Unreviewed Gloomcore Thermal Dissipation Grid Mk. I

[Darth Prazutis]

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• Intent: To create a dedicated Sith engineered thermal dissipation and heat management system for the Kainate's starfighters, enabling sustained high-intensity weapon fire without catastrophic overheating.
• Image Source:
  • Headers - Teresa Zambrano | Darth Pellax
• Canon Link: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Primary Source: N/A

• Manufacturer:
  
  • Malsheem Hypernautics and Manufacturing
• Affiliation:
  
  • The Kainate
• Market Status: Closed-Market
• Model: Gloomcore Thermal Dissipation Grid Mk. I
• Modularity: No
• Production: Limited
• Material:
  • Alchemized Sarrassian Iron Cooling Channels
  • Shadowsteel Phase Vents
  • Bloodsteel Conduction Filaments
  • Cryo-Ceramic Heat Exchangers

• Cryo-Ceramic Phase Exchangers: Encircling the power conduits and weapon mounts are layered cryo-ceramic exchangers. These specialized components absorb extreme heat spikes during sustained firing sequences and channel them into containment chambers, where temperatures are rapidly diffused through shadowsteel-lined vent paths. This allows high-output weapons like plasma cannons or disruptor batteries to maintain maximum rate of fire for extended periods without meltdown.
• Shadowsteel Phase Vents: A series of micro-vent arrays set along the fighter's dorsal and ventral surfaces actively purge excess thermal energy in controlled bursts. These vents not only lower internal temperatures but release a billowing vapor plume tainted with Sith forged trace elements that can obscure visual targeting for a moment after discharge. The phase vent emissions have earned the nickname "the Gloom Wreath" among Kainate pilots.
• Dark-Tuned Thermo-Conversion Relays: Integrated into the lattice are specialized thermo-conversion modules derived from ancient Helthen designs, re-engineered by Malsheem artificers and alchemically bonded with Sarrassian iron. These relays capture excess thermal energy and convert it into stored power, which is automatically routed into shield capacitors, weapon overcharge cells, or reserve batteries as needed. This process not only reduces heat signature emissions, minimizing the telltale thermal blooms that can give away a starfighter's position, but ensures every joule of waste energy becomes a tactical asset. In prolonged engagements, this energy can mean the difference between survival and annihilation, reinforcing the Sith doctrine that nothing should be squandered, and every disadvantage can be turned to advantage. Pilots operating starships with this system could choose between either releasing the heat via the Shadowsteel Phase Vents or converting it via the Thermo-Conversion relays.
• Bloodsteel Thermal Lattice: Woven into the primary power spine and reactor interfaces is a lattice of alchemized bloodsteel filaments. This lattice dynamically redirects thermal load between subsystems, prioritizing weapons, engines, or shielding as needed. Under overload conditions, it can channel the last reserves of cooling capacity into the weapons array for one final high-intensity volley before automatic safeties engage.

• Sustained Overload Capacity: The Gloomcore enables starfighters to maintain continuous fire from multiple heavy weapons without forced cooldown cycles. In engagements requiring overwhelming salvos, it allows the pilot to push output far beyond conventional thresholds, ensuring no lull in pressure against enemy shields or hulls.
• Thermal Displacement Flexibility: By dynamically redistributing heat load across the lattice and exchangers, the system can prevent cascading failures even if multiple subsystems are stressed simultaneously. This means propulsion, shielding, and weapons can all operate at high capacity without one function crippling the others.
• Position Conscious Heat Management: The thermo-conversion relays significantly reduce thermal signature spikes by recycling excess heat into stored energy rather than venting it. This makes the vessel harder to track on thermal sensors during extended engagements or after weapons overcharge cycles.
• Visual Obfuscation: The vapor emissions from the phase vents create a brief but potent screen of superheated haze. Enemy gunners and targeting optics can be momentarily blinded or forced to recalibrate, granting the Sith pilot critical seconds to reposition.

• Power Consumption: The Gloomcore's cryo-ceramic exchangers and phase vents require immense power draw during peak operation. Extended activation can deplete reactor reserves needed for shields or hyperdrive, demanding careful prioritization by the pilot.
• Force Nullification: The lattice's harmonized cooling pathways rely partially on Sith alchemical inscriptions that optimize thermal distribution across the grid. When under fields that produce Force Nullification, these inscriptions become inert, reducing the system's efficiency.

The Gloomcore Thermal Dissipation Grid Mk. I was developed within Malsheem's obsidian crucibles in response to a brutal reality: the Kainate's elite starfighters, bristling with advanced plasma and disruptor weaponry, suffered from severe heat accumulation during protracted engagements. Standard cooling vanes and rudimentary venting arrays simply could not sustain the demands of weapons built to overwhelm entire squadrons in a single pass.

Under the direction of the Shadow Mind, Sith alchemists and engineers set out to create a solution that was not merely functional but emblematic of Sith doctrine, power unrestrained by mortal limitation. They began by weaving bloodsteel lattices through the weapon conduits, a design that could shunt thermal load in any direction the pilot commanded. Cryo-ceramic exchangers, refined from rare minerals harvested in the desolation of Malachor, were then integrated to provide rapid absorption and dispersal of heat spikes. Finally, the Shadowsteel Phase Vents were conceived: venting structures capable of expelling accumulated energy in a plume so hot it shimmered like liquid night.

Field trials of the Gloomcore quickly proved it transformative. Starfighter crews discovered they could unleash barrage after barrage without sacrificing maneuverability or reactor stability. While Imperial and Republic tacticians may scramble to understand how Kainate fighters maintained such relentless pressure, the Sith pilots knew their edge was secured not only by engineering but by purpose: the will to sustain violence beyond any threshold.

Yet mastery of the Gloomcore demanded discipline. Its power came at a cost. Sith pilots learned to ration its highest settings, to hold back just enough that their engines would not choke on their own wrath. For those who accepted this balance, the Gloomcore became more than a cooling system. It was a statement: that no act of aggression would be tempered by caution, and no weapon would be silenced until the foe lay broken in the void.