(Genesis) Chapter 6

Pride: Genesis

Chapter 6

The First Whispers

(Genesis) Chapter 5

Pride: Genesis

Chapter 5

Echoes of Beasts

Tech Notes: Hyperspace and Breach Drives

Hyperspace, technically designated Extraspatial Plane 1, was the first extraspatial plane to be discovered by humanity. Exactly how an extraspatial plane is defined, humanity and many other races are still debating; the closest to an accepted definition, currently, is "a state of existence in which some or all laws of physics do not behave in their normal manner". The full parameters of this debate are well outside the scope of this report, but there are two broad theories. Extradimensional access theory, derived primarily from Earthling string theory, states that extraspatial planes are accessible forms of the dimensions beyond the main four. Spatial decay theory, derived primarily from Glis instability theory, states that such planes are instead pockets of existence where the structure of physics has broken down into an exploitable state.

(Under extradimensional access theory, hyperspace specifically is classified as a ninth-dimensional plane. Under spatial decay theory, 'hyperspace' is more properly thought of as a set of conditions than a location in itself.)

Regardless of its exact nature, the function of hyperspace is well understood. Rather than affecting spacetime directly, the planar fluctuations fully negate the mass of objects traveling within the plane. This permits the defiance of relativity; it also means vessels traveling through hyperspace are unable to collide with each other. These two properties make it extraordinarily useful for interstellar travel, though it does have some drawbacks: foremost among them, while hyperspace inherently permits travel at the speed of light, propulsion and acceleration are still required to move beyond that speed—and neither works quite the same in hyperspace as in real space. On the other hand, to the surprise of early researchers, the expected problems of a vessel's contents becoming massless do not exist in hyperspace, leading to the theorized principle of hyperspatial inertia.

Actually traveling in hyperspace is far different than the calm of deep space, as the same planar fluctuations which allow for superluminal speeds create a travel medium often more akin to a choppy sea or rough skies. This turbulence and unpredictability plays havoc with automation systems. As such, hyperspace travel effectively destroyed the concept of SPAN (self-piloting and navigating) vessels. It should be noted these quirks are by no means entirely bad: of the 49 major hyperspace features currently catalogued by planar scientists, over a dozen can be utilized by skilled crews for various beneficial purposes.

Earth's initial discovery of hyperspace was facilitated by naturally occurring anomalies found within the interstellar medium. Kearney Labs, a research firm based in the Galilei Sector, did extensive research on these anomalies for well over a decade. This research led to reliable methods of predicting, locating, and stabilizing such anomalies for a ship to pass through, resulting in the first human hyperdrive. Though limited and lacking in versatility—it was capable only of utilizing existing anomalies—the hyperdrive revolutionized the entire interstellar industry nearly overnight.

The hyperdrive remained relatively unchanged until the formation of the Galaxy Alliance. One of Earth's new allies, the Biboh, also utilized hyperspace for their FTL travel. (Like much of Biboh history, when or how they discovered it is unknown, though it is likely to have been inherited from their creators. The Bii word for the plane translates to 'the outside path'.) Unlike Earth, the Biboh had a method for creating their own anomalies, allowing access to hyperspace nearly at will. However, there was a notable drawback to the Biboh system as well: they lacked the capacity to fully cross through the anomalies they created, requiring their ships to constantly maintain the anomaly to remain in extraplanar space.

Earthlings and Biboh, along with a few volunteer consultants from the Glis, soon set about unifying their radically different methods of hyperspace access. A coalition of Kearney Labs, the Fushida Development Group, and the Hal-Ariibih and Kiyah-Ar Biboh clans produced the first prototype breach drive in 2172. The first commercial model was released in 2176, and by 2183 it had fully supplanted the hyperdrive among newly-built ships.

The breach drive's most notable strength is its efficiency. It requires no exotic fuel or unusual energy source, and its baseline power draw is minimal. Its core function is to create an anomaly, or 'breach', which allows a ship to fully cross into hyperspace; creating a second breach allows the ship to return to real space. While simple enough in concept, this combination demanded new logistical and safety measures to be practical.

Standard to any breach drive is the containment safeguard system. Human hyperdrives had minimal risk of stranding a ship in hyperspace, since they relied on natural breaches; Biboh anomaly drives, due to not fully crossing over, had even less. Breach drives removed both of these safeguards. When a breach drive fires, it in fact creates two breaches: one which sends the ship into hyperspace, and one which is contained in an unstable, interrupted state within the drive. The containment field for this second breach is the only energy a breach drive draws while in hyperspace. Any interruption of this energy—from momentary power loss to major gravitational disruption to outright destruction of the drive—will cause the containment field to fail, immediately allowing the second breach to fully manifest and return the ship to real space.

While not a part of the breach drive itself, planar scanners are also indispensable for any ship carrying one. These scanners use subatomic anomalies to monitor real space, allowing a vessel to ensure the target area is clear before opening its exit breach. (As with nearly all extraplanar drives, breach drives become unreliable under the influence of gravity. Basic planar scanners only check for possible collisions, relying on the ship's navigator to find suitable exit points. More advanced models can measure the real space gravitational properties of a proposed exit site, though they are no replacement for a proper navigator.)

