Eldan Technology I

The most advanced species the galaxy has ever seen, the Eldan create technology that may never be completely understood by the Dominion's Collegium or the Exile Academy of Science. But though the science underlying the technology could remain a mystery forever, the functionality of Eldan tech is surprisingly simple and modular. Everything from constructs to control panels to shield generators employ power cores of similar design, and universal circuitry of staggering size runs through every exo-lab and facility on Nexus.

Many competing theories exist concerning the seeming paradox that the most brilliant beings in history made such simple designs, and how the Eldan used universal technology to create such wildly disparate effects. Most scientists agree, however, that their mastery of the primal powers and the building blocks of life are the keys that allowed them to build incredibly complex systems from simple components.

Primal Matrix
A primal matrix is essentially a rechargeable primal battery, and represents very basic and simple Eldan technology. It works without any input from the user by absorbing primal energy in the surrounding area and storing it within a lattice-like internal network that has a less than 0.01% diffusion rate.

A primal matrix in the vicinity of even a mild source of primal energy can become charged within twenty-four hours and remain charged indefinitely until used. Primal matrices that have been removed from their original machinery are sometimes found in strange places on Nexus, from Pell tech shrines to Lopp caravans. They are sometimes mistakenly called "power sources," which implies the matrix itself generates the power.

Health Station Analysis
Scanning an Eldan health station appears to activate this autonomous machine's basic functions. While it would no doubt take a great deal of study to make the health station fully functional to the point it could distribute the Eldan equivalent of medishots, scanbot frequencies appear to be sufficient to trigger a generalized health field. This field appears to last for only a short period of time, but can quickly heal most minor injuries or wounds.

Eldan Terraformers
The massive, primally charged machines called terraformers are among the most wondrous pieces of Eldan technology to survive into the present. Capable of transforming an entire ecosystem virtually overnight, they are powered by raw primal power sources, usually ones found near the terrain they are terraforming. For example, a terraformer focused on transforming a forest into a tundra (the Eldan were not always concerned with creating what humans would consider a pleasant climate) might emply the power of primal life infusing that forest to power the terraformer that would then transform that forest at the molecular level.

Even the most brilliant scientists in the XAS and the Royal Collegium have been baffled by terraformers, though leaders of both organizations have offered substantial rewards to the first person to unlock their secrets. Their inner workings are heavily shielded, and unlike many pieces of Eldan technology, the Caretaker is unable to help - security protocols prevent him from providing such information. What scientists have learned is that there appears to be no limit to what the terraformer can do in terms of changing a localized climate. Even in the middle of the hottest desert on the planet, an Eldan terraformer could create a thriving jungle, a salty inland sea, or a snow-covered wonderland.

Augmentation Relics
Scanbot data appears to show these relics have been exposed to augmentation at some time in the distant past. Fortunately the trace amount of remaining augmentation nanites have been rendered inert, and appear to have a built-in "kill switch" for safety reasons. This kill switch could prove to be useful in efforts to fight the spread of more dangerous modern varieties of augmentation on Nexus.