EN: Pure Paleofuel Crystocell

Ancient Tier 10 artefacts, pure paleofuel crystocells are very rare portable power cells that served as the main power source for very high consumption devices, such as serene armours or AIs.

Description:

Pure paleofuel crystocells are constituded of three "shells".

The innermost shell, known as the chamber, contains the crystalline paleofuel. It is of cylindrical shape, with thick mate metallic walling and evenly spaced round cutouts along its median axis.

Crystalline paleofuel ressembles magnetic sand structures, and is characterised by its light purplish pink colour and clear aspect. The crystal's spikes will reconfigure when the cell is in use, to form thinner and longer interlacing structures, a process known as "blooming".

The intermediary shell, known as the coil, is of spherical shape and surrounds the chamber. It is constituted of thin latitudinal slices of heat conducting alloy that will help radiate the excess heat of the device towards the polar caps, situated on the top and bottom of the sphere. Those caps also contain the lenses that will focus the high energy radiation of the paleofuel into a concentrated beam. The coil is immersed in coolant.

The outermost shell, known as the casing, is made of rugged alloy and constituted of two flat faced cone shaped halves. Their tips rest on top of the polar caps of the coil, thus giving to the device a roughly rhombus-like shape (somewhat reminiscent of the head of a mace). The two halves are connected by a thicker ridge in the middle. Rotating panels on the plating of the casing allow to check the inside of the coil and chamber for abnormal behaviour, but should not be slid open during high power use, due to the blinding light that would emanate from the device. The top and bottom part of the casing contain the intricate regulators and activators of the cell (switches and power wheels), as well as the three connectors and emitters that will allow to mount it on a grid and convert the focused beam into power.

Mécaniques et Fonctionnements Internes

While the synthesis of paleofuel itself eludes all remaining civilisations on Haven, crystocells are in themselves fairly simple objects. They are primarily designed to radiate energy in a focused way, and get rid of unnecessary heat. If pure crystalline paleofuel deposits were to be found by technicians of Haven, they would be readily able to reverse engineer the cells that power Esperance and build analogous devices.

Unlike the cruder high paleofuel gaz, that is highly volatile and explosive, crystalline paleofuel is very stable, thus not requiring extensive care. Cracks in the plating of the outer shell might however be dangerous. Indeed, the heating of the coil could lead to the high pressure release of heated coolant fluid. Crystocells are safe to carry.

The controls situated on the caps allow to change the reactivity of the crystal to set the power output needed (enough to power a lightbulb essentially until the end of times, a large modern city for millenia, or a serene armour for months). The bottom cap also features the drainage connector to replace the coolant fuel. Should the cell dry up, it is possible to take it apart and add more crystalline paleofuel. However, it is likely that given the very long timescales over which they are currently used, it would be advisable to replace at least the chamber and check the cell for used or damaged parts.

Importance

In the times of utter energetic scarcity known today in Haven, finding a crystocell could durably change the fortunes of most civilisations of the megastructure, albeit in notably different ways.

For the last remaining Arch-AIs, it would ensure some degree of durable self-preservation without regressing to the dreaded mere synth status, thus preventing them from going extinct.

For the last thriving city of Esperance, it would mean being able to power up some of the old energy hungry systems of Haven, and possibly resume contact with other debris of the megastructure, such as Eden.

Were they to be found by Parago, or other advanced warmongering technicians, they could also be employed to power the very deadly serene armours, themselves very rare artefacts, or even power an hypothetical interstellar ship.

The few known remaining ones, having been already used for a very long time, are nearing exhaustion. Their vital role make them strategic assets for the societies using them, and they are thus extremely well protected and rarely if ever taken from the grid.

Type d'objet

Power Storage / Generator

Rareté

Pure paleofuel crystocells are exceptionally rare on Haven, and most of them have already been gathered to power cities or other large devices such as extractors. It is doubtful that any remain on the surface of Left, where they have been sought for millennia by power hungry scavengers of all kinds.

However, other faces of Haven are thought to still hide some. Hard to access areas, such as the Core of Haven, or the very inhospitable Front of the megastructure, may even have some crystalline paleofuel deposits, where such crystocells could be manufactured anew.

It is to be noted that, rather than the device itself, it is the fuel that it uses that is extremely rare. After the Cataclysm, all but a few of the fuel deposits of the Cloister were lost, leaving the people of Haven without a durable power source, scraping for the last remaining stocks.

Poids

8kg

Dimensions

15x30 cm

Prix de Base

priceless