Hyperdrive

A Hyperdrive is a DragonKin designed technology that allows for Faster-Than-Light (FTL) travel by using subspace.
== Overview ==
Interstellar travel isn't possible without some form of FTL travel, with any sublight or even light speed journies taking years or more to reach even the next solar system. Time also has undesirable changes at near light speeds which makes attempting to travel at light speeds or higher in normal space difficult and deeply undesirable. As a result, many species (including all DragonKin) make use of subspace to achieve faster than light speeds.
At it's most basic, a Hyperdrive opens a spatial rift into a pocket of subspace in which a starship can move as it would in normal space, except that since subspace is a lot smaller than normal space, great distances can be crossed in less time at the same speeds.
== Functionality ==
In the common DragonKin vernacular, Subspace refers to a massive spectrum of pockets of space all of which are totally empty and considerably more compressed than normal space. A Hyperdrive allows a spacecraft to enter and exit a pocket of subspace by creating a spatial rift into a specific zone (which is decided based on how the rift was created, with no two Hyperdrives having the exact same subspace signature although those made by the same species have only slight differences, while Hyperdrives from 2 different species may have a massive difference).
Due to subspace being more compressed than normal space, a ship may enter subspace in one location and travel just a few million Km in subspace before leaving, ending up multiple lightyears in normal space from where they started. Certain bands of subspace are more compressed than others, although these differences aren't noticeable with hyperdrives built by the same species as their subspace frequencies are nearly the same, while the difference between each species' hyperdrives subspace frequency can be quite noticeable.
Two factors determine the speed of a Hyperdrive. Sublight speed from thrusters, and the particular pocket (frequency) of subspace that Hyperdrive can use. Most species use a subspace pocket that is "close" to normal space to make navigation easier, as "deeper" subspace pockets get exponentially smaller and will unpredictably shift, becoming excessively difficult for any jump to be calculated by any intelligence or computer excluding a Sould. The "deepest" of these subspace pockets can allow for ships with average sublight thrusters to make it across entire galaxies in minutes although these pockets are impossible to navigate for assorted reasons. The "deeper" a subspace pocket, the more energy is required to open the rift.
Some of the fastest known Hyperdrives in the DHG allow for it to be crossed in roughly a week, while the average Hyperdrive takes roughly a month to cross the entire DHG.
== Variations ==
===== Main Article: Transporter =====
Transporters are a DragonKin Near-Instant transportation system that uses the same basic principles as a Hyperdrive, but creating both an entrance rift and exit rift at the same time to ensure the target does not get stuck in subspace.
Category:Technology
Category:General