Fiction:Draconid Imperium/Technology

Over the past 250,000 years has developed highly advanced technology based on miniaturisation and using energy emitted from black holes. Their widespread existance means that many races have encountered their technology in one form or another and their technology is very common in Segmentum Draco. Technology has many social and philosophical effects and research focuses on developing present technology and making it more efficcient rather than experimenting with outlanish technology or novelties.

During their expansion they have come across numerous worlds bearing technology once used by the Four precursor powers of Andromeda. Over time they have adapted this technology to suit them with the precursor worlds becoming tourist hotspots for scholars and historians. The origins of technologies based on precursor tech is kept highly classified by the Royal Academy for fear that aliens who hear of it may try to hunt for such sites ro even raid known archeological sites out of a desire to have the technology themselves. =Military Technology=

Ammunition
To accomodate the widespread use of magnetic induction coils (MICs) in projectile weapons has prompted the development of ferrous slugs. Most rounds consist of a ferrous core with a tungsten casing designed to shatter against the targetd due to high velocities. To encourage this the core round designed as an irregular molecular-scale honeycomb to promote the fragility upon impact. When these rounds impact the target they initially damage the surface while the core and the rest of the casing acts as a miniature fragmentation grenade.

Shotgun 'smartrounds' are designed to break apart via a gas explosion after reaching a certain distance from the barrel and are activated as they travel down the barrel. Unlike other designs, the user must program the fragmentation distance into the weapon before firing. AP rounds do no not use the honeycomb structure and are instead tipped with nanotubes to maximise penetrating power.

Larger-calibre rounds such as those used in starship batteries are designed to cause as much damage as possible. Unlike small-arms projectiles, cannon rounds are designed with an ultrahard nanotube 'drillbit' designed to bore partway into armour while the shell itself contains minute amounts of high-impact explosive such as antimatter that detonates shortly after (typically +300 microseconds) impact. A typical 310mm starship cannon round is designed to shred ablative armour and if it penetrates can injure crewmemebers caught in the shrapnel blast.

Armour
Military forces are often equipped with ceramic armour in the form of various reinforced plates. Although the use of full-body armour of this variety is restricted to the marines (who require full-body protection in hazardous environments), several protectorates had developed their own varieties prior to assimilation. Marine-issue gear is outfitted to function as basic powered armour; The reinforced ceramic plates absorb impact energy which is then transferred to batteries for storage, this energy can then be used to boost user or weapon performance. Ceramic armour of this type can be expensive so forces such as the auxillaries and militia - even if they have access to large stocks ceramic armour - are restricted to protection of more vital body parts. Forces using other forms of armour including kevlar and nanofibre weave can afford more coverage due to the lower cost.

Vehicle protection ranges from several forms of reactive armour for light-to-medium vehicles and angled ablative armour for heavier vehicles and starships. Most combat vehicles use angled plates to negate impact damage or possibly deflect the shot. The angle of armour is most extreme with layered ablative armour found on main battle tanks. When an impact hits, a layer of armour (Normally 10-45 micrometres thick) dissolves off. The angle spreads the impact as much as possible. Many combatants refer to attacking layered ablative armour as 'fruit peeling' (Normally an analogue of the onion, depending on species). The prevalence of beam and missile weapons in space make ablative armour a common sight on starships of all sizes.

Battlestations
Measuring several kilometres high, imperial battlestations are behemoths of construction. Capable of dwarfing the kilometre-long battlemaster-class capitals these orbital fortresses are typically stationed at locations the empire considers strategically vital - such as critical systems, gateway systems and choke points - their presence can be seen in the sky above a stationed world and also represent the empire's overall strength.

The structure focuses around a central disk where most of the weapons batteries are installed along with the primary docking ports and sensor equipment. The station then extends outward from the top and bottom of this disk; above are accomodations and armouries and below are factories, storage chambers and secondary docking bays within the bulb at the base. Gravity is maintained through centripedal force which maintains an average of 1g. Deeper inside gravity is maintained with a-grav generators.

The battlestations provide more than just defence; factories and offices allow for more rapid development of the orbiting world and in some cases the planetary or system governor will take up residence on board. In some circumstances a planet would have more than one battlestation orbiting it. The empire refrains from stationing these structures within interstellar space - where they would have no anchor point and could be easily avoided - and gateway systems will usually have highest priority demand.

