Hyperspace

[Jet Almeara]

Hyperspace (called darkspace by the Yuuzhan Vong) is the alternate state of existence used by starships to achieve faster-than-light travel. It is a phenomenon not completely understood by scientists; it is alternately described as a parallel universe, an extra dimension of space, an alternate mode of physical existence, or simply the universe as viewed traveling faster than the speed of light.

Normally, baryonic matter obeys physical principles of relativity: it increases exponentially in mass as it approaches the speed of light, requiring more and more energy to approach it, and thus always remaining below this threshold. Tachyonic matter, on the other hand, exists solely above the speed of light, and can not pass below said threshold. Hyperdrive technology allows sentients to break this barrier and allows slower-than-light starships to leap past the barrier and reach speeds many thousands or millions of times that of light.

This principle was first discovered by the ancient Rakata, some time around 50,000 BBY . The Rakatan Force-enabled drives allowed them to create a galaxy-spanning empire. Some of the earliest hyperspace-utilizing artifacts (such as strange arches and matter transmitters found on ruined worlds, or the Gree hypergates), cannot be replicated by modern hyperdrive technology. Corellians and Duros were the earliest able to create technological versions of the Force-enhanced Rakatan devices through reverse engineering, allowing them to build the first true hyperdrives. Consequently, despite common usage, relatively little is known about the true nature of hyperspace. Popular theories say that hyperspace utilizes another dimension to 'sidestep,' as it were, the light 'speed limit.' Others theorize that it phases matter directly into another universe, similar to otherspace or subspace, and thus gain superlight speeds. Whatever the case, there are many complex scientific principles known to modern hyperdrive engineers which allow for a myriad different uses of this faster-than-light phenomenon.

Note: This thread is intended the roleplaying of vessels transiting through hyperspace from one location to another. It is requested that the first line of the post contain the departure planet, destination and transit route, so that there won't be confusion as to which ship is where. For example, a ship transiting between Ryloth and Rhommamool would have a post header of Ryloth --> Rhommamool via Corellian Run.

[Aaron Starkiller]

Corellia --> Rendili via Corellian Trade Route

Aaron felt the momentary queasiness as his intestines adjusted to the feel of traveling through hyperspace. He cleared his throat and turned around to lean his back against the rail while he crossed his arms. He looked to Jet and spoke quietly. "I know taking the scenic route out of Corellian space was probably necessary, but that doesn't mean it was any less for you Jet," he said seriously before standing up straight and leaning in closer to her. "I don't pretend to know what you're thinking, but I know you're not too fond of being in charge of so much. Remember the sight you just saw because if it wasn't for you it wouldn't be there. No one else could have done what you have with Corellia or it's people. Or the DJO. Let that view and this ship be a reminder of that."

Grinning honestly, Aaron turned his eyes away from Jet and watched the activity below him on the command deck.

[Jet Almeara]

Jet's grip on the railing had been tightening by small increments as Faustus placed more and more of Corellia and her planetary brothers behind them, by the time the viewport shields closed and they leapt into hyperspace she had closed her eyes and unbeknownst to her had taken to holding her breath. It seemed she had underestimated just how hard leaving like this was going to hit her - sure she had left before, for a fixed amount of time..and relatively certain she would be returning unscathed. This was different...with no idea exactly what it was they faced - and no time frame to face it, Jet's chest clenched just a little - but she was not leaving behind the unprepared, unprotected planet of a few years ago...Jet had taken great stride to try and build a society capable of functioning and protecting itself if the need arose and while it wasn't quite there yet...it was far from helpless. In all truthfulness it as probably harder for her to leave Corellia then it was for Corellia to have her gone, somewhat like a mother leaving behind her young, despite this Jet couldn't quite remove the question of weather she was doing the right thing.

It was Aaron who jarred her from these thoughts..and for once he had the presence of mind to withhold any innuendo, reaffirming what Jet already knew - that despite his ways he was in the end a good friend, releasing her breath and the deathgrip she'd had on the railing Jet opened her eyes and without looking at her companions, less any of their looks cause her to reveal just how difficult leaving had been.

