Lorn clutches to his custom sabr hanging from his belt, cringing at the mere thought of Cirus, using its design to manufacture an army of droids, toting lightsabers.
"If I may add. Your droids all seem to have a aweakness in the close combat area, one of our trusty sabers could even sever the head from a Mk-II, if need be. Cirus, if I may call you by your given name, you seem to have a very keen 'eye' for all things technological, but has it always been ni pursuit of the greater good as you have said or are you just like these 'fat and useless senators', yourself? I mean marketing a new droid of that calibre to an open market, a droid which the galaxy has never seen before, will surely bring in huge profit margins in the long run. This tour is taking quite the length of time, wouldn't you agree? I think it's time to have a chat with who we came here to see."
"Oh, well, the Mark IIs are certainly not designed to engage people in one-to-one melee duels," says Cannes. "They are components of a field army, not individual champions. Meanwhile... I am not going to deny that the weapons business is exceptionally lucrative. Furthermore, since the need for space exploration declined, it is the fastest way to push forward technological limits. But at the end of the day, the Union needs funds to function. There is a legitimate demand for security and weapons, and fulfilling that demand is the best way to keep all of our efforts going. It is only a shame, of course, that these Senators I talk about about feel obliged to hamstring our efforts with unneccessary taxes in that area. Such tax is only raised because there is demand. In their own way, the Senators are profiting from the weapons sales as much as we are."
A thematic problem that Marcus and Clarion bioth recoginse, having been somewhat involved on higher levels for a while. It was, of course, taxes that set off the whole Naboo 'thing'... feeling is in the corporate sector that economic taxation between planets is far too high (the taxes are biased in favour of the individual planets rather than interplanetary organisations).
click-click
"I shall see if there is any news of Ryamore soon. Now... these sabres, individually manufactured, yes? I have an eye for good craftsmanship. It is impressive. But... somewhat inefficient in this day and age. Scale, as I said earlier, is the key to everything. Now, if we could have a chance to study one of these up close, we might be able to begin a mass production programe..."
"I believe, the lightsaber is one of the only things that remains sacred to our Order, in this day and age albeit inefficient. A lightsaber is an extention of a Jedi's body and the force that flows through him. They are highly personal, and not for a mere technophile to tamper with. And these mass-produced sabres who would benefit from them? Your droid armies, i mean security forces no doubt?"
You would hesitate to call him a cyborg, lest someone thought he was half machine. But he's certainly nodding towards that area.
"Force sensitive?" says Cannes. "No... I don't think so. They would just need to be very accurate. After all, there was a time once in the earliest days of recorded Galactic history when carrying a sabre was the mark of a Gentleman, not just a Jedi."
After taking one more careful look at it, he hands it back.
"As for who they would be for... a technology like that always has a niche market. No doubt a useful delivery system could be devised. Meanwhile, there is nothing mere about a 'technophile'. Technology is the lifeblood of this Galaxy. You wouldn't be getting very far without it.
"But still, let us not bog down in such point-making. I wanted to show you that there is more to what we do than foot soldier manufacture..."
As Cannes leads you on, you see a variety of new weapon technologies being tried out- tanks, artillery guns, high-yield blaster weapons...
"One demand today is for a decent fast-strike capacity," says Cannes. "Something that can move fast and hit hard, before disengaging, rather than hanging on in for a protracted fight like a tank would."
Hanging in the air in the desert in front of you (outside the fields) are about a dozen silvery spheres, simply floating, rather innocuously. Then, with a ratrting sound, over the horzion comes a fair-sized vehicle mounted on two very large wheels, with a missile rack in the centre. It bears down towards the spheres.
"Hence the Hailfire droid," says Cannes. "Technology for people that want more than just the heaviest darn thing we can build. We like less conventional thinking like that."
The droid lets off a volley of missiles towards the spheres, that streak towards it leaving a trail of black smoke behind. The missiles home in...
... and then miss the spheres by a clear ten metres, exploding shortly afterwards in the desert behind.
click-click
Cannes frowns.
"Well, as you can see, there are still some teething troubles to be sorted out on certain things."
"How much would it be for a consumer to purchase a vast tnumber of these new technological wonders that you have shown us so far. I do realise that they aren't quite completed, but they seem pretty close and I have a few spare credits lying around. Or perhaps I could take a few samples back with me for demonstration? Of course at a price."
(Hinting more at sales, trying to see the man who can sell them..Ryamore 😛)
(Hah...)
"Mass production of lightsabers?" Xeth says. "I shudder at the thought. While droids could make them quite neatly, they would be open to the public! If they cannot wield them properly, then they either need years of training, more so than the Jedi, or not to wield them. They are dangerous if you cannot use them properly, and useless if you do not use them."
(well if you play when were all at school....)
"This is all very interesting, But I will say, the problem with mass manufacturing lightsabers is that it would be impossible for people to wield them effectivly, the force is needed to be able to use them effectivly.
(Would it be a misunderstanding to say that the overall strategy of the TU is the basis for the empire?)
"Like I say," says Cannes, "an adequate delivery system could be designed. Perhaps my insider talk is muddling the issue. A 'delivery system' is a means of making use of a weaponry system. The Mark II droid is a delivery system for the weapon it carries, for example- and that is its main function. The gun is the important part, the droid is a sophisticated means of getting it into place and in one piece and then use it correctly. A similar system would have to be devised for an advanced project like lightsabres...
"... and as for sales, our market numbers are at a scale where millions are small change. However, more to the point, I am afraid none of these systems you see are for sale yet. They are still in development; all this is for demonstration only."
... actually, once you get used to it, you barely here thr clicking. But it does tend to suddenly jar back into your perceptual range at awkward moments. Perhaps trying to mover you away from the less impressive sight of cleaner droids mopping up the missed missole fragments, Cannes is now leading you all back to where you started.
"I am head of Technological Development in the Union. This demonstration, throughout the planet, is my demonstration. I am the senior man here, which is why I have met with you personally, as I am responsible for you as a host. The sales directors are here making their pitches for future contracts, of course, and poor Ryamore has the hardest job; no wonder he is so busy. It's easy to sell to the vast corporate interests, or hi-capacity worlds. But Ryamore has to sell to the entirity of the Outer Regions; thousands upon thousands of entirely different cultures. It is a growth market, at the core of our Galactic ethos, but a high-stress job."
click-click... there it is again! Now you are back at the central tent.
"Well, I hope you found that diverting and interesting. Sea-four! Kindly find out where Director Ryamore has gotten to, will you? Our guests are waiting."
"Of course..." says the protocol droid, who was waiting just inside the tent. It waddles off again.
Originally posted by Tptmanno1
(well if you play when were all at school....)
"This is all very interesting, But I will say, the problem with mass manufacturing lightsabers is that it would be impossible for people to wield them effectivly, the force is needed to be able to use them effectivly.(Would it be a misunderstanding to say that the overall strategy of the TU is the basis for the empire?)
Certainly one of the principles of it, yes.
"Adequate co-ordination is what is needed," says Cannes. "The Force gives it to you. We could substitute. What we design might not be as good, but then we could apply scale..."
"Why not simply use another weapon, like force pikes? they are nearly as effective as a lightsaber, are much easier to make, and, when they fall into the hands of the public, would not cause massive disturbances of the peace. I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but..." Delfedd pauses, as if unsure what to say next. "My thanks Cirus." As delfedd bows, his eyes seem to follow the protocol droid out of the tent.