The Coyo Compact

The Coyo Compact is a confederated government of independant worlds and a Member of the Imperium of Galactic States. It is comprised of six highly-developed worlds and eleven smaller settlements under its direct control. The Compact was formed in [Data Error::Unknown Calendar Format] as an agreement between colonists of the Wran and Qecnae species and the Ballialine species, whose territory they had unknowingly settled. Of the three species, only the Ballian birth world of Coyo'te is in Compact territory: the other two species birth worlds are part of separate, non-Imperium states. The Compact is located amongst the Rosette Nebula in Grand Division 4, and controls highly-valuable extraction stations for astatine, scandium, and aluminum amongst other resources. These resources have allowed Compact technology to advance in the fields of high-performance alloys, power generation, and starship engines, creating starships that can generate and withstand enormous G-acceleration values. Most Compact ships layer decks vertically instead of horizontally, with the engines at the bottom to generate gravity while firing. The Compact is situated roughly at the midpoint of Grand Division 4 and operates the largest fuel and repair docks in the region, which makes them a natural port of call for long destinations through the area.

History
The Ballialine species evolved on their birth world at an uncertain date around 3 million years ago, and established a "civilized" society around 2 and a half million years ago. Due to the nature of their circumstances and physiology, the Ballialine never progressed to understanding the universe nor any form of society other than what they term "communion," a state somewhere between communism and a hive-mind. The Ballialine communion lasted undisturbed on their birth world until Qecnae colonists made landfall there in [Data Error:Unknown Calender Format]. The Qecnae planned to establish a colony on the planet to extract its enormous mineral resources. Contact between the two species was difficult at first. The Ballialine did not perceive the Qecnae as intelligent because they could not perceive ultraviolet and bioelectric communication. The Qecnae, meanwhile, did not think the Ballialine intelligent for similar reasons. However, when the Ballialine discovered they could morph inside of technology and essentially 'become' it, communication between the species was kickstarted.

The meeting of the species was revolutionary for both parties. The Qecnae knew that intelligent life existed beyond them, but this was the first time any of them encountered other sapient creatures. The physiology of the Ballialine was so foreign to the Qecnae as to cause radical shifts in the anthropological and scientific parts of their civilization. Similarly, the Ballialine had no concept of existence beyond their world because of their society existing entirely within subterranean caves. That there was intelligent life that not only could not speak in electricity and ultraviolet light but that came from a different sphere entirely caused the first factionalization in Ballialine society in history. The Qecnae were witness to the first and only Ballialine war, the Devouring. Some Ballialine wished to cooperate and learn from the Qecnae, while others wanted their expulsion, and others their destruction. A biomass-wide debate that lasted eight weeks resolved with a quarter of the population identifying themselves as The Pushers, a quarter The Eaters, and the remaining half The Talkers. These groups separated into their own conglomerated biomasses and began to consume each other. This 'war' lasted a standard month and it is estimated that the Ballialine 'population' dropped from an estimated 79 billion possible individuals down to 17 billion.

The victors of the Devouring, The Talkers entreated the Qecnae for help and guidance, as many were confused by the concept of mass conflict and wished to avoid repeating it. The Qecnae colonists agreed, against the orders of their government, and a partnership was created. The Ballialine agreed to guide the colonists to valuable mineral deposits that they did not need while the Qecnae would teach the planet's natives about scientific concepts. This balance was upset twice, first with the arrival of the Wran, who also wanted to settle the region of space, and second with the dispatch of a Qecnae federal naval force. The Qecnae government wanted to defend their colonies from what the viewed as a hostile invasion, but also became hostile to their colonists when it was discovered they were still cooperating with the Ballialine. Sensing that the situation could devolve into more violence, the Ballialine entreated all four parties to come to an agreement. While the colonial elements of the Wran and Qecnae viewed the prospect of cooperation with the other two species as possible, their governments did not want to cede total control over the resource potential of the Rosette Nebula.

