Warp Gates and Space Travel

Modern interstellar travel depends on navigating a universe that is divided between stable space and the Great Empty.

In stable regions, travel is far more straightforward, as space behaves according to traditional astrophysics. Worlds orbit stars, distances can be measured, and starships move through predictable gravitational and energetic systems. But in the pockets of the Great Empty, space itself has been permanently altered by the Convergence. Distance is no longer absolute. And in a universe comprised of known worlds that are located in entirely different star systems, civilizations rely on several methods of travel to remain interconnected.

Conventional Space Travel

Within planetary systems, spacecraft operate much as they did before the Convergence, albeit with some stronger advancements in technology. Travel between moons, orbital habitats, and neighboring planets remains relatively predictable. This form of travel is often referred to as “local starflight”.

This kind of travel serves to connect planets and spheres within the same system. Starships feature a wide variety of models and aesthetics depending on what planet and manufacturer they originate from. In many cases, it’s easy to tell at a glance what planet or sphere a starship was constructed on.

Warp Gates

Warp Gates are large-scale transit structures that allow spacecraft to travel between distant star systems. Instead of making a ship move faster, they temporarily connect two distant locations by stabilizing a corridor through fractured reality, allowing a vessel to traverse a dramatically shortened path between them. Warp Gates make use of the Great Empty, meaning they can only be constructed and activated in systems that contain at least one pocket of the Great Empty.

Principles of Operation

Warp Gates stabilize a point where two distant star systems overlap in the geometry of the Great Empty, and create a temporary transit corridor between them. To an outside observer, departure and arrival occur in separate systems, and transit can take at a minimum several hours.

Warpgate Diagram (What is actually seen)

Structure of a Warp Gate

Warp Gates are massive orbital installations typically positioned at the outer edges of a star system’s anomaly field (pocket of the Great Empty). Warp Gates consist of three primary components.

The Aperture Ring

This is a vast circular structure that defines and stabilizes the gate boundary. It anchors the local spatial coordinates, prevents the collapse of the transit corridor, and protects nearby space from distortion. The aperture ring is what determines start and destination points for the Warp Gate system, and is necessary to keep these starting and ending points stable.

Resonance Arrays

Because the Great Empty is shaped by energy we refer to as magic, gates must interact with these semi-visible structures directly. Resonance arrays detect nearby string patterns, weave them into alignment, and maintain continuity during ship passage. Without stable strings, the corridor will unravel instantly. Resonance arrays function to keep the transit corridor stable.

Synchronization Beacons

Each Warp Gate must remain aligned with its paired destination. These beacon systems continuously exchange positional data and resonance signatures. If synchronization fails, transit will be suspended. The beacons serve as the means to ensure the corridor is connected properly to the target location (another gate). Synchronization beacons are responsible for navigation, ensuring that the transit corridor connects to the right destination aperture ring.

Warp Gate Invention

Known for their expertise in logistics, transport systems, and infrastructure design, the Lagorans were the first engineers to recognize the ability to route objects, people, and even vessels through pockets of reality. Their breakthroughs on their homeworld of Velora allowed them to utilize the Echofield (the pocket of the Great Empty that Velora is housed within) to create incredibly efficient means of transport in the form of ‘burrows’. A burrow network allows Lagorans to enter a portal on one side and appear halfway across the sphere at the exit. This later would develop into an interconnected subway system.

The Lagorans were instrumental in bringing this technology to other worlds, and the first Warp Gates were simply scaled-up versions of their burrows, suspended in space.

Warp Gate Networks

Warp Gates cannot function in isolation. They belong to a larger interconnected gate network, linking multiple worlds through chained transit routes. Long-distance travel often requires multiple gate jumps, and not all Warp Gates can be connected. Transit hubs, floating space stations that serve as connections between systems, are necessary to connect star systems that are too far apart for Warp Gates to safely and reliably connect.

Warp Gates require constant maintenance and have full crews working hard to ensure they remain stable. Incidents involving Warp Gates are few and far between, as security tends to be tight around integral parts of the structure. Damage or destruction of a Warp Gate would be catastrophic.

Access to Travel

Warp Gates are typically an easily accessible form of travel for most residents of our known universe who have the money to spare for a ticket aboard a transport vessel. However, poorer individuals may struggle to pay the fare.

This leads to a rise in the use of conventional space travel, though such travel between star systems is almost entirely nonexistent. Travel between planets is difficult enough to do in this manner, and traveling towards spheres in ships not ready to make the journey into the Great Empty claims many lives. Fuel stations, the stellar equivalent of a floating truckstop, have popped up all over the universe, serving as spots to refuel one’s vessel, grab a drink, and possibly get robbed due to the influx of crime at these stations.

Warp Gate travel through official channels will always be the safer mode of transport, but such things are barred from those who are not well off enough to afford it.