Acclivity stone
| Acclivity stone | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Mineral |
| Function | Provides lift to starships |
| Universe | Cytoverse |
“Hundreds of acclivity rings. If this thing falls, and we can salvage it, it could transform the DDF. ”
Acclivity stone is a mineral that reduces gravity, and even produces anti-gravity, when charged.[2]
Appearance and properties
Acclivity stone can only be found in the nowhere, making it exceptionally rare.[3] When charged, it glows blue, bright enough to be seen from some distance. It seems capable of holding charge for considerable amount of time - possibly centuries, though the charge does inevitably run out.[4] While it's rather durable, starfighter destructors are capable of destroying it, rendering it useless.[5] When destroyed, it lets out a flash of light.[6]
Charged acclivity stone seems to affect the surrounding gravity, making it weaker or possibly altering its direction. This can make objects fall more slowly and even produce lift, letting them hover and fly.[2] It also seems to attract light-lances, as it's easier for them to hook on acclivity debris.[7]
Acquisition and use
Acclivity stone is mined by spacefaring species of the galaxy through nowhere portals. The scarcity of those portals makes obtaining it highly difficult, and the material itself very costly; a species with access to a nowhere portal can become exceedingly rich through mining acclivity stone.[3] However, despite its relative scarcity, acclivity stone is broadly used to provide lift to spaceships and space stations throughout all of the inhabited space, and has been used as such for generations.[8]
For starships and stations, the stone is fashioned into rings that are attached to the underside of the vehicle.[9] The bigger the structure, the more acclivity rings it requires, with the largest structures necessitating hundreds of rings to keep them in orbit. Old acclivity rings can, however, be salvaged and reused, allowing for new ships to be fielded.[10]
Trivia
- An "acclivity" is another word for an upward slope, likely referring to the stone's ability to make things float up.