Research into the Privas Planetary Cluster, Gravitational anomalies

[Zeppy]

Research into the Privas Planetary Cluster, Gravitational anomalies
The Research log of Jack Denton, Captain of the deep space exploration and research vessel Prometheus

A few days ago I appealed to the Gallic Office of Border Affairs for permission to enter Gallia to study the Privas Planetary Cluster. They agreed but requested that I use another ship for the research. After purchasing a Pelican class transport on California Minor I ordered a course set for Dauphine.

The journey was uneventful and we soon arrived in Dauphine. After venturing closer to the cluster however we ran into our first problem, the presence of five planetary gravity wells in such close proximity to each other was causing excessively large gravitational fluctuations. I ordered the Pelican into a stable orbit around the cluster.

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The Privas planetary cluster

Our first attempt to send a probe to the surface of the central planetoid was thwarted. The probe was traveling well until it encountered the fluctuations, it seemed to pause and shake for a moment before it was simultaneously crushed and ripped apart. I ordered another probe launched, this time the probe'€™s destination would be one of the outer planets, Privas 2.

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Privas 2

The second probe was destroyed just like its counterpart. After several hours of brainstorming with my science team we struck apon the idea of using our graviton shield generator to protect the probe. The theory was that the outward gravitational force emitted by the graviton shield generator would (somewhat) counteract the gravitational fluctuations of the Privas planetary cluster, at least long enough for the probe to make planet-fall. In the hours that followed the Pelican'€™s systems (with the exception of life support) were all shut down and the engineers removed the shield generator from the pelican and fitted it to the probe.

After powering up the Pelican'€™s systems again and loading the probe into the launch bay we were ready for what would most likely be our last attempt for the day. The probe was knocked a long way off course by the fluctuations but it stayed intact. After making planet-fall the probe un-folded into its mobile form and several men and women in my science team took manual control of it from orbit. It appeared that the gravitational fluctuations were no longer a problem on the surface of the planet.

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You can see the yellow flare of the probe's engine as it heads towards Privas 2

Nothing was detected on the surface of the planet, this was to be expected of course but I thought it wise to be thorough, so I ordered the science team to start digging. After several hours of drilling the probe reached what should have been the planet'€™s core. Instead the drill struck the distinctive semi-organic material used in Daam K'€™Vosh technology. Scanning the Daam K'€™Vosh device at the core of Privas 2 showed extremely large power readings and faint gravitational fluctuations. I ordered the science team to carefully dig around to the other side of the device. The gravitational fluctuations grew consistently larger as the probe moved around the device until the probe reached the opposite side, the readings suddenly spiked off the chart and the probe was instantly crushed. Despite the loss of our remaining probe this excited me greatly. From the data collected I theorised that the Daam K'€™Vosh device was manipulating gravity on a gigantic scale and if I was right there would be such a device at the core of each planet in the Privas cluster. I immediately ordered the Pelican back to the nearest station to acquire another graviton shield generator and more probes.

By the next day we had gathered five probes, four transport class graviton shields and one gunboat class graviton shield and fitted one shield to each probe. The plan was to launch the four probes with transport shields into the outer planets and the probe with a gunboat shield into the central planet in the cluster.
After approaching the Privas cluster and launching the five probes without (much) incident, I ordered the science team to move the probes into position. I warned them to keep the probes out of the directed gravitational fluctuations generated by the Daam K'€™Vosh devices. When each probe was in position I ordered the data brought up on the main view screen.

It appeared that each of the devices in the outer planets were directed towards each of the other outer planets. The central planet'€™s device was also directed at the outer planets. I theorized that the outer planet'€™s devices were forcing the outer planets to keep an equal distance away from each other, the central planet'€™s device was most likely to keep the planets a constant distance away from the central planet. In effect these devices were creating an artificial stable orbit, without these devices the Privas cluster would collapse in on itself within a couple of minutes. The timing and fine tuning needed to create the Privas cluster was centuries ahead of human engineering. Even if we possessed the technology to create devices similar to the ones deep within the planets of the cluster the timing would have to be exact or the devices would not be able to work in unison and the cluster would collapse. This combined with the distinct Daam K'€™Vosh material used in the outer shell of the devices, proves without a shadow of a doubt that the Daam K'€™Vosh artificially created the Privas planetary cluster.

I ordered the science team to scan the devices and transmit the data back to the Prometheus which was in orbit around California minor with a skeleton crew at the time. After the information was sent I ordered the probes shut down and for a course to be set back to California minor.

I will study the scans of the Daam K'Vosh devices thoroughly when I return to the Prometheus later today, if I find anything interesting I will send another transmission on this channel.


This research was done completely independently and was not commissioned by any faction in Sirius.
All information is free and can be used by anyone regardless of affiliation.
My crew and I take no responsibility for misuse of this information.
Jack Denton, Captain of the Prometheus.

