Yielding to Shields

[Warren Century]

Light-sabers were one of the most effective weapons out there against any form of armoring other than Cortosis or Phrik. As he possessed no access of any variety to those materials improvisation would have to rule the day. What this meant was that he'd have to come up with something scientifically capable of handling the problem he now faced. Blasters were also dangerous because most shields were ineffective against them due obviously to the radiation produced by the shield they would shorten the life span of the individual. Sitting down at his desk in his room of the ship he immediately connected to the Holonet and started to do some research. The subjects were on the various types of shields that existed.

Ray Shields were made to protect against energy weapons, but even they could not protect against them forever. Particle Shields alternatively repulsed solid matter. It seemed he'd need to make some combination of those two forms of shielding. No. That would take too long. Droids generating the shield would also not be an effective means of handling the technology. Fortunately he did have some ideas. Yes his plan might actually work. An arm band that could produce a Form Fitting Energy shield over his body, similar to a ray shield. The radiation would not work on him, because his body could not be affected by radiation as a droid.

Okay. So onto the actual idea of designing the device. While he was a droid he was not particularly skilled at engineering. However this still might work, to some degree anyway. Sighing, he went down to the area of the Freighter where he had his lab. It was time to do some work for once that actually could be done by him properly. Okay. So he'd need to make a Ray Shield first, and then make the generator an arm band. Perhaps other capabilities could be added such as a means of controlling future droids of his.

 

[Warren Century]

The shields of the droid known as the Droideka had made them nearly invincible, but he was not about to replicate that. No. He did not desire to be invincible, or unbeatable. Yet having some protection against a light-saber could not hurt matters. Especially with the war between the Republic the the One Sith, he'd need some protection. Likely the Confederation had access to some of the light-saber resistant materials but chances were he'd never see access to any of them, unfortunately. What this meant was that he'd have to do something new. Something unique. His shield would be above reproach and something he'd built completely with minimal outside help. As he started work using spare parts on board the ship to construct and create the ray shield generator Jeff realized something.

Ultimately this was his second real invention. His first had been the EE Battle Droid. Still he had to pat himself on the back for this idea. A personal shield while limited could provide some of the protection he required. As he worked on the device he knew it would be enough. Well he'd still work on some other ideas because he was a scientist. Putting on goggles, a habit which he had from being human previously Jeff went to work using tools and started construction of the Ray Shield Generator. Due to being made out of spare parts, this device would likely be unstable and thus something he'd need to work on repairing later because it was truly something he wanted to have.

Well not something he wanted to have actually. More of something he needed to have. This device would come in handy should he encounter any people who were overcrazy with slashing him with light-sabers. This brought to mind the Sith. They were driven by anger, hatred and raw emotion. While it was true the Jedi and Sith had similar abilities both parties wielded light-sabers. Thus, his personal shield was something he planned eventually to market, once he perfected the technology of it so he'd be defended somewhat against a light-saber.

 

[Warren Century]

Fame and Fortune were not something Jeff actively sought after and he didn't imagine his idea would make him famous. It probably wouldn't even make a foot note in the articles written in the future, but he did not care. For the device would serve one purpose. It would allay his worries about it being easy to decapitate him. Light-sabers were perfect in that regard, able to cut off someone's head with a single slash. They were also able to sever limbs and as he had no desire to experience that first-hand, this was why he was working on his technology. It was meant as a precaution to provide him a bit of calm when around those who could use the Force. Most of the Force Users out there were either Sith, or Jedi. Some were neutral, but still he had to have some manner of protecting himself from them.

Thus the creation of the arm-band. As he had almost completed the Ray Shield Generator he decided to pause from that. It was time to work on the part two of the idea he held. This idea would cause him to be protected, to a degree anyway. It would be sufficient. Sighing as he took some leather, padding, and durasteel and electronics he immediately began work on the arm band. The arm band was not originally part of the idea he had, but still something he'd make anyway. The reason for it's creation was quite simple. Should he make any droids in the future he did not want them capable of turning on him, and that meant he'd need to deal with the problem however he could.