Energised Weapons
Often incorectly referred to as energy blades or phasic blades. Energised weapons sheathe the metal blade in a disruption field emitted from inside the blade that allows it to more easily cut through denser material. The blade is still sharp without this disruption field since that is the actual cutting tool. Energised blades are commonplace throughout the empire but their relative cost compared to a normal longsword means they are generally used by officers and dedicated swordsmen.

The blades themselves are powered with a high-efficcency battery in the handle that can continuously power the blade for five hours. Dedicated swordsmen will carry a replacement battery repladed by unscrewing and removing the pommel at the handle's base.

Fusion weapons
Nicknamed 'melters', fusion weapons work by firing an ionising laser pulse to generate high-intensity plasma to hit their target. While the plasma is capable of causing damage to infantry and some vehicle-based armour, the Imperium still deploys larger-scale fusion launchers, which are either as a laser cannon weapon or are vehicle-mounted. As energy weapons they consume large amounts of energy and are either supplied by high-energy batteries or a separate power pack mounted on the vehicle. Imperial law states that only Draconis military personnel can qualify to use fusion weapons and any non-draconis caught with fusion weapons would face sentencing equal to stealing governemnt property.

Fusion cannons are rare on starships, while they have the power to eradicate larger warships, the energy consumption makes them unfit for all but the msot energy-hungry warships. It is disputed as to whether or not the hypermatter particle cannons found on capital-class warships could class as fusion weapons but have a similar effect. More commonly, starships will fire fusion warhaeads which are designed to superheat the area of impact to near-planck temperatures, vapouring anything within the vicinity.

Holofields
A common infiltration device, the principle involves creating a forcfield and either projecting a holographic image over the top or bending light to create the illusion that something is bigger or smaller or a different shape than it actually is. Holofields have better use in military applications than they do in civillian areas. Unlike other forms of shielding the holofield only creates a weak solid boundary. A projectile or energy weapon would simply pass through along with any other solid object given enough force (the field's density is controlled by the user). The user can theoretically look and feel like anything along with providing an illusion that might not entirely fit the user's anatomy.

Holofields can also be used to create decoys, these can be just as solid or porus as fields generated by generators designed to be worn. The civillian applications primarily include the holodeck, which along with recreation is used or a variety of physical activities including military use.

Hypermatter
The most common form of hypermatter used within the Imperium is the tachyon. Due to its fundamental property as a faster-than-light virtual particle it is commonly used for FTL communication and energy transmission.

Other forms of hypermatter are more rare and the Imperium typically uses it for large-scale power genration and as the primary weapons of larger warships. Due to the instability of hypermatter in realspace these reactors are constantly monitored and are used alongside matter-antimatter reactors. Hypermatter particle cannons fire their payload as a confined beam and are capable of dealing immense damage to enemy ships. The largest guns have the capacity to annihilate a continent-scale area of crust and expose the mantle.

All capital ships utilise hypermatter reactors that pull directly from hyperspace, gathing immense ammounts of energy to fuel the typically-colossal warships they are built in to. Ship captains can also set the hypermatter siphons into an overdrive setting, causing containment to fail and release enough energy to completely destroy the ship it is conencted to along with the surrounding area as a form of self-destruction.

Hyperspace Cannon
Developed in response to the growing threat of hyperadvanced shielding and armour, the weapon developed underProject:Riftfire is made of two components: A large hyperspace-traverseable warhead installed with unstable high-energy explosive and a railgun fitted with a hyperspace rift generator. The warhead is fired down the barrel and is sent through an opening into hyperspace at the barrel's aperture. After a while the shot will then leave hyperspace where it will detonate at the exact moment to send a spacetime shockwave and exposes a point of realspace to background hypermatter.

The warhead has to eb precisely calibrated so that the detonation occurs at the right moment when the warhead leves hyperspace. Because the shot travels though 4th dmimensional space most engineers program the detonation to occur inside any shield or, preferebly, within the target itself for maximum effect. Because it is possible for objects in hyperspace to exceed 550kc, meaning shots and impacts from the cannon occur simoultaneously even at solar system scales. Such a weapon is so far only muntable on anything larger than a battleship due to recoil, magnetic forces and the enormous amounts of energy required to use it.

