Molten Metallic Testing

[Tagal Saxon]

Mustafar was an awfully hot place.

Tagal liked warmer climates but Mustafar was just a bit much even for him. The heat coming off of the molten rivers was something that was beyond even the deserts of Tatooine. But despite this, Tagal wasn't wearing his armor.

He was wearing a suit because he was supposed to be meeting with a local business owner on one of the many metal foundries that could be found on the surface of the planet. It was one of the companies his own space station did business with so he hoped he was going to be in for a good deal but he didn't know how they would react.

He was going to ask for permission to throw grenades to test to see if he could reduce some of the company's best armor plating into useless scrap after all.

Tagal wasn't alone for this little meeting either as another Blackwell employee was along for the ride. Waiting in the board room, Tagal rolled one of the test grenades across the table towards Zatara.

"He's late."

They both knew the man was late... this was more just for the sake of saying something because the silence had settled rather thickly within the boardroom.

"I can't help but think it's too damned hot for these types of games."

@Phoenix

 

[Zatara]

Zatara had taken up the mysterious offer from Tasha, and so far she wasn't regretting it. Blackwell Industries was living up to the boasts of its CEO, and Zatara was relieved not to have to be working the books for her own company anymore.

Having gotten into an organization that dealt weapons, Zatara was quickly growing more and more interested in not only the PR side, but also the technical side. She'd become quite interested in the technicals of it as well. Therefore, when a chance to test out some "ordinance" came up, her interest was piqued.

Knowing she was going to be meeting with important people and needed to put on a good face, she picked out a black, form-fitting dress to wear to the facility. Now that she was here, she thought the black was only exacerbating the heat of this world.

I do hope he arrives soon, she said. This heat is dreadful, she added. It gave no meaning to making your customer sweat....

If he doesn't arrive soon, we can find a new supplier, she said with a sigh and a shake of her head, flicking her hair over her shoulder. @Nefieslab

 

[Tagal Saxon]

Tagal had to say that he had expected the woman he was assigned with to be beautiful - Tasha didn't seem to find herself in the company of anyone who wasn't at least somewhat attractive - but it had been distracting to begin with. She was a stunning woman and it had taken him a moment to just accept that as a truth and move on.

No use gawking at the poor woman.

To begin with, Tagal had assumed that the lack of offered refreshments was something of a slight but if it was this hot inside the office building? He wouldn't doubt it if the workforce needed to use every drop of water they could get their hands on. He chuckled a little bit as he thought of something.

"Think they would sell their company for reliable ice water?"

He made a mental note to discuss expanding his station into some asteroid mining for ice - he was beginning to think that he could make a killing selling water as ice to this place. Just when he was beginning to think about agreeing with Zatara's sentiment, the doors to the meeting room opened and a Mustarfarian entered.

Drinking a glass of water.

Okay this guy already seemed like something of a dick. Tagal resisted the urge to sigh before pushing onward.

"Representative Broly."

The Mustafarian smiled, an odd sight on the xeno, before bowing his head slightly and gesturing for Tagal and Zatara to follow him. Leading the way, the xeno led the two humans out of the building onto an uncovered walkway. Already the heat was far more oppressive than inside.

"Mr Saxon and Miss Zatara - You ask to be able to test some of your new weapons on our durasteel. Why should I allow this? If your weapons work they sully our reputation."

@Phoenix

 

[Zatara]

Zatara had grown used to men gawking at her long ago. They always tried to be subtle, casting their eyes up and down her body when they thought she wasn't looking. More often than not, she ignored them, but occasionally she enjoyed their flustered looks when she made comment on it. Were she in a better mood not brought on by this heat and not interrupted moments later (thankfully) by the representative, she likely would have said something today out of sheer boredom, but alas, it was not to be.

She began to walk after the representative, and bit her lip at some very spiteful replies she had wanted to make. She was here on business, and needed to put on her best face that would get them what they wanted.

Because, Representative Broly, you are a supporter of progress, she said in a smooth voice and a flashed smile that, although it was indistinguishable from a genuine one, was hardly from the heart.

