Name: Thericite, Stardust, Crystalrot, Зоряний камінь Description: Thericite is an erchioid found primarily within areas of high ECF, forming spontaneously and growing into jagged spires of gold-threaded silver crystal. In liquid and gaseous form, Thericite appears silver with flecks visible flecks of gold. Abilities: Energy Dense: Thericite in liquid or gaseous form is an incredibly powerful, efficient, and clean energy source. These factors combined make it a competitor to fusion reactors in terms of output; and with proper infrastructure, may even come out ahead of it. Scalable: Thericite generators are highly scalable, able to be made small enough to carry, or large enough to qualify as installations suited to power entire cities. Conditional Abilities: Renewable: Given enough time, Thericite in crystalline form will grow larger by absorbing ECF; this process is accelerated considerably as the ECF rises. Roughly, it takes two years for a kilogram of Thericite to grow in Realspace conditions; while in 3‽ it takes around six months. Exact growth times above this are uncertain due to the effect heightened ECF has on reality. Limitations: Volatile: Unless at a temperature below freezing, Thericite in its crystalline form is highly volatile; exploding violently if significantly fractured or outright shattered. This explosion sends Thericite dust and shards flying in a wide area, as well as releasing a brief burst of high cuils. The radius of this detonation is dependent on the initial size of the Thericite before it was damaged. Virulent: Thericite in any state is very dangerous to organic life; slowly crystalizing any it comes into contact with even briefly. This crystallization does not occur on point of contact; instead appearing sporadically in clusters throughout the body, and over an incredibly long period measuring in years after initial contact, growing larger over time and causing exacerbating health issues. Most organic life will die from crystallization before it is of significant enough size to detonate in any harmful quantity. For organics to safely handle Thericite, they must be equipped with environmentally sealed suits. While there are ways to manage the crystallization, there is no cure known to exist as far as currently researched. Conditional Limitations: Normality: Thericite becomes inert if ever in an area of negative ECF, or if it comes into contact with materials such as Normantium. Thericite in this state cannot detonate or be used as fuel, and only reverts if present in an area of an ECF of six or higher. Run-Time: Most carriable Thericite generators can run for between five and six months in optimal conditions before refueling, this includes the type of generator typically installed in most terrestrial vehicles. While generally inadvisable due to risk of spillage, a smaller Thericite generator adapted to fit power armor can run for between two and three months. Weight: Thericite generators in their carriable form are quite heavy, requiring equipment such as an exosuit to transport them with any manner of ease. Obscure: Thericite generators are relatively niche technology, leading to replacement parts if one breaks being difficult to acquire. How does it work: Thericite forms rarely from organic life undergoing Erchius crystallization in high ECF, where the Prime Erchius infestation spontaneously undergoes a process akin to metamorphism; drastically altering its properties and appearance into the other Erchoid. Thericite itself functions in a manner that can be likened to Cuiloplasts; somehow utilizing Cuils to continuously undergo the chemical processes needed to grow in size. Flavor text: The existence of Thericite has only recently been discovered compared to other Erchioids. Initially, Thericite was assumed to be a purely synthetic substance created by accident by the USSS during their research into anomaly during the late 3100s through a means unable to be replicated, it was later discovered by Purgatorian scientists in the mid to be a naturally occurring mineral found within high ECF Erchius-rich environments. Its connection to Erchius was only realized after continuous study. Due to its relative rarity and unknown methods of synthetization, the USSS is the only nation which has utilized it as a fuel source in any significant quantity. While the Fringe nation has collapsed by the modern day, many of its former colonies, facilities, and technology continue to utilize the Erchioid to sustain themselves; regardless of the inherent risk of the mineral to organic life. Referenced Technologies: https://lore.galactic-citizen.com/en/technology/materials/anomalous_materials/erchius Attainability: Open (While Thericite can naturally occur in areas of at least six ECF, the intended way to acquire it is from USSS facilities, colonies, warships, or machines; as they are the only ones who have researched and utilized it in any notable quantity due to their hand in its discovery.) Tags: [Industrial] Category: Material