Coil
Magnetic coil induction launchers (MCILs or coilguns) coilguns are the primary form of propellant within the Imperium. They function by having the projectile 'ride' a magnetic field via alternating electromagnet coils and the bullet reaches a coil it turns off and the one in front turns on. Their popularity stems from their more flexible nature comapred to railguns along with a faster firing time, lack of noise and easy maintainance. Coilguns, like their rail counterparts, are capable of firing rounds at supersonic speeds, the sonic boom that follows (the only source of sound) can have a further deabilitating effect to the unprepared.

Coil weapons serve as the core of projectile weapons technology distributed across the Imperium and ammunition involves a ferrous slug as part of the design.

Rail
While not as common as fusion, the main advantage of rail weapons is their immense velocity and range and is often used for artillery, anti-air and within long-range personnel weapons. The velocity of the weapon provides considerable penetrating power, making it commonly seen in lanchers. The immense heat and pressure generated by such technology during firing can wear down the barrel quickly. Along with supercoolant flowing through larger weapons rail weapons are often fitted with easily-detachable barrels that can be quickly replaced. Rail technology is mainly seen on starship guns and is rarely seen in anything that requires rapid-fire capabilities.

Despite the flexibility the Talons normally equip auxillaries or militia with coilguns (Imperial Law states that use of fusion tech is restricted to Draconis military personnel outside of the personal weapon. Draconis Soldiers may keep a fusion pistol as a sidearm when not on active duty). This, combined with the relative expense of a fusion weapon on the black market, means that coil weapons are a common sight within all but the most lavish of organised crime groups and civillian frontier groups.

Missile
Missile technology focuses on internal damage. Both RPGs and larger missiles are designed to burrow into a target before exploding. To achieve this missiles consist of four components: A fuel propellant, gyrostabilisers a specilised warhead and a nanotube-laced drillbit. The idea is that as the missile leaves the launcher it spins rapidly, as it nears a target the drillbit activates in order to burrow through (The nanotube drillbit is harder than diamond and can be sharpened to a single atom in diametre). As it is drilling it is kept in motion through bursts of propellant and the spiral design of the drillbit. Upon reaching a certain depth the warhead detonates, the effects of the impact varies depending on the type of warhead used: The system used in the warheads is completely automatic, warheads are calibrated prior to firing and en-route to account for distance and the armour thickness of the target. Warheads contain an advanced targeting system and are capable of weaving past various obstacles. The fuselage itself is also converted into an explosive upon detonation, igniting any remaining propellant. The size of missile varies greatly depending on purpose from 20cm long RPGs to the 200m crustbuster warheads used during orbital bombardment.
 * Fragmentation warheads are designed to discharge many thousands of shrapenel capable of tearing organic tissue to shreds, the purpose is to incapacitate as many crew members as possible. The explosive force is also capable of causing considerable damage to armour.
 * Antimatter warheads, like fusion warheads, are designed to render the region they hit completely useless through matter-antimatter annihilation. Antimatter warheads are an effective way of stripping armour from a target along with denying material to any repair systems that lack matter-energy converters.
 * Plasma warheads discharge a container of plasma inside the hull. The rapid expansion of the plasma effectively turns an enclosed area into a furnace. Like fragmentation warheads these are designed to primarily incapacitate crew. The shockwave (both of heat and gas expansion) can cause considerable damage to living tissue and, even if one survives the explosion, survivors would be severely deabilitated if not dying.
 * Fusion warheads act in a similar manner to plasma variants. However they are capable of damaging machines as well as organics due to the reactive nature of the sunatomic particles involved. Unlike plasma the impact of a fusion warhead renders the chamber useless as the particles dissolve every surface they touch.
 * Dragon warheads are designed primarily to destroy or tear away armour. Frequently used on vessels with considerable heavy armour, the warhead burrows within the hull (designed not to go as far as other warheads) and then explodes. The explosion not only tears away armour but effectively converts the armour itself into a fragmentation grenade - bombarding anyone in or near the vicinity with superheated shrapnel.

Morphis
"With this technology we can be the pinnacle we desire. Imagine it, with this we have the power to control our evolution."

