Originally published at: Squishy | The Eldraeverse
COLLAPSITER (THRESHER MAELSTROM) Special weapons package THRESHER MAELSTROM, or the collapsiter warhead, is a kugelblitz-based delivery system suitable for deployment from a large-bore heavy mass driver. Put simply, the principle of the collapsiter is the activation upon detonation of a spherical array of annihilation-pumped lasers focused on a single point, raising the mass-energy density of that point to such a degree that a black hole is formed, one which rapidly adds the remaining mass of the warhead to itself. The layout and activation of the array is computed to impart considerable angular momentum to the resulting hole. The destructive effect…
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Out of curiosity, does the name (if not exact function) come from Wil McCarthy’s Collapsium? They are both based on black holes, although McCarthy’s is a Scharnhorst effect based psuedo-FTL communication system as opposed to a weapon.
If so, it’s by accident. I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t yet got around to reading The Collapsium; I was just casting around for decent nonce coinages that would fit the weapon. On the other hand, it’s always possible that the word stuck in my head from some reading around the sides of it; my SFnal word-banks are deep.
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This is pretty much identical to the weapon I’ve dubbed a “graviton torpedo” in Rising Star.