Fell Deeds Awake (Rusty

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum had been here once before. Awhile ago. He had realized that he had never quite finished working with the droid? He had assumed it was a droid, but it could have been a Shard like his other friend. The one difference was that this one, if he were a Shard but he could just as easily be a droid, was not a Sith. Ultimatum was glad of that, too many of his allies were becoming Sith and he didn't like that. He looked forward to meeting him once more.

The last time had been quite interesting the person had had the collection of weapons, he had been surprised. This time he looked forward to the meet, perhaps work could be done, and maybe a better impression could be left. He had arrived on planet and had made his way to the shop very quickly, knowing the way this time.

He entered the building, looking around. He waited until he was called upon, it was more polite than simply barging up to the counter. He could wait anyways.

[member="Rusty"]

 

[Rusty]

The droid that entered the shop was immediately familiar to Rusty. He remembered faces well enough, and it was rare to have droid customers that weren't actually Shards in disguise. It seemed like the Shard network sent an agent through the shop just about every other week looking for a custom piece of gear that would likely be used once and then abandoned in a sewer somewhere. Honestly, if they weren't so quick to help him out when the Wicked Grace broke down, he'd probably tell the whole network to [bleep] off.

Today, however, didn't look to be one of those days.

"Howdy," he said cheerfully. There was no one else in the shop at the time. Most organics were off to lunch. "What can I do for you?"

[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum smiled as he walked up to the counter. He had wondered what this droid/Shard was capable of. He spoke, "I believe that awhile ago we met when I came in for weapon of sorts but unfortunately business called and I was pulled away. I came back wondering if we could return to that which we had been working on. And to see if I could aid your work here."

He finished with a nod as he looked about. He tried to recall what it had been. A grenade of sorts he thought. Thought it had been too long for him to actually say that with certainty right now, he would have to go through his memory banks. But right now was not really his concerned, he was more interested in what he could offer this being. From what Ultimatum had seen the droid or Shard had created very unique items of great power but he wondered what sort of resources the man might require. Ultimatum couldn't really supply many finished products, his company was limited in that regard, but it was more than capable of lending raw materials.

[member="Rusty"]

 

[Rusty]

"Ah yes, the grenades."

The Shard still had the blueprints stored. The basic plan was simple enough: a projectile launched out of a standard or maybe slightly modified grenade launcher that, on impact, released a high intensity blaster bolt that should have enough punch to chew through armor. The design wasn't overly complicated, but would require some serious work to make it stable enough to be safe for use.

"Well, I'm pretty fixed for credits at the moment, but I could always use supply lines for raw materials. You think you might be able to lend a hand in that department?"

[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum listened and replied calmly, "I can certainly handle that. What sort of materials do you need? Metals and that sort are easily supplied."

He was took a moment to try and recall. Tried to remember what it was. A sort of explosive, heavily made and intended as an anti-armored personnel weapon. Projectile, perhaps explosive rounds then? Either way it was best to keep that for use, it was probably good. He hoped it would be as good as he could recall they were supposed to be. He expected though that they would require a bit of work before being properly finished.

[member="Rusty"]

 

[Rusty]

"High grade durasteel is the main thing," Rusty said thoughtfully. "I go through a lot of that stuff. Could also use steady supplies of tungsten, copper, aluminum, and anything else that might be useful for making weapons."

While he was talking, the Shard pulled up the schematics for the grenades [member="Ultimatum"] had requested. They were basically high powered blasters that would trigger an intense beam on impact with a target. He had been looking forward to the project, but it had been shelved without the confirmation for the customer.

"So how much is all this going to cost me?"

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum considered for a moment. Yes he could supply most of the required materials. Mustafar was rich in metals, though weapons did require more than he could mine. There were simply some elements that were not found on the planet and those would have to be obtained elsewhere. He wondered what should be traded in return, credits was the easiest answer but also the least tantalizing. That was all an organic currency and he hardly required it, nor did he want it.

He could ask for products, but then again that would drain a company like this in such a way that was likely bad for business. He assumed so anyways. He though did not have much to ask for of course. He did not have an army that needed outfitting, or even a company. He had eight or so people aside from himself who were trained in military combat and needed those grade of weapons.

He replied calmly as he made a decision, "Would it be acceptable for a trade. I give you materials and occasionally we work on a product which you can then sell. I can even help produce larger things like ships and vehicles."

[member="Rusty"]

 

[Rusty]

Rusty considered it for a moment. He could, of course, use the materials, and frankly, [member="Ultimatum"] wasn't asking a whole lot for them.

The prospect of working on unspecified projects in the future might have scared some, but the Shard wasn't overly bothered. His business model relied on customers bringing new and interesting projects to his doorstep, stuff that might not even work when all was said and done. This was more or less the same thing, it was just a matter of scale.

And with plenty of patience and saliva, the elephant deflowered the mosquito.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Have you a contract handy?"

 

[Ultimatum]

"I can have one up in a moment." With that, Ultimatum began transferring information to a datapad on him. The necessary information, with terms that were neither overly complex nor too simple, included the basic idea of trading materials for projects. The contract stated that it would be [member="Rusty"]'s decision whether to accept certain projects or not. The materials would continue to be supplied for an unspecified time length, to be terminated at the agreement of both parties involved in the contract. Ultimatum had no intent of really ending the supply shipments, there was too much metal to work with anyways.

After a minute he handed over the datapad for the Shard to read through. He wanted to be sure that they both agreed to this. He looked forward to working together.

 

[Rusty]

Rusty skimmed it over. He wasn't a lawyer by any means, but when one spent a couple centuries working with contract law, one learned to hum a few bars and dance a few steps.

Everything was in order. If there was one advantage with working with inorganic lifeforms and droids especially, it was that they didn't dicker around when it came to terms. They said what they meant and meant what they said. It was a refreshing change of pace.

He scrawled his signature in the appropriate spots and handed the datapad over.

"Here's to the start of a beautiful friendship. I'll get those grenades started ASAP. Should take me a couple of weeks to get everything tested and ready to do. Once they're ready, I'll give you a call and you can swing by and pick them up. I'd ship them, but I'm pretty sure that would violate about a half a dozen local and galactic laws concerning the proliferation of military grade weaponry to non nation state actors."

[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum smiled at the joking truth. He responded confidently as he accepted back the datapad, recording the information and storing it for permanent recall. "I'll be ready. The shipments should begin arriving within a month. I look forward to working with you." He was already preparing the commands to be sent as soon as he arrived on Mustafar.

This was a good step, he looked forward to what would come next. He wondered if this Shard, like the other that he knew, would become a good ally and friend. Though this one would probably be a better ally if only because he was not Sith, at least evidently a Sith. Ultimatum knew relatively little about Shards, aside from the fact that they were not organic beings in the normal sense.

[member="Rusty"]