Help me convince Republic Fleet to perform maintaince on the captured Stellar Transmuters

[Merdaneth]

During the last few days I made several close inspections of the captured Stellar Transmuter in Vard, comparing its activity to the Stellar Transmuter in Turnur. I am happy to report the Minmatar have made no alterations or tampered with it in any way. They even didn’t touch the gold Amarr insignia’s on its hull!

They did setup several scanning towers around the structure and are appearing to study the Stellar Transmuter in a non-invasive matter. This gives me both the confidence and hope that the Minmatar Republic is proceeding very carefully and doing its utmost to prevent any catastrophe with this new technology.

Several scanning passes did reveal a number of hairline fractures on the top heat sinks of the Vard installation. Hairline fractures I didn’t find in the Turnur installation. I recommend Republic Fleet to perform the neccessary maintenance on the transmuters. This is not a Rifter-class hull after all: rust-stains and hairline fractures are not considered part of normal operations.

If there any capsuleers with good ties to the Republic Fleet, please convince them to at least perform minor maintenance on the installations.

[Merdaneth]

The Amarr seal clearly visible and completely untouched.

[Arrendis]

@Merdaneth

Several scanning passes did reveal a number of hairline fractures on the top heat sinks of the Vard installation. Hairline fractures I didn’t find in the Turnur installation.

Nobody’s been firing weapons at these things. If there are ‘hairline fractures’ that are visible from an orbiting frigate, those ‘hairs’ would need to be the diameter of corded cabling, and as new as this thing is, they’d either have to be manufacturing defects, or there’d need to be active replacement of the heat sinks in Turnur 'round the clock, which you’d think would interfere with operating the damned thing.

(Also, I don’t think we’ve seen them in operation long enough for any claims to be made about what is and isn’t part of ‘normal operations’.)

@Merdaneth

The Amarr seal clearly visible and completely untouched.

Ermagerd!! The people who didn’t build this thing haven’t applied a new and unneeded nanocoating before trying to understand if it’s even safe to do so! SHOCKING!

[Merdaneth]

@Arrendis

Ermagerd!! The people who didn’t build this thing haven’t applied a new and unneeded nanocoating before trying to understand if it’s even safe to do so! SHOCKING!

I think you are missing the point. The point was that this indicates to me that great care is being taken and I’m positively surprised at that.

But your response seems more like a lengthy version of: ‘meh, don’t believe you, don’t care anyway’

Does that mean you will not assist?

[Arrendis]

It means you are trying to ‘convince’ the Republic to do something they are assuredly hell-bent on doing anyway. And you’re doing it in a downright insulting way. Or do you really think our ships are actually riddled with corrosion? Even the ‘In Rust We Trust’ nanocoating is just that: a nanocoating. It’s just colors and transparency. The normal appearance of our ships is due to significant amounts of Ferrite Carbide, which is red.

This stellar transmuter represents a massive piece of foreign technology that—for all we know—could have horrible impact on the lives of everyone in the system if it were to undergo critical failure. That’s the population of 2 stations, any planetary production colonies, and so-on. And that’s just the immediate potential effect of such a failure.

What will this thing suffering some catastrophic breakdown do? We don’t know. So we don’t know what it won’t do. Until we know a lot more about this thing, caution requires we plan for worst-case scenarios. Well, what’s the worst-case scenario for something screwing with a star?