---

Reseach into the Kansas sector

Research into the Privas Planetary Cluster

Research into Alien "Trade Lanes"

A new ship, Jack Denton's time on Freeport 11

The JHC Drive

An Unscheduled Vacation of Sorts

The above are meant to be read in order, if you jump in at "A new ship" you are going to be lost.

RP feedback thread

[Zeppy]

After looking through the scans of the Daam K'Vosh devices, which my science team and I have dubbed Daam K'Vosh Gravitational Manipulators (DGM), I remain thouroghly confused about how the devices actually manipulate gravity in the way they do. However I believe that given time I can create a similar device using Sirian technology. These devices would be inferior to DGMs in many ways due to the colosul gap in Sirian and Daam K'Vosh technology, however they should suffice for smaller tasks, keeping a station in perfect orbit around a planet for example.

Jack Denton, Captain of the Prometheus

---

Reseach into the Kansas sector

Research into the Privas Planetary Cluster

Research into Alien "Trade Lanes"

A new ship, Jack Denton's time on Freeport 11

The JHC Drive

An Unscheduled Vacation of Sorts

The above are meant to be read in order, if you jump in at "A new ship" you are going to be lost.

RP feedback thread

[Zeppy]

The results gathered from the prototypes continue to amaze me, despite the inferiority of Sirian materials when compared to the Daam K'Vosh equivalents, based on current data I can safely say that a full scale version of the latest prototype would be almost as capable as the DGMs found in the Primas planetary cluster. However all prototypes so far have only been able to generate spherical gravity wells, all attempts to directionalise the effects of the device have resulted in failure. I will keep trying, I know it is possible, I have just yet to figure out a way to do it.

Prototype one: Small scale prototype to test basic working principle of the device, generated a gravity well 3cm in diameter, gravity well was perfectly spherical, 5 newtons of force exerted. Success

Prototype two: Small scale prototype an attempt to increase area of effect and power. Generated a gravity well 20cm in diameter, perfectly spherical, 50 newtons. Success

Prototype three: Small scale prototype an attempt to directionalise the device. Sporadically generated a miniscule gravity well, perfectly spherical. Failure

Prototype four: Small scale prototype, attempt to generate a gravity well as (proportionally) large as the DGM. Generated a gravity well 1km in diameter, perfectly spherical, 1852 newtons. Successful. Two people were injured and the Prometheus was damaged by the prototype before it could be shut down, all subsequent tests were preformed remotely with the prototype in space.

Prototype five: Small scale prototype, another attempt to directionalise the device. Generated a gravity well 30cm long and 2cm wide for 0.186 seconds, gravity well collapsed back in on the prototype and destroyed it.

Prototype six: Small scale prototype, another attempt to directionalise the device. Device failed to generate any gravity well whatsoever.

---

Reseach into the Kansas sector

Research into the Privas Planetary Cluster

Research into Alien "Trade Lanes"

A new ship, Jack Denton's time on Freeport 11

The JHC Drive

An Unscheduled Vacation of Sorts

The above are meant to be read in order, if you jump in at "A new ship" you are going to be lost.

RP feedback thread

[Zeppy]

Prototypes seven - thirteen: Small scale prototypes, attempts to directionalise the device. All failed to generate any gravity well whatsoever.

Prototype fourteen: Small scale prototype, attempt to directionalise the device. Generated a spherical gravity well 5cm in diameter, 20 newtons. Small (fraction of a centimeter) changes in the shape if the gravity well were successful, this prototype will form the basis of all further versions.

Prototype fourteen is our first major success in directionalising the device, only small adjustmens were able to be made to the gravity well but I remain confident that with refinement the device will show almost as much potential as the DGMs found in the Privas cluster. Full scale prototypes are the next step, although I must admit I do not look forward to making a full scale prototype by hand... the small scale ones already take hours.

---

Reseach into the Kansas sector

Research into the Privas Planetary Cluster

Research into Alien "Trade Lanes"

A new ship, Jack Denton's time on Freeport 11

The JHC Drive

An Unscheduled Vacation of Sorts

The above are meant to be read in order, if you jump in at "A new ship" you are going to be lost.

RP feedback thread

[Zeppy]

Prototype fifteen: First large scale prototype, attempt to further directionalise the device (basic design is based on prototype fourteen). Generated a spherical gravity well 859cm in diameter, 1547newtons. Larger changes in the shape if the gravity well were successful (approximatly 5cm potrusions were created).

This design is still a long ways off from the capabilities of the DGMs found in the Privas cluster, however this is a monumental step forward nonetheless. Without sacrificing raw power we have been able to increase the size of the potrusions by a (comparably) large degree.

---

Reseach into the Kansas sector

Research into the Privas Planetary Cluster

Research into Alien "Trade Lanes"

A new ship, Jack Denton's time on Freeport 11

The JHC Drive

An Unscheduled Vacation of Sorts

The above are meant to be read in order, if you jump in at "A new ship" you are going to be lost.

RP feedback thread