"I'm going to change..I'll return before we reach our destination" She announced and without so much as a by your leave to any of them headed for the door and from there to the ShadowChaser where some form of privacy would be afforded.

[Taaru Masako]

((Accompanied by "Deck 15" by Dennis McCarthy, Star Trek VII: Generations soundtrack))

<<Aboard the CNS Faustus, transit Corellia to Rendili via Corellian Trade Spine>>

Having faithfully executed the captain's order thinly veiled as a suggestion, Taaru remained on the concourse level, hunched over with hands braced on the railing, and watched the proceedings. Anyone glancing in his direction would have a difficult time of telling what was going through his mind, even if Jet or Aaron cared to give him an inquisitive once over through the Force.

His is the quiet reflection and composition of a man who has seen much, suffered much, and yet wrested dignity and pride out of the successive chain of suffering that composes existence. Though a reflection of the weight of his many cycles in this universe, his is a success story, and as Centerpoint grows and then fades once more in the Faustus' viewport, he feels that old spark of glory in his chest: That fire that burns in the heart of all great men and women as they set out into the black unknown to carry forth the flame of civilization.

If anyone had bothered to approach him at this moment, he would have been oblivious to it, as his focus burns on one thing and one thing alone, known and experienced only by him.

In time, he too leaves the bridge, taking his leave from the captain, and intent on seeing to the other Thruvarans before they reach their next destination.

[Aralee Galor]

As the viewport shield, designed not only to obscure the chaotic madness of hyperspace but as protection for the bridge during engagements, slides shut, Aralee permits herself to breath a sigh of relief: They are finally underway.

"Lilith, what's the ETA to Rendili?"

Lilith's avatar, which had faded from the console at the C&C booth, blossoms once more to reveal the AI.

"47 minutes to system boundary. System interior transit time estimated at 3 hours, 12 minutes, since the planet is on the opposite side of the star from our approach vector."

"Should give us plenty of time to unwind our nerves," Saul pipes in to no one in particular."

Aralee purses her lips as a sort of affirmative. "We can only hope dealing with the Galactic Alliance's Navigation & Cartography Hub will be as smooth as this."

Lilith raises an inquisitive eyebrow. "I'd assumed we had a reason for waylaying at Rendili, but why are we visiting the GA's astro nav hub?"

Aralee reminds herself that Lilith, nor any of the other AIs, have been informed of their primary mission. Now that they are underway, she can drop the pretense of secrecy that Fleet Com had mandated when she had received her own orders.

"It's been a long time since Corellian naval ships have plied the galaxy like this, Lilith. Our astronavigation data for our destination is outdated, but the GA luckily provides this as an essential service. Only problem is..."

"...we don't want them to know where we're going."

Aralee, her sentence suddenly completed for her, stares with some amazement at Lilith. "How did you-"

"...know our mission parameters? Captain, I remind you that I was originally created for software infiltration. That code will always be a part of me."

"So you-"

"Infiltrated Fleet Com's central processing network and viewed ahead of time? Naturally. The sysadmin AI owed me a favor anyway."

More stunned silence from Aralee, and Saul as well.

"Lilith, this is a massive breach in procedure. If you think I meet stunts like this with reward, you're mistaken."

"All the better to insure the success of the mission, Captain. And besides, the only reason your orders required I not be informed is because Fleet Comm was concerned with information security. But if I can access Fleet Comm's network, then chances on anyone accessing mine successfully are quite slim."

"Lilith, excuses aren't going to-"

"Captain, if I may..," Saul interjects. Aralee nods for him to continue, flustered though she is.

"Lilith," Saul continues,"would you say that Fleet Comm's security measures are similar to the GA's AstroNav database facility's?"

"Superior, commander, in almost every way."

"So it stands to reason that you would have no problem accessing the data we need while circumventing the regular process and leaving no traces?"

"As easy as taking a breath is for you," the avatar grins.

"Well then," Saul says, straightening and turning to the captain. "I guess we have a solution."

Before Aralee can even respond, Lilith interrupts. "Except the AstroNav facility is on an internal hard network. I would need someone to manually establish a wireless link with the Faustus.

