Schatten System Barrier

Barrier Emissions

The Barrier is the area of space around the Schatten Star System, roughly at the location of the ort-cloud. It is an intense field of strong subspace and gravitational distortions caused by the focus of warped space within the star system. The structure of the barrier is roughly like that of a giant containment field, but it is naturally occurring. The region captures moving spacial anomalies and diffuses them, either deflecting them back in toward the interior of the system or absorbing the distorting energies into itself. To the left is a subspace scan showing energy emissions of the barrier, computer enhanced showing it giving off high energy subspace particle jets in various directions.

Location

Approximately 2100 AU's to 2300 AU's from Schatten

Size

Approximately 837 cubic AU's

The exact region's beginning varies by a few hundred kilometers around the 2100 AU mark from the Schatten star and ends around 200 AU's from that point. Both the beginning and end of the barrier fluctuate by 200-400 kilometers at any given time.

Appearance

The Barrier itself is a softly luminescent region of swirling energies that completely surrounds the star system on all sides. This glow is only visible when very close to (a 100-200 kilometers) distant from the barrier itself, otherwise those inside the system are able to see outside the barrier without problem, though sensors have trouble penetrating to the outside world. From the outside, the barrier is nearly invisible and causes the interior to be nearly impossible to detect with sensors except through distortions in visible light spectrums.

Communications

Though communication through the barrier is possible it requires a very focused signal to beam through the barrier. Solas Tempus has a network of communications relays at equal distances on either side of the barrier which enable communication through the barrier. Each satellite communicates with its twin satellite on the opposite side of the barrier. Without these, communication would be nearly impossible with the outside world. These satellites also have sensors which allow the inhabitants of the system to monitor the outside of the barrier without having to go through it.

Properties

Energy from the barrier is roughly harmless to life, though prolonged exposure within the barrier can cause nausea, aphasia, loss of balance, and minor perceptual problems they are short lived once the life form has left the region. Space vessels have a much harder time, the barrier is disruptive to and and almost all artificial power generation systems, though it does not appear to inhibit power storage systems (batteries for instance) or extremely simple power generation - steam power turbines for instance. Matter/Anti-matter, fusion, fission, Zero-Point Energy, and similar advanced power generation techniques begin to fail once they enter the barrier. Power systems are not the only thing impacted, communications, sensors, shields / navigational deflectors, ODN (optical data network), replicators, holographic projection, and most other modern systems are also disrupted. Sensors become useless, shields inoperative, and communications become difficult if not impossible once a vessel enters the barrier. Life support is seldom effected unless by the lack of power.

Recovery

Upon exiting the barrier systems come back online with only minor damage (realignments, small circuit burnouts, and the like). However, about 1 out of every 4 times (25%) a major system does not come back online and requires major repairs from extensive component burnouts to key structural materials weakening causing heavy damage.

So far, no vessel have been lost due to travel through the barrier though several have required extensive repairs.