Blackwell Industries is a growing commodity, and has already garnered the attention of several large conglomerations and entities. You don't want to be the one that is labeled as being unable to work with others, and you certainly don't want us to take our future Dolovite purchases to Mimban or Samovar, she said. The two worlds were Mustafar's primary mining competitors, and she could see the alien bristle at the mention, though he did his best to hide it.

You would simply resort to blackmail? he growled and asked, though calling it blackmail was a rather liberal use of the word. @Nefieslab

 

[Tagal Saxon]

It seemed that Zatara was going right for the jugular and he couldn't fault her for it. He was getting to be far too hot to be dealing with this and yet it seemed that it was something he was increasingly having to deal with. Why the hell did he spend so much time on planets that were hotter than they had any right to be?

He knew he was going to be coming back here specifically too since his space station was currently in orbit around this planet for it's rich metal industry. Tagal knew some of the other local companies too.

"You would think so low of my business associate, Representative Broly?" he asked cuttingly, "I'm sure I am merely being overly sensitive but I would hate to think that our business is somehow becoming a burden to you - should we take this elsewhere? I hear that the Northern Mustafarians are good business partners."

The Mustafarian scowled at the two humans.

"What do you even want?" He asked bluntly, "You want to test a weapon, yes you have told me this, but you have given me no indication as to what."

True enough.

Tagal slowly removed a prototype grenade from the fortified briefcase he had been carrying.

"Grenades. Anti-armor grenades."

The Mustafarian looked at the grenade in interest before raising an eyebrow.

"Fine. What can you pay me for this?"

@Phoenix

 

[Zatara]

Zatara was pleased to see that their "host" was growing... warm... to the idea. He was... warming up to it. She hated that those thoughts had crossed her mind... it was idiotic, and she blamed the heat and the dehydration.

At least it seemed he was now willing - if begrudgingly - to work with them. She flashed a disarming smile, and reached out to the Force. She wasn't an expert in the Force by any means, but playing with the minds of others was something she had become proficient enough at.

Oh, we don't have to discuss that now, do we? Can't we see how things work out first? she asked, heading toward the next room as he began to mutter in agreement.

Yes, we don't have to discuss that now. We can see how things work out first.

Just like that, they were off, and Zatara wasn't looking back. She led the way confidently toward the testing facilities, casting a covert glance at several signs as they passed that directed them. It appeared as if she knew precisely where she was going instinctively, but in reality she was relying on those signs.

This looks like a splendid room, doesn't it? she asked as she looked out to the many pieces of metal in the room for them to test these devices on. She was actually rather eager to watch how they worked. She was - surprisingly - still captivated by things that went boom. @Nefieslab

 

[Tagal Saxon]

The representative seemed willing to discuss working with them but he was still being a bit of a tight-ass as far as Tagal was concerned. He was going to speak to the man about an offer when Zatara took the lead instead. She flashed a smile that was definitely distracting but then the Representative seemed to go slightly slack and agreed with what she said.

But it wasn't just agreement.

The man basically parroted back exactly what the woman had said. Tagal felt the hairs on the back of his neck and all along his arms stand on end because he recognized the use of the Force, even if he lacked the ability to sense it. He was a Mandalorian by birth and he had been raised with an innate mistrust and hatred of the Force and those that used it. He had been taught as a child to recognize when someone was using it and to treat them appropriately... but he was not a child.

Arguably he was not even a true Mandalorian.

Following Zatara without pausing or break in his stride, Tagal brought the grenades with him and when they reached the testing facility he sent the armoured briefcase down on a table before opening it up. He presented the six prototype grenades to Zatara.

"Would you like first throw?" he offered with a raised eyebrow, "After all... it was your convincing that made this possible."

Just a small comment to let her know that he had caught onto her use of the Force but nothing confrontational. He wasn't about to start bellowing out war chants and attacking her for her 'magic'.

