Ion Storm

An Ion Storm, also referred to as an Ion Spike, Electromagnetic Wave, or Magnetic Discharge is a common stellar phenomina which occurs as a result of solar flares or coronal mass ejections. These release highly energetic particles and magnetic fields powerful enough to affect Ship computer systems and Neural Network interfaces. They can also propagate through the Jump Hole networks and cause synergy effects even in distant systems.

Affects on Shipping

The interference caused by heavy Ion storm activity has a range of negative effects on Ship computer systems. The most common effects are lag in ship sensors and targeting systems with ships appearing to move erratically as the sensor systems attempt to compensate for high energy discharges. More intense storms can cause Neural Network systems to shut down as a safety precaution to prevent overload and permanent damage.

The most intense storms recorded, including the September 23rd 816 storm, have been powerful enough to overwhelm even the best safety devices causing severe damage to optronic computer systems and leaving many ships crippled. The September storm forced a massive emergency response from the House Governments and ADMINS to restore order and repair the damage.

Often individual ships will suffer Ion interference while other ships around them will be unaffected. This is often caused by charged particles building up inside the ship's computer systems which have a similar effect. These can be attributed to residual Ion charges or magnetic spikes from long-duration spaceflight, without the ship having grounded itself on a base.

The Ion Storm's effects on Nomad entities are unknown but they seem to react to them in some manner. They may go into a trance-like state during a Storm, their sensory organs possibly overwhelmed. However this is purely conjecture.

The terms Ion Storm and Dark Matter Wave are occasionally used interchangably, though the latter is infact something completely different.

Mitigation & Forecasting Techniques

Thiere is no way to control or prevent most Ion Storms. They are a natural phenomina. However, pilots, governments, and ADMINS can take steps to mitigate the negative effects of some Ion storms.

The Most widely suggested option is frequently docking on a friendly space station to discharge the energy buildup. Most space stations are engineered to safely discharge Ion energy, and protect their inhabitants from damage, even under the worst conditions. Planets are also immune to Ion storms, as their Magnetosphere and Atmosphere act as a shield.

If caught in deep space, modern spaceship computers are designed to shut down and enter safe mode to protect data loss or hardware damage. This protects against most Ion storm effects. Once the storm has passed, the ship can resume operation. The most intense storms however can even overwhelm these systems, in which case the ship must be towed back to a base for a full overhaul.

Individual ships experiancing residual interferance may be doing so due to obsolete Neural Net hardware. Most older systems aren't as well shielded as newer ones. Because this hardware is modular, a simple upgrade or maintnance is all that is needed to mitigate these effects.

Forecasting and predicting Ion Storms is difficult, as they often travel through the Jumpholes at faster-then-light speeds. Giving little warning time even with modern Tachyon-based FTL datalinks. Usually, when an Ion storm is immenant and detected, ADMINS or House Governments will issue a warning over open comms, advising all ships to dock or land somewhere. However with most storms, the first warning is the storm itself hitting.

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(OOC information): //Ion storms are an in RP means of explaining Server Restarts, Crashes, Latency issues, Unintended disconnects, or general Lag. The term 'Dark Matter wave' usually describes when the server is intentionally rebooted, wheras Ion Storms cover unpredicted issues.