The Helios
Nothing penetrates the Helios
In simple terms, the Helios is an antimaterial barrier, known to have been naturally evolved by celestial micro-organisms known as the cells. Matter that makes contact with a Helios is immediately absorbed or otherwise dispelled as subatomic-particles. Unlike modern energy shields which can be overloaded by sufficient energy (firepower), the Helios cannot be overloaded by any quantity of matter. It stands at the forefront of technological understanding, but by it's own nature is difficult to study. Besides being visually impenetrable they defy scrutiny due to multiple gaps in the present understanding of quantum fusion. One mercy of the Helios is that in a matter rich environment like Solaris, it was easy to find. It was first detected by Mercury Faction as a blips of empty space within the Sun's chromosphere. Through observation and predictive modeling Mercury Faction is the first to partially replicate the Helios. Projected as a personal shield, the helios presents a round black void towards its affronter, identifiable by the tell-tale orange glow along its edges. From the wielders perspective, the shield is partially transparent, painting the battlefield before them in orange as if seen through stained glass window. Like Eshields, the helios is projected and sustained by harmonic resonation. However a Helios can only be fueled by a quantum fusion generator, and cannot currently be projected in an encapsulating sphere like Eshields. Some argue that the environment within an isolated Helios may not be safe. Utilization of the helios as a weapon is currently being tested. Mf Lancers have been observed weilding a triangular helios at the end of a spear like apparatus. On a flyby this device would cut any target regardless of its defences. Meanwhile the application for spherical helios, when eventually discovered, is expected to permit a genuine means of stealth spacetravel, the first of it's kind. At great cost, Mercury Faction was able to retrieve a sample cell from a dispersing solar flare. When rebooted, the synth operator was told she'd died retrieving something that couldn't be quantified. MF scientist Skunk theorizes that the helios is generated by small organisms that evolved this technique over the course of eons within stellar nurseries. He further postulates they were then disseminated across the universe by supernovas. This theory is supported by the recent discovery of cell-like organisms dwelling within the Earth's mantle, and while these organisms possess no helios, it is believed they share a common ancestry. Mercury Faction has continued to report that the cells have infested the solar chromosphere and are using the helios to dive even deeper. They caution that if this continues the suns natural equilibrium will be accelerated and prematurely trigger the white phase transformation not expected to occur for billions of years. Project Cradle is designed to utilize the Helios on a massive scale on the Ring, in order to shield the central system from the increased energy output of a white phase Solaris.
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