defy the tyrannous stars
- Intent: To submit a rare type of ship reactor with enhanced power output.
- Image Source: Star Trek Discovery
- Canon Link: /
- Restricted Missions: /
- Primary Source: /
- Manufacturer: The Mechanicum | SoroSuub Corporation
- Model: Charon-series Stellar Fusion Core
- Affiliation: (x) The Mechanicum, (x) SoroSuub Corporation, (x) Confederacy of Independent Systems
- Modularity: No.
Production: Semi-Unique
- Material: Artificial Sun, Faraday Cage, Impervium Housing
Stellar Core: The Charon-series utilizes a proprietary blend of Mechanicum and SoroSuub technology to simulate the effects of stellar fusion on a miniaturized and thus containable scale. Suspended at the heart of a large reaction chamber, massive amounts of energy are siphoned off from the artificial star's chemical processes for use in powering starships and other technology far more efficiently than standard cold fusion.
Containment Field: A critical component of the Charon-series that makes the entire technology remotely feasible, each star core is surrounded by an electromagnetic containment field whose function is threefold. First to shield nearby crew and passengers from the core's intense levels of solar radiation, second to prevent the Charon from siphoning off excessive amounts of energy that could cause a nova-triggering chain reaction, and third this field is reinforced by powerful antigrav wave technology to compensate for the core's significant density.
Redundant Deflector Grid: Needless to say any damage sustained to the star core or its containment field could be catastrophic, and so even on ships with significant defenses all Charon-series come equipped with a redundant layer of deflector grids. An outer molecular shield, and both ray and particle deflectors underneath. This is to minimize the risk of a breach as a result of either space combat or attempted tampering.
- Star Power: Harnessing the process of stellar fusion, the Charon-series is capable of immense energy production. Effectively a miniaturized artificial star, the energy byproduct of its natural chemically reactive process is siphoned off to power ships and other technology. This gives no significant bonuses to technological attributes like weapons power or shield strength, but it does allow a starship or facility to power larger amounts of high energy systems in unison.
- Shield Layering: A redundant layered deflector grid protects each star core from damage through combat or sabotage. An outer layer of molecular shielding provides increased resistances against energy weapons, while more conventional ray and particle deflectors lie within.
- Miniature Nova: Needless to say, any damage sustained to the Charon-series has the potential to be catastrophic. Significantly more destructive potentially than more conventional antimatter annihilators. All writers are free to take their own damage, but under usual circumstances anything nearby the star core when it blows would be completely vaporized.
- Containment Breach: Powerful electromagnetic fields maintain the the stability of the artificial star's suspension and isolate those nearby from the core's harmful radiation. Overtaxing the reactor for sustained periods runs the risk of overwhelming these containment protocols, causing a lethal breach which could decimate all nearby organic life. Breaches can also occur through combat or, for someone with enough scientific background, triggered intentionally.
- Sensor Flare: Given such intense levels of unfiltered energy, the star core is more or less incompatible with any form of stealth or cloaking technology. Any starship equipped with one would give off a clear signature bloom even on long range sensors.
The Charon-series Stellar Fusion Core or Star Core is the culmination of a union between the Mechanicum's starship manufacturing congregation and the energy harvesting division at SoroSuub Corporation. Effectively it is the creation of a miniaturized artificial solar fusion core, which is then suspended in an electromagnetic containment field and surrounded by a protective layering of deflector shield technology.
While the risks associated with such a process on a destructive scale are quite severe, there are also significant benefits. A starship equipped with such a device could maintain all systems at full power simultaneously for brief sustained periods. As with all forms of energy production there are of course drawbacks, placing too much strain on the system by taxing it continuously comes with a serious risk of containment breach which could be just as deadly as an explosion.
Due to the reactor's new, relatively untested nature accompanied with these destructive drawbacks, it is only a successful proof of concept for the scientists at SoroSuub. However their partners in the Mechanicum with a much more artificial perspective on the device's cost benefit analysis are already examining the possibility of putting the Charon-series into practical application.
