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.
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