Vanderium-4
What is Vanderium-4?
Primary Use in Probability Shifters
Summary
Canisters of Vanderium-4 used in Probability Shifters
Large fuelling containers of gaseous Vanderium-4
Vanderium-4 is a supercritical material that is naturally found as a high-density gas that forms around uninhabited super gas giants. The gas-only forms if the giant is undisturbed for several millennia, and any fluctuations in the gas giant's gravitation or natural cycle could disturb the structure of the gas and disperse it, ruining its usefulness before it is harvestable.
This gas, due to its nature as a supercritical material, can change properties depending on whether it is currently a gas or a liquid. As a gas it is insoluble, but as a fluid it flips to being fully soluble. Using this quirk, Vanderium-4 can be used to trap and transport compressed energy. This is done by pumping in an amount of energy into the Vanderium-4 when it is still a gas and then using a cold compression system to squeeze it forcibly into a liquid, locking the energy within it for future use. However, the Vanderium-4 is quite unstable in its liquid form and can only house the energy within it for a short time, and only if compression is continually applied. If compression is released, the liquid will evaporate back to gas and release all the stored energy. Which can result in a sudden explosion if handled incorrectly. Specialized containers and canisters are created to house the material in both of its states.
This resource is highly valuable due to its usage as a power stabilizer within a device called a Probability Shifter. This device is a large engine, typically attached to a ship's standard sublight travel systems, that is used to capture the energy created and sent from Probability Suspension Drives, which are large space station-sized machines developed to make long-distance space jumps possible. However, this energy, which is rumoured to be generated by a sizable Abnormality Object at the core of the Probability Suspension Drive, is incredibly unstable and very dangerous if left unchecked. This is why a material with the properties of Vanderium-4 is required in order to control these energies enough for proper, and mostly safe, use.
In order to use Vanderium-4 within a Probability Shifter it must be placed within special cylindrical tubes in its gaseous form. It can then be plugged into the Probability Shifter when its usage is required. When chaotic abnormality energy is sent by a Probability Suspension Drive it is captured by the Probability Shifter and flowed into the cylinder where the gas is located. The gas is then quickly supercooled and compressed which traps the chaotic energy and forces it into a more calm and malleable state. During the compression cycle, the energy-infused liquid is pushed back into the Probability Shifters systems where the energy is released in a control fashioned allowing for long-distance travel in a drastically reduced timeframe. Though some abnormality may leak on occasion and cause an Abnormality Events.
Currently, Vanderium-4 is the only known substance that is able to quell the chaotic energy harnessed by the Probability Suspension Drives enough to allow for the ship to use them. Because of this it is highly valuable and comes at a premium price tag, if any trader or traveller wishes to move across the Delta Space in a reasonable amount of time they have no choice but to pay whatever the market price currently is.
Vanderium-4 is a supercritical material that is harvested as a gas from uninhabited super gas giants, it is used primarily in Probability Shifters aboard ships, in conjunction with Probability Suspension Drives to allow for the activation of long-distance jumps in space. When used it is compressed into a supercritical liquid.
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