- Professor Vidius Senvinus

The nanotechnology codenamed Morphis conists of a colony of nanomachines that are designed to modify the body of the host with cybernetics on a sub-cellular level. The nanites primarily modify what is already present with cybernetics rather than replace or remove organs and large areas of tissue. Controlled by the willpweor of the user, they can modify a variety of different aspects of the user's body making them highly adaptable to various situations. Morphis-bult impants use a revolutionary biotechnology that mimics the functioning of the host's nervous system while at the same time boosting its performance. Under normal circumstances this technique prevents implant rejection and provides considerable resistance to an Electromagnetic Pulse. The changes made by the technology are mostly internal, with few external modificatios. Some of the various modifications include:
 * reinforced skin/scales and bone
 * stronger muscles
 * better eyesight
 * Improved brain functioning
 * Improved digestion
 * longer lifespan
 * Increased resistance to damage
 * Immunity to disease and poisons

Presently Morphis remains as a military application primarily distributed amongst the Imperial Talon marines and Talon Ground Legions. Due to the fact that it is tradition for Draconis to serve in the military it is likely that within a few generations most of the draconid population will have some degree of Morphis. This is migitated by the fact that morphis is primarily distributed amongst frontline forces but the benefits for fighter pilots, engineers and many support applications is obvious.

Plasma
Imperial Talon forces use plasma grenades in place of fragmentation grenades. Most grenades come in the form of a sphere with a red button set at the top. When the grenade explodes it exposes anyone within the blast radius to a shockwave, intense heat and superhot corrosive plasma. The mix of these can leave the target severaly deabilitated. Their nature has led to them being nicknamed 'dragon's breath' on both sides, plasma grenediers are often nicknamed 'dragons' because of this. Plasma shells are also used in anti-vehicle weapons; The confined spaces inside leave the crew easily exposed the to the charge, killing the entire crew in seconds and leaving the exterior virtually unscathed.

Somewhat less common are plasma firearms; Although they aren't used by Talon Marines, several protectorates have been known to use them and on occasion a voulenteer has been granted permission tu use these weapons in the field. =Civillian Technology=

Biotech
Genetics has found common use within the empire. Many species of animal are genetically modified to adapt to new conditions prior to being deployed in terraforming projects and stem cell implementation has made the need for organ donors obsolete. Genetic modification on members of the genus Draconis is considered illegal as is extreme gene therapy on sentient species. Genetically modified crops are common, producing long-lasting bumper crops to provide for the many trillions living in imperial space.

The Draconis have yet to use biotech in engineering or organic/machine fusion, preferring the feel of soft stone and metal. And the species themselves are unlikely of reaching technological singualrity partly because of laws on genetic modification and partly because of the stigma on cybernetics.

Computing
Computer technology is very advanced in the empire. The silicon chip has long-since become obsolete, replaced with the carbon chip. Computers are divided into two distinct groups depending on the level of sapience: Low-A.I.s (lA.I.) have little to no free will and only mimic a level of intelligence while true-A.I.s (tA.I.) are capable of independent thought. lAIs are the most common types available and are widely distributed throughout imperial space from calculators to personal computers and phones. On the other end are supercomputers which, although very powerful, border just below true sapience. Higher-grade lAIs also serve on vessels as the onboard computer cores and are capable of stringing together unique sentences.

tAI's come as either advanced supercomputers or as quantum computers. Quantum computers are generally found on logistics warships such as the Highcortex-Class cruisers and serve as tactical support. tA.I.s, while capable of independant thought are designed to pose minimal threat to the crew. In the event a tA.I. does go rogue the crew can remotely activate a shutoff switch - disabling and resetting the system. Quantum tA.I. systems have a unique personality which changes in the new system whenever the software is duplicated or reset; resetting a quantum tA.I.s system creates an entirely new personality. As a result tA.I. personalities are always unique and there have been urban myths of one personality going rogue, getting shut down and being restored with an even worse personality.

Room-temperature superconductors (which exhibit zero thermal resistance at temperatures of 273K) revolutionised both the power grids and the electronics industry throughout the Imperium. Combined with Senvinus reactors the discovery has led to a post-scarcity energy revolution providing all but the most basic of colonies with free limitless energy along with making countless energy-demanding technologies very affordable and feisable. Room-temperature superconductors can be found in countless places including maglevs, home electronics, fusion and matter-antimatter reactors and can be considered chiefly responsible (along with terraforming techniques) for the Era of Diamonds - The Imperium's second major technological golden age.