The Wran government, then known as the Lu Union, exerted political and financial pressure on their colonists to push for more concessions in a formal treaty that favored their side. The Qecnae Nmyyrs Expansion Authority, meanwhile, threatened both their frontier settlements and the other species with force if they would not allow the Qecnae total control over the region. Before tensions could reach a point of war, Ballialine individuals along with Wran settlers and Qecnae scientists infiltrated the starships of both sides and disabled all the FTL technology. With the military elements stranded, those in command would have no way to retreat from battle and were stuck orbiting the Ballian birth world. Bargains were formed with those who would defect and those who would not were imprisoned. The three species made a formal agreement: each were equal, each would help the others, and each would defend the territory they lived in. The birth world of the Ballialine, which had no formal name in their society, was jointly named "Coyo'te," which meant "Refuge of Peace" in the Wran language and "Clever Rebuke" in the Qecnae, both of which the Ballialine found agreeable.

Attempts by the Lu Union and Nmyyrs Expansion Authority to conquer the newly-formed Coyo Compact were attempted, but failed. Neither state could think of cooperating with the other, and the superior Wran technology, the Qecnae's martial prowess, and the Ballian ability to meld with electronics meant that the Compact was victorious though not without loss in each conflict, collectively know now as the Jealous Wars. The Ballialine, still the same generation that participated in the Devouring, found these conflicts distressing and disorientating, and demanded that the Compact become stronger and powerful enough to deter invasion. This was the origin of the War Constellations; the Compact mass-defense system was designed to position large formations of defense platforms and factories in orbit of their inhabited worlds.

War Constellations are massive formations of space stations, weapons platforms, and manufactories that orbit a planet in concert, at distances of several hundred thousand units, and positioned so that every orbital angle has at least one formation that can fire upon it. These formations are designed to detect hostile ships that translate into the gravity well and then destroy them with relativistic kill-weapons, missiles, and particle beam devices from angles that do not damage the planet or any orbital installations. The targets destroyed by War Constellations are collected by shielded tug craft equipped with traction beams, and the material is then used by the formations as raw material for ammunition. Modern War Constellations are said to possess the firepower of a fleet for each compass point they occupy, and also include a medium-orbit network of kinetic kill drones positioned only a few hundred kilometers away from G-drive orbital transit height. The Compact does not equip the War Constellations with interstellar drives or FTL, circumventing Imperium military size limitations.

As the Compact refined their War Constellations, the two hostile governments were steadily outpaced in military capability and general technology. The first Compact colony world, Lubielle, was settled in [Data Error: Unknown Calendar Format.] It was joined by Kovo in [Data Error: Unknown Calendar Format] and Uuunm-Harmony two years later. Lubielle became the industrial center of the Compact when it was found to contain even more elements and minerals than Coyo'te, which was soon designated as a protected world to limit further development. Kovo became the first majority-Wran world, and Uuunm-Harmony was likewise settled mostly by Qecnae, each owed to the similarities to the birth worlds of the species. The final attempt by their governments to destroy the Compact, which had now grown into a rival of parity, came in [Data Error: Unknown Calendar Format]. The Desperate Lashes of Hatred (known otherwise as the Independance Conflict) saw the majority of the Union and Authority battle fleets attempt to invade Coyo'te by translating first to its moon and then moving to destroy the War Constellation. This was somewhat successful, with a substantial number of stationary platforms taken out of action. However, once the invasion force entered the safe orbit zone, the Compact used newly-developed Gravity Anchors to translate above and below the hostile ships and destroy them with precision torpedo barrages.

This victory is accepted as cementing Compact independence. The formal government soon took shape as a microcosm of the Imperium system: each world had its own governor and ruling legislature, while the Compact as a whole was governed by three elected representatives from each major planet, and one from minor settlements, in the Compact Agreement Board. While most of the confederated territories are essentially independent, the Compact Agreement Board retains authority over overall military matters, major trade and diplomatic decisions, and relations with the larger galaxy. The Compact began development of its worlds and the establishment of new outposts. Two more habitable planets were settled and became major population centers, Ouhs and Gulibene. The discovery of massive potential for the creation and exploitation of astatine in the Ouhs system saw the most extensive mineral extraction and refining operation in the Compact established here. The technology the Compact species developed allowed for astatine, with the shortest known half life of any element, to be placed in a chemical state where it would still emit incredible amounts of energy but decay at a much slower rate.

