Quicksilver (Taeli)

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

Maelion Liates waited patiently for the call to connect. Her destination was Aurora Industry’s head, Taeli Raaf.
The reason for the call was simple; Archangel had been looking for a method of creating a liquid metal and Aurora had beaten them to it. Thus, the simplest solution was to acquire some of it via purchase to make use of it themselves.

Holo communications was the wisest method of contact as Taeli was known to be a Force User and Archangel did not want anyone to know about the identity of their directors.

For this call Maelion would be using the name Anna Comnena, the ‘official’ name she co-ran the company with.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maelion Liates"]

"Miss Raaf, you have a holocall coming in from Archangel Research and Design," Taeli's aide said through the intercom connecting the secretary desk and Taeli's office. Taeli set her datapad down, curiosity flooding her. Archangel was known for their very specialized droid designs, with their pride and joy being their Human Replica Droids. Taeli and Aurora Industries had begun taking... unique steps into the field of infiltration droids with their Masquerades and the new liquid metal alloy that the Anomid Doctor Votoc created.

She had never had dealings with Archangel, but she wasn't about to turn down a possible proposal or arrangement they might come to. Tapping a few keys on her desk's holo-keyboard, she accepted the call and the image of a woman appeared on her desk.

"This is Taeli Raaf, how can I help you Miss..." Taeli said, unsure of who exactly she was dealing with from the company.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]
“Comnena, Anna Comnena at your service, Ms Raaf. It’s a pleasure to finally talk with you in person. I have been extremely interested in your catalogue of items for some time, including the droids. You do have a way with them to make them both dangerous and resilient.”

“However, the real reason for my call is to discuss your most recent product, the ‘Mimetic Hydragyrum‘ or as a layman might call it, ‘liquid metal’.

“A most fascinating concept, and one we have been researching for some time. We would be interested in acquiring some from you, and if it is possible, to manufacture it under license. Our needs are small and experimental for now, and only for corporate use.”

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maelion Liates"]

"We do try, Miss Comnena," Taeli replied, a kindly smile on her face. It was true, Aurora Industries' more... advanced droids were designed with both lethality and resilience in mind. With Doctor Votoc on board with the company, as head of Advanced Droid Research, Taeli suspected far more advanced and powerful droid models would be coming in the future... including ones using the metal the woman on the other side of the call mentioned.

"Not many know about our recent breakthrough," Taeli said, the smile still present, "We haven't exactly advertised what was developed as of yet. Only a few select interested parties were made aware of what the new alloy is and what it was developed for. I should take some measure of... joy that our scientists were able to breakthrough into creating it first, especially if a company with your reputation of excellent droids was working on a similar alloy."

She tapped a finger against her chin, thinking about what the woman wanted. She certainly hadn't wasted time in getting to the business at hand.

"If I agree to your proposal, what other sort of benefits might I see come from such an arrangement?" Taeli asked. "Some profit from your company manufacturing it under license certainly, but what else is being kept close to the chest to sweeten the deal as it were?" She had been hanging around Danger for too long, but it was a valid question for her to ask. Miss Comnena had to have something else up her sleeve that Taeli might be interested in to truly get the deal sold.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]
Maelion tilted her head to the side slightly, nodded.
“We had some designs we were working on whilst researching the liquid metal. I think we could help each other by us sharing some of our ideas and designs with you in exchange for using the metal…and credits of course. I think that would be mutually beneficial.”

“Firstly, I noted your Masquerade design, and I heartily approve, but I do have a design we were working on which has some similarities. As you know we make the best HRD droids in the galaxy, and though we can skin them in whatever race or gender desired that covering is somewhat static. By combining the endoskeleton of a HRD with the liquid metal you could create a droid which can both shift forms as well as provide a very strong and resilient combatant. With a metal skeleton the droid would be able to resist more damage and also be better at fitting socially into situations.”

“Another idea we had was using the metal for design modelling and mapping. Electronic versions are good, but this way the liquid metal can provide a tactile and sophisticated way of providing copies of an object or place.”

“Do either of those sound useful to you?”

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maelion Liates"]

"Both sound very intriguing," Taeli said, leaning back in her chair and pondering something. The Masquerade droids hadn't exactly been shown off to many people, and they weren't listed for just anyone to buy. She had to wonder just how Archangel was getting their information. Perhaps they had heard from Danger about the droid Taeli had provided her as part of their most recent meeting and deal, but now she was starting to wonder if it wasn't time to buff up Aurora's security protocols.

"Miss Comnena, you had my curiosity... now you have my attention," Taeli said, breaking out of her thoughts. "I must ask though... what sort of roles would you have in mind for such a droid? Infiltration like our Masquerades? Combat duties?"

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]
“Infiltration is the most important use, yes. In combat an HRD, no matter how resilient, cannot face off against many enemies at once. The ability to change appearance and simulate clothing and other items is a vital disguise. In theory even fingerprints and retina could be matched with a target to allow complete infiltration.”

“However, if combat was required, the metal skeleton provides a good basis and strength for the unit to fight even after discovery.”

