Algolian Suntiger Tooth
A gleaming, hyper-dense crystalline canine tusk harvested from the plasma maw of an Algolian Suntiger. Step Six of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, dropped into the cocktail to dissolve and spread the fires of the Algolian Suns deep into the heart of the drink.
Item Specification: Algolian Suntiger Tooth
"Drop in the tooth of an Algolian Suntiger. Watch it dissolve, spreading the fires of the Algolian Suns deep into the heart of the drink."
— The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Chapter 2
The Algolian Suntiger Tooth is an extraordinarily rare, semi-crystalline thermodynamic fang extracted from the jaw of the apex thermonuclear predator, the Algolian Suntiger, native to the eclipsing flare system of Algol.
Physical Properties & Thermodynamic Matrix
Unlike ordinary mammalian ivory, a Suntiger tooth is formed under immense electromagnetic pressures inside solar prominence arches:
- Crystalline Lattice: Composed of hyper-compressed carbon-boron-silicate polymers laced with trapped ionized helium nuclei.
- Thermal Retention: The tooth remains warm to the touch even in cryogenic vacuums, glowing with a soft, internal orange fluorescence.
- Instability in Alcohol: The crystalline bonds of the tooth are uniquely susceptible to heavy organic solvents and high-proof alcohol, which break down the outer enamel within seconds.
Step Six of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
In Zaphod Beeblebrox's holy mixology instructions for the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, the Suntiger Tooth represents the thermonuclear ignition step:
- The Drop: Once the Ol' Janx Spirit, Santraginean Sea Water, Arcturan Mega-gin, and Fallian marsh gas have been assembled, and the delicate violet float of Qualactin Hypermint Extract rests on top, a single Suntiger tooth is dropped directly into the center of the glass.
- The Dissolution: The tooth does not sink; it hovers midway through the liquid, hissing violently as its crystalline structure rapidly disintegrates in a crackling shower of incandescent orange sparks.
- The Diffusion: Within three seconds, the tooth completely vanishes, diffusing the authentic, unbridled fusion fires of the Algolian suns deep into the heart of the cocktail. The temperature of the beverage instantly rises to a crisp 102 degrees while somehow remaining ice-cold to the touch.
Harvesting & Market Value
- The Perilous Hunt: Because an Algolian Suntiger must be subdued (or at least severely distracted with an enormous ball of magnetic yarn) while swimming inside a million-degree coronal flare, genuine teeth are exceedingly difficult to acquire.
- Counterfeit Warnings: The Guide warns travelers that ninety percent of "Suntiger teeth" sold by shady vendors in frontier spaceports are actually carved walrus tusks coated in fluorescent orange bathroom sealant. Real teeth will immediately boil a glass of water and set fire to wooden tablecloths.
- Exchange Rate: At premier auctions on Maximegalon and Milliways, an authenticated Suntiger tooth commands up to 420 Triganic Puves.
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