Transportation-old

Ship Size Information

There are three classifications of ship Types.

1. Small Intergalactic Ships (SIS)
   • 5-10 Decks
2. Medium Intergalactic Ships (MIS)
   • 10-25 Decks
3. Large Intergalactic Ships (LIS)
   • 25-250 Decks

Other Types of Spatial Craft

1. Shuttles
   • 1-5 Decks
2. Small Fighter Craft
   • 1-2 Decks
3. Maintenance Vehicles (Not generally suitable for Spatial Travel)
4. 1-3 Decks

Faster than light flight

Travel in the galaxy is performed among many methods. The most common way is sublight speeds. Most ships can only obtain sublight speeds upto approximately .5 light years due to technology restrictions before the ship must either reduce speed or break the light barrier; otherwise they will break apart.

When the light barrier is broken, the ship is automatically enveloped in a pocket of space, which keep the stress on the hull down, and protects the ship by warping smaller objects around it. Many people call this going to light speed and Warp, because of the warping nature of space which occures. On the technical aspect, it is merely called light speed or TransLight Velocity. Currenty no limit of light speed has been found, as most ships break apart after a certain limit due to stress on the hull. As with all things in the USI universe, a very delicate balance factor is applied when determining the max light speed of a ship.

Transspacial Conduits are another method of spacial travel. Given the observance that space bends ( as we observe with light speed and wormholes) then we also have come into contact with way of getting underneth the fabric of space. A ship can enter a transspacial conduit given correct technology, and go from point to point using sublight engines. While within the conduit, it has been found that you must use sublight engines as a pocket of space will not form around a ship to protect it from the stress of speed increase. Transspacial Conduits are another method of warping space around the ship. This too can be referred to warp, but is most commonly called TransConduit.

(Note: Transportation physics and underlying technologies are being redeveloped to be resleased shortly! Information on this page may be obsolete in near future. 11/07/2006.)

Sublight Types & Scale Engine Type / Engine Name

Speed Range

Notes Mag Pulse Drive 0 - .7LV A common form of Impulse. Design of ship will effect max speed. Rugged design, very easy to maintain. Often times is integrated with Mag Gravity Well as a single unit. Fusion Reactor 0 - .4LV Cheepest. Most Common form. Small impact of speed from design of ship Spacial Displacement 0 - .8LV Expensive. Potentially Dangerous as Spacial Displacement often times are uncontrollable. Easy to make transition to Translight Velocity. Partical Carrier 0 - .99LV Similar in design from the Soliton Drive. No Ship Design impact to Max Speed. Expensive to build. Easy to integrate into ship systems, very easy to damage. High Maintainance. Large Ships will tend to use these more as they are more powerful than the others.

Translight Types & Scale Engine Type / Engine Name

Speed Range

Notes Mag Gravity Well 1LV- 6LV Most common among smaller ships and SFC (Small Fighter Craft). Rugged Design and very easy to maintain. Light Drive 1LV - 9LV Common form of LV by most the galaxy . Uses some similar theory to the Mag Gravity well by creating a large contained gravity well and using its properties for propulsion. The light drive takes the gravity well and pushes light through it by way of a particle Generator causing greater forces. The Disadvantage is that the light drive is somewhat larger than the simple MGW and has higher maintainance. A plus though is increased max speed. Soliton Matrix 1LV - 9.9 LV By taking the simple yet faster than light particle the Soliton, and generating large quantities, or waves of Solitons, and putting it through a Matrix of Crystals which catch them and causes propulsion. The Crystals, called Disc's within the Matrix, are tuned to either catch the solitons, redirect the direction, or simply ignore them to be recycled. Soliton Matrix Drives are unique to USI only. Sometimes takes a short time to build up larger waves. TransConduit

• Varies by length of the conduit in direct proportion to speed of impulse while traveling.

By burrowing into the fabric of space by way of Quantum Technologies, TransConduit is able to create a hole in space and enter to what is known as Transpacial Conduit. The Conduit distance is considerably shorter from point to point when dealing with large distances. TransConduit is almost always a Secondary method of Travel as in many shorter distance cases, standard Translight Velocity is quicker. Spacial Displacement 1LV - 8 LV Expensive. Potentially Dangerous as Spacial Displacement often times are uncontrollable. Partical Carrier 1LV - 9.5 LV Similar in design from the Soliton Drive. No Ship Design impact to Max Speed. Expensive to build. Easy to integrate into ship systems, very easy to damage. High Maintainance.

Translight Comparison Speed

A Translight Velocity Comparison Speed chart will be made available shortly. The chart will show some basic examples of the speed variation with near exact numbers ( at least near as can be calculated given the limited information on exact distances ). A visual chart will also be made available with visual comparison diagrams so you can " see " the differences of translight 1 vs Translight 8 and the size of a parsec vs a sector etc.

