Storm Corps Weather Control |
(You can read about this in the comic
in Chapter 5, starting on Page
41.)
Gateway Contamination
The modern generation of Storm Corps
weatherships no longer affect the weather directly, but use an indirect
method of "elemental negation." The Storm Corps have learned
to stop fighting the weather itself, but instead focus on the weather-altering
"gateway energy" contaminating Earth and Rylante's atmospheres.
Since the gateway disaster, this energy
has since broken down into it's five extra-dimensional elements. Three
of these elements can be directly manipulated by Storm Corps vessels.
The Storm Corps of Earth have built
their fleet based upon three different classes of "weathership."
Each of these three classes specialize in one element of weather control,
although all are capable of affecting the other elements to a lesser
degree.
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Lightning Cruisers specialize in manipulation of element: Xourine.
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Whirlwing Corvettes concentrate on controlling element: Iozoun.
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Blizzard Buster Frigates focus on the element: Ditronine.
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By specializing their weatherships,
Earth Storm Corps vessels are capable of a greater range of control
within their home element. Rylante Storm Corps ships differ in that
they use no specialized ships, instead favoring highly adaptable,
multi-elemental ships in their fleet.
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Here's an example of how a modern
"weathership" may stop an ultrastorm:
The lightning cruiser, Terra Thunder,
has stumbled upon a dangerous electrical storm. Enhanced by gateway
elements, this storm is releasing high levels of electro-magnetic
bursts which are disrupting critical electronics needed to run nearby
cities. Luckily, lightning cruisers are specially shielded against
EMP effects.
Terra Thunder's specialty in xourine
control kicks into action. By sapping the xourine within the electrical
storm, Terra Thunder's exotic-matter drive is able to convert the
element into ditronine and iozoun.
The two elements are then released to balance out the remaining
xourine in the area.
With no imbalance of extra-dimensional
fuel to power it, the electrical storm downgrades and eventually
dissipates. Excess elements are re-absorbed by Terra Thunder for
future use.
This principle applies to other
types of weather as well. By absorbing and balancing the amounts
of xourine, iozoun,
and ditronine in an area, an ultrastorm
can be stopped. Alone, each element can drive a storm into a frenzy.
Balanced, they become meteorologically neutral.
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Though stopping bad weather is a Storm Corps' specialty,
there are times when making one may be beneficial:
Open sky is generally found where
trace amounts, or a balance of gateway elements exist. In this instance,
Terra Thunder has been requested to boost the output of a ground based
power station. Modern power stations are now equipped with lightning
collectors which are used to collect energy for cities, vehicles,
etc.
This time, Terra Thunder intentionally
knocks the elements out of balance, absorbing iozoun and ditronine,
and releasing stored amounts of xourine. By controlling the amount
of xourine released, the power of the fledgling lightning storm can
be accurately controlled.
ZAPPO! A lightning storm appears in
the area over the power station. Since Terra Thunder is a lightning
cruiser, it can use its specialized xourine focusing lenses and targetting
lasers to direct lightning strikes directly at the power station's
lightning collector. Free power, courtesy of the gateway elements.
All weatherships are able to replenish
their own power from lightning strikes.
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The fourth gateway element, tritisium,
has proven to be a great ally to the Storm Corps. Completely neutral
inside a planetary atmosphere, tritisium has no effect on the weather.
With the weathership ability to absorb
and convert gateway elements, long-term storage of xourine, iozoun,
and ditronine is possible by converting them to tritisium. In this
form, the elements are relatively stable and easy to transport.
Efforts into draining the atmosphere
of most gateway elements for conversion into tritisium are currently
being researched, but are meeting global political complications.
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 The
fifth gateway element is zorvanite. While tritisium may be a useful
ally, zorvanite is the Storm Corps' fiercest enemy.
Zorvanite is a reactive element which
violently amplifies the effects of other elements affecting the weather.
It is the chief instigator of the dreaded ultrastorms.
This element is uncontrollable, and
inconvertible by weatherships. Storm Corps ships must shut down all
weather affecting systems when flying in Zorvanite-contaminated airspace.
Zorvanite is notoriously attracted to stores of its fellow gateway
elements, and will home in on an element-using weathership with highly
explosive results.
Luckily, this element tends to congregate
almost exclusively over open ocean. It is believed the zorvanite is
attracted to the unique power network of the undersea colonies. Protected
by the ocean above, the colonies have used that fact to lure most
zorvanite into open waters, away from land-based civilization.
Zorvanite possess a unique property
in that it can cause otherworldly twists to common weather phenomena.
Most common is "zorvani rain," a vibrant purple storm spouting
bursts of pure zorvanite which leap from cloud to cloud.
Past phenomena have proven rarer,
and more dangerous. "The Green-eyed Commando" is a nickname
for one of the more notorious zorvanite-powered ultrastorms. It largely
consisted of a dense, green tornado which had the unique ability to
expell metal-seeking, energy-based, cluster "missiles" at
ships, and oceanfront cities. Weatherships proved useless against
it.
The Storm Corps eventually developed
the MED (Magnetic Extra-Dimensional) cannon which, when mounted to
the back of an M9 military crawler, ripped the tornado apart. MED
cannon technology was eventually integrated into the Whirlwing Corvette
class weathership.
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