Ask Killik Sol-utions

[Jasnah Atreides]

After a bit of small talk, which amounted to Ashla explaining what she knew about the substance and how she had obtained it, Jasnah and Sol found themselves alone once more as the Togruta took her leave. She didn't seem to care what they did, as long as they got her answers, which was perfectly fine for Jasnah.

"So," she said once the Champion was gone, "you said you found something? A lot of somethings. Twenty million credits worth of something?" She didn't interrupt his work, staying out of the way as they spoke, while droids scurried about. Curious, Jasnah trailed one to a console, listening to whatever Sol had to say while also trying to make sense of whatever was going on in the lab. It seemed Sol had made himself even more comfortable in the lab in a few days than she had in her months and months on Mustafar.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

The small talk was hardly a distraction as Sol began his work. He was no master at autopsy, but he knew well enough what he was looking for. The first thing he searches is flesh between the chitin, and... there it was. Or at least, what Sol had not initially suspected. He had thought that due to the more humanoid appearance and size of the Insectoids that they would have supportive anatomy such as lungs. This proved to be untrue, however, because between the chitin plates, the Kel'dor could see what appeared to be breathing spiracles, much like how much smaller bugs got their oxygen supply. It was a strange and unexpected find, but it meant that suffocating the Killiks would be a lot easier than initially realized.

Once Ashla had left, he and Jasnah were once again alone, and Sol turned to face his fellow Sith with a thoughtful expression as she questioned him. Twenty million credits worth of information? Well, that all depended on how well the weapon worked. First, he had to create it, and he still needed to analyze the contents of the box that the Togruta had brought along with her. Turning back to the Killik, Sol continues his navigation of the corpse, careful to avoid contamination, especially given the rumors of acidic blood. He wouldn't risk burning his own claws off.

"I have two solutions in mind. In the past, I mentioned a neurotoxin, however, the size of the Killiks complicates matters a bit more than I initially suspected. The amount of the neurotoxin I'd have to use would undoubtedly effect other sentients nearby as well. In other words, I can't just make an aerosol form of the neurotoxin and expect only the Killiks to die from it." Sol points out, taking a breath before he went on, "I could attempt to utilize Sith Alchemy to alter the mixture and how it binds with Killik DNA. In doing so, I might be able to alter the neurotoxin to specifically kill the Killiks, and nothing else. There's no real guarantee of that though." He wasn't a mastermind when it came to alchemy just yet. Indeed, though Sol had mutated a few creatures, he was still rather novice in the macabre art of it all.

"Of course, there's the simple solution of... wearing gasmasks during the deployment. But, I have another idea that may make it unnecessary. Look here," With a razor sharp talon, Sol points out one of the breathing spiracles between the Killik's chitin, "Utilizing alkali, a chemical compound synthesized from common alkali metals, along with fatty acids, can be mixed to form a compound which, in essence, foams. A lot. And not merely the bubble bath type, either. Additional compounds can be added to make this soap rather gooey and difficult to expel. In other words, I may be able to synthesize an aerosol form of this compound that will react violently to Killik pheromones' once breathed in by the victims, causing the breathing spiracles to become blocked by thick foam." The Kel'dor explains.

"Even better, as the Killiks suffocate, their bodies will attempt to violently expel the substance, clouding the surrounding air with these aerosols which, in turn, will manifest within other nearby Killiks. Essentially, it is a devastating bioweapon that will tear through invading Killik forces like a hot knife." A small smile twists upon the man's lips, and just in time. He was able to confirm that the Insectoids had no lungs now, looking into the chest cavity. Their anatomy was more Insectoid than humanoid. It did make sense.

"This substance would be harmless to other sentients, and as such, may be the preferable route to explore. Of course, I'll test it out on the volunteers you bring me to insure that it's harmless to anything other than Killiks." He insures.

With the autopsy done and his suspicions confirmed, that really only left one thing, analyzing the aerosol form of the Killik pheromones'. With that now firmly within the Kel'dor's claws, he'd be able to create his own aerosol chemical weapon that utilized these pheromones' to target the Killiks themselves. It really hurt to leave all that DNA around, didn't it? Well, at least it would hurt them. The rest of the galaxy would probably be ecstatic to hear of what was essentially a soapy insecticide that would, with any luck, make all of their Insectoid problems go away. Sol hums with quiet delight, because he had a plan, and it was good one. His eyes return to Jasnah, glowing with fire behind his goggles.

"Give me a week to perfect the mixture. I need to insure it's stable." Sol requests. "Then I will begin testing." And with that, the plan was in place. He would begin to create his chemical weapon, and when it was ready for testing, he and Jasnah would meet each other once again.

[end thread] @Wit