Staivan was a theoretical wave mechanic and chief engineer of House Varrik. He lived around 3832 BG.
That year, Ibrahim Vaughn Holtzman made his third return near Liesco II which by that time, was a prison planet. Holtzman was detected and mistaken for a communication device constructed by the prisoners and in order to protect himself, he transmitted his discoveries of the Planar Effect.
Staivan was contacted by the Provincial Warden on Maktiun III, in order to investigate the recordings. Staivan found nothing inconsistent in the theories ane mechanisms of the tapes and tried to follow the instructions, generating thus a Node for this "Planar Effect".
Thus he the first manufactured Shield, which was a simple flat effect, about a meter in diameter, admitting radiation in all but the long radio frequencies. Its existence was not detectable until Staivan accidentally dropped a screwdriver which lowered gently through the plane of the effect. Staivan then reported that these mysterious messages were no hoax.
He then took the apparatus into the courtyard to test its resistance to a variety of missiles of increasing power, including a workman's cutting laser, and learned that the Planar Effect did not mix well with coherent light.
Holtzman was eventually contacted, and the Planar Effect spread like wildfire. Eventually the Planar Effect led to the creation of the Defensive Shield.
Sources[]
- Dune Encyclopedia, entry Ibrahim Vaughn Holtzman