Mereel Vaun
Jedi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a replacement weaponized version of a left forearm and hand for Mereel
- Image Source: restmlinstock, heavy metal, https://www.deviantart.com/art/heavy-metal-68150920
- Canon Link: N/A
- Primary Sources: Cortosis, Cortosis Gauntlet, Cryoban, Durasteel
- Manufacturer: Mereel Vaun in association with Republic Remnant blacksmiths and weapon designers.
- Affiliation: Mereel Vaun
- Model: Left Forearm and Hand 2.0 (LF&H 2.0 for short)
- Modularity: No
Production: Unique
- Material: Durasteel, internal tubing, electronic firing mechanism for armor system linking, Cryoban, external layer of Cortosis-Shield,
- Classification: Multipurpose
- Weight: Heavy, 3.74 kilograms (8.25 pounds)
- Resistances:
- Kinetic: None
- Lightsabers: Very High
- Vibroblades: Extreme
- Slugthrowers: High
- EMP/Ion: Very High
- Elemental: Low
- Sonic: Low
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Cortosis-Shield Layer - While the bulk of the LF&H 2.0 is composed of durasteel, a thin layer of purified Cortosis is wrapped around the inner layer of Durasteel and the Cryoban cell contained within the forearm.
- Dual Cryoban Projectors - The LF&H 2.0 has a small Cryoban cell tucked away under the durasteel in the lower half of the arm. This cell is connected to two Cryoban projector valves located on the lower half of the palm of the hand. When activated, the Cryoban projectors fling chemical Cryoban spray at targets in a 1.5 meter cone up to 5 meters away from the hand (Like a miniature flame projector, but it freezes targets instead of igniting them).
- Retractable Wrist blades: For when slapping someone with a metal arm isn't good enough. These blades can also be used by the user to prevent falling. When used in tandem with the wristblades on Mereel's other arm gauntlet, some surfaces can be climbed.
Strengths:
- Cortosis-Shield Layer: The entire LF&H 2.0 is covered by a thin layer of purified cortosis, giving it a very high resistance to damage caused by blaster bolts and lightsaber blades. Unlike some cortosis imbued items which are capable of disrupting lightsaber blades for several minutes, the thin layer of Cortosis on the LF&H 2.0 is only able to shut off a lightsaber blade for a few seconds if a blade becomes locked on the armor's surface. Repeated and continuous heavy strikes from a lightsaber blade on a single point in the hand can still cut through the LF&H 2.0, but prolonged contact between a lightsaber blade and the cortosis layer will cause the lightsaber to shut down for a few seconds.
- Slug/Slice Through This: The LF&H 2.0's liberal use of durasteel in its construction makes it it difficult to penetrate with an average strength slug thrower. High powered slugthrowers can still punch through the metal however, which can present a potentially lethal problem if a round were to come into contact with the Cryoban cell inside. The LF&H 2.0 really shines when put up against vibroblades, which may simply slide down the length of the arm on contact, but of course effects will vary depending on the skill, strength, and cunning of a blade's wielder.
- Energy Resistant: The energy resistant nature of cortosis makes the LF&H 2.0 incredibly resistant to Ion and EMP based attacks. Since the LF&H 2.0 is just a metal arm, this feature really only means that the firing mechanism of the Cryoban projector will likely still function after the arm has taken a few direct hits from a handheld ion weapon.
- Dual Palm Cryo Projectors: While only useful in close range combat, the palm cryo projectors give Mereel an additional combat weapon in close quarters combat (within 5 meters) and utility tool depending on the situation. The average human target requires three seconds of sustained fire from the cryo projectors to begin freezing.
- Lacking Counterbalance: The LF&H 2.0 is a heavy weight hand and forearm substitute, and more importantly, Mereel does not have a counterbalance on his right arm. Kinectic attacks aimed at this arm can easily knock Mereel off balance.
- Ticking Cryo-bomb: While the Cryoban cell inside of the LF&H 2.0 is protected by durasteel and a thin layer of cortosis, if an attack reaches the Cryoban cell, or if the arm becomes too overheated (sustained flame elemental attacks or a flurry of well aimed, tightly grouped blaster bolts would do the trick), the Cryoban cell will explode like a Cryoban grenade. This would freeze Mereel and potentially other victims close to him within a 3 meter radius.
- Unfeeling: Created partially by Republic Remnant weapon designer, the LF&H 2.0 is first and foremost a weapon. It does not grant its wearer the sense of touch in their arm or hand again. This can make tasks that require the finer senses, such as defusing bombs, picking locks, and generally anything that requires fine motor controls in the left hand extremely difficult.
- Aim Higher: While the LF&H 2.0 itself is incredibly resilient, it does not fully replace Mereel's left arm. An attacker can still aim at the joint between Mereel's durasteel armor and his left arm and separate the entire LF&H 2.0 from his body.
After losing badly in a duel with the Matador during the attack on the Jedi Temple at Coruscant, Mereel found himself in need of a new left arm. Thanks to the cargo missions run by his corvette, for the first time in his life Mereel had enough money to splurge on a big investment.
After doing some research on the species of the foe he fought in the temple, a vision of the ideal arm was created in Mereel's mind: a cold-based weapon platform encased in a hunk of durasteel wrapped in a thin layer of material that, unlike his own armor, would be truly lightsaber resistant.
Not wanting to skimp out on his new weapon's combat effectiveness, Mereel gathered several of the Republic Remnant's weapon designers and challenged them to create a weapon which could fit inside of a heavy metal prosthetic arm while simultaneously being tied to his personal armor's systems. The weapon designer who came up with Mereel's favorite design received 60,000 credits for their trouble, and the dual-palm Cryoban projector system became the basis that the metals of the LF&H 2.0 would be fashioned around.
Getting the required amount of durasteel was simple, but few blacksmiths are willing to part with cortosis considering how difficult it is to mine. However, everyone has their price, and Mereel was able to convince a metal smith in the Unknown Regions to turn over enough of the stuff to create the arm after taking care of a few pirates that were causing the smith's local system trouble.
After that, it was a simple matter of getting all the materials in one place. The weapon's designer and blacksmiths worked together to create the arm, and Mereel was returned to fighting form.