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maelion Liates"]

"Very well," Taeli said, leaning back so she temporarily disappeared from the holocall. She pulled up her datapad, going over a few details... and sending orders to increase security measures at all Aurora facilities and laboratories for just in case. She didn't know the woman who ran Archangel very well yet, but she was going to be determined to learn as much as she could in the future. She leaned back into view, datapad in hand as she considered the proposal.

"I would want a guarantee that any of our alloy developed, in license by Archangel, is reported back to Aurora," Taeli finally said. "As I'm sure you understand, this technology is rather proprietary and we're rather protective of our trade secrets. To make sure this is guaranteed, a representative from my company would visit the facility you intend to create our alloy from at regular intervals to check production records. If you are amendable to that condition, I believe we will have reached a mutually beneficial arrangement."

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]
“This is acceptable. We are happy to disclose the amount we create and share records on this. We will not share what it is used for however in anything but the most general way.”

It probably wouldn’t matter to Taeli was it was used for so long as it was accounted for and all payments were used. Archangel had plans, plans which Taeli might not entirely approve of.

“We thank you for your attention and assistance here, Ms Raaf. Is there more you wish to say before we move on to the next step?”

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maelion Liates"]

"I'm glad that you find my conditions acceptable," Taeli said, smiling on the outside. Internally, she was thinking that it was only a temporary measure to solving her problem of not having enough information on the woman running the premier HRD company.

"None besides I wish you well in whatever endeavors you have in mind, and I look forward to a fruitful partnership between our two companies," Taeli said, giving a polite nod of her head before cutting off the call. She leaned back in her chair, thinking hard now. She would send a message to Jaxson that he was to send a sample of their liquid metal alloy to Archangel and to assign one of their more trusted chief engineers to oversee Archangel's side of production.

Yes, she didn't know that Archangel had plans they didn't disclose she might not approve of... but then she also had plans of her own that Archangel might think the same.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

The meeting was concluded. Maelion shut off the link and then headed from the meeting room. She would find Moira in a command room, processing orders and performing necessary calculations for the construction of the Age of Steel.

“The acquisition was successful. Aurora will provide us the recipe but will monitor our production levels. There is an organic who will be present. Suggest more public location where unwanted information cannot be disclosed by subterfuge.”

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


Moira had been overseeing important matters concerning the realisation of the Age of Steel. The tertiary Clone Unit would be born soon. She turned to face Maelion when the droid entered. Suffice to say neither wasted time with inefficient small talk. No 'congratulations, dear' or 'you're really filling out that suit well' or 'have you heard, actress X is single again?'


"That is an acceptable outcome. Denon should be a suitable location. It is our public front and we have adquate facilities there." No sensitive or clandestine equipment was located on the city-planet, since Archangel kept its operations compartmentalised.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

Maelion nodded. It was an organic thing to do but since they were in organic forms it didn’t hurt to follow the mannerisms.

“Agreed. We will acquire the liquid metal and use it to create the new units. They will be a significant advantage to us.”

There was no maniacal laughing or grand boasts of conquest. These were droids after all, and not even the crazy ones who imitated humans.

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


Cackling and maniacal laughter was left to droids who'd been far too eager to become like the humans they ostensibly opposed. "Agreed. They will be an asset in combination with the clone units" Moira said simply, emotionlessly.


"I calculate a significant possibility that Firemane Industries will unleash their forces on us in the future. However, it has come to my attention that they have a new foe that could occupy their time," she pressed a button and a holographic projection of a Kraal Warlord came to life. "They call themselves the Kraal. A warrior race obsessed with conquest and plunder. They have been raiding worlds under the inadequate protection of the feeble Silver Sanctum Coalition." One of the very few things Moira and Siobhan could agree on was that the Silver Jedi were weaklings.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Moira Skaldi"]
Maelion considered matters. She called up inside her head the news reports and intelligence they had on this Kraal race.
“These primitives could do considerable damage with the right motivation. Suggest arming them with blasters and other weapons they may not have. At the least they will keep Firemane and the SSC from interrupting our plans.”

“Do we have any contacts or way to negotiate with them? If these primitives are warlike savages we could ask for some of their captives in return, especially those of high ranking who we can process and learn from.”

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


"Agreed. According to my information, they're intelligent and capable of civilised interaction, despite being glory-obsessed primitives. They have a code of honour we can exploit. The Scutarii pirate gangs we recently 'persuaded' to serve us are in contact with them. We can use them as an intermediary," Moira said dispassionately.


"The SSC is too ineffectual and inert to be a threat, but the Kraal assaults will be a suitable smoke-screen for our activities and keep Firemane occupied." Conveniently Siobhan had slain a Kraal warlord, so plenty of orcs wanted to kill her now.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Moira Skaldi"]
“I will arrange the transfer of funds so one of our units can contact the Scutarii. Doubtless at some stage they will attempt to betray us, but their unreliability can be accounted for. So long as they achieve our goals they are disposable.”
All organics were disposable, but some were more disposable than others!

Archangel did not have a big wage overhead, though they did have some organic employees they made up only a fraction of what one would expect. Therefore they could easily channel ‘wages’ into other projects without it being too suspicious.
With this in mind a selection of blasters, grenades, speeders and other military gear would be made available to the Scutarii and the Kraal.