Traveling the Void

Technology

 

Hyperjump

"The big advantage of Necromancy, though, is across distance," he continued. "The Void is infinite. And more dimensions makes it even bigger. But they also mean the distances matter less."   Kai looked up thoughtfully. "That's how we jump?"   "Exactly!" The necromancer nodded, holding out one hand again, palm up, thumb extended. "If you only had two dimensions, it would be a long trip from my thumb tip to my fingers. But add another dimension..." He folded his fingers up to touch his thumb. "No distance at all."

— Hands of Destinee, Book 3: The Path of Destinee

  The most powerful of all modes of transportation, the Hyperjump spell allows travelers to arrive at their destination in mere moments, regardless of its location. At least, as far as the untrained observer is concerned.   Hyperjump-capable ships employ at least one Void necromancer, a highly specialized mage capable of elevating the entire ship and its contents - crew included - into the Afterlife before folding the mortal plane around them. The ship is then allowed to return to the mortal plane once more, in its brand new location.  

Hyperjump Limitations

The spell requires a considerable amount of Imperium, not to mention concentration. This means only Void mages are able to cast the spell solo, since it requires more magical power than one individual can safely or even conceivably hold within themselves at any given time.  

Imperium Cost

Imperium is toxic at high levels. The more powerful the mage, the higher their tolerance, but there are always limits. This means a necromancer using Hyperjump to relocate a capital ship will have to borrow additional power from the stars to cover the difference, a skill only available to Void mages.   Magic borrowed from the stars must be repaid, which sets additional limits on the casting of this spell. The most powerful Void necromancers are often able to cast the spell twice within a single day, provided they are Hyperjumping a familiar and well-disciplined capital ship of average size. Larger Hydell Order ships must use a different Void necromancer for each jump, while the Sanctorum Dreadnought requires three joint-casting with Apotheturgy per single jump.   Exceeding these limitations carries a high penalty, often leading to the death and subsequent cosmic burnout of the casting mage. Void necromancers who approach their limits are therefore required to rest for several days, allowing them the opportunity to both replenish their own Imperium and repay the Void for their borrowed magic. Anything less would risk the future capabilities of a powerful and expensive asset.  

Casting Time

"Back in the SAF, I had to be able to focus on my task no matter the distractions. Jumping a ship into or out of combat was no easy feat, and mistakes meant people got left behind."

— Hands of Destinee, Book 3: The Path of Destinee

  While the travel itself is near instantaneous, Hyperjump takes time to cast. Large ships with newer Void necromancers often require hours, while a half hour is considered the gold standard for experienced mages.   Casters must meditate on the ship they wish to Hyperjump, then stretch their awareness to include everything and everyone within. This takes time and concentration, not to mention a strong sense of spacial awareness.   The selected destination must remain clear of obstacles and debris, as well, since the Hyperjump spell does not push anything aside when the ship re-emerges from the Afterlife. Emerging in an already occupied location will result in both objects occupying the same space at the same time, with often disastrous results. Necromantic Shielding is therefore critical to the protection of spacecraft, as this prevents ships and other objects from attempting to emerge in the same location.  

Necromantic Hardpoints

In addition to the use of necromantic Shielding, it is possible to block the use of the Hyperjump spell, or at least limit its range. The Sparnell Confederation maintains an extensive Necromantic Hardpoint Array throughout their territory, tying the mortal plane at each array to a specific location within the Afterlife. This limits how much the mortal plan can be folded, thus restricting ease of Hyperjump travel within Confederation space.   In this way, Hyperjump travel is limited to ships within the Sparnell Armed Forces, who must first request a jump window prior to travel. The needed array points will then be deactivated during the assigned window along the filed travel pathway. Those who miss their jump window will need to file for a new one.   Jumps from Sparnell to the edge of Confederation space require two Hyperjumps in most cases, raising the cost of travel while reducing the chance of an enemy taking advantage of the temporary window of vulnerability. Jumps within Confederation space, or from the outer reaches of Confederation space into enemy territory, only require one.  

Void Necromancers

"You can't jump the Relentless!" The protest carried a hollow ring.   "Been a while since I jumped a ship," Shane agreed, his words almost playful. He'd already won. All that remained was to provide the Relentless' Navigations AI with a graceful way out to retain some semblance of his dignity, but not enough that this would happen again. "I was always taught to hyperjump empty the first time, but we've got a full crew today. Hopefully I don't leave anyone behind. That would be... unfortunate."   "You crazy bastard..." Admiration replaced the AI's surly temperament. "I'll jump. I'll jump. You win."

— Mordena Dawn, Book 2: Spirits of the Relentless

    Void necromancers are highly valued for their skills and the risks they take while performing their job. As a direct result of the costs and time required for training, most Void necromancers are found within military organizations, or possess a military background. The Confederation carries the heaviest requirements, offering the spell in exchange for a fifty year Soul Oath to the Sparnell Armed Forces, thus extending their service long past the required ten year Conscription.   In the civilian sector, Void necromancers are paid extremely well and, once recognized as competent and reliable, can often demand their own salary and compensation. If one potential employer won't pay, another will. The time savings and convenience alone are worth the expense.   Courtesy of the high-concentration and high-Imperium nature of their jobs, not to mention the days required to recover afterward, Void necromancers are generally permitted to occupy themselves however they desire during their ample downtime. This extends even to those serving in the military, often earning them the reputation of lazy or egocentric.   Few would dare say this directly to a Void necromancer, of course. Particularly when serving on the same ship. The nature of the Hyperjump spell requires the casting necromancer to remember to bring each and every occupant of the ship along with the jump, and nobody wants to risk getting left behind "by accident".  

