Dark Matter

Dark Matter is a physics-defying resource harvest based on antibaryonic particles primarily from the accretion disk of a black hole. Although some amounts of the substance can be found in many regions of space, especially in nebulae, the majority of harvestable concentrations are found around black holes. Dark matter itself is a poorly-understood resource, but is known to be capable of bending gravity and subspace in its vicinity. The gravitic fields it can generate are grossly disproportionate to its mass in a way that is still unexplained by existing natural laws of physics. Experiments have been undertaken in order to find practical large-scale applications of dark matter, but practical applications are still years, if not decades or centuries away.

Notably, however, the ancient empires of the galaxy appear to utilise dark matter for energy, propulsion, and shielding. Long-range studies of these empires (and close-range scans where possible) have revealed that their starships do not completely obey the laws of physics in their movement, and trace amounts of dark matter has been detected in their drive trails. Some field manipulation experts believe that dark matter could be used in such a way to create an incredibly stable cloaking field, but no significant studies into this have been carried out.

The extraction process of dark matter from black holes is a difficult endeavour. Concentrations of dark matter increase as one approaches the event horizon of a black hole, so the most efficient method of 'mining' dark matter is as close to the event horizon as possible. Drones equipped with anti-gravity field generators and overtuned thrusters are sent to 'skim' the event horizon, while the station remains at a safe distance and scans for useful concentrations of dark matter. These drones utilise their gravity manipulation fields to secure dark matter from as far from the event horizon as possible. Although mining and research stations orbit well away from the event horizon, mining drones are occasionally lost due to mechanical failure or pilot error. Dark matter concentrations in nebulae or on celestial bodies are significantly easier to harvest, without the ever-present threat of a singularity.