Astatine-based reaction systems became the standard of energy generation across the Compact, though these reactors are radiation shielded by emitters on a seperate power system at all times to prevent contamination. Astatine reactors are ranked in the highest energy produced per-standard hour in the galaxy, and while falling far short of Quum technology, allow for Compact-built ships to achieve incredible speeds, maneuverability, and shield strength. The design and operation of these reactors are strictly state secrets, and they are built with various failsafe's to prevent tampering or maintenance by anyone except state-certified technicians. The Compact does manufacture astatine fuel cells, known colloquially as "lightning rods." These are compatible with most standard reaction fuel systems and can give a boost of upwards of 700% power generation for a few minutes, or 200% for a few hours.

In [Data Error: Unknown Calender Format], the Compact joined the Imperium, contributing one senator from each species as agreed on by the Agreement Board. Despite their continued and loyal membership in the Imperium for the past several hundred years, most of the Compact is completely apathetic to the state of the galaxy. The Rosette nebula masks a large amount of visible light, and combined with their general "frontier independence" attitude, Compact citizens have a psychological tendency to think about their own affairs rather than the Imperium's. The contributions of funding and military personnel to the Imperium have, however, created a small class of the population known as "The Far." Termed as such by the Ballialine, this demographic encompasses the millions of Compact citizens who earn a living in the larger Imperium as explorers, diplomats, soldiers, merchants, and travelers. "Far" is applied liberally by Compact society to any who travel beyond the borders of their space to interact with other species and states, and does not take into account actual distance travelled.

Species
The Coyo Compact recognizes three species of sapients as citizens: Ballialine, Qecnae, and Wran. Though they are generally viewed as second-class sapients by many other races, the Ballialine possess the most political and social influence in the Compact. They make up the majority of the population and are prevelant in every strata of society. The Qecnae and Wran, meanwhile, tend towards more specialized roles due to their physical fragility and short lifespans compared to the Ballialine. While members of the two humanoid species will defer to the Ballialine in some situations, all three species are equal in law and most social conventions.

Ballialine
The Ballialine are a unique organism whose biology is based on a carbon-silicon compound. Members of the species are roughly spherical and measure one-half to one standard length unit in diameter. Their coloration is usually in the blue spectrum of visible light, but some mebers of the species can veer into the purples and greens based on health and diet. Ballialine grow as they age, reaching up to three standard units in diameter in their late age. They consist of a central organ which manages body functions such as waste management and temperature regulation, serving as a 'control center.' The entire rest of the body is comprised of a semi-liquid gel membrane surrounded by a variable-permeability outer membrane. These membranes are comprised of three types of highly specialized cells: neural cells, survival cells, and protection cells. Neural cells serve as a dispersed sensory and computational network that allows the entire Ballian organism to act as a brain and sensory organ. Neural cells also form the main mode of Ballialine communication, being able to emit and detect ultraviolet light and electrical signals. Survival cells serve as tissue-wide respitory, digestive, and chemical regulation systems, directed in their functions by the central organ. Proection cells serve as dual purpose defensive measures, both as an immune system and a physical barrier between the outer and inner membranes.

The Ballialine body is very elastic, able to maintain its cohesion and though processes efficiently when compressed down to one standard hundreth-unit thickness.The genetic structure of the Ballialine is constantly being repaired and modified by the central organ to adapt to environmental conditions. While they cannot adapt to oxygen-rich environments, the Ballian lifespan is measured in the upper hundreds of [Data Error: Unknown Calendar Format] depending on the individual.

Various sciences have classified them as a slime mold, ambulatory neural tissue, and oversized bacteria. The closest comparable organisms are other carbon-silicon species and certain cnidarian-type invertebrates. Ballialine remain hard to classify even to the galactic scientific community, something they have expressed as pleasing to them.

The Ballialine concept of the individual is not the same as other species; they reproduce by budding and therefore many Ballialine will share memories and personalities. Before the Compact was formed, the Ballialine existed as a semi-hivemind organism in the caverns of their birth world. The biomass of Ballialine is able to combine with other Ballialine to create a gestalt organism that shares the memories of both individuals, and this can be scaled up to where the entire species can become essentially "one" organism. This state is referred to as "The Thinking" by the Ballialine. When central cores and their associated cells left the greater whole, the state of being an individual was termed "The Thinker." Ballialine names were similarly simple, as The Thinking can retain a record of all Thinkers that are currently seperate. Thus it was not uncommon for an individual to refer to itself as "The Eight-thousandth Forty-Seventh Thinker of Now." Individuals of note in the past would be known along the lines of "The Eighty-eighth Thinker of Twelve Warmings Ago." This dating system reflected the seasonal warming and cooling of Coyo as its elliptical orbit took it further and closer to its star.

