Sedis 9

Sedis 9 is an extremely rare, non terrestial and valuable mineral compound that appears to share several similarities with a silicate and crystaline minerals. Commonly referred to as the 'Miracle Mineral', Sedis 9 displays several unusual attributes; most notably that it is both thermosynthetic and photosynthetic.

## History

It was originally discovered in 2039 following the destruction of the city of Kiev in a meteor strike. During the relief operations, the meteor itself was discovered intact near the city's Northern districts and appeared to have survived impact relatively intact.
Due to its toxic nature it was immediately taken into custody and studied jointly by scientists of the Global Forum, the Russian Empire and the Solarus Enterprises Foundation.
During these investigations the mineral was discovered to have several highly unusual qualities, as well as a number of chemical composites that were unknown. Of these, its ability to absorb heat and light and convert those into radiated static electricity was by far the most notable. At the time, the world was gripped in the Petroleum Wars and was in desperate need of alternative energy sources.
Russian forces immediately moved to seize the facility when the potential of the mineral was discovered, but Solarus Enterprises had suspected such a move and had ensured the meteorite had been moved elsewhere along with all notes pertaining to it.
In an unexpected move, Solarus brokered a deal to universally share the material recoved with all the nations of the world - with Solarus responsible for refining and managing the resource under the guidance of the Global Forum. Though several attempts were made to seize the meteorite or refined material from both Solarus and other nations, an agreement was eventually reached and made legally binding in 2040 - referred to alternatively as the Sedis Agreement or the Sedis Accord.
In the years following the end of the Petroleum wars, the Solarus Foundation has located and refined several other sources of the material and further begun to understand and develop the mineral to increase its potential as an easy, clean energy source.
Due to its high toxicity, the mineral's processing is closely monitored, but because of its high value there are always instances of criminal organisation, rogue governments or others attempting to capture and distribute the material. This has caused a number of accidents and regrettable incidents of toxic contamination.
Towards the end of 2040, other deposits of Sedis 9 were potentially located on Mars during a surveying mission. This ignited a new space race among several of the major powers as the Sedis Accords only determined that terrestially located Sedis deposits were to be supervised by Solarus.
By 2044, the first Martian colony had been established with the intention of mining the located material. Mars was discovered to have quite significant deposits of Sedis 9, as well as other deposits on both Martian moons, the Asteroid belt and even Earth's own moon.

## Origins

The origin of Sedis 9 is largely unknown and only theories exist. Most scientists postulate that the reason the mineral was not located earlier on Earth, Mars or the rest of the solar system is because the mineral came from a rogue meteor shower that entered the solar system during the Petroleum Wars. Over the course of that period, Government funding for space monitoring agencies was at an all time low and its theorized that a previously unnoticed meteor shower may have impacted across the inner solar system early in the period.
According to the theory, a number of Sedis rich meteorites would have been drawn to Mar's gravitational field, with several impacting the red planet whilst the last few continued onwards to Earth. The moon absorbed most of the remaining impacts, but the last appears to have directly impacted Earth itself.
If correct, the theory would imply that Sedis 9 and its relative composites are not merely extraterrestial but come from beyond the solar system itself.

## Structure and composition

   The molecular structure of Sedis is poorly understood and existing models have only been able to estimate the exact make up of its structure using existing terrestial equivalents. The mineral exhibits several unknown compounds and appears to closely resemble a mix of Silicate and Saline structures. Most notably, it appears to share similarities with Arsenic and with the mineral Ileminite. The mineral also appears to share similarities with photovoltaic cell structures found in living cells such as those in plants. It is not known how the mineral appears to merge both mineral and biological cell structures.
In powdered form, Sedis can be used to create photovoltaic and thermovoltaic alloys - especially if combined with copper (creating the mineral compound known as Sedis 9). In its powdered form alone (known as Sedis 8), it generates a potent magnetic field and a continual static. This static can cause electro magnetic storms if Sedis 8 is left exposed to heat or sunlight for too long - potentially shorting out electrical equipment in the near area.

## Dangers

Despite the massive benefits to the worlds energy supply, Sedis in all its forms comes with several endemic risks. Most notably, it shares several similarities to both Arsenic and Asbestos.
### Direct exposure to Unrefined Sedis

Prior to refinement, Sedis deposits are extremely toxic, capable of causing hypovelmic shock and cellular shutdown if ingested or exposed directly to living tissue. This effect is regularly referred to as 'Sedis Burn' by miners, and can leave horrific scars as skin and flesh directly in contact with unrefined Sedis suffers cellular shutdown and necrosis.
The exact process of how this occurs is unclear, but appears to be related to its electrical field, which seems to cause protons in the exposed atoms of living tissue to disintegrate. This process takes some time and has been shown to be 'infectious' as the static field is passed from one cell to another. If the blood stream becomes exposed, it can spread these infected cells across the body, causing organ failure, massed cellular shutdown and internal burns.
### Direct exposure to Refined Sedis (Sedis 8)

Once Sedis has undergone some refinement, it becomes a powdered crystalline like substance similar to fine sand. In this form, it generates a peculiarly strong electro static field. This is theorized to be due to friction of the grains rubbing against one another, increasing heat which is subsequently absorbed by the Sedis and converted to electrical charge.
Beyond the obvious dangers of high voltage electrical shock, refined Sedis is cancerous if ingested or inhaled. The effects are not always pronounced and are often difficult to detect. Though it has a high risk of causing cancer, it is by no means a guarantee and Sedis 8 in small quantities can remain within the body for years without ill effect.

### Direct exposure to Processed Sedis (Sedis 9)

Once processed, Sedis is normally contained within a copper alloy or other conductive metal frame for use as an energy source. In this form it can cause severe electrical burns when exposed to heat or light.
Some nations and corporations have experimented with processing Sedis 9 in flakes or pills of metal alloy rather than the standard metal frames for power generation. The reasons for this is myriad, from medical to military. In this form it can cause 'Sedis Burn'  and potentially be cancerous.

### Mutational effects

The most feared, well known and coveted danger of Sedis - in both its Sedis 8 and Sedis 9 forms - is its apparent ability to cause wildly unpredictable mutational effects in living tissue. These affects can cause human and animal tissue to merge, to exhibit extraordinary toughness, agility or strength and can cause bizarre psychological effects - including telekinesis and telepathic ability.
The process of how this is achieved is largely unknown, and is certainly almost impossible to control. In almost all instances however, mutation is only caused when the Sedis deposits in the body are exposed to another substance known only as 'Catalyst'.
When combined with this substance, the Sedis reacts dramatically by causing extensive DNA restructuring within the subject. This can prove to be fatal and the effects appear to vary dramatically depending on the innate DNA traits locked within the given subject.

The origin of the substance known only as Catalyst is unknown and it is not known how it entered the public domain. Theories are widespread; from divine punishment, environmental pollutants, Government experimentation and even alien conspiracy.