The arm-band was a rather simple idea. A wireless transmitter in it would allow the droids to identify him as a non target meaning they could not attack him later down the line. It would also allow him to command them. A fail-safe he put in case of someone disabling the signal to the droids warning them that he was not hostile and thus should be left alone. Science marched on, and sometimes sprinted onward. Eventually he planned to create more droids, but for now he'd have to do this. Building a shield was more efficient than even an army of droids. For the CIS already had an army of droids and they had territories. But he was not going to war, unlike them likely.

 

[Warren Century]

Contrary to non-existent belief Ray Shields were not all they were cracked up to be for use by organics. It was a good thing he was not an organic because that would shorten his life-span. Being a droid provided certain advantages, but also deficiencies. One of those deficiencies was that he did not and never would possess the ability to use the Force, in any aspect whatsoever. It was a trade off he was fine with. Who needed super powers anyway? Jeff didn't. Technology could surpass the Force in some aspects and provide him exactly what he needed. In this case his skill at inventing was allowing him to work on a device he needed for later on in his life. The device was the arm-band he had thought up. Originally he had thought of simply making armor out of Cortosis, but his lack thereof had cancelled out that idea permanently because of the problems related to it.

Said metal was rare and guarded. Since it was both, he was not going to acquire any. As he continued working on the part of the arm band that was not the ray-shield Jeff knew he'd soon be done. Just a little while longer and the device would be completed. When it was, oh yes. The Jedi and Sith might have a harder time separating his head from his body with their blades. There were problems with the shield he was working on. For one thing it could not block regular bullets/missiles/swords. Energy weapons were all it could block. Yet he was fine with that. For he had ideas for devices he could make later that could protect him against encounters with those who did not use energy weapons.

As he continued his work on the arm-band Jeff knew he might need some help. Primarily because he was not as skilled as he should be at designing such devices. His lack of skill was apparent in the design. What he hoped was that the device would not blow up in his face. Really he was thinking it actually might do exactly that, and it was something he was afraid of. Fear was a problem of once being a human and having your neural patterns put inside a droid. Fear slowed a person down to some degree. Perhaps he should turn off his emotions, temporarily.

 

[Warren Century]

Six hours had been spent thus far on the ray-shield and the arm band. But he was only half way done with the ray shield and 1/5 of the way done with the arm band, or so he believed. The technology if he had spent credits to commission it would be VERY expensive. And seeing as how he was watching his expenditures, really he had no choice but to build the device himself and call it good. Suvian needed to expand and later he'd make an effort to make an alliance with some of the other companies out there for that purpose. As he resumed the work on the arm band part he realized something. His original estimate about the time it would take to finish the device was off. For he had done better than he had expected, but still had quite a while to go anyway. Sighing he continued his work on the technology.

Jeff was nothing if not determined. When he set his mind to a project there was very little that could hold him back from it's completion. As he continued his creation of the device Jeff realized something. Six hours was a paltry amount of time to spend working on a device that for all intensive purposes would be his main line of defense, or so he thought. Later he'd have to see if there were any other ways he could upgrade his body. Because as it stood right now, his body had little in the way of actual defensive capability. A problem he planned to address and correct as soon as he was able to. Droids often had singlemindedness, but it was also a trait he possessed as a human.

Once the arm band had at long last been completed he knew it was time for the next step. The ray shield was about to become his sole focus. After all, it was not all the time you completed a device that could save your skin later. So far in the arm band he had put in the devices to allow him to command the droids, and be recognized by them as someone not to attack. But now would come the tricky part. The shielding itself would have to be installed inside the arm band so he could wear it on his person. And of course he'd have to finish it mind you.

