Validium : A dangerous and powerful substance

Validium is a substance originally used by the species called the Gallifreyans as the ultimate defensive weapon. The Rassilon decreed that only the President of Gallifrey could authorize its use and no one has mentioned the name Validium for centuries.

Validium is an energetic substance, often found in the form of a living metal that can be traced by scanning for the residue of Z.D.Y. particles, that modifies the entire atomic arrangement of all matter and anti-matter of the particular space it hits, changing the flow of electrons in a single atom. All energy substances are transformed into an entirely different matter substance or even dissolved completely. Small energy substances may be transformed into strong and powerful substances, while strong substances may be reduced to nothing. The outcome of Validium is unpredictable and the substance itself is often very unstable, so one can never be certain of the outcome. It can be considered the most powerful substance, since a small amount could destroy entire planets, stars, solar systems and possibly the entire universe.

Validium was developed by the Gallifreyans and is an ancient and terrible weapon, originally created for planetary defense. It exists as a living metal, capable of detonating stars, creating supernovas, or changing the flow of electrons in a single atom. Validium has two important properties:

• It is isomorphic, meaning it only obeys one master at any time
• It needs to be close to critical mass in order to function, with Validium's critical mass threshold being 95%.

For Validium to be completely active, it requires two things: to be at its critical mass and its rightful operator. Validium is alive, making it a smart weapon, and even has a conscience. It is a power in its own right, and for that sole reason, the existance of this substace has been kept secret. One who manages to operate Validium holds a power stronger than one can even begin to understand. In large quantities, Validium is capable of destroying galaxies.

Only Starfleet Intelligence and sister sections are fully aware of the existance, and danger, of Validium. In one instance, the presence of Validium was discovered inside the Van'Gu Cluster and Starfleet Intelligence departments sent two undercover agents with the U.S.S. Skytoucher to track down and destroy the substance.

For reasons unknown, the Validium escaped Gallifreyan space and ended up in the Van'Gu Cluster, in raw form. Then it was discovered by a peaceful species called Yzakians, who used this substance as a power source for their homeworld, rather than as a weapon. There may be more raw Validium present in the Van'Gu Cluster, but researchers have discovered none so far. That is no reason to assume it is not there though, as the Van'Gu Cluster is very large in size and is very difficult to scan or penetrate and the only way to trace Validium is to scan for the residue of Z.D.Y. particles.

(article by: Director Peter Svensson)

Validium and Maviduli

The Na'jigat and Gallifreyans have been at war since the dawn of time and are likely to still be at the universe's end. Both parties have particular abilities, enabling them to hold back their enemy, and so far it has been impossible for either party to completely eliminate the other. There have been times when the Na'jigat had withdrawn and were not seen for a long time, but during this time they usually rebuild their strength in preparation for another assault. Time is not of the essence, since both species are beings that have lifespans extending well beyond many others. However, the Gallifreyans have succeeded to develop one ultimate weapon that has proven to be devastatingly effective against the Na'jigat: Validium.

A Gallifreyan ship surrounded by a Na'jigat cloud.

Though it is the only weapon completely effective at destroying the Na'jigat, it is not used given its highly unstable and unpredictable nature, and after being used in battle once, it was deemed too dangerous and risky and its secrets hidden away. Validium may successfully dissolve a Na'jigat energy being, but it can also destroy everything except its intended target instead.

Validium has energetic power in various areas, beyond the basic matter/anti-matter substances. It can influence time and anti-time and even damage it, but another powerful attribute is its influence over telepathic energy waves. It can react to the thoughts of any thinking being and, if used properly, a "master" can control the Validium particle with his mind alone. This makes the Validium an attractive weapon against the Na'jigat, as it can be used to read all collective thoughts of these energy creatures, and therefore is able to discover their plans before they can act them out. This makes the Na'jigat and the Validium very similar, but not necessarely compatible, as their energetic structures are opposite to each other (the Na'jigat being a null-gravity energy form that is able to survive in quantum singularities without being destroyed). Therefore, the Na'jigat is unable to control Validium, even if they alter thier energy signatures, such as that of any humanoid species.

In ancient times, Gallifreyans and the Erendir species had managed to succeed into a project to "crystalize" a Validium particle. It would be transformed into what appears to look as an unbreakable crystal stone, but possesses far mroe abilities than that. While the Erendir would use their scientific knowledge to transform and contain the Validium substance, the Gallifreyans would use their telepathic powers to master the particle, allowing the Erendir to perform their part of the crystalization process. This crystalized form of Validium is called the Maviduli crystal. It was not designed as a weapon against the Na'jigat, but rather a communications tool without the Na'jigat's knwoledge (given the fact that due to the Na'jigat's superior mental abilities, it is very difficult to keep anything a secret from them), as well as a form of recording memories. The Maviduli can be seen as a book of memories that cannot be destroyed, similar to the black box of ancient Earth air transport vehicles. The Gallifreyans, fearing that this powerful tool may yet fall into the wrong hands, made sure they would "master" the Validium particle before transforming it into Maviduli crystal, so it would only respond to or be able to be operated by a Gallifreyan or Erendir. Unfortunately, only a few Maviduli crystals were produced, since shortly after the Erendir homeworld was destroyed in a surprise attack by the Na'jigat. The equipment necessary to crystalize Validium was destroyed and the few Maviduli crystals created were deemed lost, as was the entire Erendir civilisation, save for a handful of survivors that fled throughout the universe. This changed the balance of the Na'jigat-Gallifreyan war, as the Gallifreyans alone did not have the needed knowledge to set up this project again. While this tool could have brought an end to the war in the Gallifreyans favor, the war was now doomed to last forever, as the only tool powerful enough to destroy the Na'jigat was now beyond reach, since Validium itself was deemed too dangerous by the Gallifreyan Council. The use of Validium can only be authorized directly by the President of Gallifrey, an event that had not occurred for decades.

The last time that the use of Validium was authorized was in the year 2310, where a single particle was used to fight the Na'jigat in a battle near the present-day Van'Gu Cluster. Although the Na'jigat suffered a major defeat, the destructive power of this Validium particle wiped out the entire civilisation of the planet Neyo Prime at the outer borders of the Van'Gu Cluster. It was at this point that the Gallifreyans mutually agreed never to use Validium again. However, the residue of raw Validium was lost and remained behind inside the Van'Gu Cluster, without the Gallifreyan's knowledge. At one point, the presence of this Validium residue was discovered inside the Van'Gu Cluster by Starfleet and its Intelligence departments sent two undercover agents with the U.S.S. Skytoucher to track down and destroy the substance. It was discovered that a peaceful species called Yzakians was using this substance as a power source for their homeworld, instead of as a weapon. The Validium was destroyed and the Yzakians were compensated by Starfleet with the aquisition of anti-matter technology, which replaced Validium as their power source. This incident is the only know encounter with validium by Starfleet.

See also: Great Barrier