The Draconis are forever paranoid of threats both within and without. Quantum encryption is a common form of guarding communications channels and secure documents and can be found in any security system. Higher levels will use further encryption such as ciphers, letter/number swapping and reversal (which makes things more difficult for translators that use fewer than 30 letters), enigma and the use of the Draconis-exclusive language of High Dracid.

Devices
Most electronic devices rely on interchangeable and modular components to improve the life of the product. Components such as ascreens, comutation material, casings and connectors are modular and easily replaceable, vastly increasing the period of time before a compeltely new device has to obe purchased.

Most computer systems forego keyboard analogues and other peripherals in favour of peech-to-text, handwriting recognition and touchscreen interfaces. Rather than typing, most users write or speak what they desire on the screen and recognition software often 'corrects' the handwriting to a more uniform look unless the user sets otherwise. Because of the widespread use of touchscreen technology, monitors designed for such purposes are frequently made of light, durable and easy-to-aquire materials to ensure cost-effectiveness and long life of the screen and to increase resistance of wear-and-tear.

Cybernetics
Cybernetics are a form of tissue replacement that involves replacing the tissue with metal and electronics, linkinng the prosthesis with the centran nervous system. Cybernetics can be very varied; replacing a leg is a common alternative to using stem cells. Replacing a limb with a weapon (jokingly reffered to as "getting a handgun") is rare and considered aboinable - depite how cool some people think it is, the real pracicality is far from ideal. Cybernetics are rare within Draconis colonies. This is because many citizens believe that the use of unneeded cybernetics such as replacing a perfectly good limb tarnishes their superiority (Due to the nature of the species' creation story, the effect of doing this is considered the same as painting over another artists' masterpiece while they watch). This does not, however, extend to non-invasive augmentation such as combat optics. Depending on the species, these beliefs vary between protectorates - some openly embace replacing healthy limbs or organs while others forbid it. although such a social stigma does not apply to those seeking to replace body parts lost in some other way, most prefer stem-cell treatment to 'regain' their old self rather than a cold metal extension.

The Exonet
The Imperial Exonet is the Empire's answer to the internet. The expanded nature of the empire make the exonet highly dedentralised, there is normally one server hub in each cluster connected to central hubs within each subsector. Data is sent via tachyon pulses - subatomic paticles that travel at superluminal speeds. The tachyon relay network also makes up the basis for galactic communication. Server hubs and tachyon relays are often placed together and at least one gateway world will have one (referred to as exonet relays) within a subsector.

Relay boosters are one of the facilities within exonet relays; Their purpose is to boost the strength of a signal before it travels through a wormhole, it is also capable of boosting a signal that emerges from a wormhole. Despite EM interference, little data is lost in transit since the pulses are arranged in a digital nature. Only the more well-established worlds can have access to more advanced exonet hubs. Tachyon tranamissions themselves are very basic. However they are 'padded' on the other side via tachyon relays meaning a holotransmission only requires as much bandwidth as a video recording despite being projected from a wall panel and providing a crisp, full 3D image.

Imperial Throne
The Imperial throne is a device used solely by the Paragavatus of the Imperium. On the outset it appears to be a large, ornate throne decorated with marble, velvet, gold and platinum. What makes the throne special is that it houses machinery designed to enhance the occuptant physically and mentally. Occupants who sit on the throne for an extended length of time have been observed to display enhanced senses and reflexes, increased lifespan and vitality and observers have accounted an air of command around the throne's occupant. the device is kept updated constantly with the latest technology and it has been documented that under the long-term effects of the machine, occupants have lived for over 1000 years.

The throne itself has existed since the earlier days of the Imperium, however after paragavatus Orillion Vospus III contracted an incurable case of lung rot in ID.15445. In order to sustain himself his daughter Galicia requested that a life-support system be built somewhere to sustain him. It was decided that the throne be hollowed out to fit a life support machine. Although Orillion was never fully cured, the effects of the throne allowed him to venture outside for several hours. The throne was redesigned at the request of paragavessa Elissia Vospus V under the premise that the paragons represented the Draconis and the imperium.

The machine's intricacies are kept secret by a collective of engineers living within the palace. Information on its workings is kept secure in such a way that no one engineer has access to every piece of information about the design. To prevent accidental use, the throne is tied to a biometrically-responsive reciever (often hidden in an item of clothing) to make sure only the paragon recieves the effects. In ID.72400 engineers developed a remote unit that coudl be worn to extend the throne's effects should the occupant be away for extended periods of time.

