Herbert Point
| Herbert Point | |
|---|---|
| Type | Precursor installation |
| Location | Ballsbridge, Dublin |
| Area | Unknown (massive) |
| Elevation | 5,000 m (16,000 ft) below sea level |
| Built | 143.1 – 66.0 Ma |
| Architect | The Precursors |
| Architectural style | Total integration |
| Governing body |  Raven (SPIKE) |
| Owner |  Wales |
| Type | Archaeological |
| Criteria | VI |
| Designated | 2192 |
| Reference no. | 0603 |
Herbert Point, Archaeological Section One (HP-AS1), as named by Raven, is a sprawling Precursor installation located nearly 4 km under Ballsbridge, Dublin. The site's existence caused numerous strange events in the history of the city and even multiple attempts by individuals and organisations such as Nevrin to uncover its secrets, but its true nature was only realised after a formal investigation took place by Raven's Black Research SPIKE team and the Interdimensional Research Treaty Organisation (IRTO) in the 2200s. It is connected to a wider system of Precursor technology deep within the Earth's crust and upper mantle.
The installation has a large number of interconnected stacked layers which are fabricated out of Precursor nanotechnology. However, most areas are heavily damaged, with the dineutronium (DNT) conduits that once interconnected the layers severed. This was in fact an act committed by the Ir'vaki, in an attempt to prevent Precursor technology across the Milky Way from being misused. Some of the facility's automated systems still appear to be active, though they are severely malfunctioning. The facility could be reactivated if the conduits were repaired, however humanity does not possess the technology to produce DNT at scale, meaning repair would require assistance from the Ir'vaki. The layers are actively undergoing archeological excavation.
Layout
The Herbert Point installation follows logical certain patterns, with machinery arranged throughout the layers in structured formations. There is what appears to be advanced matrices for the manufacturing of nano-structures (30% of all layer space), data and energy distribution interconnects (10% of all layer space), and computing systems (25% of all layer space). There is a large, reactor-like system occupying a large number of layers deep inside the installation, surrounded by two smaller similar systems. There also appears to be a large number of areas dedicated as reservoirs for various types of liquids and gases. The remainder of space is unidentifiable or destroyed.
History
Drilling Operation
During the late 2160s, a team of hobbyist geologists with a background in the petroleum industry based in Ballsbridge identified oddly formed patterns in the bedrock strata and utilised proton-beam scanners to identify the existence of what looked like a void several kilometres down. Wanting to be the pioneers of a groundbreaking geological discovery, they excavated their own small mine and set up a makeshift drill rig intended to penetrate deep into the rock, through which a probe would be sent.
After drilling for nearly half a year, the drill hit some kind of obstruction before it reached its intended destination and could not go any further. A strange, iridescent, hot bismuth-like liquid (intermediate bismoid nanomaterial) began to flow up the drill pipe, which the geologists collected. Analysis at a nearby university using a mass spectrometer yielded no cohesive results. The hobbyists approached Metatron to sell the liquid and gain funding for further research, however, a few days after they had broken through the drill string snapped off in an unexpected earthquake that shook the entire neighbourhood of Ballsbridge. The team was forced to abandon the project.
Secondary Excavation
Between the early 2180s and late 2190s, Metatron began an operation in secret to excavate tunnels to allow manned access to the site, disguising it as construction work for a new underground rail link in collaboration with corrupt officials of Iarnród Éireann. However, as they broke into the site, a toxic whitish-blue fog immediately began to leak out at high pressure and begin flooding the tunnel network. It had extremely strange properties, causing electrical arcing in the air and severely burning dig site workers. Even those wearing full-body SCBA suits were unable to walk through the gas, which appeared to inexplicably pass through latex and glass. Ultimately, the project was forced to be put on hold as all attempts to penetrate the structure resulted in more leaks, and the excavation project was suspended; however, Metatron took samples of the gas and began to analyse it for its potential applications.