Post by andromeda on Jul 9, 2023 17:26:28 GMT
Project E-227 – Darkstone Extraction Initiative
The Novish proved it was possible, and the Elvorians were prepared to set up refineries. The Selenican Republic had its job prepped – extract the darkstone needed to begin production of M82 Unmar Steel. This project was christened with the mundane name of “Project E-227.” However, despite pre-existing infrastructure for extracting minor amounts of darkstone for research purposes exists, the full-scale mining of it for military applications is an utterly hulking task.
And there were all the other factors to consider. Where it was to be extracted was extremely relevant, a planet with already existing orbital infrastructure was of utmost requirement. The place selected would also need extremely powerful orbital defenses, as the raids conducted by the SD would surely draw closer to places of strategic importance, this being no different. Intelligence would also be of utmost importance, so a…well-subjugated planet would be needed in order to mitigate leaks. As such, a centrally-placed planet, such as Yuza, with large industrial outputs already would be ideal.
Now that the location was selected, what was thought up next was how the expansion of the meridian diver fleet would be handled. To date, Triarch-purchased research vessels have proved satisfactory, however, mining and research are two very different enterprises.
The first hurdle to overcome was getting the miners in general. In collaboration with Noviy, some designs of “ancerium floaters” were sent to the Selenicans, which were a creative solution to the problem of basis for the miners. Attaching mining and containment equipment was not an easy task, with several tested vessels being consumed in part by the meridian, surely to be degraded into dust if they were sent further down due to difficulties in applying halostone to the bulky and power-hungry mining equipment.
Designers had many long nights to figure out how to use the floaters effectively. The concept wasn’t what they misunderstood – but maintaining the fuel and carrying capacity and diving time – all of these factors were nigh impossible to balance. And it didn’t help that halostone was exceedingly expensive, so test-runs were extremely limited. And many minor design flaws had nearly cost missions, with the extractor design basis proving near impossible to upscale, requiring a complete redesign and even further upscaling – almost too much so.
There was also the psychological concern. Meridian diving functions most like a submarine under the ocean, so those who are on miners must undergo psychological analysis to make sure they won’t break while under the surface. And with the skeleton crews civilian ships are often using, one man going insane would potentially compromise an entire mission. So that was one extra requirement for this sisyphian task.
However, the efforts of Selenican designers paid off with the first successful extraction of an appreciable amount of darkstone in AME 82 – with the ancerium floater miners being given the nickname “Bulldog” due to the difficulties in control and operation of the mining equipment.
The process for mining darkstone follows a strict and rigid format to prevent unneeded accidents which tally up massively if they were to occur.
1. Initial descent. Following full resupply, and a redone coating of halostone, a miner, with the assistance of an outside station, begins descending into the Meridian. Miners are always sent in groups of at least three.
2. Descent phase. Over the course of several days, miners descend into the Meridian proper. Despite having a relatively thick coating of halostone, the time a diver can spend in the meridian is limited to 3 weeks at most, with only a day or two at the depth of darkstone possible.
3. Mining phase. The most intense part of working a meridian miner, the halostone-coated equipment, begins to cut out pieces of darkstone and hold them in an external container. Only 1 or 2 days mining are possible at these depths, with the corrosive nature of the Meridian most severe.
4. Resurfacing phase. After the darkstone is collected, the floater earns its name and powers on its engines, beginning to ascend out of the Meridian. Miners commonly get minor corrosive damage in this phase, as the halostone coating begins to falter especially around joints.
5. Exiting phase. Using the external station to help, the miner exits the meridian and goes into dock.
Following a successful extraction, a miner is recrewed, resupplied, and completely repaired. Corroded pieces are typically shipped off back to a manufacturer’s plant to be disassembled, completely compromised parts thrown out or melted down into raw material to go through the process of making new parts, while salvageable parts are repaired and sent back.
The extracted darkstone is then loaded onto cargo ships and shipped off to the Elvorian Union for refinement. These cargo ships are almost always accompanied by a strong escort, as this cargo is a necessity for future Selencian endeavors.
After refinement into Unmar Steel or M82 composite, these same cargo ships deliver the assigned amount of product back to the Selenican Republic.
Keeping these operations a total secret is impossible, so defenses around them often take the form of several frigates and a destroyer or two in order to ward off potential attackers. Yuza specifically has many docks for defense purposes in case any would-be attackers were detected before they came.
