Prism

The Fossil Fuel of The Universe

The missiles are loaded, and I can't help but feel as if I made a mistake. Every speck of being within me begs me to give up. It's like deep down I know how bad of an idea this really is.
Fray speaks, and it derails my train of thought, "You really shouldn't have let them live."
I turn in the pilot's chair to face them. "Why? They gave up willingly."
"Yes and now they likely know where we're headed. If they know we're traveling back to Eden space, they'll hunt us down. They've probably already gathered forces."
"We'll be gone before they find us." I look back to the controls and begin preparing for warp. "It shouldn't take more than one, and you managed to get three."
"I'm not particularly thrilled about having any at all." Fraeia's voice is low, as if trying to speak under their breath.
"Me either," I reply. We have no way of knowing just how safe they are. Dhitol likely ignored many safety measures to speed up development. A collision, even with something small, could set the missiles off.
The lights flicker off and we sit in a pitch black silence. We made the calculations. Gibraltar plans to reemerge at The Fever Breach. Why there? Even after the attack, it's still populated, and the eden would attack it just as quickly as I would.
When we drop from warp the lights flicker back on. I hear tapping on the hull from outside, a sound that reminds me of the rain back on Safeharbor. That's not a good sign.
When the panoramic view kicks in, we find ourselves in a sea of wreckage. The remains of eden ships surround us.
I maneuver, quick to avoid anything that would jostle the ship more than I'd like. "I think Gibraltar's already here."
Fraeia stares at the screen in shock. "Look…" they point to molten steel, blackened edges and the faintest haze of prismatic vapor surrounding the ships. "That doesn't make sense."
"What?"
They narrow their eyes. "The gas, residual prism. It's like our ships turned on each other. Gibraltar didn't do this."
"Could it be an assault by the breakers of chains?"
"Maybe."
We move deeper into the field of debris. There's nothing left. There's no sign of life, no readings on sensors.
Fraeia lets out a sigh and shakes their head. "No. We need to leave."
This isn't how this was meant to happen. Where is it? Where is Gibraltar?
"Amber, we need to go."
I whisper my reply, "I can't."
"You must. We-" they stop as something comes into view. We pass a large chunk of hull and the sight leaves me just as speechless.
Despite the distance, we can actually see the details clear as day. The archangel, a titan class vessel that has served as the pride of the Eden fleet for thousands of years, now floats like a dead moon around the black hole at the center of the system.
Fraeia cries out as if in pain. "How?"
We draw closer to the breach and see the same as before, a prismatic haze that surrounds the wreckage. Nothing the Eden produce could stand up to their most powerful vessel. What did this?
My eyes catch a hint of light from the sensors but when I look, I see nothing. Before I look away, I catch it again. I see signals appear and vanish. The system isn't dead. We're being jammed.
I speak while setting a new course. "Maybe you're right. We should leave."
"Well, now it's too late," Fraeia replies. "We'll be interdicted if we run."
I hear a notification chime from my right, a broadcast. I hit play and regret it immediately. I cringe at the sound of high pitched screams. It's speaking, but my translator doesn't know the language. I look at Fraeia who shrugs while covering their ears.
Is it something new? That would explain why we lack their language in our translators, but then again, no one else has access to prism.
Fraeia points to the screen and shouts, "Look there."
I see a writhing mass of tendrils dancing in the void. Within a hundred kilometers is another, and further still is a third.
I spit out the name, "Gibraltar."
"More than one... or perhaps others like it."

The eden rely on a resource I can barely fathom. Prism is a strange substance, named for the plentiful hues that emerge when light passes through it. It can be anything. It can be a Solid, liquid or gas. It can be made of any element in the universe. What truly separates prismatic helium from the standard variety is the fact that it isn't stable. It's something else entirely.
Even antimatter is in a state of equilibrium. All matter is caught in the quantum heat death of reality. The eden, however, found a loophole. By detecting and acquiring “relic matter” left over from the beginning of the universe, they learned how to bypass the quantum noise present in all matter existing in this state of equilibrium. I dont get it either.
The random elements of quantum mechanics are not truly random. They just appear to be because we're in this state of "thermal equilibrium." With non-equilibrium matter, you can solve problems like FTL travel and communication, breaking quantum cryptography, and more. Prism is their big secret, the reason the eden are at the top of the galactic food chain.

What is Prism?

