ANTI-GRAVITY (T-GRAV)

One of the most ubiquitous technologies in all human space is anti-gravity (commonly referred to as "T" grav after the "ti" in "anti"), which we have had for over a millennium. The tribals are no exception. Although they do not create the elaborate floating cities of the Empire, such as Eleä Jacitala Es, Aloft, or New Xanadu, they do not hesitate to set floating citadels over their cities and holdfasts. Some tribal settlements are essentially underground dwellings, but I have yet to see any tribal town or holdfast where the people live in the sky.

There is little remarkable here, so I will be brief. Tribal T-grav capability is essentially the same as that of the Empire: pi-field inducers generate and direct gravitons or anti-gravitons in a manner that bypasses the need for incredible amounts of mass. T-grav technology can levitate items as small as vases or as large as the tribals' blocky, inelegant citadels. As with our gravitic nodes, lifting capacity is determined by the power-to-mass ratio, which in a curve defined by to Muennichar's Law (levitating greater effective mass requires a near-geometric increase in power). Interestingly, the tribals tend to keep their T-grav generators on separate power sources than those that power shields, etc. These microfusion paks are numerous and are diffused throughout the very walls of a base. This practice explains why tribals can destroy shield and weapon generators in a floating citadel, but fail to knock down the building itself. I believe the design is an intentional product of the honor-based ritual warfare so prevalent here, the better to reduce collateral damage. I hear that on several occasions tribal holdfolk or city dwellers have come out to witness a flag war between two opposing citadels, staying, of course, well outside the permitted boundaries of the conflict. I cannot imagine they would do so if the citadels were in danger of falling.

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