As a unique ability of the species, Ballialine can use their neural cells to connect with most standard electronics and parse the signals and information. Their physiology also allows them to compress themselves into the interior of machinery and other constructed items. This enables them to serve as the 'brain' of any electronic device of suffienct size and sophistication. Ballialine are able to modify and direct electrical signals through their body, and operate the device from within. A Ballialine-inhabited device cannot be operated externally without its resident allowing it. In many cases, Ballialine can fill a niche in high-performance technology use that other species cannot. High-acceleration starships that would turn their crews into slurry can safely be piloted by Ballialine inhabiting their electrical systems. Ballialine will 'wear' robotic devices like clothing in order to travel in atmospheres hostile to them and to interact with other species socially. As a consequence of these abilities, Ballialine find a great deal of success in careers that demand high performance, speed, and accuracy from starships and mecha, including racing, courier services, heavy manufacturing, mechanized infantry, and military starship operation.

Current Ballialine are only the second or third generation to have lived in the Compact's society. Their society is therefore still very similar to that of The Thinking and The Thinkers. Ballialine who have become fascinated by galactic civilization have taken on much more independance, choosing their own names and staying mostly seperate from the larger species biomass. These Ballialine are referred to by their people as "The Far" for the seperation of their thoughts from others. This term has moved on to encompass all free-spirited or migrant members of the Compact. Members of The Far will almost always have some form of personal transport device to pilot, such as an average-scale humanoid robot, small starship, or electronic equipment worn by a Wran or Qecnae. Far Ballialine are very independant minded, but are so varied in personality and experiences that there are few labels that truly can be applied. Far names are varied due to their common exposures to other species and cultures. Most take traditional Wran or Qecnae names such as "Gren" or "Hyuj," but some will take inspiration from other species or use random epithets like "Red Asteroid" or "Two-Timing Ooze."

Other groups of Ballialine who wish to experience the galaxy but also retain a group consciousness are called "The Operators." They take their name from their tendency to operate machinery and electronics that other species would find dangerous or difficult. These smaller colonies of gestalt Ballialine are often found working in industrial settings, serving as integrated pilots of robots or starships, and ensuring the smooth running of Compact infrasturcture. Operator Ballialine express great pride in their ability to help the Compact with their unique abilities and are generally considered to be the most patriotic of the three Ballialine subcultures. A typical Operator name will usually be taken from their profession, such as "Assembly Line 45-8B" or "CMS Bird of Prey."

Ballialine that remain 'traditional' and wish to remain as part of a much larger, mostly sedentary whole are known as "The Comprehenders" for their ability to acquire and process massive amounts of information. There are only five Comprehender 'individuals,' known as Comprehender One through Five. These massive gestalts consist of hundred of millions to billions of potential Thinkers, who are now termed similar to "Comprehender One Thinker Seven of Now." These Ballialine biomasses inhabit the underground home of the species on Coyo, the undercity of Lubielle, a self-contained Mesacology on Kovo, a specially designed subterrainean city on Uuunm-Harmony, and the caverns of Archive in the Compact Periphery. While content to remain as a single unit, Comprehender Ballialine still participate in the politics, economy, and society of the Compact, and are considered extrememly difficult but valuable voting constituents when canvassing for elections. Comprehenders often devote sections of their biomass to the operation of massive infrastructure like the Operator Ballialine, but on a scale even grander. Estimates place 21% of all manufacturing and public works management on Lubielle to be the domain of Comprehender Two.

Ballialine in the workforce are considered single entities and are paid accordingly, commensurate to their work. A Far Ballialine may earn an average living and spend an average amount of money, while an Operator Ballialine may earn the pay of an entire crew of a starship. Comprehenders are the most wealthy beings in Compact space, each accruing incomes equal to entire cities and continents. The larger the Ballialine gestalt, the less frequently it spends money. Most larger conglomerations only spend what is nessecary or will benefit the entire whole and the surrounding environment. Comprehender One, for example, contributes hundreds of millions of currency units towards environmental protection programs and Ballialine support charities, since it views itself as the "beneficiary" of the entire species.

