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A material which links artificial gravitational forces with electrical current.
Properties
Material Characteristics
A hard, brittle crystalline material. Tends to form complex hexagonal crystals if allowed to grow, but often found as finely machined cut gems or a thin, homogenous powder.
Physical & Chemical Properties
While at first appearing to be ferromagnetic strutcture not unlike metallic cobalt, cavorite instead has the remarkable trait of warping spacetime in the immediate area in a form of simulated gravity. When introduced to an electrical current, an apparent mass shadow is generated near to the cavorite with strength proportional to the current intensity and orientation coinciding with the current's path across the gem.
In order to sustain the size and strengths required to create reactionless drives high currents, resulting in high thermal stresses, are required. For this merely cooling the crystal is not enough, as any flaws in the crystalline structure will act as fault lines around which the crystal will fragment or even shatter. For this reason, high-quality cavorite crystals are manufactured from a single flawless crystal, which forms a non-trivial proportion of the cost of the entire ship. The forging process puts insurmountable limits on the size of crystal that can be generated, however. Flawed crystals can be broken up into thin, hard-wearing wafers which provide good acceleration curves in otherwise disposable reactionless drives such as rail missiles.
For lower intensity work, a collection of cavorite powders sandwiched between two charged plates and immersed in a conductive medium allows for a happy medium between fabrication and utility. These plates can achieve fields of 1g at low power for extended periods with practically no maintenance, and make for excellent shipboard artificial gravity despite the initial cost.
While only the Uen Imperial Protectorate have the cavorite manufacturing expertise and bloody-minded persistance needed to achieve cavorite gem manufacturing at scale, many other factions such as the Tri-Star Commonwealth and The Alliance of Heroes have found opportunities to manufacture cavorite dust of their own or procure finely powdered tailings from Rupeean crown-owned plants.
Origin & Source
Aside from tales coming from the Chari Ascendancy, the only cavorite found 'in the wild' has been a large and anomalous comet found in Rupee Quay Bandir. Initial study and mining of the comet's interior led to the beginning of cavorite manufacturing among Coalition space and the eventual adoption of the material. The comet, perhaps the only one of its kind, has come to be a symbol of Rupeean cultural heritage in the starfaring age and remains a popular tourism destination.
Type
Ore/Mineral
Color
Pale blue or turquoise. Entirely opaque with a uniform sheen.
Melting / Freezing Point
Unknown. Appears to undergo physical degradation before it would melt or sublimate.
Common State
Crystal
Related Species
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