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Not to be confused with scifi examples of power crystals, or examples in
fantasy where crystals have magical properties. Disclaimer over. For the most
part, ships and orbiting stations in the system fleet are manufactured in
outer space. The only reason we ever did it on Earth was because we were not
capable of space manufacturing in the early days. Once we built up some
infrastructure, and bolstered the industry overall, we were able to free
ourselves from the gravity well. We still needed ways to actually get up to
these vessels, but that was easy after everything. There doesn’t seem to be a
name for the host star, or the star system as a whole, so we’ll just call it a
Castlebourne thing. They build their ships on a secret moon base, which is
easier for them to take off from. I caught a peek from a telescope once, and
saw the mass driver that they use for launching. That’s all I know about that,
and the crystal regulators. Every ship, no matter how big or small, or what
powers it, or what it’s used for, has a need to distribute its power. Our
ancestors used to use various technologies, like adapters, to control the flow
of electrical power. These were crude by today’s standards, but the principle
remains vital to the safe and efficient operation of a moving vehicle.
Crystals have a variety of uses in this regard. I won’t bore you with the
details, but some of them serve as conditioners, which maintain the smooth
transference of power, where it’s needed. It makes sure that everything, no
matter how remote, is powered at all times. But sometimes it’s too much power,
so you also need crystal capacitors, which can buffer the power temporarily,
and release it more gradually. If it’s buffered too much, then they can also
redistribute it safely, if only to a waste heat ventilation system. Crystals
are also used as nodes, redirecting or splitting the power when powering
multiple independent systems at once. I say all this so you understand why
this dome has to exist. So now you know why the crystals themselves are
important, but that doesn’t explain why they need to be manufactured here,
instead of the moon, where nearly everything else is made. It has to do with
gravity. Crystals aren’t made, they’re grown. They start small,
and build themselves from there, almost like a plant. For some types, this
process requires 1G surface gravity, or close to it. There’s some evidence
that Castlebourne’s slightly lower gravity is beneficial to the process, but
they’ve not completed enough studies on this phenomenon, and there are a lot
of other variables to account for. What we do know is that Castlebourne-grown
power crystals are at least as good as any others. You may be asking, why
don’t you just grow them in a cylindrical habitat? And I’ll tell you, that’s
not real gravity. It’s only simulating gravity. For everyday living, if the
spin is programmed correctly, everything feels normal. But crystals are more
finicky. They also need to be still, and they can tell when they’re in motion,
which is presently the only way to fake gravity. So for now, they’re grown on
the surface of a full-sized planet. That’s what we do here in this dome, and
we do it well. Most of this is automated, as one would expect, but I still
have an important job to do here. They still like to have humans inspect the
merchandise. If you ever ride in a ship that uses my power crystals, you can
rest, assured that it’s been created using the highest of standards, and
you’re safe. At least from crystals. Any other components, I don’t
know...that’s not my department.
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