Coyo'te
Coyo'te (also known as The Creator/Mother/Father/Home/Egg/Place/Universe to the Ballialine, though this term is homogenizing to The Creator as the Ballialine generations progress) is the capital planet of the Coyo Compact and the birth world of the Ballialine species. It is a silicate planet with a nitrogen-argon-oxygen atmosphere on the surface and an argon-nitrogen-sulfur atmosphere in its subterranean biosphere. The planet is separated into two regions: a single supercontinent on its surface with limited vegetation and rocky terrain mostly comprised of shale and mica-type minerals. Various liquid water lakes dot the surface. Underground exists a sprawling network of tunnels, caves, and caverns, with large fungal and algae populations. These chambers are both natural and carved by the Ballialine, and comprise most of their habitation area. The atmosphere in the subterranean biome (known as "The Ways") is filtered up through the soil by plants and microorganisms and produces the atmospheric composition on the surface (known as "The Open.") Ballialine evolved underground and cannot normally inhabit atmospheres with oxygen, so they use robotic suits to traverse the surface and travel to other planets. Coyo'te has a population of around 10 billion, with 7 billion being Ballialine, 3 million Wran, and 2 Qecnae. The Coyo Compact Agreement Board is headquartered here along with the Compact Militia Command and the embassies of associated Imperium states in the city of Aspiration.

Lubielle
Lubielle is the second settled planet of the Compact and the most metropolitan in terms of construction. Lubielle is the manufacturing center of the Compact, with most of the surface consisting of either resource extraction pits or city sprawls. Settled as a joint venture between all three species, Lubielle was prospected in its near-entirety by the Ballialine and subsequently mined out by the Wran and Qecnae to create the Compact's ecumenopolis. Vast underground foundries, factories, warehouses, and mines support the weight of a standard unit of city blocks across the whole world save for the icecaps. Lubielle is not technically habitable, being both too far from its star and with a methane atmosphere. The Compact has terraformed it using comet impacts and orbital mirrors to roughly equal Coyo'te in temperature and atmosphere. The 9 billion population is mostly Ballialine, which operate the underground machinery in conditions they find more favorable than the surface. The city sprawl is regarded as the place in Compact space one goes to find anything, be it entertainment, black market goods, or a quality starship.

Kovo
Kovo is the largest Compact world by mass, at 2.85 standard planetary masses, and is the home world for the Wran in Compact space with a population of 5 billion. The silicate planet displays a similar gravity and biome to the Wran birth world, at 1.7 G and high altitude variation desert. Kovo is renowned for its massive Mesacologies; these several-kilometer wide and tall rock formations have been hollowed out by the Wran and each contains a self-sufficient city. Kovo is the center of the Compact shipbuilding industry, with its system hosting twelve C-class shipyards and five B-class, as well as attendant repair yards. Portions of Kovo are massive canyons, which are popular with air and terrestrial racers. The planet also hosts the headquarters of Three-Part Creation Circle, a leading developer of mechatronics, weapons, and cybernetic technology. With four moons and a very faint ring system in addition to the constant traffic, orbital installations, and defense clusters, "orbiting Kovo" has become a Compact euphemism for a complicated or dangerous task, while "ignoring Kovo Orbital Control" is similarly a turn-of-phrase for a suicidal or stupid decision.

Uuunm-Harmony
Uuunm-Harmony (a dual name since Uuunm also means Harmony in the Qecnae language) is a silicate planet with a nitrogen-oxygen-carbon dioxide atmosphere and a lush variety of biomes ranging from desert to tropical to archipelago. With a population of 4 billion, it is on the lower end of resident citizens of the Compact worlds. The intention upon settling the planet was to create a space where members of the Compact could divest themselves of connection to utilitarian technology and connect with the natural world. Uuunm-Harmony cities are renowned for following the designs of individual Qecnae architects: each has its own aesthetic and expression that is not duplicated elsewhere on the planet. Considered the cultural capital of the Compact, Uuunm-Harmony hosts many renowned research institutions, high-society personages, museums, and artisan craft communities. The quality of foodstuffs are said to be the best in Compact space. The planet is the current location for the Compact Board of Arts and Sciences.

