All Along the Watchtower

[Caulder Dune]

JABIIM
CHOAL, DC-JAB-087

[member="Darell Irani"]

After the razing of Eriadu City, a Hegemonic Automaton distribution center being torched along with it, Gerion Ardik had little choice but to abandon plans for expansion into that sector for the time being. Until the Galactic Alliance turned itself into something of a functioning nation with the capacity to defend its territory and cement its place in the Outer Rim, Gerion wouldn't dare any further forays into that stretch of lawless space. It would happen sooner than expected, no doubt about that. Everything about the Galactic Alliance signaled it was moving quickly and decisively. No doubt it would turn to glare at the Techno Union soon enough.

Hopefully a respectable agreement could be reached without all-out war.

It wasn't just the disaster at Eriadu weighing on his mind, either. The Yuuzhan-Vong raid launched against one of the facilities on Rothana had occurred barely several weeks after Eriadu. Operations on that planet would continue, but battle droid production would shift to new facilities on Geonosis to ward against more decisive strikes against the source of the Techno Union's droid armies. His impending absence from the Executive Council or not, obligations needed to be honored. Besides, it made him a lot of money. Not to mention there was a certain amount of pride to be seen in having his products compose a whole galactic nation's army.

Jabiim was next on his list of planets to expand into. The muddy little world was located directly on the Mara Corridor, making it a convenient location. Establishing a distribution network here would help filter Hegemonic Automaton products throughout the rest of this sector. It was a sector already filled out by Ord Cestus and Celanon. Once he was done here, the only remaining component was Tirahnn for the sector, over in Republic space. Whether or not it would still be Republic space when he got there was another matter entirely.

As Gerion was wont to do, he had come to witness the construction of this new center personally. This time he was joined by Irani, who had apparently heard about Hegemonic Automaton's sudden up-jump in security measures and undoubtedly wanted to sell him something. Naturally Gerion wasn't above favoritism where his company's dealings were concerned- so long as those he favorited gave him adequate reason to. Outside the window of the conference room, the muted sounds of heavy construction and rain just barely carried through. Droids weren't exactly ones to be fettered by torrential downpours, as Jabiim frequently endured.

"You'll forgive the noise." Gerion said. "I try to favor places that have already been constructed, but I've been on the move lately, and I believe you told me it was urgent."

 

[Hira Mitsae]

JABIIM
CHOAL, DC-JAB-087

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

"Urgent in the broadest sense of the word, really." the Saiba CEO replied. He was still reviewing the datapad that gave him the projections of the newest -- though far smaller than usual -- project the Saiba Group was working on this time around. In the grand scheme of things the Galaxy was clearly in a phase of technological stagnation. After a brief period of overcompensation with the creation of huge warships, military installations in space and other crazed development that defied all odds of interstellar development, the Galaxy at large had quietly decided to... take it easy again.

New ships were coming out, new weapons and armor too, but none of them seemed particularly willing to innovate anywhere. Most of them even refused to take lessons of previous experiences taught to them. This was all the same to Irani, though, mostly because it meant that he himself could take advantage of this lackluster performance.

This time around it had all to do with the shielding of important facilities, installations and other infrastructure.

"I noticed you are using the SLD-14 shield generator for the defense of your facilities."

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Darell Irani"]

"Indeed. It's usually the first thing constructed." Gerion cast another glance out the window. As always, the center courtyard was dominated by the towering spire. The shields weren't active right now, but could be brought on without much fuss. Diagnostics were still being run on the recently completed power generator before anything was tested or brought online. "An older model. Cheap, but reliable."

The SLD-14 had been instrumental in the defense of the Rothana facility. It kept the Yuuzhan-Vong from landing directly on the facility's grounds. It was also helpful in protecting against air strikes and such. But as demonstrated on Eriadu... It wasn't adequate in the face of star destroyers lobbing concentrated turbolaser barrages from orbit. That tragedy was one that easily could have been prevented, had it been foreseen. The likelihood of it happening hadn't been especially high. Likely because Gerion had forgotten just what kind of galaxy he lived in.

He looked back over to Irani. "Let me guess: you're going to sell me something."