Finally, in 2218, SpurJumper Propulsion Labs devised an entirely new type of engine for use in hyperspace: hyperspace planar resonance drives, colloquially known as either HPR drives or hyperspace thrusters. Taking advantage of the plane's unique physics, these huge, bulky engines use remarkably little fuel to propel vessels within the plane to several times the speeds conventional propulsion could achieve. Outside of hyperspace, such engines are nothing but large amounts of dead weight, limiting their practical use to spacedocked vessels and a handful of the very largest SSTO craft.

The breach drive is the Alliance's primary FTL travel method, used on all GA-built vessels, though many member races still use their own native FTL systems on their own ships. Some races, most notably the Hydrans and the much later Eskath, have opted to adopt the breach drive wholesale; newly produced Glis ships also use breach drives, as the knowledge to manufacture their native cutter drives was lost with the fall of their empire.

(Genesis) Chapter 4

Pride: Genesis

Chapter 4

Touch and Go

Starmap - Points of Interest, Genesis

Mission note, Explorer Team 686: due to centuries of psychological studies and first-hand observation displaying that crews are most likely to get complacent on the trip home, Alliance policy for multiple-destination missions is to visit the most distant first and work backwards, when applicable.

(Genesis) Chapter 3

Pride: Genesis

Chapter 3

Looking Forward

Tech Report: CES Firecrown

CES Firecrown

Model: E5C-14 Endeavor

Manufacturer: Voronin Interstellar Enterprises

Construction: 2355

Configuration: Conventional aerodyne

Length: 175'

Height: 46'

Width (Fuselage): 30'

Wingspan: 180' at minimum wing sweep

Wing Sweep: Variable, 32.5-65°

Decks: 2

Takeoff: Horizontal

Landing: Horizontal

Gravity: Internal field (graviton deck plating)

Range Classification: Short interstellar

Engines: Aerojet Flash Class 8 (4)

Directional Thrusters: Aerojet Spark Class 3 (8)

Hyperspace Thrusters: None

Breach Drive: Kearney-Fushida BT2750

Backup Power: GravSol Pulse X3

Shield Generator: GravSol Harmonics S-41

Armaments:

8 Dynamic Fire M81 Vulcan turrets (point defense)

12 Sibereal Optics Scatterlight laser turrets (point defense)

2 GA Shrieker WVRAAM launch systems

Model History:

In 2071, Clearwater Aeronautics launched the E4 Aquila spaceplane, Earth's first single-stage-to-orbit vessel. The SSTO breakthrough took the industry by storm, with Clearwater at the forefront; they quickly set about consolidating this advantage. As a research craft, the Aquila had modest but well-rounded capabilities. This made it relatively easy to adapt into the commercial E5C-1 Aquila model, which was released in 2074 and dominated space operations for the next twenty years.

Between the departure of the AES Frontier in 2092 and its arrival at Proxima Centauri in 2097, the Aquila's supremacy abruptly collapsed. With Earth's sights now set on extrasolar travel, the system-bound Aquila was no longer on the cutting edge, and the days of spaceplanes seemed to be waning in favor of the large spacedocked vessels which could handle several-year interstellar voyages. Clearwater Aeronautics was bought out by Voronin Interstellar Enterprises in 2105, and Aquila production ceased soon after.

Then came the 2115 development of the hyperdrive. Almost overnight, spaceplanes were back in vogue: given faster-than-light capability, they would once again become a much more efficient spacefaring option than the hulking stellar cruisers. Voronin aggressively pursued a contract with Kearney Labs, and in 2118 the first commercial hyperspace vessel entered production: the E5C-10 Endeavor, essentially an Aquila with a hyperdrive.

(Urban legend claims the Endeavor traces its name to the HMS Endeavour, a common namesake in Earth's spacefaring history, and Voronin is just the latest of a long line of organizations to use the incorrect spelling. In actuality, Kearney Labs' hyperspace research had always been conducted under the name Project Endeavor. The spelling was specifically used to differentiate from the AES Endeavour, the colonization ship which had recently launched for Alpha Centauri.)

The Endeavor never quite recaptured the Aquila's market dominance, as Voronin's contract with Kearney was not exclusive. Still, it was popular enough that a later model, the E5C-12, would be the first commercial vessel to carry a modern breach drive. Later efforts to add hyperspace thrusters proved unsuccessful, given the vessel's small size, but the E5C-13 would be the smallest ship of its time to carry graviton deck plating.

Despite its remarkable pedigree, the current incarnation of the Endeavor is looked upon unfavorably by aerospace enthusiasts. For a class defined by groundbreaking new technology, the E5C-14's general system updates were seen as a letdown at best and an insult at worst; many went so far as to argue that an Endeavor that makes no new strides is no Endeavor at all. Even those who favor the design's merits acknowledge it as fairly uninspired. Voronin shows no interest in these criticisms. The modern Endeavor—versatile, reliable, and affordable—is thus expected to remain a quietly practical workhorse for quite some time to come.

CES Firecrown (E5C-14 Endeavor), main (upper) deck

CES Firecrown (E5C-14 Endeavor), systems (lower) deck