Carbon Silicate Lace

lace plating

A new protomolecule-era composite makes the Rocinante stronger while forcing its crew to trust technology with no long history.

Story so far

Carbon-silicate lace is a state-of-the-art material derived from humanity's accelerated post-protomolecule science. New hull panels of it are lighter and stronger than conventional plating and can deflect a glancing PDC round, but they have not existed long enough for anyone to know how they will age.

Luna yard workers use the material to repair the Rocinante after the Azure Dragon attack. Naomi Nagata and Alex Kamal accept it because the war makes waiting impossible, while James Holden sees the repair as a literal seam between the old human world and a future shaped by alien discoveries.

Appearance

Iridescent carbon-silicate hull sections, light and strong, fitted as bright scar-like panels across the Rocinante's damaged exterior.

Role

The material embodies both the power and unsettling uncertainty of humanity's technological future after the gates.

Relationships

[[Rocinante]] — New lace panels repair the hull damage inflicted during the Azure Dragon trap.

[[Naomi Nagata]] — She approves their use despite the uncertainty of their long-term behavior.

Sources — 1 recorded facts, by chapter

Chapter 13

A new protomolecule-era composite makes the Rocinante stronger while forcing its crew to trust technology with no long history.