Aralee sighs, realizing finally that even as captain, she is going to have little say in the matter, especially now that she finds herself agreeing with the plan. She makes a note, however, to have this incident entered in the log: Lilith's establishment date was relatively recent, but rampancy was always a danger. She would also need the software engineers to run a few diagnostics trials before she felt assured.

"Very well. I'll speak with the CAC and see if we can send some marines down in plainclothes to establish a wireless link. Should be simple enough."

"It usually is, Captain," is Lilith's response.

[Jet Almeara]

Thankfully for Jet she managed to make it to the ShadowChaser without running into anyone else who required talking to - quite honestly she simply wasn't in the mood. After securely closing the ramp behind her nd ignoring Ice's questions she flung herself on her bed in an entirely un-jet like manner...or at least un-jetlike in the opinion of most of the public. The persona she upheld for them was far different then the one she was in private...even around those she knew well it was hard to relax entirely, to truly shed the barriers she had built required friendship on a level she rarely allowed herself to have anymore, there were a couple left of this choice group but she wasn't even sure if they completely realized it. Let's face it....Jet wasn't the greatest at expressing such things.

Sighing she closed her eyes, intending to rest for just a moment before changing into her more typical attire and returning to the bridge, it had been a long day however and without intending it Jet fell asleep.

*************************************************
The sky ahead was not a typical sky...at least not in color a blazing stretch of red and orange met his eyes as he looked across the horizon. Smoking craters dotted what had once been a sea of alien grasslands but was now little more then a charred boneyard.

Bones that were both familiar..those of his comrades...and strange, those of the enemy. He was supposed to be advancing his company across this boneyard and despite the bleak end those before him had met trying to do this exact same thing Exereli didn't have much of a choice, the Warlord had no place for those who refused or fled from an order. In any case..should he succeed, achieving this goal could very well mean the end of this particular campaign and so the end of his fellows deaths. That...was worth trying for.

Communicating to his waiting troop with hand signals Exereli moved them forward, yelling a battlecry as they charged across the field, their assault covered by the fire of artillery vessels behind them, an answering burst of fire from the enemy hit a bit to close to home and he was sent flying through the air to land amidst the dead. Dazed but not mortally wounded Exereli blinked blurred eyes, finally focusing on the dead in front of him - the body bore a sigil that was familiar..but nearly unrecognizable in its charred and bloodied form

**************************************************

Jerking awake Jet looks about wild eyed for a few minutes before recognizing her surroundings. What in the nine hells had that been? True..she was no stranger to nightmares..but nightmares rarely bothered her - they contained things she had already done, had already experienced...and couldn't really cause her any more pain then they already had. For one thing..she had never seen this planet..nor the man her dream had focused on, nothing had been familiar and as she wasn't gifted in foresight she dispelled that idea from her thoughts quickly.

Rubbing her temples she glanced at the time - kriffing hell she'd slept far long then she had intended to - she would jut have to think more ont he dream later..and that symbol at the end? she knew it...but from what? it had been charred and bloodied in the dream..barely enough left to even recognize. Purseing her lips she cast it from her mind for now and changed from her formal attire to her more typical clothing - feeling somewhat placated with the addition of her weaponry, before hurrying from the ShadowChaser

[Aaron Starkiller]

Aaron sighed as Jet left, suspecting what was going on. He had noticed her holding her breath and the tightening of her chest. Let's be honest, Aaron would notice anything involving a woman's chest. He let her leave and leaned back against a wall and continued to watch the activities down below.

The young Praetorian smiled as he listened in on the conversation the Captain was having about the ship's AI. It was nice to know that he wasn't going to be the only invasive one aboard the ship. It was also nice to feel the irritation in the Force from the Captain. Aaron wasn't fond of following orders from someone who's emotional capacity was barely larger than that of a service droid. He stood straight and headed for the turbolift. This time it was waiting for him and he took it down to the lower levels.

