Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Elsword Nuclear Technology

Fission Sets In The West...
''“Gentlemen, I think it’s time we face the facts. The search for atomic fission has proven to be the biggest wild goose chase of 20th-century science.”''

-Robert Oppenheimer – Presentation given at the 1951 annual Garvey Applied Sciences Conference.

If there is one phrase that could be used to sum up the entire search for atomic fission in the west, it is this: “lacking direction”. Work done earlier in the century by the physicist Albert Einstein had demonstrated the equivalence of mass and energy, a fact that theoretically meant one could convert a small amount of matter into a huge amount of energy. However, Einstein mysteriously, and sensationally, disappeared partway through the Solway International Physics Conference in Randgriz, and his work languished, unattended to by modern physics.

Atomic science still advanced in his absence, and it wasn’t long before theories in quantum mechanics postulated that it might be possible to “split” the nuclei of larger atoms and release large quantities of energy. However, there was no star of the scientific community to drive home just how powerful this discovery could be. Governments and leaders were not willing to believe present-day scientists. There was no massive government-funded effort to try and crack the problem, and the pursuit of fission remained a relatively small endeavor. Further crippling research into nuclear fission were fears about radioactivity, which kept a good number of scientists away from the various attempts made to construct atomic piles.

It isn’t easy to create a stable nuclear reaction. In order to make the fuel, a fissile ore must be processed in a complex series of chemical treatments, refinements, enrichment, and extraction methods. Without the funding to do this properly, researchers made a number of critical mistakes. Uranium, the most promising candidate, could never be made to undergo fission as scientists predicted it should have. Sadly, nobody thought to take into account the isotopic composition of uranium. The field ran into roadblock after roadblock and uranium was eventually written off as a fissile material, with the depleted material being given the Canthans. It was assumed that if it had actually been fissile, then it would have been done by now.

The field fell into disrepute, and scientists began to leave fission alone in order to concentrate on other areas. A handful of scientists continued, looking for the “philosophical stone” of the modern age – “the true fissile element”. However, the field had been rubbished by a lot of respectable scientists. Nobody with any sense would touch fission, for fear of damaging their reputation, and the few researchers who did were generally regarded as quacks.

Eventually, it was deemed that any element heavy enough to be fissile would also be so radioactive that any natural deposits would have decayed away long ago. The field was renounced, and any and all research on it drew to a close in the western world. It is possible some secret government projects may have continued aspects of the research, but without the rest of the scientific community to back them up, it is unlikely that they would get anywhere.

And Rises In The East
"Atomic energy has been, is now, and forever will be the power source of the future. Until those damned Luresians choose to actually share it."

-An Alliance physicist skeptical of the practicality of nuclear fission

The answer to the problem, however, eluded the scientists on Gaiaterra, it seemed, and so fission was left to rot. Its research was forgotten and the promises it held were regarded as false, all was lost for this theoretical wonder weapon and energy source... Until one day in the far east.

By chance, perhaps by fate or simply astronomically long odds, an asteroid made it through the long journey through the universe to finally land in the landscape of Lurensia. The occurrence was odd enough alone. Very few asteroids can survive such a journey through the universe, let alone Gaiaterra's atmosphere. With what the meteor contained, however, this gift from the heavens almost seemed too good to be true. For the first time in Gaiaterra's history: true, viable fissile material, Tiberium when mixed with Uranium, though its better known as Jade.

At last, the secrets of atomic fission could be cracked and the power it held could be unleashed, for better or for worse, and the best part of this was that the material was self-replicating. Never diminishing, never faltering, never fading, its bright green light shining a path to the future.

Its discovery had given the Voshkod the upper hand midway into the war as the Luresians began sharing their data about it to create powerplants capable of powering an entire base by themselves. But as the war went on the Luresians, doubting the Voshkod, had hid their most powerful innovation, the nuke, as a contingency and began building in failsafe to destroy every powerplant within Voshkod territory. Though nearing the end the Luresians, under threat by the Voshkod for keeping secrets, had revealed their nukes which were then tested on Embry.

What happened next would forever remain in the minds of the scientists. As they had underestimated just how powerful the nuke was, with many observers on both sides watching in horror as Embry was reduced to a barely survivable wasteland. The Allies were horrified, disgusted, and shocked at the potential of what they thought was a fruitless field of research, Garlean was beyond ecstatic at getting a hand on a weapon of mass destruction, and the Luresians who made it were horrified, at both the nukes, and Garleans maniacal laughter.

In the aftermath, the Luresians had to bluff Garlean that the ones in Embry were the only nukes they made, scared of what he would use the nukes for, to which Garlean responded that they will make more so that they can destroy the Allies once and for all. And for the next few days, the war swiftly turn in Garlean's favor as the nukes destroyed countless Hawke bases and defense. But nearing the end of the war the Luresians, when given the order to start nuking civilian sectors, finally rebelled and split from the Voshkod. Contributing to the Allies' victory as the Luresians began to nuke the Voshkods while setting their nukes and powerplants within Eorzea to self-destruct, creating massive nuclear disaster zones that are still active to this day.

Today. The Elsword Empire still holds the monopoly of nuclear technology. And refuses to share their data for fear of losing their prestige, and fearing that their allies would have no qualms about nuking indiscriminately. In turn, the Guardians keep a constant eye on the Empire, making it known that they will eliminate the Empire if they ever nuke innocents. And the Voshkods, forever bitter that they lost one of their trump cards, conduct multiple attacks and infiltration in the hopes of reclaiming their "rightful" technology.