Skiffs, Lodestones, and Hypertunnels
A guide to some of the technology of the CU
Lodestones
The mineral known as lodestone is the material that makes anti-gravity and faster-than-light travel possible in the galaxy. It is a dense yet brittle, highly magnetic stone that can be found throughout the galaxy. Once processed, the magnetism of the stone can be controlled with energy currents. Lodestone is used in the magnetic drives of ships (used for opening hyper-gates, detailed below), in the decks to provide gravity, and in skiffs/ships (see below) to create “anti-gravity.”
Unprocessed lodestone is blue-gray in color, though variation is encountered depending on the purity of the mineral. Lodestone mined in asteroid fields near the galactic core or in star nursery nebulae tends to be the purest.
Skiffs
Skiff is the catch-all term for any vehicle that leaves the ground, excepting those for extra-planetary travel. Lodestones provide the lift for the vehicle, reacting with the planet’s own gravity well, while fuel engines provide the momentum.
“Skiff” used by itself generally refers to a multi-person vehicle that hovers a few feet off the ground - i.e. a hover car. Skiffs can attain a height of 100 feet, and usually come equipped with safety devices. The undercarriage is smooth, bearing the lodestones that allow the craft to hover. Elevated highways are created with lines of lightweight cable that carry a current that boosts the lodestone strength in the vehicle. “Speed bumps” are made from lodestones buried in the road to disrupt the skiff’s movement. Driving a skiff falls somewhere between driving a car and flying a hovercraft.
“Skyskiff” refers to any vehicle that regularly attains heights beyond that of a regular skiff, but do not enter outer space. These are the airplanes of the CU.
“Seaskiff” (or replace “sea” with any body of water) denotes any skiff that is designed for water travel. Usually this means the vehicle is built so that it can rest in water safely.
Hypertunnel
“Hypertunnel” is short for “hyperspace tunnel system,” an extra-dimensional space that is used for faster-than-light travel. Every space ship capable of long-distance travel is equipped with a magnetic drive. This drive opens up the gates into the hypertunnel. Gates are easily opened near gravity wells - the larger the well, the farther out and easier the gates are to open - however, it is impossible to open a gate within a certain distance of the mass causing the gravity well. Planets have a “gate zone” where gates are easily opened by even the least sophisticated magnetic drive. More powerful drives can open gates anywhere.
The paths of the tunnels also seemed to be governed by the presence of extraterrestrial masses such as planets, stars, etc. The system appears to move in a circular pattern like that of the galaxy, and does gradually change over time as the galactic masses move.
The diameter of a tunnel seems to be indeterminable, as no instruments have yet been created by any race that can accurately measure the “walls” of the tunnel. Fleets of ships have been known to travel comfortably through a single hypertunnel.
The magnetic drive interacts with the tunnel, providing the momentum to move through it, thus the more power running through a drive means a faster speed through the tunnel. If a drive is powered down, the ship can come to a dead stop in the tunnel - however, this is not recommended as there appear to be currents within the tunnel that will move a ship hundreds of light years off course.
The tunnels were discovered thousands of years ago by the elder races and the technology to open the gates was passed down to the younger races. The Khatronians have been the ones to pass out the technology to the newest members of the Confederacy, and have also done the most mapping since the Ka Vvorrn fell into seclusion. The Khatronians have developed the most sophisticated tracking programs for navigational computers from these maps. Their ships are also the best equipped to travel within the tunnels, though for this reason they are rather loathe to sell ships to other races
A guide to some of the technology of the CU
Lodestones
The mineral known as lodestone is the material that makes anti-gravity and faster-than-light travel possible in the galaxy. It is a dense yet brittle, highly magnetic stone that can be found throughout the galaxy. Once processed, the magnetism of the stone can be controlled with energy currents. Lodestone is used in the magnetic drives of ships (used for opening hyper-gates, detailed below), in the decks to provide gravity, and in skiffs/ships (see below) to create “anti-gravity.”
Unprocessed lodestone is blue-gray in color, though variation is encountered depending on the purity of the mineral. Lodestone mined in asteroid fields near the galactic core or in star nursery nebulae tends to be the purest.
Skiffs
Skiff is the catch-all term for any vehicle that leaves the ground, excepting those for extra-planetary travel. Lodestones provide the lift for the vehicle, reacting with the planet’s own gravity well, while fuel engines provide the momentum.
“Skiff” used by itself generally refers to a multi-person vehicle that hovers a few feet off the ground - i.e. a hover car. Skiffs can attain a height of 100 feet, and usually come equipped with safety devices. The undercarriage is smooth, bearing the lodestones that allow the craft to hover. Elevated highways are created with lines of lightweight cable that carry a current that boosts the lodestone strength in the vehicle. “Speed bumps” are made from lodestones buried in the road to disrupt the skiff’s movement. Driving a skiff falls somewhere between driving a car and flying a hovercraft.
“Skyskiff” refers to any vehicle that regularly attains heights beyond that of a regular skiff, but do not enter outer space. These are the airplanes of the CU.
“Seaskiff” (or replace “sea” with any body of water) denotes any skiff that is designed for water travel. Usually this means the vehicle is built so that it can rest in water safely.
Hypertunnel
“Hypertunnel” is short for “hyperspace tunnel system,” an extra-dimensional space that is used for faster-than-light travel. Every space ship capable of long-distance travel is equipped with a magnetic drive. This drive opens up the gates into the hypertunnel. Gates are easily opened near gravity wells - the larger the well, the farther out and easier the gates are to open - however, it is impossible to open a gate within a certain distance of the mass causing the gravity well. Planets have a “gate zone” where gates are easily opened by even the least sophisticated magnetic drive. More powerful drives can open gates anywhere.
The paths of the tunnels also seemed to be governed by the presence of extraterrestrial masses such as planets, stars, etc. The system appears to move in a circular pattern like that of the galaxy, and does gradually change over time as the galactic masses move.
The diameter of a tunnel seems to be indeterminable, as no instruments have yet been created by any race that can accurately measure the “walls” of the tunnel. Fleets of ships have been known to travel comfortably through a single hypertunnel.
The magnetic drive interacts with the tunnel, providing the momentum to move through it, thus the more power running through a drive means a faster speed through the tunnel. If a drive is powered down, the ship can come to a dead stop in the tunnel - however, this is not recommended as there appear to be currents within the tunnel that will move a ship hundreds of light years off course.
The tunnels were discovered thousands of years ago by the elder races and the technology to open the gates was passed down to the younger races. The Khatronians have been the ones to pass out the technology to the newest members of the Confederacy, and have also done the most mapping since the Ka Vvorrn fell into seclusion. The Khatronians have developed the most sophisticated tracking programs for navigational computers from these maps. Their ships are also the best equipped to travel within the tunnels, though for this reason they are rather loathe to sell ships to other races
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