Lavernium

**Lavernium**, sometimes called **Lavernite** in its crystalline form, is a Tier 2 Metasubstance that has been synthesized and used by numerous space-faring civilizations all across The Cluster. Its most useful property lies in its ability to spontaneously generate a higher-than-normal amount of gravitons when introduced to a strong electric current, which makes it an important resource in the construction of any graviton-manipulating devices.

## Characteristics

Like all Metasubstances, Lavernium is created when regular, extremely dense matter is introduced to small concentrations of antimatter, creating an ethereal new type of matter. Being a second-generation Metasubstance, Lavernium atoms are comprised of four protons and four metons, possessing absolutely no electrons whatsoever. Most Lavernium is pale cyan in coloration, either taking an amorphous form in its raw state, or the form of jagged, long spikes in its crystalline state. The process by which Lavernium (or any other Metasubstance, for that matter) undergoes crystallization is unknown, but since no natural process for creating Metasubstances is known to exist, it is assumed to be an artificial process executed by some long-dead alien civilization.

Lavernium’s unique Metasubstance properties emerge when it is introduced to an electric current. Basic gravity science operates by the principle that all forms of matter constantly emit gravitons in all directions simultaneously at a fixed rate, which is dependant on their mass. Lavernium, however, when introduced to an electric current, can emit gravitons at a considerably higher rate than its mass would allow, effectively creating a stronger gravity well around itself without its size or density changing. The stronger the electric current, the more gravitons it emits. How this relationship works is still unknown, but nevertheless, it has many useful applications within the realm of gravity engineering. Using Lavernium, objects can be given artificial weight, which is useful when constructing things like bunkers or very large structures. When combined with advanced graviton manipulation, the gravitons produced by Lavernium can be shunted around to change the direction of gravity for an object, making some objects seem lighter than average, or allowing objects to accelerate in any direction. This is the principle that Fold Drives operate on, and likewise, Lavernium is an extremely important resource in the production of these devices.

## Exploitation

Being a low-level Metasubstance, there are many civilizations that have used Lavernium as a resource at some point in their development, either mining it from preexisting deposits or synthesizing it in laboratories. The Serphiad Union and Zetylian Hegemony are notable for designing specialized gravity weapons using Lavernium that can crush vehicles, though these weapons were usually overshadowed by their vastly more advanced plasma weaponry. Numerous minor civilizations have made use of Lavernium to build FTL systems resembling Fold Drives, as gravity acceleration is a very simple and reliable method of FTL travel. However, the civilization best known for pursuing Lavernium technology is the Coalition of Intelligent Organisms. The Vecuuri had already found ways of synthesizing Lavernium on their own, which they used to build Fold Drives, so this technology was present in the Coalition since its early history. When a massive deposit of crystalline Lavernium was discovered on Lavernium Raze, the Coalition was capable of making further improvements to its FTL systems, mining as much Lavernium as they needed from the planet. It is worth noting that, due to its significant concentration, the Coalition was never capable of exhausting the Lavernium resources found on this planet.