This specific manifold was manufactured in 3195 CE by General Systems Terra, intended as a mundane, standardized replacement part. It belonged to Batch 889 Alpha, designed for the cooling regulation systems of civilian Tier 6 Spike Drives. During the Golden Age of the Terran Empire, these units were incredibly common, found in virtually every maintenance locker from Terra to the rim.

A pivotal and destructive event, known as the Sundering, occurred in 3200 CE, irrevocably altering the item's status. This catastrophe led to a widespread technological collapse across the cosmos. The specific orbital manufactories capable of forging the pressure-treated crystalline lattice required for Tier 6 phase transition were utterly atomized.

Following the Sundering, this once-common unit became a rare relic of The Silence. Its specialized construction, previously standard, was now virtually unreplicable. In the more recent past, the manifold was salvaged from the drifting debris field of the Stellar Venture.

It was likely overlooked by the Red Sun Dominion's enforcer, Andromeda Aegis, who evidently mistook it for standard refuse. Presently, the Red Sun Dominion is struggling to stabilize volatile Tier 4 components aboard the Sovereign's Spite. This authentic Tier 6 component, however, represents the Holy Grail of propulsion engineering.

Its full functionality hinges on highly Refined Osmium, a resource currently being hoarded at the Meristine Work Camps. If installed and properly fueled, it would allow a ship to safely execute the legendary Phase Skip, drilling into metaspace with zero warm-up time. This tactical advantage could decisively end the Dominion's blockade of Sector 36. The Tech is currently stored in a shielded, lead-lined crate, unstable due to its critical lack of fuel.