The Lump
From Reach
Located in one of the largest Glass Expanses, The Lump's story serves as a reminder of why entering such an expanse is a bad idea.
History
In the year 55 ATD, the Prime Colony New Paris was in trouble. Raiders, believed to be based out of an abandoned underground facility in the Equatorial Desert, were conducting attacks on the tropical colony and it's satellites. These raiders were well-equipped and more than a match for the meager colonial militia. Desperate, the governor of New Paris authorized the deployment of the colony's ATV 4k to root out these marauders and eliminate the threat they posed.
The governor selected a militia leader: one Commander Eric Strong, to command the mission. Armed with the most powerful weapon in his arsenal, Strong headed for the desert, fully expecting to find raiders and reduce their base to rubble.
On the night Strong was ready to enter the desert and begin it's search, the raiders attacked. Intending to capture and seize control of the vehicle, the wily raiders conducted hit and run attacks on the invincible, but slow vehicle, doing no damage, but provoking pursuit. They then proceeded to repeatedly ambush the vehicle, attempting to immobilize it and claim it as a prize. Each ambush failed, costing the raiders dearly in lives and equipment.
As dawn approached, the leader of the raiders hatched one final plan: lure the enemy into the Equatorial Desert, where a known Glass Expanse would begin to melt in a few hours. He made several dramatic leaps of faith here: first, that the molten glass would effectively immobilize the ATV, second, that during the day, the interior would heat up enough to kill the crew, but leave the internal equipment intact, and finally, that during the next twilight, his own men could gain entry, and extract the vehicle.
At first, it seemed the plan would succeed, Strong followed the raiders unwittingly into the expanse, its heavy treads cracking the glass beneath it. The raiders continued to bait the further into the rapidly heating expanse, then promptly left in their faster vehicles. It's not known how many raiders survived, but Strong, his crew, and his vehicle were trapped in the molten glass.
High in orbit, the Communications Officers dutifully recorded Strong's numerous distress signals and relayed it to New Paris, so quite a bit is known about what happened next. As the glass began to melt, Strong's ATV 4k sank into the extremely viscous fluid, but continued moving at a reduced speed. To it's credit, the ATV 4k was able to move until it sank to a depth of just over two meters of liquid glass, completely covering the vehicles treads, and holding it firmly in place. At thas point, Strong's signals became more urgent, as he and his crew noticed the rapidly rising internal temperature. Soon, Strong himself died from the heat, and hist first officer assumed command. An hour before midday, the signals stopped.
Several hours later, another Communications Officer noted an "Unusual Radiological Reading" centered on the last known position of the ATV 4k, and consistent with a small nuclear explosion. Further investigation has lead to the conclusion that the control rods in the vehicle's power core failed in the heat, triggering a meltdown. The vehicle's already compromised structure mostly held against the concussive force of this explosion, but several small ruptures sent highly pressurized, irradiated gas several kilometers. The vehicle's destruction was not yet complete, as the extreme heat of the desert, combined with that of the nuke, melted the once proud vehicle into an over-sized heap of slag, now called: The Lump.
Location
The Lump is located almost due south of New Paris, 20 kilometers from the edge of the Glass Expanse now known as "Strong's Tomb."
Hazards
See Glass Expanse. The Lump is also dangerous during twilight periods due to radioactive fallout from the meltdown.