Note : The technology of the soliton matrix is one that is explored deeply in USI. For more information regarding it, please referre to the Technology database. More information will be added to the records as more definite ideas are created about each item.

Ships

As with many Science Fiction universes, space travel is a very unique and exciting thing. With new species around the bend and who knows what type of anomoly, its easy to get caught up with the mere subject of space and only space. Star Trek has at least 1/4 of their episodes revolving around spacial anomilies yet many of the greatest Science Fiction Classics mention spacial troubles to a small degree such as a astroid field. This proves that interesting stories can be made not only about people in space, but space itself.

Many types of ships exist within the USI Universe. The below graph will outline the types of ships most often used in USI, their speed ranges, and their uses within USI. Note that if a HUGE ship of 100 decks doesn't go TLV 9, its because of technological complicatoins. While the USI universe was created to give a writer an imagination to explore new possibilities, as the architect of the universe, I also felt that it had to have boundries.

Note That USI ships will have different data due to technology differences in the universe. This is based on a typical scenario using more ships than just USI based ships. A Seperate Graph will show the USI standard. Galactic Standard Ship Size (Class)

1. of Decks

Sublight / TransLight Engines

Speed Range

General Uses / Notes Small Fighter Craft (SFC)

1-2

Fusion / Mag Gravity Well

0 - .4LV / 1LV- 6LV Secondary Offensive / Defensive Role in combat engagement. Escort vessels. Are often times used as a Primary attack vessel when SIS or MIS vessels are configured less for a battle situation. Being more manuveralbe, they make for excellent attacking ships. Because of size, their firepower is often limited. Small Shuttle

1-2

Fusion / Mag Gravity Well

0 - .4LV / 1LV- 6LV Light Transportation Vehicle. Little offensive, little defesive capability. Often used when a larger ship cannot be used in investigative and exploration situations. Used as a secondary science multipurpose device. Large Shuttle

1-4

Mag Pulse / Mag Gravity Well

0 - .7LV / 1LV- 6LV Standard Transportation vehicle. Can be used like small shuttle as well. Small Intergalactic Ships (SIS)

5-10

Mag Pulse / Light Drive

0 - .7LV / 1LV - 9LV Scouts, escorts, cargo ships. Mostly used by private organizations or individuals for their own internal affairs. Are often modified to any end for their own purpose. Cargo ships are most likely of this class as to maximize shipment, but not pose as a gold mind for pirates and the like. Pirate and rebel organizations also preferre this class due to their lower cost, easy repair factor, and easy modification to ship purpose. Government factions also favor the class for the same reasons. SIS ships have a low durability factor. Medium Intergalactic Ships (MIS)

10-25

Mag Pulse / Light Drive

0 - .7LV / 1LV - 9LV Highly favored in the USI for its cost + Functionality value. Although many Gov. Factions tend to use either the SIS or the LIS class ships, the MIS is good for well rounded ships that feature both the adaptability of the SIS, and the durablility of LIS. Most MIS ships are created for a certain purpose, and remain that way until either decommissioned, destroyed, or taken apart for salvage. Large Intergalactic Ships (LIS)

25-250

Particle Carrier / Light Drive

0 - .4LV / 1LV - 6LV Large Behemoth's of ships. Created usually for battle or large transport. Many are carrier ships for SFC's or SIS's. Some are designed for the transport of whole worlds by conquering factions. Because of their slow speed, but excellent armor, they make surpurb support vehicles. Most LIS ships are only slightly equiped with offensive weaponry, and only moderately for defensive. Shield and Armor factor are usually high.

Other

Travel isn't always restricted to vehicular type methods. Wormholes, rifts within space, and spacial Tunneling ( Transconduit ) are other common forms of moving without direct use of a ship or vehicle. These listed methods often use a vehicle, as their application is most effective long distances within the harsh environment of space. But they could be used in the confines of a planet or other permitting environment. Some of these are created by way of Technology, others are naturally occurring.

One of the more common methods of non vehicular travel are the use of Translocational Gateways.

Lame mans Terms : Gateway between two points in space, reducing overall distance to a meter at most, allowing lifeforms to simply step through, and objects to be dropped in. This is often referred to as Gating. The Faction of USI uses the Technology specific to Translocation Gating. Other factions and races have created compatible variants of the same technological basis.

Gating does have its uses, but is limited in size and distance. Often times, when a wormhole isn't around (stable at that) or the ability to create a transpatial conduit or other form of spacial tunneling, getting from one point of the universe to the next is somewhat time consuming, considering how vast the galaxy is. Scattered throughout the galaxy there is a device known as a STNN, Starship Transport Network Nexus. By combining the technology and theories of Wormholes, black holes, and spacial tunneling, these STNN's connect points of space together, allowing for faster travel without the hassle of wasted time. The only draw back, is the STNN's are at fixed points in space, and the race that created them have disappeared.