Biogel Power Plant (World Guide, Technical) (Patreon)

Biogel Power Plant

Perhaps one of the most important and generally useful developments in biogel technology is the so-called ‘life essence energy collection and induction system’, or more commonly the ‘biogel power plant’. Though the exact mechanisms of its operation are quite complex, the core concept is quite simple. Living sapient life forms each have a connection between their mortal bodies, and the fundamental, higher-order-dimensional domain of their immortal soul. The biogel power plant converts the sapient life form into a transdimensional shape which allows it to easily massage large amounts of energy out of that higher order space, through the life essence connects, and into the mortal realm. That energy can then be passed through biogel in specially constructed induction loops, allowing it to be converted into electricity.

Excepting a few experimental prototypes, all biogel power plants come in a fixed, and largely modular form. Each is a large, horizontal cylinder comprised of a set of certain elements, with supporting frames, and accessory and electrical equipment beneath. At the ends are the hemispherical end caps, which contain the transdimensional field generators and the biogel filled tubes with conduct the resulting fields into the power pods. Between the end caps are up to three power pods, which each contain twenty-four power elements. These power elements convert and contain the souls which are used to siphon higher dimensional energy.

Each power pod consists of two independently moving vertical carousels. These each hold six tubes, which are geared so as to always be held in an upright position, regardless of the position of the carousel. Each tube contains two power elements, positioned end-to-end, and accessed by a sliding cover which rotates back into its own outer shell.

In all current cases, entrance into a biogel power element is made as ‘normal’ and ‘comfortable’ as possible for the volunteers who ‘staff’ the systems. A special padded deck suitable for barefoot walking is installed at the entrance level, and steps lead up to padded benches right alongside the element openings. In many cases, portions of the end cap covers, power pod casing, and power element sliding lids are made transparent pink to allow a view of the outside while waiting for energizing. The biogel ports at the head and foot ends of each element are surrounded my a glowing, shifting, and pulsing pink mosaic appearance in order to seem less threatening.

Once both elements in a tube are occupied, the carousel rolls the tubes downward to the next position, where they are connected to the biogel tubes extending from the transdimensional field generators. A spray of glowing pink activated biogel aerosol fills the elements, and covers the occupants as they float up of the beds into the middle of their chambers. Soon, energy flows from one end of the element to the other, morphing their bodies into a shapeless sizzle of ‘negative energy’ between the biogel ports. A sextet of bright strands of activated biogel spin around this sizzle of un-light and sparks shoot about within this field, creating vibrations which add massive amounts of energy to the biogel coils along the internal spine of the power plant.

The biogel transformer coils created a constantly moving set of one-way linear waves which stimulate high currents in a set of superconducting electrical coils wrapped around them. Using this setup, each independently operating half-pod can produce up to 9,370 amps of standard shipboard 480V DC electricity, or about 4.5 megawatts of power. A fully occupied power pod can produce up to about 9 megawatts of power.

Up to three power pods, with a total of 72 power elements, can be strung together in a single power plant. These ‘max-plants’ can produce upward of 15.5 megawatts of total power, a value that might seem small relative to ground based power plants, but has the benefit of a 100% superconducting shipboard power network to eliminate undesired power losses.

Most biogel powered starships are designed to accommodate two full power plants for redundancy. The Destiny Alpha and Destiny Beta both have a pair of three power pod type units, while the Destiny Omega has four two power pod type units.

While biogel power pods are highly effective methods of utilizing a previously inaccessible source of power, it does not come without risks to those who volunteer to have their souls used, and potentially abused, in such a fashion. While the experience is generally described as being ‘strange’, ‘only a little uncomfortable at first’, and ‘woah… groovy, maaaan!’, some find the energizing stage distinctly displeasing to the senses. There is also a very real risk that a soul might not come out in quite the same physical state as when she entered a power element.

Following are the current known outcomes for those who enter a modern biogel power plant (Mk3 or greater).

- Success. Returned to normal at end of power cycle. (92.5%)

- Process error. Returns at end of power cycle, but in a body identical to another occupant of the subject’s power pod. (1.8%)

- Process error. Returns at end of power cycle, along with a perfect physical clone of themselves, containing a soul that had been trapped in the induction loop. (1.5%)

- Process error. Returns at end of power cycle as a gummy. (1.4%)

- Process error. Subject sucked into the induction loop at end of power cycle, body re-formed with another soul that had been previously trapped in the induction loop. (0.9%)

- Process error. Returns at end of cycle, though as a different sapient species who’s dna has been trapped in the system at some point since the last full system clean and reset. (0.7%)

- Process error. Returns at end of cycle as a creature of transdimensional nature. (0.05%)

- Full failure. No body re-formation. Subject soul sucked into the induction loop on end of power cycle, joins souls already present. (0.9%)

- Full failure. Subject’s soul falls into its own ‘negative energy’ rift. Fate Unknown. (0.25%)