Aaron strolled along, checking in on a few of the Corellians as they moved into their quarters. The air wasn't what one would expect. Sure, they were excited but this was just another trip on just another ship. Corellian's had been doing this sort of thing since before... well, for a really long time. After chatting with numerous groups of people and settling down a few others ((I was surprised too)) Aaron stood off to the side of a hall and closed his eyes. Reaching out with the Force, Aaron felt for Adrien's presence and was pleased to find that the boy was still deeply asleep. He had barely slept the night before and his mother had woken him up early to prepare him for the long journey he was now on. He'd be out for quite some time.

A disturbance, amplified by his Force wanderings, battered Aaron's mind. His eyes shot open and his head snapped in the direction of the Shadowchaser. It wasn't exactly danger sense, but it was definitely unsettling. He set out at a brisk walk, taking a turbolift down to where Jet's ship was located. He sighed in relief as he saw Jet hurrying down the boarding ramp. "Slow down there Miss Huntress," he says with a grin. "Who are you tryin' to kill now?"

[Jet Almeara]

Jet's attention was still focused on the strange dream she had had and so when Aaron's voice called out from so close her head snapped in his direction before she managed to check her reaction. She frowned at him slightly to cover the fact that he'd startled her and recalling that she'd forgotten to undo her hair reached up to do so slipping the pins into her pocket as she finished and continued her foreward walk.

"no one yet....just heading back to the bridge, should probably check on Darren and them before I do so" she mused as she walked past him - assuming that he would fall into step with her. "And why are you loitering about outside ShadowChaser anyways?"

[Aaron Starkiller]

"Already checked," he informed her. "Everyone's gettin' situated nice and calm-like...for Corellians."

He fell into step beside her and smiled at her question. "I was trying to see you naked," he said simply. He raised his arm for her to take it again, but quickly put it down with a huff. "I'd be more likely to get browny points for grabbing your ass at this point."

[Jet Almeara]

Jet was somewhat relieved that Aaron had returned to his typical self - sure it was good to know he was a deeper person underneath all his comments, and despite how irritating said comments could be - it saved her from explaining either her quick exit from the bridge or whatever it had been which called him to the Chaser since she was fairly certain that it hadn't been stalker tendencies despite what he said. She ticked her gae sideways to look at him as they left the hanger.

"...you do see that I've rearmed myself yes? No more lack of weaponry to give you a false sense of bravado"

[Aaron Starkiller]

"False sense," he echoed with a grin. "My lady I assure you my bravado is never false. It may be uncalled for, but it is never false." He looked forward and shrugged. "Besides, chicks with lightsabers kinda turn me on."

[Jet Almeara]

"Aaron..if ICE had legs and breasts he'd turn you on" Jet remarked with a slight rolling of her eyes as they continued on towards the bridge, since Aaron had checked on the Corellians there was no need for that particular pit stop and while she didn't outwardly thank him for that, her lack of insistence to check for herself showed her trust in his judgement in her own way.

[Taaru Masako]

Making his way down to the Thruvarans quarters via the ship's spinal corridor, the staccato of his boots on the polished metal floors is interrupted every so often by the skitter of a DRD going about its business. Eventually, his comm makes itself known as well.

"Captain to CAC. We're going to need a few marines in civvie suits to establish a wireless link between the GA's AstroNav network building and the ship."

Taaru double taps his comm as an affirmative. "I have the right people in mind already. Masako out.

Minutes later, he happens to pass Jet and Aaron, headed in the opposite direction.

"Thirty three minutes till hyperspace exit," he informs them, figuring at least Jet would want to know. "Transit to Rendili will take a few more hours."

"And Aaron, you're on the away team down to Rendili. I need your eyes and ears to help the marines," he adds, referring to Aaron's force sensitivity, not his sensory faculties.

[Aaron Starkiller]

Aaron shuddered and moaned. "Oh, Jet. I love it when you talk dirty to me," he smiled over at her and winked.

After a few moments of silence Aaron cleared his throat. "I prop-" he began to say when Taaru appeared, cutting him off.

When Taaru was through, Aaron nodded. "Gotchya big guy."

[Jet Almeara]

Stopping as they neared Taaru, Jet nodded slightly and looked at her chrono with a sigh. What the hell was she going to do with herself for 3 hours and some odd minutes.

"who else are you sending?" She asked Taaru after a few moments thought.