Ouhs
Ouhs is a small silicate moon of a helium gas giant, boasting a boreal-alpine climate and a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. The vegetation on Ouhs is stratified due to tidal forces and the wavelength of its star, and possesses retinal species as well as chlorophyll. The vegetation and the light blue chemical oceans have given Ouhs the nickname of "Candyworld." The Ouhs system is the center of Compact fuel industry with several dozen siphoning stations around the five gas giants and many refineries and fuel depots. The world itself has a population of only 2 billion, though its cities are sizeable and many buildings reach sub-orbital heights. Ouhs is often cited as having the most interesting blend of nature and civilization in the Compact. Its renowned High Sky Casino is commonly rated as "the Most Dangerous Gambling Establishment in the Imperium" due to it being a free-floating structure tidally locked between Ouhs and its parent gas giant, only held in stable orbit by a system of tension fields and magnetics.

Builbene
Builbene is a small silicate planet with a mostly-oceanic biome and a oxygen-nitrogen-hydrogen atmosphere. The atmosphere and gravity have allowed large indigenous life to evolve. These creatures are mostly confined to the deep depths of the planet's liquid water oceans though it is not unheard of them to surface. Builbene is a valued world in the Compact for its huge fishing and agriculture industries, as well as being the only source of [Data Error: Translation Corrupted], a popular black-market drug in the Compact and surrounding Grand Division with hallucinogenic and possibly psionic properties. The population of 6 billion mostly live on the scattered small continents or stilt cities in the shallower parts of the oceans. Ships built on Builbene are aquatic-capable and can operate inside bodies of liquid. The Builbene system also hosts the Bright Light habitat with a population of 1 billion, which is the center of interstellar trade for the system and is the location of large astatine refineries.

The Periphery
The Periphery is a term encompassing the less developed worlds, smaller habitats, and megastructure stations of the Compact. Numbering 18, these secondary settlements are no less important for the Compact. They generate nearly-two thirds of the raw materials and a quarter of the economic power that the Compact can call upon. While none can obtain full representation on the Board of Agreement due to Imperium restrictions on major worlds and territory, the Periphery settlements still have a voice in Compact affairs and are generally afforded with equal consideration and respect. The military presence of the Compact Militia in the Periphery is usually limited to patrol forces and garrisons rather than major bases, but each settlement has its own War Constellation system if applicable.

The Frontier
The Frontier are settlements started by the Compact for the purposes of economic development and resource extraction, but lie in general Crown Space. The Compact, under Imperium law, only sponsors these settlements and does not control them or their systems directly. Frontier outposts do enjoy some military protection from the Compact Militia, but do not have War Constellations and overall rely on militias funded and recruited locally. There are 11 such settlements in the Frontier; two megastructure stations, three smaller stations, three asteroid habitats, and three terrestrial colonies.

Technology
Contemporary Compact technology is centered around the use of a special astatine isotope for generating power. The immense energy potential of this power source has led to the development of several sciences and technologies able to exploit and withstand it. The Compact has leveraged these advancements in concert with the abilities of its member species to become a noteworthy, if less significant, member of the galactic community.

Astatine
The most important Compact technology is that of its astatine reactors. Astatine is a rarely-occuring element and highly radioactive, with one of the shortest elemental half-lives. Normally any substantial quality will be vaporized by the heat of its own radioactivity. The unique chemistry of the Ouhsa system has allowed for the natural formation of astatine, in one of the only known naturally occuring deposits. The stellar wavelength of the solar radiation, combined with the radiation and cosmic dust from the nearby star nursery and the chemical makeup of Ouhsa III's atmosphere have created the isotope astatine-287, a stable but volatile version of the element. Astatine-287 is normally inert but becomes highly radioactive when exposed to enough energy. This radioactivity releases the fissile energy that is normally held inert by the unique formative cirumstances of the isotope, and is much greater than the energy needed to activate it. Compact scientists discovered this isotope when surveying the system and began studies on its energy potential.

Testing remained dangerous, but recorded data allowed for a new isotope to be synthesized: astatine-287B. Using their knowledge of Imperium stasis technologies and chemical engineering, the Compact was able to create fuel pellets of astatine-288 that were compatible with standard reactor technology. After modifications to a fusion system to withstand the increased energy yield, the astatine reactor was born, officially known as the Pela-Buncrethe-Regard Reinforced High-Yield Stasis Fusion Reaction System. Yield strength indicated that an astatine reactor the same size and configuration as one in an Imperium frigate-standard size craft would produce 622% more energy than the frigates. Further improvements on the design would be made over time, but most Compact energy today is produced by these reactors.

