Manticore Wormhole Junction

thumb|right|300px|The Manticore Junction and its seven termini
The Manticore Wormhole Junction was a wormhole junction whose central node was in the Manticore System.
== Astrophysics ==
That node was an invisible sphere in space, a light-second in diameter, and had a total of seven known external termini as of 1921 PD. It lay 7 light-hours from Manticore-A. ()
== History ==
In 1533 PD, indications pointing to the existence of the Junction were initially discovered by Luther Luangpraseut, an astrophysical analyst in the employ of the Axelrod Corporation at a research facility on Beowulf, who in turn shared with his immediate superior in the company, Karen Wamocha. Wamocha promoted Luangpraseut to a management position and ordered him to classify his discovery under the company's Black Dagger protocols while she informed the Board on Earth. It wasn't until 1535 PD10 years before 1545 PD, according to MA4. that Doctor Tolochko, a Manticoran astrophysicist, independently discovered similar indications of the existence of the Junction. Tolochko's conclusions and the four papers she published on the subject were routinely dismissed in Manticoran academia for the next decade however. (,)
The first transit of the Junction was made in 1585 PD by the Manticoran survey ship Pathfinder, leading to the discovery of its Beowulf terminus. Within a few more years, two other first transits were made to the Trevor's Star terminus and Hennesy terminus. Subsequently, a terminus was discovered in Gregor, Matapan, and Basilisk. ()
The discovery of the junction led to a major re-routing of interstellar trade between the Solarian League and the Haven Quadrant, to the disadvantage of regions such as the Maya Sector. ()
In October 1883 PD, very large numbers of refugees from the planet San Martin in the Trevor's Star System used the wormhole junction to escape the Havenite invasion. ()
In 1900 PD, the wormhole junction was the primary reason for the People's Republic of Haven's decision to try and conquer the Basilisk Terminus. At the time, the Republic controlled the Trevor's Star Terminus, which was in Havenite space, and the possession of two termini would make defense of the central node very difficult. (, )
In 1919 PD, the Lynx Terminus, a seventh terminus of the Junction, was discovered and surveyed by the Royal Manticoran Astrophysics Investigation Agency. Surveyed by HMS Harvest Joy, it connected the Manticore System to the Talbott Sector, near the Solarian League. (, )
== Commercial and military use ==
The junction was controlled by the Star Kingdom of Manticore; eventually this commercial advantage gave the Star Kingdom about seventy-eight percent of the gross system product of Earth's Solar System by 1900 PD. Manticore comfortably exceeded Sol's GSP by 1920 PD. The Royal Manticoran Navy patrolled the wormhole junction and manned the forts used to protect it from invasion or attack.
Traffic control for the junction was provided by the Royal Manticoran Astro-Control Service, a civilian, but uniformed and highly trained organization. ()
==Known termini==
The Manticore Terminus was located in the Manticore-A System itself and was the central node of the Junction. All traffic necessarily passed through that node regardless of its destination.
* Basilisk Terminus – 210 ly to Galactic North of Manticore – located near the Basilisk System.
* Beowulf Terminus – 475 ly to the Galactic South – located near the Sigma Draconis System (co-managed with Beowulf, a member of the Solarian League)
* Gregor Terminus – 180 ly to the Galactic Northwest – located near the Gregor System (since 1869 PD the system was partially controlled by the Anderman Empire).The Gregor-B system was controlled by the Andermani, but the terminus and the star Gregor-A was controlled by the Manticorans.
* Hennesy Terminus – 712 ly to the Galactic Southeast – located in the Phoenix Cluster
* Lynx Terminus – 612 ly to the Galactic Southwest – located in the Talbott Cluster (and later the Talbott Quadrant.)
* Matapan Terminus – 472 ly to the Galactic West – located near the Matapan System
* Trevor's Star Terminus – 210 ly to the Galactic Northeast - located near the Trevor's Star System
== References ==
Category:Wormhole Junctions
Category:Manticore