Artificial Ring
Artificial rings are small-scale megastructures designed to shift industry and trade to a planet's orbit, easing up traffic to and from the surface. Materials, passengers and goods are transported from the surface either by shuttles or space elevators in the form of diamond-filament tethers.

The rings are built using similar materials and techniques to the Senvinus Reactors to prevent collapse from the structure's own mass. Space traffic control often directs traffic to them and for worlds that have these structures, they will be the first location visited by offworlders.

Although trade passes through them, they primarily house factories, foundaries and refineries that proccess what is brought up or imported. Several planets with these structures (such as Voss prime, Almatima III and Dreveda prime) become industrial hubs. Planets hosting these rings typically become industrial hubs for the local system. For the sake of convenience (and since much of this orbital industry is automated) some secondary industry usually remains on the planet along with most forms of primary industry.

Dyson Swarm
The Imperium harvests energy from stars by a network of sattellites that orbit at a safe, geosynchronous distance from the local star. These sattellites generate an energy 'net' around the host star that collects matter and EM radiation ejected from the star's surface. This energy is then confined into a laser that is projected at the intended target (such as a planet or moon) and collected using photovoltaic cells or collection dishes. To ease the transmission of this energy the channels within the energy grid also channel the collected energy. All sattellites are capable of emitting this laser. Because the systems maintaining these swarms are often populated the net does not capture all heat and light ejected from the star.

Another variation (typically used on lone stars or uninhabitable systems) uses gravity wells to pull matter from the star and convert what is collected into energy. The method of conversion varies from a self-sustaining fusion reaction to monopoles converting some of the matter into antimatter for matter-antimatter annihilation reactions. These 'star eaters' slowly drain the star of useable material and then project the collected energy via tachyon emmitters to the greater network.

Theoretically the Imperium could focus clusters of emitters found on any dyson swarm to convert the megastructure into a stellar-scale laser beam equivilent to a minor gamma ray burst. Although the potential exists there is little evidence to suggest the Imperium has resorted to such a tactic within its own history.

The prohibition of star-eater variants within populated systems stems from the Imperium's policy of ensuring that resource sites last for as long as possible, even if the star-eater's actions only shortens the star's lifespan by a few thousand years at a time.

Industrial Capacity
For millenia, most of the Imperium's heavy industry has been based in orbit of black holes and stars. Catalysed by the first Senvinus Reactors, the Imperium has shifted much of its manufacturing industry to high-energy sites such as dyson swarms or black holes. These "stellar manufactories" provide a large part of the Imperium's indsutrial base. Stellar manufactories most often work as shipyards due to the large amounts of material required and the fact they must be space-bound to be wholly effective. They consist of three key facilities that work together.
 * Large-scale collectors and quantum replicators that convert harvested material and energy into the base materials used by most industries. Can be supplimented with imported material.
 * Nanoforges and the factories themselves that assemble the parts using 3D printers and nano-replicators on automated production lines.
 * Delivery bays where starships pick up the finished goods to be shipped to other locations.

Most planets maintain a minor industrial base to uphold the Imperium's regulations on self-sustainability and most forms of agrarian and pasture farming are performed planetside. THe local benefit is that pollution is kept to a minimum and building projects that are deemed undesireable by local populations are kept out of the way. Some had at first argued about this, citing that such a shift would cause widespread loss of jobs. Local governmentscountered this by agreeing to keep certain indsutries planetside such as farming and small-scale manufacturing.

The wealth of the goods now provided and the sheer volume of goods that could be produced without so many constraints of space and desireable locations on a planetary service, the "stellar industrial revolution" was one of the key catalysts for converting the Imperium's economy into a post-scarcity society.

Worldbuilding
As part of their ongoing project to make Andromeda more habitable the Imperium has established moon building projects to stabilise the orbits and tides of many worlds, both inhabited and uninhabited. Construction involves colliding asteriod (or rocky planet) matter above a planet via a large and intricate network of orbital rings flooded with coolant. The rings act as a braking system for the incoming matter and to cool the forming mass. Construction can take hundreds to thousands of years and such projects are typically restricted to moons rather than full-sized planets. Whether or not the Imperium has the capability to create even a small-scale planet is questionable.

