He didn't know the names of the men he hired and in the end he preferred it that way. As the group went through field tests with the personal shielding equipment Akhega watched the monitors for the effects on the shields themselves. Each Mandalorian wore full body armor so even should one of the blasters penetrate the shield more then likely they would survive with minimal injuries. That wasn't what Akhega was worried about though as he watched the radiation levels coming both from the shields and the amount being absorbed by each Mandalorian.
The first stage of the tests were rather simple in nature and left Akhega with quite a bit of time to examine the devices himself. Some of them predated the Empire and the amount of radiation they gave off kept them useful for only a few minutes before they simply became a greater danger then an aid. Others were newer grade personal shields and caused less radiation but were mostly untested as no army used any type of standard personal shield. A mistake that Akhega thought could be corrected if the usefulness could be proven to be worth the cost of research and development on modernizing the personal shield generator.
Such he found himself here on a remote planet in the Outer Rim, and it was quite the desolate place at that. It was necessary though to keep budget focused bureaucratic generals and statesmen out of the loop. Besides they'd have spent a few hundred thousand credits just discussing it where for a few thousand Akhega had a working test. Seven Mandalorians, twelve energy shields from various eras and one quiet trip out to a planet with no resources and it was operating.
The first readings were a bit more dismal then he had originally hope but the shields were holding up quite well. The radiation had most likely already caused some long term damage the Mandalorian would never fully realize. As such Akhega found himself focusing on the shield with the force and examining it as it operated.
Began Control 2 (838 of 700)
The shields teamed with energy through the force, its racing particles ready to deflect and diffuse the blaster fire shot towards it at any time. Closing his eyes Akhega focused his mind upon the actual movement of energy within the shield following it from the source and back again. A perfect cycle of energy that by its very nature was difficult to control and such the radiation. Slowing the energy cycle would make it lose less energy but it would also cause invisible holes to appear across the shields surface.
The generator itself glowed hot through the force, the energy coursing from it as bright as the sun. The intensity of the currents surprised Akhega who wondered at that point what a Star Destroyer's shields would feel like. The key to cutting down on the radiation to at least a manageable level was in controlling the current and the collisions in energy that caused the electrons to shoot out into the atmosphere towards whatever was unfortunate enough to be in their path.
Following the path of several currents at the same time though the force. Their bright shades showing the strength of energy coursing along their path. The paths were mostly set but the overlapping layers of energy slid against each other and there was still the collisions of stray currents. How the older models made in the Mandalorian war period avoided this issue Akhega had no idea as he didn't have one to study.
He did however have some ideas as he focused on the entire shield as a whole. Altering it was pointless as he'd have to alter the natural order of every shield ever made and that was simply impossible. Whatever he did it would have to be replicated by a factory if these were ever produced. Focusing directly on the generator at first Akhega felt the currents of energy flow in and out for a few minutes before using the force to broaden the streams of energy. The thicker shield was as strong as the thinner shield but the energy would run out quicker. The upside was that the collisions were lessened and the radiation slowed enough to allow the generator to run for longer without the risk of radiation poisoning.
The second step was a bit more difficult to do as he had to wrap his mind around the entire process to do it. The radiation had been lessened but it was still a danger that would effect those without heavy armor. The goal was for a standard Stormtrooper's armor to be able to block out what was being shot towards them. The best way the shield could lessen its radiation was to stand by until it was needed or at least give less of an output. The problem was that relied on a soldier starting it up and the shield activating on time. While a stand by mode could handle the second if during battles a backup energy source was available it still relied on a troop knowing when an attack was coming in.
The only other possible option was a dual phased shield. One that sensed the incoming energy and another that activated quickly enough that would block the incoming energy. It was something a bit beyond Akhega no many ways. He was not an engineer nor a scientist and most of the technological specs were beyond him. As for the AI needed to control the dual phase shielding Akhega had absolutely no idea how to build that.
What he did know was how to control the flow to separate the shield ever so slightly and stop the continuous rubbing that created the invisible electrical damage brought onto the user and people nearby. The shield was basically several microscopic layers of energy that would diffuse the energy it was given and it would both deflect some immediately and slowly leak some out. This also over time would cause user damage but on a much smaller level. In a normal time frame and with standard body armor most of the effects could be fully avoided.
If the dispersal of energy was part of the normal process then perhaps slowing the vent would cause less damage as well. Focusing on the shield he felt the small venting effects given off as the shield went through its course naturally. Slowing the energy down from the actual generator Akhega kept his concentration on the shield controlling the flows within so they released energy more slowly and towards the exterior environment.
Moving from that Akhega controlled the energy feedback to a standby state. The shield was nearly invisible now and only someone paying attention would have seen the blur in front of the Mandalorian. The energy was a slow drain and could remain active quite some time. The radiation was minimal and even light armor could block out most of it. Leaving the force constricting the back flow into the energy source like a lightsaber Akhega relax his control of the force.
End of Control 2
Nodding to the Mandalorians to continue Akhega leaned against the bulk of his ship as he watched the tests began anew. It only took two shots to completely disable the minimized shielding but it was enough to give Akhega some hope in the project. Now to actually combat test the shields to prove they were worth producing and get a working copy with his changes.
