Orion Interstellar

## Overview

**Orion Interstellar** is a prominent manufacturer of **FTL drives**, **Power Cores, Engines,** and other navigation-related **starship** **technologies.** was founded in 2071 by **George Jackson,** an intelligent **astrophysicist** and very skilled **FTL drive developer.** After attaining a small fortune from developing the **FTL drive** alongside his long-time friend, **Raphael Schanz,** Jackson spent some time living a peaceful life before deciding to open up **Orion Interstellar** and begin developing **spacecraft** and more **advanced technologies.** A list of products and technologies can be found further below.

## Products

Below is a list of products developed by **Orion Interstellar.**

### FTL Drives

There are four different types of drive that **Orion Interstellar** produces:

1. Commercial Drives
2. Capital-Class Drives (Distinguished by a -C suffix)
3. Experimental Drives (Distinguished by a -E suffix)
4. Galactic Drives (Distinguished by a -G suffix)

Below is a list of each drive and the purpose it serves.

#### Commercial Drives

**Commercial Drives** are the most common type of **FTL drive.** They are small, compact, and used exclusively on **personal vessels.** These drives, while **self-sufficient,** are typically on the slower end, with the fastest **Commercial Drive** having a top speed of only **2.5 ly/s.** These drives are the least expensive, of course, being small, compact, and widely used by the typical consumer.

#### Capital-Class Drives

**Capital-Class Drives** are used exclusively on (you guessed it) **capital-class ships.** These drives are typically large and quite **expensive** compared to **Commercial Drives.** These drives are quite fast, with top speeds ranging between **5 ly/s** all the way up to **20 ly/s** (though this is only in rare cases that speeds reach this insane level). These drives, being so large, require an exponentially higher amount of **energy** to operate, and therefore a **capital ship** jumping into/dropping out of FTL is a much more spectacular spectacle than your average **Commercial Drive** engaging/disengaging would be.

#### Experimental Drives

**Experimental Drives** are, as their name suggests, **experimental,** and therefore speeds, efficiency, and other factors and statistics such as cost vary heavily. These drives are almost never used on **vessels** that are actually put into **operation,** due to their unpredictability and **unreliability.** These drives are the second-fastest, with the fastest **Experimental Drive** capable of speeds up to **50 ly/s** consistently.

#### Galactic Drives

**Galactic Drives** are the fastest drives you can possibly get and are capable of propelling a **ship** between **galaxies** reliably and consistently. Of course, there comes the side-effect of an extremely high cost, ranging in the tens to hundreds of billions of **credits** each. These drives use such a high amount of **energy** that a singular **ship** is completely incapable of producing enough to even engage- instead, **Galactic Drives** utilize **Jump Gates** in order to get the **energy** they need to start up. This means, however, that a **Galactic Drive** only works in specific places, these places being where **Jump Gates** are.

### Engines

**Orion Interstellar** doesn't just produce **FTL drives,** it also produces general purpose **engines** for use in **normal-space.**

#### Fusion Engines

**Fusion Engines** utilize **hydrogen fusion** in order to produce thrust. They're most common on **combat ships, mining vessels,** and other ships that usually operate in a relatively small area and never travel very far. **Fusion Engines** have a very high **thrust-to-fuel ratio,** meaning that they burn through a ton of **hydrogen fuel** but produce huge amounts of thrust, which is useful for quick maneuvering in the battlefield.

#### Ion Engines

**Ion Engines** are **high-efficiency** **engines** that will efficiently eject ions and spent **hydrogen fuel** from a ship's **Fusion Core** in order to produce thrust. These are most common among **exploration vessels,** which will typically need efficient **engines** for long burns, such as a burn to circularize an **orbit.** These **engines** are near-useless for quick maneuvering, however, and are never used on **combat ships.**

#### Combustion Engines

**Combustion Engines** use the **combustion** of flammable **liquid fuel** in order to produce thrust. They're most commonly used on small, **personal vessels,** and are good for **general-purpose** operations. They're nearly never put onto **capital-class ships,** however, and remain the #1 most popular choice for use on **personal starships.**

### Power Cores

**Orion Interstellar** also manufactures **Power Cores** for use on **capital-class ships.**

#### Fusion Cores

**Fusion Cores** are the most common type of **Power Core.** They utilize a wide range of **fusion types** (usually **hydrogen** or **deuterium** fusion) in order to produce large amounts of **energy** in order to power a **capital-class ship.** These are the most sustainable type of **core,** as well as the most **efficient,** but other cores do see notable use in operation. Note: a **Fusion Core** is required for the operation of an **Ion Engine.**

#### Fission Cores

**Fission Cores** use **nuclear fission** of heavy elements, such as **uranium,** in order to produce **power.** These **cores** are the second most common, but only make up about 1% of use in the field. They're cheap, of course, but very **dirty** and **inefficient** compared to **Fusion Cores.** Most **Fission Cores** see use in the early stages of **planetary bases** and **colonies** or as a backup power source on large **ships.**

#### Warp Cores

**Warp Cores** produce the most amount of **power,** but are the most **dangerous** and are considered "exotic." These **cores** use technology similar to **FTL drives** in order to create **power.** These incredibly complex machines use an **extremely dense,** **artificial matter** known as **protomatter** in their **reaction chambers.** **The Warp Core** will then create distortions in **spacetime** in a controlled area inside the **reaction chamber;** this causes the **protomatter** to violently and energetically react, producing ungodly amounts of **energy.** As stated before, however, these **cores** are incredibly **dangerous** if operated incorrectly.

## History

**Orion Interstellar** was founded on August 3rd, 2071, by a brilliant **astrophysicist** and **FTL drive developer** named **George Jackson.** The company was an almost immediate success, with sales already very high in the **FTL drive industry.** With so much profit on his hands, George Jackson immediately worked towards expanding **Orion's** boundaries, funding **colonization projects** and putting many **orbital outposts** and **starports** around the **Solar System,** and, of course, in many other **star systems** near the **Solar System.**

After this rapid expansion phase was over, **Orion Interstellar** began to focus more on **R&D** over overall expansion. More **technologies** were developed, including new **Engines, Power Cores,** and **FTL drives.** This also led to the creation of many **research stations,** such **LSO-1.**

This **R&D** phase of its existence led to the development of **Galactic Drives,** which are sold exclusively by **Orion Interstellar-** no other corporation has been able to figure out how to **produce** them. The creation of the **Galactic Drive** also brought upon **Jump Gates** and other **technologies** related to **intergalactic travel.** This led to a huge boom in **Orion's** profits.

After this **intergalactic tech** boom phase, **FTL drive development** reached its theoretical limit; advancement stagnated, and, of course, every **FTL drive** producing company sort of fell into a neutral state where they do not get worse or get any better. This is considered today's current state in the year 2117.