After the end of this endeavor, the Selenican Republic finally has its hands on Unmar Steel or the M82 composite to use as it sees fit, however the quantity for a nation of its size is…lacking at best, so its usage is restricted to either megastructures or the most powerful ships of their navy. Byproducts, especially magsteel, are often requested for specialty ammunition for the Selenican army. This train of logistics makes the convoy lines to the Unmar Expanse an extremely important lifeline for the Selenican Republic now, which demands further protection…
The Novish proved it was possible, and the Elvorians were prepared to set up refineries. The Selenican Republic had its job prepped – extract the darkstone needed to begin production of M82 Unmar Steel. This project was christened with the mundane name of “Project E-227.” However, despite pre-existing infrastructure for extracting minor amounts of darkstone for research purposes exists, the full-scale mining of it for military applications is an utterly hulking task.
And there were all the other factors to consider. Where it was to be extracted was extremely relevant, a planet with already existing orbital infrastructure was of utmost requirement. The place selected would also need extremely powerful orbital defenses, as the raids conducted by the SD would surely draw closer to places of strategic importance, this being no different. Intelligence would also be of utmost importance, so a…well-subjugated planet would be needed in order to mitigate leaks. As such, a centrally-placed planet, such as Yuza, with large industrial outputs already would be ideal.
Now that the location was selected, what was thought up next was how the expansion of the meridian diver fleet would be handled. To date, Triarch-purchased research vessels have proved satisfactory, however, mining and research are two very different enterprises.
The first hurdle to overcome was getting the miners in general. In collaboration with Noviy, some designs of “ancerium floaters” were sent to the Selenicans, which were a creative solution to the problem of basis for the miners. Attaching mining and containment equipment was not an easy task, with several tested vessels being consumed in part by the meridian, surely to be degraded into dust if they were sent further down due to difficulties in applying halostone to the bulky and power-hungry mining equipment.
Designers had many long nights to figure out how to use the floaters effectively. The concept wasn’t what they misunderstood – but maintaining the fuel and carrying capacity and diving time – all of these factors were nigh impossible to balance. And it didn’t help that halostone was exceedingly expensive, so test-runs were extremely limited. And many minor design flaws had nearly cost missions, with the extractor design basis proving near impossible to upscale, requiring a complete redesign and even further upscaling – almost too much so.
There was also the psychological concern. Meridian diving functions most like a submarine under the ocean, so those who are on miners must undergo psychological analysis to make sure they won’t break while under the surface. And with the skeleton crews civilian ships are often using, one man going insane would potentially compromise an entire mission. So that was one extra requirement for this sisyphian task.
However, the efforts of Selenican designers paid off with the first successful extraction of an appreciable amount of darkstone in AME 82 – with the ancerium floater miners being given the nickname “Bulldog” due to the difficulties in control and operation of the mining equipment.
The process for mining darkstone follows a strict and rigid format to prevent unneeded accidents which tally up massively if they were to occur.
1. Initial descent. Following full resupply, and a redone coating of halostone, a miner, with the assistance of an outside station, begins descending into the Meridian. Miners are always sent in groups of at least three.
2. Descent phase. Over the course of several days, miners descend into the Meridian proper. Despite having a relatively thick coating of halostone, the time a diver can spend in the meridian is limited to 3 weeks at most, with only a day or two at the depth of darkstone possible.
3. Mining phase. The most intense part of working a meridian miner, the halostone-coated equipment, begins to cut out pieces of darkstone and hold them in an external container. Only 1 or 2 days mining are possible at these depths, with the corrosive nature of the Meridian most severe.
4. Resurfacing phase. After the darkstone is collected, the floater earns its name and powers on its engines, beginning to ascend out of the Meridian. Miners commonly get minor corrosive damage in this phase, as the halostone coating begins to falter especially around joints.
5. Exiting phase. Using the external station to help, the miner exits the meridian and goes into dock.
Following a successful extraction, a miner is recrewed, resupplied, and completely repaired. Corroded pieces are typically shipped off back to a manufacturer’s plant to be disassembled, completely compromised parts thrown out or melted down into raw material to go through the process of making new parts, while salvageable parts are repaired and sent back.
The extracted darkstone is then loaded onto cargo ships and shipped off to the Elvorian Union for refinement. These cargo ships are almost always accompanied by a strong escort, as this cargo is a necessity for future Selencian endeavors.
After refinement into Unmar Steel or M82 composite, these same cargo ships deliver the assigned amount of product back to the Selenican Republic.
Keeping these operations a total secret is impossible, so defenses around them often take the form of several frigates and a destroyer or two in order to ward off potential attackers. Yuza specifically has many docks for defense purposes in case any would-be attackers were detected before they came.
After the end of this endeavor, the Selenican Republic finally has its hands on Unmar Steel or the M82 composite to use as it sees fit, however the quantity for a nation of its size is…lacking at best, so its usage is restricted to either megastructures or the most powerful ships of their navy. Byproducts, especially magsteel, are often requested for specialty ammunition for the Selenican army. This train of logistics makes the convoy lines to the Unmar Expanse an extremely important lifeline for the Selenican Republic now, which demands further protection…