Halcyon
Halcyon is a substance found in rocky ores on the planet Paradise in the Hyverian System. It is best known for being the parent material from which Alpha Halcyon is derived. Alpha Halcyon confers immortality on its user; those who recieve regular doses of the serum will evade death. The drug appears to work by interupting and preventing the ageing processes in the body. It has also been shown to reverse disease and injury.
Halcyon exists in only one place in the known galaxy- Paradise. Paradise is the fourth planet from the star and appears on most star maps as Hyveria Quartus. This contributes to the relative obscurity of the planet, despite it being one the oldest human colonies arising from The Exodus. This is not an oversight on the part of star-cartographers. The obfuscation is a deliberate act by the Politburo and the Commonwealth Corps.
The Bannerium
While the Politburo is the bureaucratic govenrment of the Galactic Commonwealth, all colonies manage their local affairs, adhering to the laws established by the Politburo. About a century and a half ago, Paradise was managed by a council called The Bannerium- thirteen men and women who made the decisions for the colony. Paradise was one of the first planets to colonised by the people of the The Exodus and at that time, roughly a century into humanity's foray into interstellar travel, it was a primarily agrarian society with a few urban areas. Halcyon brought prosperity to Paradise. Many substances can be derived from the ore, including the primary halcyonite derivates. These were the most powerful compounds and included Alpha, Sigma, Charlie and Rho. Most of the lesser derivatives where useful for agriculture, construction and transport, and Paradise gained great wealth exporting these products. The Bannerium kept very tight controls on the preimary derivates however, especially Alpha Halcyon- which was available only to someone was from Paradise and chosen by The Bannerium.The Politics of Halcyon
Alpha Halcyon was not widely available in the Galactic Commonwealth, though it was well-known. Indeed it seems a curious and incongrous feature of our history that Paradise suffered no attack or attempt at invasion. Some believed that every citizen of the Commonwelth should have access to it. Some thought only selected people were worthy of receiving the drug. And others felt it was dangerous and no one should have it. The latter seemed to be in the majority. The people of The Exodus were of a different philosophical bent than the people they left behind on Earth. They were acutely aware of the mistakes of humanity and driven by an idealistic determination not to repeat those mistakes. Alpha Halcyon seemed an obvious trap to most. Why? Long life is desirable. Immortality is questionable at best, and open to debate. It could be interpreted that as long as The Bannerium kept to itself and its planet, and did not attempt to exercise its power to disturb the Pax Galactica, the Politburo and the Corps did not care. But that would demonstrate considerable ignorance of the nature of the twin-headed beast that governs the Galactic Commonwealth. The threat of a group of immortal humans who might potentially be immune to death and possibly injury, was extremely concerning to the Corps. The Politburo appeared ambivalent and, in the opinion of the Corps' leader, rather too interested in Halcyon at times. Some in the Politburo (and the Corps) advocated for evacuating and sealing the entire planet- obstensibly for research and later, the judicious use of Halcyon to better the Commonwealth. The cynical in both the Corps and the Politburo saw right through that. Discord was emerging between and within the Coprs and the Politburo. It was a troubling time and like-mined people in both organisations blamed it all on The Bannerium and "... its damned Alpha Halcyon". Something would soon have to be done about The Bannerium. Discovery of Alpha Halcyon and the establishment of a Corporation to manage Halcyon production, research and export changed the nature of Paradise. The Bannerium became all powerful- fueled by the wealth gained through the Corporation, and immensely arrogant- driven by their own assurance of immortality. Deep inequalities emerged in the society, the kind of inequalities that ran against the vision and dream of The Exodus. The Politburo and the Corps, as the custodians of that vision, grew increasingly concerned about The Bannerium, the Corporation and a society with an "Alpha Halcyon elite" who had no interest in nor sympathy for the impoverished masses at the bottom of society. It was tinderbox that was destined to explode. And it did.The Fall of The Bannerium
In an attempt to stop black-market smugglers who where producing unsanctioned (and purer) Alpha Halcyon, The Bannerium and its armies executed a series of genocidal raids on a slum called Fankeyo on the Fankeyo Peninsula. They were trying to flush out the smugglers and bootleggers but failed. The raids culminated in the release of a fatal nerve agent called Sigma Halcyon on the slum. Why they did this has never been properly answered. The best explanation is that they believed that with everyone dead they could move in and seize the operation with no opposition. But someone tipped off the black-marketeers. When The Bannerium's armies found the illegal base of operations, the machinery was destroyed and the mastermind (a man known as "Ras") was long gone, with the knowledge of how he managed to make purer Alpha Halcyon than the Corporation. The Bannerium tried to hide the Fankeyo crimes but failed in that too. The Corps and Politburo saw the chance they needed and swept in. They disbanded the Bannerium, seized all stocks of halcyonite derivatives, made Paradise set up a new government and instituted a complete ban on mining, researching or using Halcyon ore or any Halcyon derivatives.Conclusion
It is unlikely that we will ever learn much more about this curious material. There is a ban on the extraction, storage, manipulation by any means and/or use in any form of Halcyon ore or any of its derivatives, known or unknown. The ban was vigorously policed and enforced by the Commonwealth Corps and the knowledge of the ore and derivations was quietly and effectively suppressed by the Politburo. These days they can make less energetic efforts, simply watching from the shadows. After more than a century, the knowledge of Halcyon has passed out of the collective thought of the Commonwealth. Almost no one knows of Halcyon and even the people of Paradise have generally forgotten their dark past. They are used to the ban, never venture into the Halcyon Hills and seem to have no interest at all in the stuff.Properties
Material Characteristics
The ore is white, similar to limestone or chalk. It is solid and dense but friable and will break apart without much application of force. It leaves a powdery residue when handled or rubbed between the fingers. The geology of Paradise is mysterious and it is unclear what type of rock it is. Given its similarity to chalk and limestone it generally held to be a sedimentary tock.