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

Strangely enough the Saiba Group and as an extension the, now defunct, Ty'rel Holdings never really had much trouble with raids, skirmishes or any other situations that boiled down to the usual property or intellectual damage. Perhaps it was because Ovmar and now Irani had been fairly meticulous in their effort to integrate themselves within most entities of note. If anything happened, people would be sure to know that at least half a dozen of the most powerful people of the Galaxy could be called together to rectify the situation in a moment's notice.

Or perhaps Saiba was simply lucky. Either way. Irani was not one to use Lady Luck or his network of connections as a crutch when good old fashion technology could do a much better job of deterring any hooligans.

"Perhaps. The facilities under my company use a patented shield generator that utilizes moleculair shielding and a host of other functionalities which make it quite formidable to defend against a host of threats. Experimental technology, but my people are currently in the progress of refining it for wider use, if you are interested we could set you up."

A frown appeared.

"I am still largely disappointed with the acts of the Final Order on Eriadu. Imperialism should be about efficiency and good judgement, not needless slaughter out of sheer pettiness."

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Darell Irani"]

"You know, I was sweet on a Tionese woman once." Gerion began, veering off topic. Since they were friendly enough, he could probably get away with it. "Real beauty. Noble blood from Galidraan. I bet you would have liked her; met her back when I was an upstart in the old... Well, that's not important."

Some chapters of his history, the ones that pertained to his meteoric rise to power in a now defunct government under a now unmentionable name, were best left not mentioned out loud. Darell could fill in the blanks if he truly wanted to. Gerion wasn't the only one here with suspicious skeletons buried far in the far reaches of his closet. "Anyway, we've lost contact and restored touch several times. Now imagine my surprise that she's apparently ended up with that very same First Order. It's not enough to wind up in cahoots with a barely functional, middling Imperial 'government.' It's got to be the one with war crimes- the one that burned down my property and disintegrated my employees. A former love interest of mine is helping balance the books of a megalomaniac Wehrmacht."

Gerion almost wished Danger was here with a tray of drinks again. He could have used one right now. He settled for an annoyed sigh, before getting back to the point.

"So, before any of my other missed connections hop on with roving governments-in-exile, exactly how experimental are these shield generators? I doubt you'd use them if they weren't functional, but after all that's happened, I'd rather not risk it."

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

The frown only deepend itself, before Irani shook his head sadly.

"This only shows that even the finest scions of breeding, cultured education and noble background can lose themselves in a chaotical and frankly asinine Galaxy. And people have the indignity to question our goals, we are simply trying to eradicate such uneducated elements." deep inside of him Irani felt that this current annoyance had nothing to do with Gerion's former love going rogue and stupid, but more to do with his own closely-connected loss, experienced mere months ago at Balmorra. It had been zealotry and a lack of education that prompted his sister to sacrifice her life. This ignorance had cost her her life, and him a dear friend. " But regardless."

Perhaps it would be a while before he could truly get over it, but that did not mean he had to ruin this meeting by getting all angry and emotional about something personal in front of his associate.

"Experimental in the sense that large-scale production is difficult at the moment. There are also concerns about efficiency when it comes to absorption and conversion of energy... clearly I am not a scientist, but the simple fact is that we need to work out a few more kinks before it goes onto the public market."

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Darell Irani"]

"I did cooperate with some gentlemen in the Silver Sanctum Coalition recently. They were working on a similar shield generator, although ship mounted. It was a replication of their designs that wound up on board the Kynareth-class." So far the only people who had been purchasing that star destroyer were Hegemonic Automaton and some insecure Tingle Arm robber barons who had something to prove. Not really the sales Gerion had wanted, but the feat of producing it was good enough on its own. Not everything he made was going to sell like wildfire, especially not star destroyers. "They encountered the same problem. So did my engineers. It took some time, but most of the efficiency concerns were corrected."

Nearly a year's time, in fact. Production of the super computers and the development of the ship... It had been a disastrously slow process. That was all behind Gerion now, though, so it wouldn't do to dwell on it.

