Crafting of Armor. (IC but Private)

[Andnoa]

There is an assumption that to craft armor plating one must be a blacksmith or a forger. That metal only responds to heat and fire. This is an outdated paradigm of though. In truth modern armor is created by machines so that any component can be repeated nearly infinitely to fuel the war effort against the hated republic. Droid armor is created in much the same way. A fifth axis mill would work on a bar of raw material, cutting out components and preparing them for further treatments. An expensive system to set up but one that would ultimately allow for the repetitive machining necessary to plate an army in identical protection.
Sith on the other hand... Are more awkward. Sure many Sith have armor sets that are somewhat similar. The late warrior program being an example of this come to fruition. Dozens of identical sets of armor produced to clothe all involved but even that pales in comparison to the crafting necessary to create a single item. It starts in the design process. I use a computer to model the mask I intent to build for Valeus as payment for his training. This is somewhat simple at first, carving out large swathes of material until I have a functional face-plate for him but after this comes the intricate detail. A Sith's mask is synonymous with their face. Tarati was defined by the bucket on his head during the Orsus campaign. I am such to the mask that covers my jaw. It is not enough for me to just pull up a basic mask if I wish to gain what I wish from the man. I must make it unique, aspects of classical mask design to sait his rabid traditionalism but in addition it must be modern. We are no longer tribal Sith. We are the Empire, a sophisticated modern civilization with no equal. If I just dented a lump of metal into rough shape it would be an insult to the progress we have made, as would using a sled instead of a Harrower. Not all progression is weak, but there is such weak progression to avoid. The correct design is paramount.
The next step is the painful one. I deduct money from my account, saved for me but apparently to be used for another, to buy a hunk of material. Durasteel and Duraplast for various parts of the face-plate. It is not enough to cover every inch of the body in metal as it will be slow and heavy. There must be balance in this, to allow for mobility and fluidity. He is a Makashi user, not used to heavy movements and weights. I must take this into account when crafting this.
Heading down to the engineering bay I greet the usual Imperials present. They know my face by now for the numerous repairs I have conducted in the shop and I set to work. The program I have set up for the machine whirs into life, carving chunks out of the material with a small energy blade, quick, clean and precise. As I watch it rip through the Durasteel, dividing it into multiple pieces for later assembly, I am reminded to make sure I keep a copy of the data on file. I do not doubt that damage will occur in the future to it and perhaps I can extract price for repair of the mask. Next is the Duraplast, a more complicated material but the machine makes short work of it. This is not Cortosis machining after all. Now I have multiple pieces for assembly.
The Durasteel parts are placed in the furnace for heat treatment overnight while I begin to assemble everything else. As a reward for my involvement in the ill fated expedition to save a starship, I am entitled to an upgrade for biotic resistance to a piece of armor. After some finagling with the quartermaster, I persuade him to give me the parts to do so to install on this mask and spend the rest of the evening training.
In the morning I have the Durasteel removed from the furnace and checked for cracking. When X-rayed, it proves suitable for assemble. The last job is to secure a pair of lenses for installation and then I can begin to build the mask. Following the instructions I had previously written, I begin to assemble the mask and over an hour later it is ready. A neo-classical design but one with ultramodern amenities to suit the Sith whose face it will become. I am quite proud.



OOC:

Valeus' Mask: A lightweight Durasteel/Duraplast composite mask with many elements of traditional Sith design to it. It would be airtight when worn and would make the wearer immune to biotic and gaseous agents to the head.