Bit of Discourse: Chemistry

[Simon_Jester]

The series version is only more fun if you specifically like the Lensman novels, because all Smith did was tack on some extra material to make Triplanetary a prequel story in that setting.

I'd recommend to Ahriman238 a look at Galactic Patrol; the best way to read the series is to start with Galactic Patrol, then go through Grey Lensman, Second Stage Lensman, Children of the Lens... and THEN double back to Triplanetary and First Lensman.

Although reading in the in-setting chronological order works too; in my opinion it's not as good.

[Ahriman238]

Only Triplantery, Amazon Kindle has it for free. Didn't exactly convince me to spend money on the rest of the series, but it was some good golden-age of scifi fun. Where space is full of ether.

If I recall, the public domain Triplanetary, which is likely what Amazon is offering for free, is not quite the same as the series version of Triplanetary which underwent some revision and is not (yet) out of copyright, though it will be in a few years.

Unfortunately, it's been 30 or 35 years since I read the series so my memories are a bit faded, and I can't seem to find a copy of the earlier books anywhere (my local library told me their copies simply wore out/crumbled a decade or so ago - they were printed in a era when the paper in cheap books had a high acid content and self-destructed after a time) so actual comparisons are not feasible at this point in time.

If there are two versions, I rather suspect this was the series version. Considering it had a vast prologue about Arisia and Eddore, then following their agents through human history.

[Simon_Jester]

Ayup. Series version.

[Ahriman238]

... and it seems there's an 80's anime of Lensmen. Huh.


Neutronium & ChromSten. Neutronium is a theoretical material that may exist at the heart of neutron stars, where the star is denser than average (1.44+ solar masses) which collapses and exceeds the limits of electron degeneracy, leading, it is commonly believed, to the creation of neutron-degenerate matter. There's really only two things you need to understand neutronium, first that it should be incredibly, unbelievably dense. Second, it should be unable to bond or react with anything else, because it is literally neutrons packed together so tight individual atoms cease to exist, and there are no electrons to bond, react or convey a charge in any case.

Of course, the other side of that is that neutronium really shouldn't exist outside the heart of a neutron star. Without the intense pressures that literally drove out all electons, the normal rules should re-apply themselves in a moment and the result, well, you can scrunch the ends of a spring together real tight, but once you let go it's not staying that way.

Well, Neutronium has a long history in science fiction, even people who should really know better use it in the form of Sufficiently Advanced Aliens (you can tell they're Sufficiently Advanced because they have impossible things like neutronium and mono-edge knives.) In Star Trek, Neutronium was used to make the Doomsday Machine which was invulnerable to the Enterprise's weapons, and the Iconians used it too. Some Star Wars EU sourcebook listed neutronium as an ingredient in duranium alloy, which warships are made of, and it sparked this whole debate that Star Destroyers should be physically invulnerable to phasers and the like, even though SW neutronium is apparently mined from a planetary surface. Speaking of planetary neutronium, that same goof was made in Stargate, the Asgard settled Orinda because it was rich in neutronium and the Human Replicators were made of the stuff.

To me, there are two associations that are instant and easy. First is the March Upcountry books where they use neutronium in all but name called ChromSten, which is likewise so dense that individual atoms cease to exist. ChromSten is used for the hull of every FTL-capable ship, presumably it is the only thing tough enough, but also for power armor which has exaggerated musculature and strength enhancement just to move the two microns coating of ChromSten. The thickest sheets we see are battleship armor, 2 inches. However, ChromSten does fail sometimes when you empty a plasma gun very rapidly into it at close range, a dangerous tactic.

The other is a thrilling Star Wars prequel, Han Solo at Star's End. There, Chewie is taken by local authorities (Espos) to a secret prison called Star's End, necessitating Han and a group of misfits to rescue him (it's a bit more complicated, but that'll do for our purposes.) The prison is a vast tower on a lifeless moon with "molecularly bonded armor" apparently created by taking very dense metals, softening them with "ion fusors" while compacting them further with tractor beams and bombarded with "charged-particle vibrating waves" until the molecular bonds were virtually unbreakable. Add a serious shielding system and the tower was pretty much physically invulnerable. So Han and co. infiltrate as entertainers, then he slips away and overloads the generators beneath the tower. The tower remains undamaged but is propelled upwards at very nearly escape velocity while a general prison break and running firefight commences. It is every bit as cool as it sounds.