Jim, try TRAVELLER ALIEN MODULE 8: DARRIANS, The Secret of the Star
Trigger. The Darrians are a human race with a small border nation
on the edge of the Spinward Marches that were TL 16 until they bombed
themselves back into the Dark Ages by inducing a nova in their Sun.
Fear of this weapon kept the Zhodani off their backs and the Imperium
an (uneasy) ally for centuries; the adventure dicusses a search through
their history to try to learn the secret of how the gizmo worked.
I could type in the technical details if you want; it's all handwaving
Traveller technogobbledygook, but it reads well. Interestingly enough,
the character currently in command of the TML's PBEM mission to explore
the R-Alpha Ringworld was a former head of the Darrian Special Arm, the
Navy unit assigned to control and deploy the Star Trigger....he has
the dubious distinction of having had his finger on the single largest
"button" in the Galaxy's history.....
- --
Mike Metlay
[email removed]
[address removed]