Density Projector

Developed by the Ancient Sentients during the First Era as an offshoot of their gravitational manipulation experiments, density projectors were the main defensive system on the vessels of the Human Imperial Alliance, Ancient Sentients, the former Lauresh Imperium, as well as most other factions throughout the Galactic Mass. Improving upon the basic energy shielding and structural supports utilized by most factions prior to their Gaurada Point, it is a critical component on any warship.

Origin and Development
While the factions of the Second Era, including the Circle of Lords, do not know the origin of the gravitational manipulation technology that Ancient Sentient civilization utilized so commonly in its mechanisms, many human recordskeepers believe that manipulation of both macro and micro gravity began as a way to shield from radiation on long space travels, before it's use as a weapon or defensive mechanism was discovered. Records recovered by members of the Exploratory Force suggest that Ancient Sentients began using density projectors to maintain the stability of Gateway Stations during a vessels entering period, after which recordskeepers infer that such a device was found to be an exceptional defensive mechanism, and would replace the unknown type of shielding used before it.

Human Adaptation
Like most space-faring civilizations in their infancy, mankind would rely on non-shielded vessels to travel the Galactic Mass, colonize new planets, and engage in conflict, as energy shields were unstable, required enormous amounts of power, were difficult to maintain, and were unable to keep up with modern weaponry. Human battleships instead used overengineered hex armor, a three layered exoskeleton of alloy plating designed to lessen impacts and spread kinetic energy over it's multiple layers. Effective against fellow man's warships due to less than optimal power systems resulting in weaker ship-based weaponry (ground and orbital defensive rings, with enormous power banks to draw on, would tear through hex armor with a single shot), the battleships of humanity were far weaker than their counterparts at similar levels of societal development, due to mankind's unique Split Gaurada Point, where it's extent of knowledge of Sentient relics would be quite limited thanks to the Terra System's Gateway Station lacking defensive or offensive systems when originally discovered. While mankind would have superior speed (thanks to the intact Sentient guidance vessels only humanity had access to) and comparable communications to other factions, Earth's inability to defend her warriors would be mankind's Achilles heel in it's space fairing infancy.

Humanity would pay the price for it's lack of powerful weaponry and defensive mechanisms during the First Lauresh War, as despite advantages in both number of Gateway Stations and superior propulsion technology, the Human Federation would be unable to stop the Lauresh Imperium's warships, with their far superior weapons systems and density projectors. This inability to fight back against threats would hasten the collapse of the Human Federation, and by the time the first Lauresh foot soldiers landed on Earth, any unity that mankind once had was all but nonexistent, and it seemed that humanity would be sentenced to a lifetime of servitude to more powerful factions.

All this would change when