"The scope of these shields is different, no doubt. Nonetheless it should prove useful were my scientists to release the relevant data to yours. There's hardly any need to keep it under wraps so long after it's served its purpose."

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

A shield generator that was designed to operate for a warship was a different beast from a generator that concerned itself with a ground-based facility. It was a difference in scope, mostly, but that did not mean that the data was not appreciated. This move would spare the Saiba Group months of testing, experimenting and redesigning -- which would result in less money being wasted and more time freeing itself up for other avenues.

"Thank you, that will go a long way towards the development of the generator."

This was honestly what the Trade Federation was about. The sharing and cooperation between great corporations towards the development of even greater things.

"A generator that employs molecular shielding should be just the thing to halt any threats to our facilities. Imagine it... possible invaders fire on it, the shielding soaks it all up and a portion of the energy goes right back into the shields - or perhaps it can be modified to power the offensive capabilities of your facilities. Turrets and the sort."

The possibilities were really limitless.

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Darell Irani"]

Gerion was already familiar with how molecular shield generators worked. It was generally expected of him to have working knowledge of the majority of his products. "Anything? I wouldn't go that far. I would assume that if it absorbs more energy than it has room for, the generator itself will overload. An exploding generator will cause catastrophic damage on its own, not to mention what would happen next when the center's defenses are offline.."

A molecular shield generator could, technically, withstand an orbital bombardment for an indefinite amount of time. Whether or not it had enough places to siphon off that excess power was another. Gerion was simultaneously doubtful that he would experience another orbital bombardment and paranoid over it happening again. The expense was enormous, but if it happened a second time and there was no action to shore up his defenses, it would be a crippling blow to his prestige. Completely unacceptable. Hegemonic Automaton had a reputation and a supply chain to maintain here.

"Now that you remind me, I'll have to upgrade the turret defenses as well. Certainly they've helped dissuade small-time raiders, but it wasn't enough to make a difference against the Vong. Have anything in that department?"

Nothing really made a difference against the Vong. Not with their 'Doval Basils' or whatever they were called. They did something with gravity which... Nullified blaster bolts? The details were ridiculous. The weapons and tools of the Yuuzhan-Vong were not just abominations, but abominations that were incredibly tedious to destroy. Sure, Alpha Red was an option, but if they had no way to deliver it directly into their migrant fleets. Not to mention that if they dropped it every time one of those brutish warriors gargled something in their backwards tongue, they would somehow concoct a vaccine for it.

There was just no winning with those 'people.'

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The real trick then was not to only provide avenues where the excess power could be used [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]effectively[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px], but also give the generators the ability to dissipate the remnant energy without doing any damage to the surrounding local and technology. This way the shield generators could withstand damage, provide energy to auxiliary systems, weapons and feed it back to the shields… and if there was [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]more[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] energy than all those systems mentioned before needed -- for example during an extended orbital bombardment, then the generator would have the additional option to lose the energy. Instead of overloading and causing all kinds of damage.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]How to [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]do[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] that was a different question. Irani wasn’t a scientist, but the question had already been posed, processed and was currently being analyzed intensely. Possible solutions were to add multiple, redundant transistors into the design that would act like buffers for the additional energy. If too much energy was provided they would simply sizzle out and shortcut, but the generators themselves would be fine.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]At least until the transistors ran out.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]A secondary solution would be to simply [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]ground[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] the surplus of electrical charge into the ground. Much akin to how long towers had a long rod at the top to guide the charge away from critical areas of the building… but perhaps a bit more complicated than that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“The Saiba Group is working on solutions for that exact problem.” Darell simply stated as a reply, there was no need to clog up the conversation with meaningless semantics and technical explanations, especially considering [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]he[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] wasn’t a specialist. The only thing he had was a good educated guess and that was about it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Maybe his scientists would figure it out. Maybe not. Only the future could truly tell. EMP shielding and ionization buffers could perhaps marginalize the damage too, [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]if[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] the surplus of energy caused a catastrophic malfunction.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The turrets though… that was an entirely different question. One that Saiba, incidentally, was also working on right now. It was almost as if Gerion had an inside look in the Saiba R&D catalogue, asking specific questions like that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“We[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] are[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] working on a few developments for that. Have you ever heard of particle beam technology?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Gerion Ardik"][/SIZE]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Darell Irani"]

