Shield generators shouldn't be common. Ves happened to obtain one by chance after he managed to become Master Olson's apprentice.
To an esteemed Master, shield generators weren't difficult to obtain!
However, they were still expensive enough to put them out of reach of the general population of a second-rate state!
Perhaps shield generators may be more ubiquitous elsewhere, but the Komodo Star Sector did not produce many of the key materials needed to produce them en masse.
As far as Ves was aware of, the shield generators had to be imported, which massively increased their markup!
Those who had the privilege of kitting themselves out with shield generators fell into at least three categories.
The first category were those who possessed a lot of value. Mech designers like Ves or distinguished professionals were capable of earning huge sums of money in their lifetimes.