Prism is matter, but in a state of nonequilibrium. What that means is the standard forms of physics won’t apply to it.
The main fuels used in nuclear fusion are deuterium and tritium, both heavy isotopes of hydrogen. If this fuel happens to be in a state of nonequilibrium, the fuel lasts longer and in less quantity. When used in weaponry, the prism reacts to standard matter, causing spectacular results.
In a gaseous state, light passing through it will separate into a random kaleidoscope of color. This is the easiest way of determining if matter is not in equilibrium. Besides that, pinning down exactly what it is and what to look for is complicated as it can literally take any form.

Explanation

All matter exists in a state of equilibrium, but prism isnt. It's practically a new branch of physics. This new physics might be accessible if the universe began in nonequilibrium. I won't bore you with the details, but understand these particle violate all we understand of quantum mechanics, and newtonian physics.
Matter within stars is constantly interacting, so you need to go deep into interstellar space to find pockets of the stuff that's still in a usable state. It's a limited resource. Once you use it up, it's gone. It’s hard to get, grants untold advantages, and is immensely valuable. Late-stage civilizations regularly went to war over prism. The eden have locked down most of the known pockets of the material, though no one knows where, including the eden. Likely it's a well kept secret. It's just that rare.
Luckily, as time goes on, the amount that exists grows. The older the universe becomes, the more of it their should be. Entropy is universal, and it makes sense that its grip on reality holds true even on the quantum level.

Acquiring Prism

No one knows how, but theories abound regarding how the Eden get a hold of prism. Some believe the Eden use Higgstech to literally extract relic matter from black holes, hence why they value them so much. This slowly drains the singularity, meaning every black hole has a finite amount of the resource to offer. Then again, no one has ever seen this happen.

Other ways of obtaining it could include using mining barges to harvest gas clouds in deep space. This isn't just the space between stars. We’re talking is the vast empty reaches of our galaxy, further than most species dare to go. This too has its problems. Their just wouldn't be enough left over from the big bang to power a civilization of this size.
Naturally, the eden are reluctant to part with it. It's vital to their entire civilization. Despite this, no one seems to know where it comes from. It's in everything, their food, their weapons, even their bodies. How is that even possible?

"There's more than one?" I ask.
Again, Fray shrugs. "I've never heard of them before but I doubt Gibraltar would be the only one of its kind."
Whatever they were, they were engaged with what few Eden vessels remained in the system. We see streaks of light, explosions, and ships circling the creatures.
Other ships of Eden make fire on their own vessels. Tendrils lash out, colliding with ships that fail to dodge them as they fight. They fight more out of defiance than a desire to win.
Fray nods and takes a deep breath before speaking, "The breakers of chains were involved after all, it seems. Why here? Why now?"
I see something else drifting in orbit around the breech. The closer we get, the easier it is to make it out. It's bigger than the others, unfurling its tendrils like a mane of jet black hair.
I shout, the name said louder than I intended, "Gibraltar."
"We should fall back and hide. They may not notice we're here under all this debris."
I look them in the eye and raise a brow. "After all that? Are we going to give up now?"
Fray's eyes close in a slow, deliberate motion, as if defeated. "It's suicide, Amber. What about your mother?"
"I can't help mom. I don't know a single thing that could reverse her condition and after what I've learned, I'm starting to think there isn't a way to fix it." Before they can reply, the ship jostles. The engines fire, our ship speeding towards the Breach. "Are you with me in this?"

"You're not giving me a choice." They're voice is low, angry. "Of course I'm with you."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just assumed-"
"Yes. You do that quite often." Their eyes never stray from the panoramic view. Gibraltar's form grows as we press on, a creature of unfathomable size.

"Why are you worried? It's not like-"
They shout over me, "I dont want you to die, Amber. I'm not worried about me. We lack the resources to fight all of them. If we kill one, what do you think the others will do?"
"I.."
Fray continues, raising their voice to be heard over my words, "And what of the Eden vessels? We have no way to know if they are allies or enemies." They pause only to let out a long sigh, one of acceptance. "I'm with you, but how are we getting out of this?"
I shout back, "I don't know." They cock their head and stare into my eyes. Suddenly, I feel small. "I've waited so long for this. I'm not leaving until it's dead."
Fraeia backs away, nodding slowly. Their tone stings, the words dripping with rage. "Then line up the shot." They turn their back to me and focus on the screen before them. "With luck, we might survive."