Let’s just go with ‘supernova’. Because that’s not the worst-case, even. But a supernova’s high-energy burst would seriously impact food chains up to 30 light-years away. Now, generating that list is more work than I’m really willing to perform right now, but let’s just look at a small sample list (and keep in mind, even for 10LY, this is an incomplete list that doesn’t contain highsec systems):

Siseide
Auga
Dal
Lantorn
Amamake
Olfeim
Vimeini
Hofjaldgund
Turnur
Isbrabata
Ontorn
Sirekur
Aliette
Bosboger
Gulmorogod
Aset
Uisper
Eytjangard
Frerstorn
Gebuladi
Eszur
Egghelende
Ebolfer
Floseswin
Lulm
Avenod
Ravarin
Ardar
Hadozeko
Ezzara
Ualkin
Arzad
Klogori
Resbroko
Kourmonen
Auner
Egmar
Basgerin
Taff
Sifilar
Oyeman
Gukarla
Orfrold
Tzvi
Tararan
Huola
Fasse
Sosan
Raa
Lamaa
Asghed
Dudreda
Gratesier
Roushzar
Archee
Kamela
Hakisalki
Gerper
Hagilur
Mya
Labapi
Krirald
Arayar
Uusanen
Schoorasana
Arwa
Ragnarg
Ansen
Sosala
Brin
Oyonata
Arifsdald
Halmah
Arnher
Lasleinur
Anka
Gultratren
Evati
Kurniainen
Helgatild
Iesa
Sahtogas
Ofstold
Ayeroilen
Eifer
Tannakan
Olettiers
Rancer
Saidusairos
Ebodold
Crielere
Ingunn
Saikamon
Arnstur
Todifrauan
Otou
Bogelek
Gusandall
Decon
Miroitem
Lamadent
Haras
Yishinoon
Uplingur
Auren
Alachene
Rorsins
Thelan
Sotrenzur
Katugumur
Elarel
Sharuveil
Hrondedir
Bosena
Aralgrund
Wiskeber
Heild
Ignoitton
Groothese
Carrou
Oddelulf
Audesder
Adeel
Atlar
Hrokkur
Hrondmund
Aedald
Bundindus
Istodard
Sahda
Gonheim
Hrober
Half
Erstet
Astabih
Sakulda
Hedaleolfarber
Meildolf
Ubtes
Raeghoscon
Illamur
Hedgiviter
Enden
Muttokon
Altbrard
Mai
Hothomouh
Uanzin
Vecamia
Kenobanala
Ahbazon
Mormelot
Bimener
Goinard
Palmon

Note that it includes 29 Gallente systems, 8 Ammatar, and 41 Amarr systems. And that’s just lowsec, and just within 10 LY. The entire cluster’s only ~100 LY across, so a potential supernova anywhere within the cluster is of considerable concern to pretty much everyone.

Now, sure, the most distant of those worlds have a decade to prepare… but most of Heimatar’s in that sphere, as is a large chunk (at least) of Metropolis. And a lot of it’s under 1 LY. So basically, no time at all to try to get up freaking planetary shields that can withstand one of the most energetic bombardments in the cluster. At those ranges, you’re looking at entire regions of Starkman Prime, if not a bunch of new Shattered systems. And don’t expect the gates to survive it, either¹.

So, you know, ‘hey, don’t let this thing undergo unexpected catastrophic failure! Perform regular maintenance’? Right up there with ‘guys! Guys!! Remember to breathe!!’

Of course, that’s only a potential not-really-worst-case scenario. And it’s only a potential one because we don’t know what could happen. Because the Amarr haven’t shared their technology the way the Yulai treaty requires them to do. So maybe… just maybe… you should be calling on the Empire to make sure all of the other signatories have complete blueprints of these things and understand not only all of the principles behind them (at least as well as the Amarr do), but also have all of the maintenance procedures for them.

Because right now? As far as we know, these machines are potentially the biggest WMDs in the cluster, and the Empire’s the one leaving them out there like unexploded mines.

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^{1. Btw, the stargates hit by this thing? They’d feedback into stargates not directly hit by this thing, much like what’s believed to have happened to the Jovian stargates. Basically, we have to assume the potential exists to bring down the entire gate network. Because we don’t have access to the research that says it doesn’t. And frankly, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Trigs are using tech that could bring down the gates, because clearly, with their conduit technology, they don’t need stargates. The Poch gates are just for the convenience of the kybers.}