What a silly question. Of course he knew what particle beam technology was. Did Irani think he was living under a droid-operated rock? Gerion was no expert on the exact science of particle beam technology, but he knew enough to explain it away. Any conversation on the matter was to be a limited one. These two men were business tycoons, not eggheads. If they wanted an extensive, detail-ridden conversation that employed too many technical terms for the layman to follow, they would discuss the logistics of running their companies or what the current economic prospects of the fledgling Galactic Alliance were. Everything else was secondary, and only then if it factored into the products they were marketing.

And this time it did. "Yes, I believe so. Unstable. highly energized blaster bolts to put it simply. Very powerful. I looked at several models of particle cannon turrets while outlining the armaments of the Kynareth-class."

Ultimately the particle cannons were best suited for anti-personnel and anti-heavy vehicle roles. Anything else would be foolish. The turrets he examined were too slow to effectively track starfighters. Their projectiles were too clumsy and difficult to aim. For a heavier sort of fortification, such as the Geonosis complexes, they would be suitable. They would not be adequate to defend every minor factory and distribution center he constructed, however.

"I imagine you've developed some sort of defense gun? The Firemane models I've been using are aesthetically pleasing and adequate otherwise. I can't help but feel I could be doing better."

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[SIZE=10.6667px]It wasn’t [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]truly[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] a silly question. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]They were CEOs of multi-million corporations instead of technicians, scientists or anything else that would give them the proper background to properly understand the technical details. Truthfully Irani was only aware of the particle beam technology because his leading scientist had insisted on briefing him personally a couple of days ago. In Irani’s opinion it was important to delegate work as much as possible. Why try to seem more knowledgeable about these kind of things when you could just have your scientist come up and explain it all [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]correctly.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“We are aware of the Firemane models. My R&D department has taken a good look at them, and apparently my scientists think they can make something more effective.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Picturing a particle beam-based turret that would rip through durasteel or even explode on impact when it hit beskar or phrik-grade armor… now that would be something. The beam would probably not actually be able to puncture either of the later ones, but what it [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]will[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] do is transfer enough blunt damage to the interior of the vehicles… to a degree that anyone inside will probably have a bad day.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]No, particle beam technology would be a very interesting solution for this one.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“We are still looking into anti-air solutions, though. Mostly because particle beams are fairly slow and will have difficulty tracking fast moving aerial targets.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Darell shrugged. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]They would probably figure something out. They always did in the end.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Gerion Ardik"] [/SIZE]

 

[Caulder Dune]

Ultimately it was left in the hands of our dear friend [member="Darell Irani"] and his impeccable staff of Saiba scientists to do the figuring out. With the data provided by Hegemonic Automaton's engineers in regards to the usage of molecular shields and the regulation of excess power, Saiba's development of that piece of technology would be hurried along considerably. Within a few months, the prototyping would reach its final stage and be ready for installation at one of Hegemonic Automaton's distribution centers on Tirahnn.

TIRAHNN
TIRAHNN CITY, DC-TIR-92

Tirahnn, like Jabiim, was chosen due to its positioning. The intersection of the Parlemian Trade Route and the Daragon Trail was a hive of commercial activity, one which Tirahnn had directly benefited from for many centuries. With a cosmopolitan population of nine billion and a mercantile oligarchy for a planetary government, they were more than happy to allow Hegemonic Automaton to set up shop in the capitol. This was a Republic world, but there was hardly any legislation in effect that prevented member-planets from making deals with unaffiliated corporations.

With the completion of most of the important structures, Saiba Group was invited to set up its patented molecular shield generator. Gerion was already waiting for them. Once it was declared operational and sufficient to keep his employees safe from orbital bombardment, the painstaking process of replacing all the shield generators on Hegemonic Automaton property would be undertaken. A lot of money was going to be handed out for this. But you just couldn't put a price on safety. Or unending paranoia. As far as Hegemonic Automaton was now concerned, there was a First Order fleet or Yuuzhan-Vong war party hiding under every rock.

