Frozen Refinement

[Taeli Raaf]

Now she was remembering why Galidraan had been her first choice for the first refinement facility for Project Galvani. Remote and isolated mountain ranges, snowstorms, little population, close to SSC space ... but it was still a pain to set up because of all of those factors too.

The team charged with building the refinement facility had hollowed out one of the mountains in the northern most mountain range, placing the refining equipment deep within the facility. Labs and storage spaces had been made, and just like with the recycling facilities on Togoria and Melida/Daan, it was heavily defended. Aurora security forces had placed a division of droids in the facility, scanners, exterior defensive turrets, turadium blast doors, ray shields. The whole nine yards.

The hangar was carved into the mountain, with camouflaged and shielded doors to make sure it couldn't be found easily and the doors would only open if the right transponder code was transmitted. She definitely appreciated the security of the place as she walked down the ramp of ship. The transport carrying the first shipment of material for refinement had just docked as well.

"Ma'am, happy to have you here," Chief Gyr, a slim Quarren missing two face tentacles, rumbled as she walked up to him. She had personally chosen the Quarren to oversee this facility based on his experience in the power industry on Sarapin and his experience with unstable materials.

"Just as impressive as Caross Station," she said, shaking the Quarren's hand. "First shipment of ... glow matter for you to try and work with."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[SIZE=9pt]“Not the best name in the galaxy for the material is it, ma’am?” Chief Gyr chuckled. “I prefer the term Sianium myself, makes it more scientific.”[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]“That is a much better name for it,” Taeli agreed. She had been wracking her brain for the right name for it, and while she had been thinking along those lines herself, hearing it from another made it stick that much more in her head. Regardless of what they called it though, the stuff needed to be worked on if they wanted that first power cell developed.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]“Lead the way Gyr,” she said and she followed the Quarren out of the hanger and into the facility proper. The aesthetic choice was definitely in keeping in line with the hidden mountain lair as it was mainly rough hewn tunnels with metal supports, with doors and rooms cut into the sides every so often. Security was still just as heavy here, patrolling security personnel and droids, cameras and turrets in the ceiling. Bio-scanners on the door locks for authorized personnel only.[/SIZE]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[SIZE=9pt]“The main labs are this way,” Gyr said, gesturing at a corridor that went deeper into the mountain. “The other rooms here are doubling as storage for material and testing equipment, offices and such. We wanted the labs deeper within to make sure if any experiment goes wrong with the refinement process … the entire facility won’t be destroyed.”[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]As they entered the main refinement lab, even Taeli had to admit herself impressed. Large particle accelerators and particle exciters were spaced around the room, walkways above the machines for engineers to observe and access the systems safely. Containment fields were spaced at key areas to seal off each accelerator if something went wrong.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]“We figured that exciting the particles and then putting them through an accelerator would achieve the power that we are looking for,” Gyr explained as they stepped along the top walkway. “It’s only a theory right now, but we’re basically trying to create a synthetic element and energizing it. Not the easiest task you’ve given us, ma’am.”[/SIZE]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[SIZE=9pt]“If anyone can figure it out, you and your team certainly can,” Taeli said. “Is the first trial going to start soon? I would imagine you’ve run the necessary computer models.”[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]“Fifty times while we waited for the shipment,” Gyr replied. The Quarren was actually quite proud of the operation he was in charge of as, it was something to be involved in re-creating history. Project Galvani was truly a chance to accelerate the level of technology developed by Aurora and they just might corner a market here. “Every model showed a result that was desirable.”[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]“Then let’s not waste any more time,” Taeli said. “The first containers are here, let us see if we can make some history today.”[/SIZE]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[SIZE=9pt]Engineers in protective gear that looked suited for bomb disposal than a laboratory were gingerly moving the Sianium into the particle exciters, step one of the refinement process. She hoped this process was going to be what they needed, that way they could just copy this sort of set up at the other facility … that wasn’t going to be on Katarr now … given the current crisis in the Republic. Probably safer to establish that facility elsewhere.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]One engineer almost dropped the canister he was working with, but it froze before it hit the ground. The engineer looked up to see Taeli with her hand outstretched towards the canister with a smile on her face. Nodding his thanks, he took hold of the levitating container with an extension arm and started to once again load it into the exciter.[/SIZE]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[SIZE=9pt]Once every container was loaded, scientists on the second tier of walkways began firing up the machines while the engineers moved out of the area. Electricity started to arc about from the machines and the power sources, a whirring sound filling the chamber as the exciters began charging the particles of Sianium. Looking over the data that Gyr had provided, she could see that it was two tier process he had devised. Excite the particles into a highly charged state then use the accelerator to further enhance the particles and trap them within the specially designed cells.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]The resulting power cell would have an astounding amount of energy to be used … and it was just the beginning. She was hoping to develop cells such as this for things from blasters all the way up to capital ship weaponry, droids, oh so many ideas.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]“All systems still green, Chief,” an engineer yelled over the whir of the exciters. “Minor fluctuation in Exciter Three though, within acceptable parameters though.”[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]“Excellent,” the Quarren chief engineer stated, his eyes not leaving the scene below.[/SIZE]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[SIZE=9pt]Slowly, the exciters began their power down cycles, and the protective gear clad engineers began moving in again. Using the long grasper arms of their suits, they carefully began to remove the charged Sianium material from the exciter and move it into the accelerators.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]The idea here was that the Sianium would be bombarded by subatomic particles and the charged energy would increase three fold, then they would need to load it into the cells. Already, scientists were setting up the energy cells in shielded zones for immediate movement of the Sianium once phase two of the refinement process was finished.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]“Start up the accelerators,” Gyr ordered.[/SIZE]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[SIZE=9pt]An even louder whirring sound met his words, a weird humming that sounded both exciting and dangerous accompanied it as the accelerators came online. Down where the machines were, engineers kept careful watch of the material and the particles that the Sianium was being slammed with. A green glow could be seen from the receptacles, the reinforced transparisteel allowing the men to observe the enrichment process in person.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]Everything was going quite fine, according to all the readouts … and then a problem occurred.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]“Sir, the Sianium in Accelerator Four is unstable! Massive energy readouts, if we don’t shut it down, it could explode!” an engineer yelled.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]“Shut it down!” Gyr yelled. “Shut it down now! I knew we shouldn’t have tried the electromagnetic field accelerator on the Sianium.”[/SIZE]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[SIZE=9pt]“Hold on Gyr, I can help!” Taeli yelled, jumping down to the second level walkway. Using the Force and the hassat-durr techniques she had learned, she could feel the electromagnetic field and why it was reacting wrongly. It was going to hurt, quite possibly, but she had a way to stabilize the reaction. Manipulating the field while it ran, she could feel the strain already as she dictate the flow of the electromagnetic field and energies into and around the Sianium.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]Slowly but surely, the accelerator moved out of the critical zone but Taeli was quickly growing exhausted and her arms were hurting a ton. Just a little longer … just a little longer … and then the machines began to power down and she let go with a sigh of relief.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]Below her, the engineers began moved the Sianium into the specially created power cell units that could contain their energy. Once the process was more solid, droids would take over this part so they could produce more quickly, but in this early stage it was alright for the engineers to personally handle the cells.[/SIZE]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[SIZE=9pt]“What happened?” she gasped.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]“It’s an experimental accelerator of my own design, wanted to test it,” Gyr explained. “I theorized it could produce stronger strains of Sianium. I didn’t account for some variables, but thanks to you ma’am, we can account for those in the future.”[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]“Glad I could be of some assistance,” she mumbled, getting her head on straight so to speak. “Well? Do we have viable power cells?”[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=9pt]“We will be running some tests on the cells themselves to make sure they can handle the strain and such, but we seem to have succeeded to this stage,” Gyr said. “It will be interesting to see a difference between synthetic Sianium and the naturally occurring material. Let us conduct our tests to make sure before I say anything further, ma’am.”[/SIZE]
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[Taeli Raaf]