 

[Warren Century]

As the project neared completion it was almost time to put the brand of his company on the device. No. He wouldn't do that. For this device was not something his company would market, at least not yet. Not until he had an improved version of the device. Finally he stopped thinking about what he later needed to do and resumed work on the device. It was time to complete the actual shielding component of the personal shield rather than just the outer shell and bells and whistles of the device. For once it was completed he'd have some protection. Granted it wouldn't provide as much as he'd like possessing, but he'd still have some and that was better than none at all anyway. His work continued. Using circuit manipulating tools he made several nearly invisible adjustments to the Ray shield device. It was about the size of half the arm band.

This was in fact on purpose. Because the device would comprise half of the arm-band itself. It is why he had only made half of his idea thus far and was not anywhere closer to completion than he had originally planned. It would take time to finish the device and he would not rush things. Jeff was a patient droid, and was going to take the time to do his idea properly. Fortunately he'd have ways of protecting himself as soon as the device was actually completed, and made ready for his own personal use. His labor on it resumed as he had taken a break to think on it. It was truly a labor to build a device such as the one he was working on.

A frown donned on his face when he realized something. Said device was still vulnerable to electromagnetic pulses. This meant it would be ineffective if someone threw an EMP his way. Well he could live with that, and fix the problem later. Yes. He'd correct that issue with the shielding implement when he had the time. Presently he lacked the time, because he needed to get a lot done still. His shield had to be made in such a way so as to provide maximum coverage for his body. These thoughts distracted him from his work, and so he paused for a moment on the job. This job was one of the most important ones he'd ever done, even if he'd not get paid for it anyway.

 

[Warren Century]

Shields were not something often used today because of the power of blasters. It seemed more and more that designing a shield would not be cost effective on a mass production scale. Thus this device would never be mass produced. This had been determined by Jeff while he continued laboring on the creation of the device. Truly this was going to take a long period of time for him to finish the creation of. Yet it would have it's uses. Such as when and if he owned and knew how to use a light-saber, he'd be less likely to cut himself with it. That had been one of his worries he was working on correcting the existence of, presently. Still though he had to admit, even for himself this device was overly complicated.

While it was not as advanced as some of the devices out there it should still serve it's purpose. The purpose in question was the preservation of his continued existence. Therefore, he'd need to make the device unable to be used by organics. No. He wouldn't do that. At least not on the first model anyway which may or may not be sold in small amounts. This device was truly a means of saving his life because it gave him more experiments to perform, and more procedures to do to create something truly that belonged to him. Technology may be the only thing he was good at, but he'd be sure he'd have his work finished soon. Droids were inherently vulnerable to most forms of attacks, and this would shield him some.

Yet a shield alone would unfortunately not be enough. For it could not guarantee his survival. No. He'd need to become more skilled. Yet it would make a good supplement. This thought raced around in his brain as he continued his work on the device so as to have it made and ready for his own personal usage. As soon as it was finished, he was going to test it. But the question was how. How could he test a device like this? It would not be an easy feat that was to say the least. For presently he didn't remember if he had any energy weapons that could be tested. Oh wait. He did. His EE droid could be used to help him test the shield with one of the heavy blasters. Yes. That would work quite nicely actually for his purposes.

"I've still got a ways to go on this device. It is not perfected, but given time it will be."

 

[Warren Century]

Droids were without some abilities that humans possessed. Regular ones could not adapt to their situation, nor do anything to change it. However because of his unique nature Jeff was far from a normal droid. When he recognized that a problem existed, he worked to solve it. Especially if said problem was a threat to his existence. Blasters were effective against droids. It was a known and proven and recorded fact. Some blasters were even more powerful and more destructive against droids.

Likely his shield would not provide too much protection against droid blasters, but it would provide some which was more than he could say he presently had. So yes, he did need to upgrade his gear. Droids also had some abilities humans did not. For example they did not need to eat or sleep. Some of them had better armor than others. Said armor was one of the reasons he was developing his shield. Lightsabers and blasters were growing more abundant throughout the galaxy by the day, but he had plans for new droids to balance it out. There were so many ideas he had that if he were human it would make his head spin. But thankfully he was not in any sense of the word, human presently other than his mind. It could not make his head spin due to him having a droid brain.