Because of the timescale and material costs, worldbuilding is often left to a few of the most powerful industrial corporations. These companies would gain a profit by selling the energy generated from the heated coolant to the Imperial government or leasing the future planetoid to nobles along with a stipend from the Science Council for advancing the Imperium's Galactic Restoration Project.

Nanofibres
The creation of nanofibres has allowed industries to greatly strengthen materials from textiles to steel sheets and vehicle armour. Nanofibres are created using nanobots that weave threads (which can be as thin as several atoms in diametre) out of alloys of titanium, aluminium, silicon, graphene and carbon (the ratios vary depending on product purpose). These nanobots then arrange the threads to create the product.

Because nanofibres can be weaved to absurdly low thicknesses and can be harder than diamond, they are a popular choice for use in armour-piercing rounds, they are used in missile technology (warheads are fitted with a drillbit harder than diamond, allowing them to burrow into a target before exploding) and are a key component of ceramic armour.

Nanomachines
Microscopic robots that arrange molecules at a molecular level. Programmed with basic algorithms they can make anything from tanks and spaceships to perfectly-weighted masses and even (in some cases) food. Draconis nanomachines use carbon instead of silicon for the electronics and are thus undetectable to devices designed to detect silicion-based electronics, their nanites are not self-replicating in order to maintain a level of control of how many are available, this also prevents the grey-goo scenario from occuring within Imperial space. The use of nanomachines has revolutionised the chemical industry, allowing corporations to make 'ideal' medicines and stimulants.

The reputation of nanomachines has been tarnished recently due to the Mecha-Wasp war and although the advancements made by the necha-wasp have been aquired and reverse-engineered by scientists many are still against self-replicating machines.

Certain devices also use more mundane variations of microscopic mechanisms to make their products as compact as possible. Surveillence devices, toys and gadgets use micromechanisms to work; meaning less bulk is required within the product.

Quantumscale
The Imperium has had a long history and have managed to develop impressive technology. Going as far as being able to manipulate the quantum-level mainly indirectly.

Monopoles
The Draconis' primary use of monopoles is for improved reactions in fusion reactors. The resulting catalysation creates more monopoles. Through advanced manufacturing processes an interesting emerged; monopolium.

A prototype material that had been engineered 50 years before the Imperium's first-ever Senvinus Reactor, the key property of monopolium is that it is capable of holding a far stronger intermolecular bonds than baryonic covelant bonds. While revolutionary for megastructures the practical use of it is restricted due the the undesireable effect that when in contact with baryonic matter the monopoles react like they would within a fusion reactor; creating a mix of more monopoles and positrons which would cause a cascade matter-antimatter annihilation reaction that could spread throghout the structure. Monopolium reinforcement involves keeping the framework in a true vaccum (with minimal chance of baryonic reaction) and sheathed in an energy shield.

Currently, monopolium use is confined to structures in relatively safe, space-bound locations or for purposes where the construct would not intentionally end up at reasonable risk of damage or destruction such as in combat situations; constructs such as the refitted Biogenesis-class "wormhole coaches" whose external structure is reinforced to withstand the tidal forces nearing event horizons. Withstanding these pressures also makes it useful for reinforcing artificial gravity generators and Senvinus reactors.

Q-balls
The primary use of non-topological solitons within the Imperium is for cost-effective, large-scale production of antimatter for weapons and matter-antimatter reactors throughout the colonies. Comapnies such as Nilhus have made a large profit creating antimatter this way, becoming market leaders and allowing for matter-antimatter reactors to become commonplace technology found on every starship. Whle theories exist they may have other uses, the Imperium is yet to put these technologies to use.

Qunatum Replication
Due to their age, the Draconis are believed to have developed quanatum replicators long before the emergence of the. Because of the radical implications of such technology they are unlikely to share it with other powers. The replicators (and potentially other high-energy technologies) are in fact partially-based from designs originating from digsites connected to the. Adapting it to their own technologies, quantum replicators exist on many worlds and in larger starships, which allowed the Imeprium to make the final push to provide a post-scarcity lifestyle to the majority of the population. Out of all technologies, the Imperium guards the secrets of this one the most vigilantly.

