind the desk. “We don’t usually get woman wanting our HRDs. Usually rather sick-minded men. So, I am guessing you might be wanting more then a pretty face and the… exotic package that is usually included.” He didn’t even wait for a reply before he stepped out from behind the desk. “That backpack of yours is loaded with weapons. So I can guess you are either a mercenary or a bounty hunter, because soldiers are not generally packing so much equipment. And soldiers are usually on their own government stations.” He giggled to himself. “Oh, I was hoping someone like you would be coming,” he said.
“Were you now? And you would be…?” she asked. He was rather accurate. She could not even tell his race because he was hooded.
“What I am about to sell you is probably a good reason not to use our names right now,” he said. “If you are caught with her, it would be bad if they knew I made her. It’s illegal to sell droids with assassination programming.”
“And I am getting the grand droid at what cost and why?” she asked him. Something was a bit fishy here.
“Pretty cheap for what she is,” he said. “But also because she is… my masterpiece. All those others are poor imitations of her. The only finer Human Replica Droid in the Galaxy would be the one who made Fleet Admiral in the Republic, and that one is self made by the AI, as the rumors go. My masterpiece must truly get out into the world. The universe must witness my creation! And those others who have come into my shop before you… they would not use her to her finest abilities. But an up and coming mercenary who has probably chosen her weapons with expert eyes… you would be able to see her true potential. With her, you would go far. She can pilot any ship you need her to, wield any weapon with expert hands, and speak a rather large number of languages.”
“There has to be some kind of catch her,” said Ravana, mostly to herself. But the guy seemed rather sincere, if not a little insane about his work.
“My only price, aside from a few credits, is that you use her well,” he said. “Become great, using your own skills and hers. And when I hear your names on the sung with praise or fear, I can smile to myself.”
He walked into a back room, and she followed. There was some kind of tank in the center of the room, with what appeared to be a girl inside. This woman had black hair, and was human in appearance. Almost the perfect human in appearance. “Her lungs breath air and her heart pumped blood, although, like all her organs, they are entirely synthetic, consisting of bio-fibers. Her bone structure is constructed of high-strength, polymer-covered alloys, and thousands of micro-gyros embedded in her joints give her a perfect sense of balance. Both her bones and organs appear entirely Human when scanned, as does her flawless, cloned skin. The skin is the only truly organic part of her body, cloned from genuine Human skin specifically for her. Her muscles, however, will not fool scanners—in order for them to provide her with greater strength; they were made of a material that scanned as an unknown tissue. One of the few ways that she might be seen to differ from Humans is that her body temperature is ten percent cooler than is considered normal, cold enough to kill a Human. Her eyes hid advanced sensors, providing her with infrared, low-light and telescopic vision, while her locked-access memory records input from her sensors, including audio recording. She also has an integrated, encrypted comlink for secure communications. Of course, she can also eat, drink, and do anything that any human could do. And I do mean about anything. She is also trained, even physically, for any combat situation. After all the modifications I have made to her brain, she has truly become my best work.”
“My only question is, does she have a name?”
“Morrigan Hel,” he said. He clicked on a few buttons, and suddenly those eyes that hid all the special gizmos inside opened. They were a light shade of blue, another addition to an already flawless form. The fluid in the tank slowly emptied, and this form stood naked. As the tank opened, she stepped down and picked up a towel, and wiped herself off. She took a look at Ravana. “Is this to be my master?” she said.
“Yes,” he said. He admired her like a father admired a child.
The Human Replica droid came up to Ravana and shook her hand. It was oddly creepy how human she was. “Nice to meet you, Master,” she said. She had a pleasant sounding voice. The creepy guy must have worked on that too.
“Um,” said the wonderfully brilliant response of Ravana. “You can just call me Ravana.”
After getting Morrigan dressed, they left off for Ravana to finish shopping. Morrigan was mostly quiet on the whole way, but Ravana noticed that Morrigan paid extra attention to almost every detail. After making some special deals for her ships upgrades that were not going to appear on the papers, Ravana and Morrigan checked into having a room to rent.
