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The planet of Klenthe, homeworld of the Bralnchie species, is simultaneously a scientific curiosity and an example of science gone wrong. The scientific curiosity is drawn by the presence of a unique, so far as anyone knows, form of energy that the local population refers to simply as "patho." The planet generates this energy by currently unknown means, and for unknown purposes. The only currently known effects are on the Bralnchie people themselves, who are able to utilize the energy for the purpose of limited shapeshifting, and in the phasic shield technology developed by the Xeroteais.

The science gone wrong is the direct result of that outside interference. When the Xeroteais race encountered the planet, they were so impressed by the peaceful culture and advanced philosophical studies of the Bralnchie that they built a massive planetary shield to protect them from those that would have pillaged the planet. Not settling for an ordinary shield, the Xeroteais studied the patho energy and developed from it the technology to place the planet "out of phase" with the rest of the universe. Though how this technology works is little understood, the observable effect of being untouchable by matter or energy in normal phase protected the world for centuries.

Unfortunately, with the disappearance of the Xeroteais due to the galactic level plague that nearly wiped the species from existence, there was no one on Klenthe that understood the technology when things began to go wrong. The Bralnchie had raised the shield semi-permanently when the Xeroteais left them, unaware that the design of shield would contain all patho energy that the planet radiated. It is unknown if this was an intentional feature, an attempt to help the Bralnchie develop internal reservoirs of patho energy, or merely an oversight in a one-of-a-kind design.

Either way, the effect on the planet was disastrous. As patho energy built up pressure over the centuries, the planet started to suffer increasing internal instability. Earthquakes were followed by volcanic eruptions planet-wide, and only the Bralnchie's deep understanding of how to manipulate the natural world keep the planet from breaking apart.

Even with the efforts of its residents, the once lush and vibrant jungle and forest world was devastated, and the effects continued to get worse. The native population was forced to begin sending ARK cryo-colony ships away from their home, in an attempt to save their species from extinction. Klenthe was on the brink of total ecosystem failure when fate intervened in the form of an expedition based off of the Transient Planet.

Officers from the expedition encountered one of the Bralnchie sublight colony ships during regular scouting operations, and offered assistance to the residents of the dying world. Once on Klenthe, Vivian Longbridge, Henry Harper and Serira Lathenia, two of the senior staff of the expedition and the scout ship's xenology specialist, braved the planet's volcano fields in order to fix the Xeroteais phase shields.

It was this trio, along with a pair of local guides, who discovered the nature of the issue. While it proved impossible to shut down the shield, which had become self-sustaining, they were able to open semi-permanent holes in the shield to allow the built up patho energy to escape. The status of the planet in the aftermath of this fix is unknown, but projections based on data taken by the expedition crew reveal a high probability of the planet's survival and eventual recovery.

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