To fuel this dramatically increased defense spending, Gerion would have to make sure people kept visiting his distribution centers and buying things out of them. Santhe and Saiba products were already available in addition to his standard array of droids. What would have really been a nice addition were cybernetics. iBorg was the only real main contestant in that field, not to mention it was owned in part by someone who had a reputation for being reliable and responsible: [member="Selka Ventus"]. If there was anyone's products he wanted lining up some of the stalls in these centers, it would be hers. She was invited to Tirahnn to discuss the possibility of that arrangement.

Darell was already here. Might as well make it a party.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Gerion Ardik"] [member="Darell Irani"]

Selka's entourage was comprised of Selkath, due to her longstanding association with that species and the world of Manaan. The similarity between their names was probably coincidence. Regardless, when she bustled in -- late but on point -- she was accompanied by whale-faced ichthyoids in dapper suits. A few of them were secret members of the Order of Shasa, keeping their Force signatures muted. It paid to associate oneself with the Force, at least when handled by those possessed of loyalty and discretion. Since her own Force-severing some years back, Selka had made sure to keep the Shasans close. Closer, perhaps, than those who'd ruled Tion with her when she was a secret Sith Lord. Some relationships were more durable than others; in the end, she'd liked Selkath better than Sith, on a personal level.

None of this could be gleaned from her brilliant smile as she approached Ardik. "Tirahnn was an inspired choice, Gerion. Once we're done here, I intend to take advantage of the bazaars. Maybe find a new coat." She'd finally started living up to her privileges; her current outfit (short skirt, long jacket, naturally) was, as previously mentioned, on point. If she did say so herself. "And if I'm understanding local health insurance correctly, the market's ripe for cybernetics. So thank you for thinking of my little outfit."

She was talking about the company. She had to be.

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Selka Ventus"] | [member="Darell Irani"]

Gerion smelled the fish before he saw Selka. She was dressed... Differently than he remembered. Like someone with a smooth liquidation and good dividends. That kind of thing; Gerion's type of preferred company. He almost forgot about the lingering smell of Selkath as a result. These were either fellow astute businessmen or some sort of bodyguard unit. But Selkath were supposed to be pacifists, weren't they? If they were bodyguards, then they must have changed their stance on nonviolence the seventh time Ahto City was sunk or otherwise rapidly depopulated. Whatever their status, if Selka trusted them enough to keep them around, they were more than welcome in his company as well.

Professional that he was, Gerion was doing his best not to think of her little outfit. Then he realized she was probably talking about something else. "Careful at the bazaars. Majority of the merchants there seem to think yelling equates to good sales strategy." He shook her hand, provided it was offered at all, and continued. "The space we've allocated is just over there, if you'd like to-"

The Umbaran was cut off abruptly by the sound of heavy machinery tearing across the open air common ground.

"Pardon the noise, Saiba Group is in the process of installing something. Mr. Irani himself should be hanging around, somewhere."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

Oh, the hand was offered all right. It lingered a moment too long. Selka let it drop and folded her arms, long jacket flaring prettily.

"You never know," she said offhand. "I'm told some of these cloning firms have raised yelling to an art form."

Heavy machinery made its noise. Selka accepted the explanation with a nod and a gracious smile as the sound died down. "Of course. Irani's always looking to install some hardware. Whether he's successful or not...well, that's up to us now, isn't it. I'd imagine you might be a little leery about getting in bed with Saiba, all things considered. Their wetware just isn't up to your standards."

A subtle gesture brushed back her hair, revealing a glint of electronics behind her ear. A neural implant, specifically. "I hear they'll let just anything inside."

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Selka Ventus"] | [member="Gerion Ardik"]

"I see you two are enjoying yourselves already." a voice chimed in from behind them. Darell Irani wandered onto the scene while studying his datapad - the usual technical specifications, sensor readings and comments made by the engineers; structural integrity and the like. He didn't seem all that miffed about the comment. Mostly because after all those years working together... you learned to take and give in equal measures.

Though he wasn't really in the mood for that kind of silliness right now. There were troubling developments within the Republic, nothing comprehensive, clear-cut or obvious, but his sources told him that something was going down.

