Faster-Than-Light Speed Travel

One of the most important developments for any society, political force, or species in general, is that of Faster-Than-Light Speed Travel. Also called Faster-Than-Light Travel, or FTL for short, this highly prized technology allows exploration into the vast reaches of space, beyond what one person, or a hundred generations, could do alone. The vastness of the galaxy is as majestic as it is terrifying. Countless stars, around which circle many planets, and other unique, heavenly bodies. Near-Light-Speed Travel can reach a vast number of these bodies in practical time. But usually only traversing individual star systems one-by-one. An interstellar voyage taking days, and trips through the various celestial regions of space far longer.

FTL changes all of this. Though, FTL requires sufficiently advanced technology. Namely in the form of Event-Gates, also called Horizon-Effect-Satellites by certain Inorganic Lifeforms, and Supra-Light-Velocitation (SLV) travel.

Event-Gates are created around Neutron Stars, or other comparable exotic stars of incredible mass. A highly sophisticated energy-gathering, and intelligence-communicating space-station is launched into the star's orbit. The station begins gathering X-rays from accretions, whether large or minor, and uses the high-frequency waves to determine advanced information about the star's composition and state. The Event-Gate will also regulate it speeds and motions through the use of Substance-Zero - also called Mass-Solution - which is the primary component in Near-Light-Speed travel. If a star is young enough, and meets the right conditions, the station can begin phase two within one-to-five years.

Once the station has deemed the star compatible, and has the necessary information on the star, it will begin to stimulate accretion very carefully. While in the star's incredibly powerful orbit, and given the almost instantaneous revolution of neutron stars, a great deal of subtle calibration can be done in a very short time. the Event-Gate will bring the Neutron Star to near-pulsar levels of growth, then keep it there. All the while it fights off unintended accretion from the greater traffic of space particles. This is so that the station can instigate a micro-pulsar event, called an Ulashi-Instant, which will be the requirement for instigating FTL travel in a phenomenon called a Mass-Effect; or a Horizon-Effect by some inorganic life-forms.

To start a Mass-Effect, the Event-Gate must cause a very specific Ulashi-Instant that is able to mimic another known Pulsar, or another known Event-Gate. This Ulashi-Instant, directed into another Ulashi-Instant or natural pulsar, creates a brief field of distortion in the usual time-space curve, which allows for near instantaneous transit between the two points in space. It is seen as an effective 'wormhole', caused by super-heavy masses issuing forth a moment of intense energy spikes that resonate through spacetime due to their fundamental similarities. Largely resembling sub-atomic predetermined reactions.

The tolerances for causing a Mass Effect are very slim, and mapping to an existing Pulsar is incredibly difficult. To identify if it is possible to reach a Mass-Effect with a given natural pulsar, and a specific Event-Gate, may take years, perhaps even a human lifetime, or even a little more. On the bright side, once you know, it's only another one-to-four years of work if the pulsar was deemed possible to work with. Linking to a cooperative Event-Gate is much easier, and only takes about a year. Linking to an uncooperative Event-Gate is still easier, but can take twice as long. And if the destination Event-Gate is particularly uncooperative, you'll have to perform the same effort after every Mass-Effect, as they scramble their operating patterns.

A single Mass Effect can ferry through an immense number of ships, and can last for a little upwards of three minutes. After a Mass Effect however, the same Event-Gate cannot spur another Mass Effect for approximately three hour. There's no energy to conserve, or time distortion caused by a Mass-Effect, even more-so than in NLS. It's like passing through a doorway. 'Suicide jumps' are the same as they are in traditional ship combat, which is to say unlikely to succeed, and ill-advised.

The ideal process for continued space exploration is: Have an Event-Gate around a neutron star. Find a pulsar in an area of space approximately one-hundred light-years from any other spot in space. Spend as much time as necessary determining if it will work. If it won't work then find another pulsar, if it does work spend the time to make it work. Build another Event-Gate in the mean-time. When everything is ready to cause the Mass-Effect, try and send the Event-Gate through. To test if it worked properly, try to jump to your new Event-Gate in a year.

There are very rare structures in space, believed to be inherited from the Redeemers, who may have got them from the Wielders, called Dark Gates or Black Gates. Dark Gates are Event-Gates which surround Black Holes instead of neutron stars. Dark Gates technically last for only a few seconds, but they suffer far less from the cooldown period that normal Event-Gates have. Ten minutes after a Dark Gate has initially been used, it will enter its recovery phase. At maximum, with the largest amount of ships possible to send through it, a Dark Gate has never taken more than an hour to recover. Unfortunately, no living species or political entity has ever managed to create a Dark Gate.