Quantum Fields

Fields of Blue

Aether men die young, it's a fact of our trade. We like the money, and we pay with our lives. We don't ask why we make so much. it doesn't become apparent until it's far too late. Mark died at 22, his lungs collapsed one day on the field. Geoff died of cancer last year. He was 23 years old. These conditions must change, we must have a safer way of harvesting the Aether. I'd hate for it to come to a strike..."

— Testimony before the safety board of Hensen and Sons Mining Corporation

Quantum is a form of flora that looks similar to an orchid. It grows in massive fields beneath The Cities of Blue when they emerge into reality. The quantum fields are some of the most dangerous places in the world, but where there is quantum, there is a deposit of Aether in the ground below, and many are willing to risk those dangers to get it.

Quantum fields are rows and rows of quantum flowers that emit a blue haze. This vapor is raw Aether and is toxic in every way when exposed to humans. The fumes can cause damage to the lungs, flowers emit radiation that can cause a number of problems, and those that wish to take advantage of your hard work may be lying in wait to steal your haul.

Safety Reform

In recent years violent protests and strikes spread across the world regarding the harvesting of Aether. Distraught family members that have lost loved ones, concerned citizens who questioned the ethics of the various groups that harvest the material,

Flora and Fauna

Apart from the Quantum, no other living thing can survive due to the aether mist that hovers on the field. Dead bodies litter the fields, decaying slowly as the aether breaks down skin and tissue. Plant life is just as susceptible to the radioactive qualities of the flower. Plants tend to die off if they grow too close and a full ring of lifeless soil circles the field that can leave a patch 10 yards wide before other forms of plant life will grow.

And those Who harvest the material itself all demanded changed methods in which the material was to be gathered and demanded proper equipment for the safety of those who do it. This was met with both understanding and resistance depending on who you're talking about. Some investors refuse to even Ponder the subject as they believed their height and wages were sufficient to compensate for the dangers of the job. When a group of scientists came out with a study indicating that it wasn't just a risk or a danger but a guarantee that these young men and women would die shortly after exposure, almost all government entities began enforcing rules on safety on the job site. This was not an ethical decision but rather a financial one as many of the individuals who worked the fields refused to return to them and finding replacements became impossible as news of the danger spread rapidly.

Aether Harvesters

Aether is harvested by a team of up to 10 men and women to work on a harvester. Harvesters a large complex built within a Quantum field that has a limited range of mobility. Harvesters stands at approximately 30 ft tall and are usually somewhere between 20 and 40 feet in length and width. They are attached to tracks that allow them to move slowly across the quantum field. At the heart of the Harvester is a drill designed to hollow out a tunnel in the ground or either is detected through sonar technology. Sonar tech comes from something called a tweeter which sends out sound waves into the ground and waits for a response that matches the frequency of aether. When it is found a whole will be dug that leads somewhere in the vicinity of the deposit but never directly to it. The closer the tunnel is drilled to the deposit the more likely it is to cause a catastrophic reaction that will make the deposit explode. Once the tunnel is dug the crew must wear protective gear and enter the tunnel.
This protective gear usually comes in the form of radiation resistant suits with their own air supply funneled from a line that leads to the surface. They also have special digging equipment designed to move dirt without causing extreme vibrations. Well they do have pickaxes and shovels their primary tool is the use of a device called a vibration gun. The main end of the vibration gun is placed on the surface of the dirt and activated. It sends out vibrations into the dirt, but these vibrations are so minute that it's almost impossible to feel. The vibration breaks apart the soil causing it to fall which is then shoveled and moved to an area out of the way. For particularly large deposits this dirt can be used to reinforce the outside of a tunnel they are digging. Usually these large deposits require beans and other reinforcements to be placed around the tunnel to prevent it from collapsing as well.
Once the deposit is reached the crew must carefully break apart the aether from the vein. Striking The aether will cause it to explode, and as such they must carefully private using specially designed chisels that are placed within deformations in the surface and then Leverage is applied to pry it loose.The bonds that hold deposits be there together or rather weak and as such it is not difficult to remove it from a larger surface. This aether is then gathered and transported to the surface. Once it is on the surface it must then be refined before it can be successfully shipped.
The refining process of aether uses liquid nitrogen and hydrogen. By placing large amounts of ether in a vat and then surrounding the container with the liquid hydrogen and nitrogen, the remarkably cold temperatures will cause the aether to harden into a single solid substance. Once it gets back up to room temperature it tends to have a liquid quality allowing it to melt and form with other particles of aether. The processed aether is then placed in large glass cylinders and stored until they are retrieved to be shipped across the world.