Each person had their own role to play in life. Jeff's was to be an inventor and a scientist. Others could duke it out with various gizmos and gadgets, some of which he'd design. But he personally had no desire to participate in the calamitous war between the One SIth or Jedi, not yet anyway. But he did need money on the other hand, well credits to be more exact. Collecting the bounty on some of the One Sith might be worth investigating. Science sprinted ahead, and Jeff planned to keep up with progress.

 

[Warren Century]

Progress dictated that his shield be somewhat unique compared to the conventional shields employed by those throughout the galaxy. It was in some ways different. For his was more personalized, and had some other capabilities. It would allow him to control his own droids, and do some other unique features that he put into the device. Fortunately it was not overly complicated to make. Progressively the amount of work he needed to do on his shield diminished as he continued his improvements on the device. Once the shield was made only then could he allow himself to relax. For it needed to be done. There was simply nothing, but to do this. To make the shield was his current goal. For he knew it might actually save his circuitry sometime and he actually hoped it would save his circuits from complete annihilation. Some people out there hated droids.

Others were simply pirates and would do whatever it took to earn credits. After them you had bounty hunters who would do whatever it took to earn credits, and supply their services to people for dirty jobs. Following them were the Jedi and Sith, both groups of which were equally dangerous. One group, the sith was presently more dangerous than the other one. For the Sith had numbers, while the Jedi seemed to be shrinking. It was something worth investigating by him later on. Figuring out how Jedi became Sith, and Vicaversa could be one of his later projects. But now he had only one worth potentially focusing on, and that was the technology he was making.

Examining his work, Jeff realized he was almost done. Just a little while longer and the shield would be created. Once the shield was made he could put it on his arm, and walk out of his lab for a while. This was one project he was intent on finishing, no matter how long it took. It was also a project he did not want to slack off on, even for a moment. As a droid he did not require breaks like humans did. Rest and sleep were foreign concepts because all he did to rejuvenate was simply recharge his body. It did not take long to recharge either.

"Just an hour more, and the shield will be made. Once the shield is made, Suvian Sciences can market it."

Yes, Jeff had reconsidered his earlier idea. The shield would be a good idea to market for Suvian Sciences, because they needed the money. It was also a good personal item. Granted, he'd improve on the personal version before he sold it some. After all, he didn't want everyone able to remotely override his commands to his droid. No sir, he could not have that. But the realization donned on him, it would not be a problem. For he was almost completely done with his creation.

 

[Warren Century]

The project was almost completed. If he were a human he'd likely be jumping for joy or passing out from exhaustion. It was a good thing he was not in any sense of the word, save for his neural patterns human. But he did allow himself a sigh of relief. What? A person had to have some expectancy of joy anyway after completing a major project like this. His shield was something he had never thought, or believed he could actually complete. But nonetheless, he had done it. His shield was made, and the wrist band was made. Now would come the more difficult part of combining the two and putting in the power core so that the device could be utilized by him on an as needed basis. Likely if he did market it, it'd be expensive.

Cortosis was no longer a requirement for him in any way, shape or form. Nor were many of the other light-saber resistant materials because his shield could suffice. It could provide him some protection anyway. Given that he intended to learn how to use a light-saber blade well he would soon be prepared to handle Jedi or Sith. There could be no accounting for the Force, not without special technology anyway. Technology he did not as of yet have installed in his body. A problem he would later remedy when he was not working on a project. A grin formed on his face and his optics changed to gold, which showed excitement. Of course why would he not be excited?

Finishing a project gave a person a sense of joy, and excitement. Happiness was now his for the taking. Plus a good deal of credits if his device actually proved to be worth any credits. Shields that could resist blasters and light-sabers were few and far between. As he put the finishing touches on his, Jeff knew this was the start of the rest of his life. Once the device sold he'd have some credits. Probably not many, but then it didn't matter. He'd at least have some at his disposal anyway. And right now some were all he needed.

"At long last, I'm finished."