Grid Chisels

Let There Be Light...

Oracle and Leathe led the the group as they exited the shuttle. Mouse and Argus followed. Roadrunner fell behind. They were too far from home, too far from safety, and as such, he focused on providing cover to the rear.
They approached a steel door. It towered over them, the metal shimmering in the sun save for the random patches of rust. Oracle moved to the left side while Leathe ventured right. Mouse raised her rifle to the door. The others did the same.
Leathe spoke, her voice bathed in static over the radio, "When the door opens, you listen to everything we tell you. That's not an order, it's a warning. Step where we step, do as we do, and we'll get you out alive."
Oracle pulled out what appeared to be a chisel. On the body was a metal arm, a laser cutter aimed at the business end of the chisel. He nodded to Leathe, who produced one of her own.
Mouse never understood what made Safeharbor steel so special until now. They placed their chisel against the frame of the door. The cutter shot out a white beam of light, etching a straight black line into the metal. The chisel wasn't doing the cutting. It was melting, filling the void left behind by the beam.
The black line traced down to a black circle, nearly eroded due to the rust. In the center of the circle was a small slit, a key hole. When the black line reached the circle, the beam shut off. Lethe inserted a key, the highly intricate grooves lining up perfectly.
Mouse heard a rush of electrical power, the mechanical workings of the door whirring to life. The doors began to open. Once it was clear they could slip inside, Lethe removed the key. The doors stopped.
Leathe stared into the black for several moments. She hesitated. After a deep breath, she entered the depths, and the others soon followed...

To understand what grid chisels are, you have to understand how Safeharbor's power grid was designed. This planet is an ecumenopolis. When those who built the city decided to do so, their society saw a shift in cultural paradigms. A venture of such magnitude demands it. Architecture, industry, and engineering, were now forms of art.
This would influence how they chose to power the city. Energy is gathered through geothermal generators. This power is distributed throughout the entire planet via wireless transference. The system was designed to last eons, which is fortunate for us.
Now with a source of power, they needed somewhere to send it. Every structure on Safeharbor has a means of receiving power. It acts as an alternator, cycling and recycling this power through a complex network of energy cells. The heat of this world jump started a self-sustaining system across the entire planet, provided someone was around to maintain it.

Safeharbor steel

The metal used to build this city is an alloy we have failed to reproduce. We have no idea how they made it. We know it involves tungsten, chromium, titanium, and of course iron, but how they managed to create a city that is its own power grid baffles our finest minds.
Because all power on Safeharbor is wireless, the buildings carry the power in their very walls, sending it out to any object fitted to receive it. Safeharbor steel will always feature intricate lines, indentations in the metal. These are filled with an insulated resin, the primary substance of a grid chisel.
When heated, the resin melts, unwinding a copper core. The copper lines the interior of the resin, and acts as a conductor for the electrical current. The beam attached to the chisel etches into the steel, fills it, and all one needs to do then is wait for the power.

Grid lines

The grid of Safeharbor is connected to a supercomputer capable of managing the power supply to the whole planet. We know where it is, but it's far too deep for us to to get to it. Because of this, we are forced to play by its rules. To do this, we needed to learn its language.
Grid lines can be etched and arranged in a series of ways. A straight line tells the computer where power is meant to travel, but intersecting that line with a vertical line prevents power from moving further. The resin can be removed, altered, and adjusted, giving us complete control over where the power goes and where it doesn't.
This is why grid chisels are important. The three colonies are situated in a ring. Without a ship, you can't get in or out. Without a chisel to reconnect power to one of a thousand doors, and a key to open them, the doors stay sealed. This keeps the dangers of Safeharbor out of our cities.

A limited resource

Grid chisels and Safeharbor steel remain a top priority for researchers. We actively seek a method in recreating them. Grid chisels only have so much resin. While we can easily gather more, doing so locks off sections of the city, taking power away from what could be highly valuable.
The shape and design of a chisel is its most unusual trait. The resin coats copper filaments, and this copper is wound in intricate spirals. Even when removing resin from an established circuit, the chisel always retains the same shape and structure. The copper filaments will join up with the copper in the chisel, spiraling perfectly as the chisel absorbs the resin.
While some form of magnetism is likely, we have yet to figure out how this is accomplished. The result is seemless each and every time.

Adaptability

You may often wonder why we can so easily integrate foreign technology on our vessels. We can retrofit weapons from any species, charge any form of battery, and operate any machine using this technology.
Persephone class vessels are designed for this. Wayfarers find advanced technology and fit that technology onto the vessel. With a little tinkering. It doesn't take much to activate and operate it.
Every ship has a chisel, allowing the crew to optimally place every module. Wayfarer ships are often considered the best in our navy. Every battle is a learning experience. Lessons learned are applied, the weapons moved and adjusted. The ship's effectiveness exponentially increases.