Sea Stars: Bringing Power to the Masses (Patreon)

A Scientific Article for the Shard-Strike Universe
Written by Engineered Sorcery
Edited by Au Goose
Commissioned by HarmonyMotion

Sea Stars: Bringing Power to the Masses

(Part 1)

While the most prominent consequence of the neutrino-opacity induction events known as ‘shard strikes’ is the creation of paranatural individuals, this is far from the only effect. For example, though it is commonly held that the development of N-opacity invariably leads to the destruction of nonliving materials (due to their lack of a Quantum Fortification factor), this is not wholly true.

Neutrino-opaque inorganic constructs, known colloquially as “sea stars”, display the same ability to “catch” neutrinos as Paranaturals do. Initially discovered underwater and in natural crystalline formations, these remnants lack the ability to metabolize or otherwise release the trapped energy.. As a result the energy they possess is near-completely converted into heat, eventually resulting in the combustion or ionisation and dissolution of the molecules in question. That is, unless that heat can be conducted away.

Given that the majority of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, a number of Strikes reached the seafloor and converted the substances found there into their N-Opaque equivalents. While this would normally result in their dissipation, the presence of a thermally conductive transfer medium (sea water) to sink the waste heat allowed the particles in question to maintain their solid state despite generating amounts of heat similar to a naturally-occuring, radiation-free nuclear pile. The applications of these rare materials are numerous, though some are more obvious than others. For example, generation of electricity is also primarily done by heating large amounts of water to drive through a turbine, leading many sea star deposits (particularly large clusters of metals such as iron or tin) becoming a valuable commodity in the civilian utilities sector.

In addition to their status as an effectively unlimited (at least as of yet) power source, sea stars have found a marquee use in desalination plants across the world. Most notably, South Africa’s Mandela Memorial Hydro-Plant in Cape Town and California’s Santa Bonita outside of San Diego were particularly publicised by their constructors. These sources of efficient clean water, discounting the environmental implications of their waste products, have turned previously-desperately-dehydrated lands into net exporters, much to the frustration of those who could rely on their needs as a vital source of income. This, in turn, has caused another shift in population toward coastal deserts.

These materials are also the only reason that paranatural-safe prisons can exist. Due to the additional material durability afforded by q-fortified elements and their ability to “shield” the area within from neutrinos, enclosing a paranatural in a cell made from sea-star materials (or surrounded by a layer of N-opaque liquid as a sort of sheathe) robs them of many of their most dangerous qualities. However, due to the enormous cost involved in creating, maintaining, and purchasing these facilities many prisons will have at most a single para-resistant cell.

There are a number of other uses for sea-stars, as well as their quantum-fortified cousin materials. The second article in this series will cover more of their applications and specific elemental uses. It remains to be seen how these materials will truly affect the world, but with the existence of Paranaturals tipping the scale of our civilization, utilization of sea stars brings some of this same revolution to those who have not been directly blessed by random chance.