Spacetime manipulation
The warp drive uses an antimatter reactor to warp spacetime around a craft, riding the wave for distrotion to it's destination. The benefit of using warp drives is that even with enormous amounts of acceleration/deceleration the crew feels almost nothing since all that is required is to disperse the field. Low-power warp fields can also act as shielding; when encountering a high-gravity bubble a missile or rail shot will be compacted, drastically reducing its momentum or outright destroying it.

Black Hole reactors (named Senvinus Reactors after the inventor of wormhole travel) are megastructures built as large rings around black holes; their purpose is to harvest energy within the singularity. Although the empire currently lacks the power levels required to create their own black holes they can still manipulate spacetime to a suitable degree. Since black holes function as a way for the Draconis to travel thousands of light-years in an instant, the Reactors create 'stability corridors' at the event horizon. This corridor allows a craft (which generates it's own antigrav field) to pass through unharmed. When a new black hole is discovered the empire will dispatch a reactor to orbit it, generating a stability field within the event horizon for any expeditions looking to pass through. Reactors are capable of changing thier radius to account for different sizes of black holes. The combined gravitational distortion and nanofibre construction make them almost indestructible and completely autonamous.

Singularity stabilisation drives (also known as singularity drives are rare. This is because their main purpose is to provide protection for any vessel passing into a black hole that does not possess a Senvinus reactor. They generate a far greater antigrav field than most vessels, strong enough to encompass the fleet, and are normally built on board the vessel with the most powerful reactor. Due to their rarity they are designed to be easily installed and removed before being transferred to another fleet. Any vessel that has not been chartered to explore or enter a new connection is deprived of a drive for other vessels to use.

In the prototype phase is the cascade singularity generator (nicknamed planet crusher). There are two versions which do the same thing in the end: A drill and a sattelite network. The basic principle is using intense gravitational distortion to warp the planet's mass to breaking point.
 * The drill impacts a planet and the generator (built into a diamond-weave casing) drills down to the core, once there it generates intense gravitational fields that tear the planet apart, crushing it and has a chance of pulling down any sattellites and moons orbiting the body.
 * The sattelite network emits strong gravitational fields that tear buildings apart and fracture the planet before stronger pulses crush the pieces together.

Although the planet itself could theoretically survive; any life, atmosphere and original geography would be completely destroyed. The warping also fractures the core, making it vunerable to solar flares. While the planet would survive, the effects would make the planet completely unihabitable. The original purpose was to use it as a shock-and-awe tactic along with destroying planets otherwise too well-fortified to conquer.

Artificial Gravity
A by-product of Senvinus Reactor research is the Imperium's knowledge of creating micro-singularities for artificial gravity. Gravity-disks, as they are known, are produced on a large scale for commercial use in starships and space stations to allow for comfortable operating conditions. Larger and more spherical variations are used by the ITN and Domestic Security forces as FTL-inhibitors but due to the power constriant and the use of matter-energy converters, ships fitted with these often require another power core to keep the vessel operational. An alternatives is for the use of sattellites fitted with large power cores and inhibitors, allowing for the shost vessel to deploy a remote probe, withdraw, and activate without putting itself at risk.

Hyperlanes
Pioneered in a joint effort with the Imperium has spent decades on a way to manipulate the fabric of fourth-dimensional hyperspace into stable channels where speeds can exceed the limits od natural hyperspace. It is only though recent breakthroughs in the nature of mass, M-theory and the quantum foam as well as a boost in the supply of energy granted from the 's Deep Core facility that the widespread manipulation of the quantum foam at scales of thousands of light years was at all possible.

By the Commonwealth's 6th year of existance, an 'Appian way' had been built between the planets Alcanti, Crepusculum and Daedelus, connecting the Imperium to the political hubs of the inner-rim with branches being built a dozen at a time to toher planets and other empires. This hyperway effectively unites the core regions in a way the the gateway network never could.

Transportation
Most vehicles within imperial space remain using wheels and tracks, however some worlds do use hover vehicles. Most flying vehicles use magnetic drives to stay off the ground. These drives work by using a planet's magnetic field to suspend the vehicle. Seemingly lacking in an exhaust or external propulsion system vehicles fitted wit magnetic drives can travel in all directions and make on-the-spot turns and strafes. Spacefaring vessels will typically use ion thrusters, which emit a thin stream of high-energy particles. Ion engines are far more fuel-efficcient than chemical rockets and require a lot less fuel to propel the attached mass.