Tan'ya had been teaching them to shield their minds in the Force, but from the few who let strong emotion slip through, he felt an overriding sense of awe and reverence. It wasn't aimed at him, though. Most of it was directed to his daughter.
...
He supposed that she had spent more time with them then he had, so it made sense they would be loyal to her personally. Though the strength of their emotions seemed strange even for a beloved commanding officer.
Once inside the armoury, his daughter presented to him an armoured Mandalorian with a hammer at his belt. He turned to regard the Count from behind his mirrored visor, mind caught between curiosity and annoyance at the interruption.
"Father, meet the Armourer."
"Just 'Armourer'?" Dooku raised an eyebrow, giving the Mandalorian a questioning look.
"He's a member of a particular sect that forbids him from sharing his name or revealing his face to outsiders," Tan'ya explained. "Regardless of his lack of trackable credentials, he has come recommended, and has proven his skill by crafting a dozen sets of sacanium armour for us on short notice."
"Short notice indeed." The man muttered. "I have worked from dawn till dusk every day, eating nothing but smoked meat for breakfast and dinner, and drinking nothing but water by the forge. Even with the blundering assistants you provided, there was scarcely time for me to complete my work."
Tan'ya gave her father an apologetic look. "Armourer has very high standards when it comes to who, or what, he's working with. He's been complaining about the quality of our materials with every breath."
"I will be grateful to return to beskar." The mandalorian spat, turning his head towards Tan'ya in a motion that looked almost like a glare.
"I see." Dooku said. "Will the armour work?"
"Of course!" The Armourer huffed, shooting Dooku a glare to match the one leveled at his daughter. "I wouldn't craft anything that could not offer protection, even if it's not sacred beskar and your blood is not sacred either."
What an unpleasant fellow, Dooku thought to himself. The Mandalorian seems to forget that regardless of how rare or in demand his skills were, there was only so much impertinence anyone would be willing to forgive. It was in his best interest to not continue trying Dooku's patience, lest he remind him of that.
"We've done ballistic tests." Tan'ya said, turning to him. "It will stop a blaster bolt, even from a rifle. But multiple direct hits will warp and destroy the metal."
"It's too conductive." The Armourer sniffed. "Each shot is partly deflected, but much of the heat is absorbed. Without a layer of plastoid beneath it, the bearer would be roasted alive."
"As a result, the armour is a blend of saccanium plates and plastoids." Tan'ya explained. "Future versions will have more sophisticated cooling systems, but as long as the user isn't shot so repeatedly that the armour turns to slag and melts off of him, it will offer a much greater level of protection then anything available on the market."
"Your tailor was able to provide correct measurements." The Armourer said. "It will fit you well."
So this was his daughter's gift to him. The sacanium was black, and running his hand over it, he found its texture rough, like rust or sandpaper. His particular set had a Chain of Office emblem printed into its neck, made of Serenno Silver, and had a similar mark around the head. The cape at its back was a dark shade of blue, while the plastoid plating the metal was embedded into was grey.
"This armour isn't quite as fitting for your station as it could be, Father, but for something made on such a short notice, it will provide excellent protection."
Dooku was no historian, but he did remember from his time in the academy reading about Jedi Lord Valenthyne Farfalla, whose lightsabers were still on display in the Tower of Knowledge. To the Jedi of today, the last great Jedi Lord surrendering his armour for the robes of a Jedi was a symbolic moment, marking the end of the New Sith Wars and the Dark Age of the Republic. Now it seemed that Dooku was to do the opposite.
He'd always known that launching a full scale invasion of another system would be a provocative act, one that would set the Jedi Council howling with outrage. Somehow, he hadn't understood quite what it would mean until this exact moment, when he was presented with a set of armour for battle. He was going to fight, so of course he should wear armour. This time it would be clear he wouldn't be acting as a liberator, but as a conqueror.
After the silence dragged on for a moment too long, he realised his daughter was looking at him expectantly.
"Thank you, daughter." He finally said. "It's a great gift."
With the help of the Armourer, Dooku stripped off his cape, boots, and belt, before fastening the cuirass on over his shirt. Piece by piece, the mandalorian instructed him on how to affix the greaves, the gauntlets, the pauldrons, and many other pieces, until finally the helmet slid over his head and sealed itself against his skin with an ear popping rush of air. The helmet itself fit perfectly, and had an internal display that could be synced up with his compad.
"Finally, there's this." The Armourer said, presenting to Dooku a leather hip holster. "I have crafted these to go with each set. For you and your daughter, there's room for a lightsaber and a pistol."
"I have no need for a blaster." Dooku said.
"Which is why your lightsaber will go on the dominant side, and your blaster on the opposite one. This is the way." Without asking Dooku's permission or waiting, he reached down to secure the leather buckles around Dooku's hips. "A very mighty seventy year old." He murmured, briefly squeezing the Count. "Are all Jedi so blessed?"
Dooku didn't answer, giving the man a cool stare.
"When you have the chance, I recommend finding a form fitting undersuit to replace your civilian clothes. They are of fine make, and such craftsmanship should not be wasted in battle." At last the Armourer stood up right, surveying his work. He stared for a long moment, his dissatisfaction obvious in the Force, before murmuring. "If I had more time, perhaps I could have done better."
Dooku gave the strange man a curt nod before leaving his workshop, emerging from the armoury to find most of the House Guard waiting for him, along with Kai the Mandalorian child, and his wife. There was a pause after he stepped out, before excited murmuring broke out among the House Guard. The Palace servants that surrounded his wife also seemed quite taken aback, but Athemeene just looked worried more than anything. She'd forgotten her mental exercises for the moment, and he could sense that while she was relieved he was going into battle well-protected, it barely offset her worry about him going to battle at all..
"You look… fearsome." Athemeene finally said.
Dooku chuckled. "Thank you, Meene."
"I know you're busy now, but there's something I wanted to show you, before you leave."
"Very good, father." Tan'ya said, emerging from the armoury. "I'll go try on my own now." Only to step back into it a moment later, closing the door behind her.
Dooku followed his wife upstairs to the Palace grounds, and even further down the road to the edge of the palace grounds. The large forcefield that surrounded the palace had one major gate through it, and a few smaller ones at other points so the House Guard could enter the jungle and mountainside. His wife led him right up to the barrier, and pointed beyond it to where in the middle of the road, sheltered from rain by the overhang of the gate itself, a stack of small coins and incense had been left.
"We've been receiving visitors from the city below." Athemeene explained. They climb the entire mountain, just to pay tribute to the 'master of this world'. It's twelve kilometres from here to the city, and it's all uphill."
"Are they causing trouble?" Dooku asked. "The guard can remove them easily enough."
Rather than answer, Athemeene stood quiet for a moment. He reached over to pull her close, giving her a moment to gather her thoughts.
"Is Tan'ya going with you?" Athemeene asked, clutching his armoured wrist in obvious worry.
"No." Dooku answered. "She will remain here with you."
That didn't seem to assuage her worries very much.
...
Apparently, chapters write themselves faster when Power Stones are involved. Who knew? Feel free to test the theory go ahead, toss a few my way.
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