And it all had to do with the Prime Minister.

Concerning, but there was work to do now and without more details there wasn't really anything he could do about it.

"That's where you are wrong, miss Ventus. Saiba only accepts the most alluring of things." but the riposte was delivered without much effort into it. No showmanship, grin accompanying it or anything else that usually made up Irani's repertoire of social indiscretion.

"The engineers are gonna be at it for a while, Ardik. We should get inside for your tour."

Otherwise they would all be deaf by the end of it.

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Darell Irani"] | [member="Selka Ventus"]

Something was off, but he didn't want to guess what it was. It was probably just his imagination, anyway. Gerion's standards for "wetware" were high enough as it was. If Saibia had failed to meet them at any point, they did a wonderful job of covering it up. What was truly the safeguard between getting sub-par products installed by Saibia was the fact that they all knew one another. That there was an unspoken pact between them all to never stoop so low as to run such scams. Besides, scams were bad for business. Who would deal with a company that had installed faulty shield generators and got people killed? Or installed kill-switches in all their droids that could be activated on a whim?

An idiot. And no one here fell into that category.

"Oh, come now. We should hardly speak ill of our colleague. Even if his behavior elsewhere can be... Wanting, his business is good. Usually."

No sooner had Gerion finished speaking did Irani finally make an appearance himself. It seemed he had overheard the exchange between him and miss Ventus. He looked like he was more preoccupied on something else that was concerning him. It was none of Gerion's business, or at least involved none of it. The rest of Hegemonic Automaton's holdings had been nice and quiet in the wake of the Rothana attack. And they would remain that way once Irani's shield projectors were proven to work. The noise began to pick up again, and mister Irani recommended that they get on with the tour. "Good idea," Gerion replied. "This way."

Gerion led the two in through the main entrance. The distribution center was built like a ring, with the various storefronts located in the center. The rest of the ring structure was reserved for warehouses, security centers, offices, and other assorted employee-only areas. Upon entrance there were only four main storefronts that were already labeled: Santhe, Sabai, Hegemonic Automaton, and the newly added iBorg Prosthetics. Shelves and displays were already set up according to the floor plans issued by those companies. Despite that, there were no products on display yet. They had not been shipped. There were several other scattered storefronts indispersed between the main four. Those were going to be reserved for local companies, like... Well, as long as they were local, paid their rent on time, and had some sort of basic moral principle, it didn't matter.

"Darell is already familiar with how these centers operate, I should hope, but you're more than welcome to look around the storefronts. See if there's anything you'd like changed with yours."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Gerion Ardik"] [member="Darell Irani"]

"I'm sure Darell's familiar with the frontal approach, but yes, I'd like to examine it for myself."

She'd seen pictures, of course, and false-colour holos and floor plans, but each iBorg site's aesthetic was tailored by market research. In Techno Union territory, upscale cyberpunk was the norm. In the Corporate Sector, or on Metellos, or on Manaan, other priorities held sway. If anything had to be adjusted, now was the time.

Her inspection took not very long at all. After this long running a good portion of iBorg, she knew what she was looking at. It'd be a shame, a genuine shame, to leave it behind.

Pensive, she re-emerged from the storefront. "It'll do," she said. "I'm ready to sign off on it." No witticism about what they might have talked about while she was looking over the blank shelves and pristine holodisplays.

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Selka Ventus"] | [member="Gerion Ardik"]

Irani had seen these kind of centers a lot of times already. They were all about the same - which was standard procedure when you were trying to streamline the construction process. The moment you had a good, efficient layout going along you didn't really need to change a lot of that anymore, just change the aesthetics here and there to accommodate local flavor and be done with it. So Darell wasn't following the tour, instead he was discussing things with his lead scientist that was in charge of shield project.

It was going well all things considered. The efficiency of the absorption rate could do with some more tweaking, but after a few tests that could be calibrated to a more satisfactory note.

Other than that they were good to go on his end.

"Installation is complete, mister Irani." the scientist replied right on time. Darell nodded, which Berguson took as a sign for him to vacate the room with his job done.

Darell continued to analyze information on his datapad.