After a few hours of twiddling her thumbs ... and devouring every ration bar in sight ... Taeli was finally seeing the Quarren again as he came up to her in a makeshift office she had been offered. The Quarren seemed extremely pleased and she started to share that when he placed a small blaster power cell on her borrowed desk. A small part of the cell was clear to show the green energy inside of the cell.

"We have successfully created the first Sianium cell in over four thousand years," Gyr stated proudly. "Well the first few anyways, and we have plenty of material here as another shipment just arrived from Togoria. What is next, ma'am?"

"Get more facilities up and running, develop a secure way of transporting the cells and the material, so many other things to do ... but things are progressing much better than I had hoped," Taeli answered. "When do you think we can start developing larger cells?"

"For larger cells, we're going to need more material than what we can get from Togoria," Gyr said. "The stations at Melida/Daan and Taris will be needed, ma'am. Possibly another refining site as well."

"I'll get right on that," Taeli chuckled. "This will need to go to our weapons lab so we can start developing the blasters to go with it."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Packing away six of the finished cells into a secure case, the password to opening it known only to the chief engineers, Jaxson, and herself, Taeli sent the case along to the weapons facility on Jabiim to begin developing the Sianium blaster weapon. She was planning on sticking around Galidraan for a little while longer to peruse and oversee the place ... when a call came up for her.

After she got done speaking with Madame Nel, Taeli informed Gyr that he would now be in charge of all enrichment and power cell production facilities, including the new one she had planned. Hosrel XI in the Centrality was a perfect position for the other refinement facility as it would be near several other Aurora facilities.