Portal Drives

Those who cannot afford or wish to avoid the use of Hyperjump rely instead on portal drives. While much cheaper, these drives are slower, and carry their own dangers.  

Portal Operation

Portal drives allow for a much lower range compared to necromancy, but with a much faster spool up time. Rather than waiting for a necromancer to meditate upon the ship and its contents, spacecraft traveling by portal merely need to select their destination, engage the drive, and go. The array of complicated calculations required for the hop are handled by the drive itself. Upon arrival, the drive is deactivated and allowed to recharge prior to jumping again.  

Portal Drive Limitations

The speed at which the drive recharges depends on the size of the drive and the craft, as well as the technology levels used in its manufacture. A ship's size is capped by the capabilities of its portal drive, meaning most portal hoppers carry a limited capacity. The Space Defense Legion is the only faction to have fully committed to large-scale portal drives capable of transporting a capital ship.  

Telekinetic Incompatability

Telekintic drives remain the most cost effective method of propulsion within The Void. The lack of moving parts reduces upkeep to mere Runework maintenance, while the Imperium required to fuel them is readily available from the ships' crew, typically those supporting Maneuvering. The spell is relatively easy to scale up, and can even be done in the field simply by making adjustments to the Runework and providing a larger Imperium pool.   But Telekinesis is not compatible with Portal Travel.   Telekinesis operates in part through the manipulation of gravity fields. These often change drastically from one side of a portal to the other, in both strength and direction, and many a space-based tragedy has occurred while attempting to traverse a portal with a Telekinesis spell active. For this reason, telekinetic drives and Telekinesis-based artificial gravity are disabled for the duration of portal transit. Shielding Magic is often extended to include the portal, as well, in an effort to prevent others from using Telekinesis to interfere with the portal, although this only provides protection on the originating side unless another entity is guarding the portal exit.  

Engine Speed

Portal drives therefore rely upon more mechanical drives in order to propel the ship forward. These drives often have moving parts and always require some form of fuel, requiring both fuel storage and fuel protections in the traveling ship, since most fuels are flammable or explosive. This is manageable for smaller ships like shuttles or high end fighters, which often also forego gravity completely in the interest of safety, instead requiring passengers and cargo to strap in and remain still for the duration of transit.   More powerful engines require more and larger moving parts, as well as more fuel. This quickly imposes limitations and challenges when attempting to scale engines for larger capital ships, a limitation only the Space Defense Legion has managed to overcome. Other capital ships may choose to install a portal drive as a backup, but these are rarely used outside of non-combat emergencies, as ships are already vulnerable when traversing a portal. An unfortunately-placed telekinetic spell could disrupt the ship's path or even interrupt the portal itself, with catastrophic results to any ships within.  

Other Features

In addition to methods of propulsion, ships in Vazdimet carry some shared requirements for additional technologies for the safety and comfort of those choosing to travel between the stars.  

Life Support

Life support remains a key requirement. Smaller ships such as long-distance portal hoppers generally carry minimal life support compared to the larger cruise ships or military capital ships, but they still maintain systems for refreshing and cycling the air within the spacecraft. Even cargo ships maintain an air supply for their crew, although in this case they may choose not to pressurize all compartments.  

Afterlife Intelligence

Depending upon the faction, some ships will include an Afterlife Intelligence or several, to augment the skills and capabilities of the living crew. AI are especially useful on longer journeys where the primary bridge crew will require shift breaks, as the AI's lack of sleep allows them to easily cover the often-vulnerable moments between shift changes, when the current crew is nearing their limits and the relieving crew is not yet up to speed on the ship's current status. Those spacecraft flying through Hydell Order space, however, will avoid this convenience, or risk running afoul of the Natural Order.  

Provisions

Most ships carry storage for provisions, including long-term emergency rations, although most only need to worry about the food required for consumption by their crew. Passenger ships will often provide snacks or a meal for their passengers, depending upon the length and duration of flight, as well as the costs of tickets.  

Shielding

Shielding Magic remains important across factions, particularly for larger ships. Not only does the magic protect against potential damage to passengers and cargo from solar radiation and other space-based threats, it also protects the ship against accidents and collisions with other ships or space debris.   Shielding is a cheap and effective protection against the many hazards of the Void.  

Docking

Each ship's docking sequences depend upon the ship itself as well as the destination planet. Busier planets often maintain a space station or several where travelers land before making their way planetside using the station's own transportation options. Other planets requite all ships to land directly planetside, or provide a shuttle capable of doing so. Larger ships will often maintain their own portal mage, casting a Portal to an officially designated location on the planet's surface.