Due to their unique and valuable capabilities, astatine reactors are manufactured as heavily-tamper proof. Their systems are designed extremely specifically, and any attempt to repair or alter the mechanisms by someone other than a properly trained and prepared Compact engineer will result in a reactor core shutdown at best and a complete core criticality event at worst. The Compact is also the sole supplier of astatine-287B fuel because of its impossibility to manufacture without a supply of astatine-287A, which can only be found in the Ousha system.

One major addition to the astatine reactor design would be the addition of radiation compression shields and structural integrity fields as standard. Even with the reinforcements and redesigns over standard fusion reactors, astatine systems had a tendency to melt secondary and tertiary components after prolonged use. The reactors also produced kinetic energy when run on full power which would shake and jolt them in their housings. Compact engineers eventually created the Anti-Astatine Radioactive Containment Emitter for the first problem, an energy shield system similar to military shielding but fine tuned to contain radioactive particles of astatine's wavelength. This technology was later developed into sophisticated radiation shields for use in medical, space exploration, and disaster response. Structural integrity fields were created only recently and form a complex web of traction beams and stasis fields to redirect the reactor's kinetic energy into auxilliary capacitors. These systems ensure that the heat bleed and energy loss efficiency of astatine reactors remain below 2%.

Another invention based on astatine-287 are astatine fuel rods. Certain reactor systems allow for supplimentary fuel sources, to provide either a boost of energy or a backup. Astatine fuel rods contain wafers of astatine-287B which can be injected into a fusion reactor for increased power. The amount of energy generated depends on how many wafers are injected over a period of time. When averaging reactor output and sizes across other widespread designs, astatine wafers can provide roughly 400% increased energy generation when injected at a rate of one wafer per standard second. The power can be as low as 200% when used in concert with standard fuel pellets at a rate of 4 pellets to 1 wafer, which lasts for several hours. Three pellets per standard second can reach a threshold of around 700% power generation. Standard reactors are not usually equipped to handle the stresses and radiation of astatine fuel, and fuel rods are typically only used as required. One of their most popular uses is in competetive orbital racing, where the higher power generated is useful in magnetohydrodynamic engines and reaction wheel systems.

Alloys
The immense power that astatine produces allows for massive shifts in spaceflight, specifically the upscaling of drive assemblies and weapons. Electromagnetic coilguns are in the best position to benefit from large increases in energy, as are magnetic and fusion-magnetic engines. However, the physical stresses of astatine reaction technology combined with those of powerful weapons and engines make the continued structural integrity of spacecraft they are installed on questionable. Structural integrity feilds only going so far, the Compact took advantage of the rare elemental formations within the Rossette nebula again. Scandium and aluminum, along with titanium and tungsten, are abundant across several systems in Compact influence. Long known as a complimentary elemental pair, scandium and aluminum together form extremely strong matrixes that lend themselves to high-stress construction. Elemental forges created several alloys using viable metals, among them sparplastium, lluvietice, and lluviexice. Sparplastium is an alloy containing lithium, titanium, tungsten, aluminum, magnesium, scandium, and carbon, and is used in Compact shipbuilding as core structural material and kinetic bracing. This alloy is regarded by engineers and scientists as the strongest, lightest, and most workable metal material available to the Compact, though competitors and superiors do exist on the galactic scale. Sparplastium allows for ships to accelerate, deccelerate, and maneuver while subject to forces approaching 1,000 standard G's.

Lluvietice, meanwhile, is an alloy composed of nickel, copper, strontium, and several other classified materials. Lluvietice is used primarily in energy relays and the firing mechanisms of coilguns and railguns. It is a highly specialized material capable of quantum magnetic flux superconductivity. Combined with lluviexice, which is similarly classified and exhibits inverse quantum superisolation, the electromagnetic acceleration systems of Compact artillery exhibit no quantum possibility of energy bleed and remain at a constant simultaneous 100/0% efficiency. This allows them to remain charged indefinetly and fire as fast as ammunition can be loaded. When used in electrical systems, these two alloys can ensure that infrastructure remains entirely grounded even when portions are damaged.