Major Technologies

This page details the major technologies of the setting, largely focusing on those of the Terran/Human polities. This is not an exhaustive list.

Van Dyne Shielding
Van Dyne shielding was developed by Dr Julius Van Dyne on Earth to protect starships and their crews from radiation. It was used as the basis for shipboard shielding.

FTL Drives
The major races of the quadrant all have FTL travel. Without it, travelling between worlds would take years and between star-systems would take hundreds or thousands of years.

Various methods of FTL travel have been discovered but most of them use "Jump Space" (see its own article)

Tranoan FTL engines focus gravitons onto real space to cause a "bubble" or "gap" which allows a ship to slip through from real space into jump space. Many of the other major races, the Terrans included, use a similar system.

The Taur'lier used a different system that allowed their ships to "phase" out of real-space and simply phase back in to any other area in real space. The science behind this is unknown and the limitations and range of this is also unknown.

Jump Space
Jump space is an alternative plane of reality which is a distorted and somewhat compacted version of real space. According to some physicists, it may be a reality where the theoretical "big crunch" has already taken place and the universe has been shrinking.

All that is known is that jump space contains no planets or other bodies and is approximately 1/100th the size of real space. This allows ships to travel at great speeds and in a straight line. It is incredibly hard, however, to change direction or navigate once you are in jump space and ships tend to plot straight line courses and then re-emerge into real space if they are no longer sure of their bearings.

Very few ships have ever been "lost" in jump space, the main danger coming from emergence back into real space as the ship will usually need some time to decelerate. Ships emerging from jump space tend to do so on the edge of a system so as to avoid traffic.

Gauss Weapons
A Terran invention: Gauss Weapons were invented in the late 21st century and use super=powerful missiles fired in a small cone to all hit the same target at the same time. The effect can be devastating. However, Gauss weapons do not track a target and so are best used on stationary targets such as planets or stations

Zero-Gravity Tech
Another Tranoan technology, Zero-Gravity technologies allow the crew of a ship to walk normally without needing to float. It also stops the negative effects of long term weightlessness.

Plasma Weapons
Largely used by the Karkouri, plasma weapons use super-heated plasma to vapourize their targets. Plasma weapons are more powerful than laser weapons and often have a higher rate of fire. However, they are often bulky and can overheat.

Plasma weapons range in size from hand-held weapons all the way up to shipboard heavy plasma cannons.

Laser Weapons
Used by nearly all the Empires in the quadrant, lasers are very powerful amplified light beams that can cut through their targets. Lasers are very complicated to build and often have issues with power generation. The Tazzyn Empire and the Bl'Hud both have excellent laser weapons

Laser weapons range in size from hand held to shipboard laser weapons.

Meson Weapons
Developed by the Gannid and used by the Gannid and the Terrans, Meson weapons use focused energy and gravitons to create a Meson beam which is incredibly powerful, far more powerful from a similar sized laser weapon. However, Meson weapons require a vast amount of power and are often bulkier and slower to recharge than laser weapons

Meson weapons can be made to be man portable as well as shipboard but man-portable ones tend to require a large backpack for the charger.

Lattice Computers
A recent Terran invention, Lattice computers are incredibly sophisticated computers that use a lattice of computer chips and crystals to create a computer with vastly more computing power than the previous generations of technology.

Allied West made a fortune building and selling these and Lattice computers have replaced all other computers in Terran space.

10th Generation AI
Invented by the Terran Empire, the 10th Generation or Kronus-10 are the quadrants first or assumed to be the first fully sentient AI. Despite warnings from other major powers, the Terrans became very reliant on 10th generation AI

11th Generation AI
The 11th generation of AI are at least three times as advanced as the 10th generation, further pushing the limits of what self-aware sentient AI can do.

Zero Point Energy
A Tranoan technology, Zero-Point energy creates a singularity which can, essentially, provide an infinite amount of power and allow a ship to travel forever, as long as its engines do not malfunction.

The Terran's gained Zero Point Energy thanks to joint project between Terran scientists and the Tranoans. It was originally developed for peaceful means and to allow the Terrans to explore beyond the quadrant. However it was co-opted by the Terran Empire and used for military technology.