The Black Gates
| The Black Gates | |
| Technical Specifications | |
| Created By: | Unknown (Human) |
| Intended Purpose: | Interstellar Travel |
| Status: | Intact |
| Created: | 2216 CE |
| Resting Place: | Central Control & Charadan |
The Black Gate is a pair of technological artifacts intended for travel between worlds without the aid of a starship.
History
Construction on the Black Gates began in 2215 CE and was completed in 2216 CE. However, as they were an experiment intended to test the possibility of travel between planets without the use of a starship, they were unique with no additional gates built. However, while the experiment successfully created a singularity bound by the gates similar to the method used by a Point Singularity Drive, no probe ever sent between the gates emerged again, and the experiment was abandoned. In addition to losing every probe ever sent through, significant amounts of exotic radiation was put out, eventually proving fatal for the researchers in the months and years following the experiment.
The Black Gates were sealed away, with one remaining under Central Control in the Vaults, while another remained in a secured lab on Charadan.
Design
The Black Gates were originally built of titanium, with superconductive coils laced through the surface to help "bind" the singularities to prevent anything being sent through from arriving anywhere but at the gate. While the original metal was left a superficial coating intended to help with the conductibility of the metal, the material was warped and degraded by the experiments, coming to take on a burnt and blackened look, from which the gates took their name.
Each gate has a diameter of exactly ten meters, to match the smallest, stable, singularity ever created with a Point Singularity Drive. Both gates include an array of complex machinery and controls, typically housed in a shielded observation room nearby.