@Phoenix

 

[Zatara]

Zatara looked at the grenades, and didn't miss his statement. She never blatantly outed herself as a Force user (and, in fact, she only knew the basics), but she also knew that all he actually had were suspicions. There was no proof she wasn't just a terrible disarming and beautiful woman.

What do you mean? she asked intentionally. I couldn't have done it without you, she said, but took the proffered grenade in hand. It was heavier than it looked, but given what the charges inside could do, she wasn't surprised. She'd never actually throw a grenade before, and her heart seemed to pound a bit harder. This wasn't the time to accidentally drop or misthrow the weapon.

She pressed the trigger on the top and hurled it deep into the maze of metals constructed and arranged for various types of weapon testing. Some of them already had blaster or scorch marks on them, and a few even had holes as if torn into by anti-vehicle weapons.

The grenade did not disappoint. It erupted in a fountain of molten metal that sparkled like fireworks, covering the surrounding metals in a shower of scaldingly hot thermite. The metal's temperature immediately began to burn through the metal panels and after only a few moments more, there was a large hole at the center of the metallic plate.

Very impressive, she said with a light, airy laugh.

 

[Tagal Saxon]

Tagal wasn't 100% certain of what he had witnessed but he was happy enough to make some small judgement calls without too much worrying about if he was right or not. Even if he was wrong there wasn't any downside to thinking that she had the Force. He hadn't, after all, outright declared he believed she had it.

He looked at her before smirking ever so slightly. She wanted to keep it up in the air? That was fine by him seeing as he didn't really care all that much.

"An enchanting woman like you?" He gave her a single wink, "I don't believe that for a second."

He watched as she took one of the grenades in hand but he was only looking to make sure she was respecting the weapon in her hand rather than just treating it like a bauble. She looked to be handling it right though so he didn't say anything as he picked up one of his own.

Humming a little bit, he made some notes on a datapad he had brought with him.

"Why thank you - I worked rather hard on them." he joked lightly before pressing a button to bring up a thicker panel of metal, used as tank armouring, "Try two this time? I'd like to see if the effects are doubled."

@Phoenix

 

[Zatara]

Zatara laughed again as he thanked her for the complement. While it hadn't been directly addressed to him, it technically was his achievement, so credit must go where it was due.

You'll take one as well? she asked as he said to try two. She wasn't sure that throwing two simultaneous grenades was such a grand idea. There was so much that could go wrong, and she'd rather not burn a sizable hole in her expensive dress.

She took a second grenade and hoisted it in her hand, casting a glance back at their "chaperone." The man still had a vaguely stupid expression on his face, and that alone was enough to nearly make her chuckle. He should have simply played nice to begin with, but now they were going to destroy all of his metal. Of course, he would be compensated, though. She wasn't a barbarian.

Three, two, one... she counted down for the two of them to throw, and then hoisted her now-triggered grenade into the air, expecting he would do the same. @Nefieslab

 

[Tagal Saxon]

The hell kind of business did this woman's laugh have being that melodic? It was ridiculous that it sounded that good but it did, which kind of annoyed him he had to say. It only annoyed him though because it kept reminding him just how appealing the woman beside him actually was. She was beginning to become distracting and he knew that was through his own fault and not hers but that didn't stop him from wishing she didn't make it quite so easy to become so distracted.

"Of course." he agreed easily, taking one of the grenades for himself, "I have been looking forward to throwing one of these since I put the finishing touches on them - my partner scolded me when she found me preparing to test one in the workshop."

He... he might have actually gone through with it had Skuld not stopped him actually. The temptation to actually test his work was real that much he did not doubt.

Checking the grenade in his hand over, Tagal was happy to see that his metal work and mechanical work had been absolutely spotless so it was all ready to go. Triggering it, he waited along with Zatara before throwing the grenade down range. He watched it sail through the air before detonating just before it would have hit the metal surface of the target.

The results were the same, although quicker from the addition of the second grenade.

Tagal smiled a little bit.

"I do believe today has been an informative day."

/End Thread
@Phoenix