Physical & Chemical Properties
Derivatives
The ore is inert and behaves like similar rocks at standard tempatures and pressures. Excepting the blue type, the ore also shows no noteworthy changes in behaviour at either elevated or depressed temperatures and pressures. There are records of experiments that suggest some interesting quantum properties but these are scanty. However, it was discovered (almost by chance) that the ore can be processed, using various chemical techniques and catalysts, to derive a number of new substances- each with unique properties of its own and that differ substantially from the parent material. While the chemical processes were well-developed, it appears that The Bannerium and the Corporation were less interested in the underlying molecular composition of the ore and the reasons for its ability to yield large quantities of derivatives. It seems that the prevailing thought was that such research lines were expensive and unproductive. Rather more effort seems to have gone into trying to find new ore deposits beyond than the Halcyon Hills. The number of Halcyon derivatives is unknown. It is widely held that The Bannerium either hid or destroyed significant portions of the records on Halcyon. They may even have delibrately allowed valuable technology and research to be destroyed during the battles with the Corps for control of Paradise. The side-bar lists the well-known primary halcyonite derivates, with some annotation about each substance. The more numerous lesser-derivatives and less well-known primary derivates are not featured.Compounds
At least 39 separate compounds have been identified and/or isolated from Halcyon ore, including the base compound that forms the various Halcyon derivatives. However, while this base derivative compound was identified, there is no evidence that it was ever isolated. The existing records speculate that it may have some peculiar quantum properties tha make it unstable in normal space-time.
Geology & Geography
The Halcyon Hills
Halcyon ore is found in only one place on Paradise- in a range of high hills called the Halcyon Hills, on the Welchman Plateau. The Welchman Plateau is situated on the vast continent that dominates the northern hemisphere of the planet. The Plateau runs from the sea a few degrees above the equator the all the way to the mid-latitudes. The Plateau is a geologic puzzle and surmised to be the result of some great tectonic movement that thrust a section of the continent upwards by almost a hundred feet. Thus the Plateau is not perfectly flat, and in many places the land rises in hills and peaks. Halcyon ore has not been located anywhere else on the planet, despite a century of intense searching by The Bannerium- from the highest peaks on the planet to the deepest trenches of the oceans, in rivers and lakes, under glaciers and deserts. They looked everywhere. They found no more.Life & Expiration
White, Yellow and Red Halcyon ores exhibit no radioactive properties. Halcyon derivatives also do not deteriorate or degrade, and to date have been observed to hold their properties indefinitely.
While not deemed radioactive, Blue Halcyon ore emits radiation in the extreme ultra-violet range of the electromagnetic spectrum. It also been shown to disturb graviton fields in peculiar and as yet unexplained ways.
Distribution
Law & Regulation
Total ban on extraction, processing, sale and research of any form of the ore or any of its derivatives, for any purpose.
Type
Ore/Mineral
Value
High
Rarity
Extremely rare, possibly the rarest substance in the galaxy
Odor
A unique metallic odor that is not easily described, even by those who are familiar with it. One author described it as "rust and Chanel No. 5".
Taste
The ore has no particular taste. The derivatives will vary in taste- they may be sweet, bitter or tasteless. Rho-Halcyon is notable for a taste similar to cloves.
Color
Typically white, though veins of yellow and red ores are found. The rarest known form is a blue crystalline ore which interacts with light and gravity in unusual ways.
Boiling / Condensation Point
5873 K (5599.85 C) - common white, yellow or red ores ; 4659.15 K (4386 C) - blue ores
Melting / Freezing Point
3721 K (3447.85 C) - common white, yellow or red ores ; 2526.15 (2253 C) - blue ores
Density
2849 kg/m3 (2.849 g/m3)
Common State
A white rocky ore that can crumble with relative ease.
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