Tonan Phase Weapon
The Tonan Phase Weapon was a prototype superweapon that emitted high-frequency phase harmonics capable of **disrupting neural function** in all nearby lifeforms. First encountered by the crew of the SS Scavenger DX-1017 in *Story 1: The Phoenix from the Scrapyard*, it represented the first known attempt to weaponize Phase Drive resonance for biological warfare. During *Story 6: The Tonan Civil War*, Alliance intelligence confirmed that the Tonans had **kidnapped Alliance and Prosian scientists** and forced them to adapt Dr. Meras’s high-frequency Phase-Drive equations into a weapon designed to incapacitate enemy populations.
Overview
Unlike conventional weapons that targeted physical structures, the Tonan Phase Weapon affected **the mind and nervous system**. When fired, it emitted a resonance field tuned to the same frequencies used by Phase Drive systems. The resulting wave disrupted the natural phase alignment of organic neurons, producing catastrophic effects:
- Confusion and loss of motor control
- Hallucinations and dissociation
- Neural fatigue and long-term memory impairment
- In severe cases, coma or death
The weapon’s destructive radius extended several thousand kilometers, with intensity fading rapidly beyond the initial pulse zone.
Origins
Following the suspension of Dr. Meras’s research, Tonan agents obtained fragments of his high-frequency field data through covert raids and abduction of scientific personnel. Several of these abducted researchers were forced to re-engineer the drive harmonics for destructive use, producing the **Phase Array Field Projector** prototype in **Annuli 3369**. The Tonans believed the weapon would disable enemy crews without destroying ships—an efficient tool for conquest—but they severely underestimated its long-term neurological consequences.
Discovery by the Scavenger
During *The Phoenix from the Scrapyard*, the Scavenger DX-1017 encountered a derelict zone where entire crews were found alive but catatonic. Kessa Rin led the investigation and determined that the victims exhibited **phase-induced neural misalignment**—a unique form of brainwave interference identical to the harmonic frequencies of a Meras-type Phase Drive. When the Tonan weapon fired again, the Scavenger narrowly avoided exposure through emergency harmonic shielding.
Kessa and a team of rescued Alliance and Prosian scientists devised a **counter-phase array** to nullify the weapon’s resonant field. When deployed, the counter-pulse successfully inverted the waveform, ending the assault and stabilizing the victims’ neural patterns. This marked the first successful use of **phase field cancellation** for biological protection.
Neurological Impact
The weapon’s pulse did not damage matter; instead, it destabilized the **electro-phase coupling** within biological neural tissue. Because all living organisms generate faint sub-phase harmonics (a byproduct of cellular quantum activity), the Tonan pulse induced destructive interference at the synaptic level. Symptoms ranged from disorientation to full cortical shutdown.
Survivors often described their experience as *“drowning in light”*.
Treatment and Recovery
Following the initial incident, many victims exhibited chronic neural resonance syndrome—commonly known as **Phase Shock**. During later humanitarian missions described in *Story 2: The Healing Stars*, Dr. Elan Drex discovered that extracts from the Prosian beverage **Terget**, made from the Laroko Fruit, contained compounds capable of stabilizing neural phase oscillations. These compounds reversed the long-term neurological damage caused by exposure to the Phase Weapon. The purified extract became the basis for the **Terget Neural Inoculation**, later administered to both Prosian and human populations.
Counter-Phase Development
Kessa Rin’s counter-phase array was built from salvaged Phase-Drive components and tuned through precise inverse resonance matching. When activated, it generated a mirror waveform that neutralized the destructive harmonics. This principle later evolved into the **Phase Dampers** installed on modern FTL ships to protect against accidental field leakage.
Ethical and Political Impact
The Alliance Council and Prosian Council of Trade and Transit condemned the Tonan Phase Weapon forbidding harm to the minds of sentient beings. The incident unified the Alliance and Prosian governments in banning all offensive uses of phase resonance technology. Among Prosians, the event is still remembered as *“Nai Nilita’fen Torash”* — *When the Flow Wept.*
Revelation During the Tonan Civil War
Years later, during the *Tonan Civil War*, Alliance agents uncovered data confirming that:
- The Tonans had abducted Alliance and Prosian scientists to build the weapon.
- The scientists had warned their captors of potential neural collapse side effects.
- Several of those scientists escaped, exposing the truth to the Tonan public.
- The resulting outrage triggered a civil war between **Traditionalists**, who sought to dismantle the weapons program, and **Dominionists**, who demanded its expansion.
Without their captive engineers, Dominionist forces failed to reproduce the weapon safely. Subsequent test firings resulted in feedback loops that incapacitated their own crews.
Technical Characteristics
- **Pulse Frequency:** ~2.8 × 10¹⁷ Hz (Meras-type harmonic)
- **Effective Range:** 0.02 AU
- **Energy Output:** Approx. 60 TW (field equivalent)
- **Transmission Medium:** Focused phase-field resonance through tri-crystalline array
- **Effect Type:** Neural-phase interference
- **Countermeasure:** Kessa Rin’s Counter-Phase Array (antiphase harmonics)
Legacy
- Led to the creation of Phase Dampers and medical research into neural-phase coherence.
- Dr. Elan Drex’s work with Terget extracts resulted in the first successful treatment for Phase Shock.
- The weapon’s misuse unified several civilizations under a shared ban on phase-resonant armament.
Trivia
- Kessa’s counter-phase generator was built in less than 14 hours using salvaged components.
- Survivors often reported hearing musical tones after recovery, believed to be residual phase harmonics.
- Dr. Meras’s original design documents contained handwritten notes warning: “Never turn the Flow into a weapon.”