“So,” said Ravana. “Any reason your creator was so obsessed with getting you sold?”
“He is truly as sincere about having me become great as he seems,” responded Morrigan. “He simply cares, perhaps a bit too much for a human.”
“Yeah, I’d say,” Ravana replied. “Well, just so you know, the upgrades I am getting to my ship should make sure that you could pilot the ship perfectly by yourself. I’ve been piloting it alone for now but I am not the best pilot. Better gunner.”
“What kind of ship do you have?” asked Morrigan.
“Conqueror-class Assault Ship,” said Ravana.
“Good model,” said Morrigan. “Well armed for a transport ship.”
“Well, with my upgrades to it,” said Ravana, with a smile. “It will be better then just well armed. She will fly like a hawk when everything is done.”
“Does it have a name?” asked Morrigan.
“Artemis,” said Ravana.
The next day, after getting some incredible new armors and weapons that would be sent to the ship and loaded separately, they went to the docking bay. Ravana smiled at the ship. It was now painted rather dark. It would appear almost invisible to people who relied on their eyes more then their sensors, like a fighter. “The Artemis is powered by eight Surronian ion engines mounted around the rear section—two dorsal and two ventral A2-grade ion engines, along with two port and two starboard A2.50-grade ion engines. Together, these engines combined to produce a sublight speed greater than that of the T-65 X-wing starfighter and only slightly below that of the TIE Interceptor.Under atmospheric conditions, the Artemis was capable of reaching speeds of up to 1,150 kilometers per hour. I had the original Class 1 Corellian Engineering Corporation H1.5 hyperdrive replaced with a modified Class 1 CRC H2-1 hyperdrive for even quicker hyperspace travel. In addition to the new hyperdrive, the ship also has a Class 10 backup hyperdrive in case the primary drive fails. The ship was already agile, but I had new systems installed to take advantage of the ability to adjust the engine exhaust nozzles. By allowing the pilot to individually adjust the nozzles using the onboard computer system, I eliminated the need for maneuvering jets and further increased the maneuverability of the ship. I also installed a set of four emergency braking jets at the front of the rear section to provide the ship with an advantage in firefights. We can utilize the braking thrusters in a variety of combat maneuvers, such as causing the ship to stop suddenly while being pursued, perhaps leading the pursuing ship to overshoot its target, leaving it vulnerable to the Stinger's weapon systems. The ship's weapons were also upgraded during the redesign. Its most obvious weapons are a pair of fire-linked ion cannons and two double laser cannon turret. The bottom laser cannon is computer controlled, while the top will be my position if we ever get in a fight. Though it does not initially appear imposing, this is merely a deception, and the turrets’ power rating is equivalent to a double heavy-laser cannon. In an atmosphere, the ion cannons have an effective range of 3.6 kilometers, while the laser turrets operate at a range of 2.5 kilometers. However, the ship's second most dangerous weapon is less obvious. The Artemis carried a large arsenal of proton torpedoes, which can be fired backwards at unsuspecting pursuing craft. Furthermore, the torpedoes could be deployed as a spray to maximize the chances of hitting the target. Our most powerful, and illegal for civilian use weapon we have is the projectile launcher. Reason it is illegal is because I have one military grade Baradium Missile in it. If we ever get caught up by some capital ship or pirate ship that believes we are just some smuggler ship we have a nasty surprise for them. The ship's shield generators are also enhanced to improve their performance. The ship is also designed so that it will only take you to pilot it. But I utilized an advanced MicroThrust Processors computer system to automatically monitor internal systems, redirecting power or activating reserve systems in the event of a major overload. This allows us to focus on piloting and combat duties. The ship's computer can also be set to autopilot, allowing it to automatically adjust its vector to follow an incoming descent course for docking. Other modifications includes an upgraded communications package to better monitor comm channels, and an efficient sensor cluster, located in the fore section, to provide the pilot with data on the ship's surroundings.”
“Impressive,” said Morrigan.
After entering the ship, they took off into a new beginning, ready for the challenges ahead.