Permanent research is carried out at Asterion’s shard laboratories, using records of the Rift Shards the carrier recovers. Each improvement is sent down the relay as a calibration file and applied to every later attempt.
| Programme | Improves |
|---|---|
| Reactor Efficiency | Coupler output |
| Weapon Calibration | Weapon damage |
| Hull Strength | Maximum hull |
| Drone Engineering | Drone damage |
| Shield Technology | Shield capacity |
The Directorate’s permanent upgrades are conservative calibration changes based on fragments already recovered. They make a later attempt more capable. They do not reveal a second pilot or secretly change the carrier’s identity.
# Behind the research
Each programme has a small team at Asterion working through the skeleton-crew nights. Their reports are dry. The marginal notes are not. One Shield Technology report ends with a line that is not part of the calibration: Tell him the shield held. Tell him we’re still here.
Related articles
ARCHIVE RECORDRift ShardsFragments of anomalous material that keep a stable energy signature after removal. Power source, research material and possibly memory.
ARCHIVE RECORDField calibrationsFourteen temporary adjustments chosen between floors, and the four synergies that link them.
ARCHIVE RECORDAsterion Station crewRelay operators, cradle engineers, observers and the overnight skeleton shift. The people who keep the rim running and the upper relay alive.