Discrete Drive

Overview

The foundational technology of interstellar travel is the Discrete drive and how it allows faster than light travel. Its discovery and invention mark the time when a species and world joins the interstellar community with all that it entails.

Discrete Space

The universe turns out to not be the ordinary 4-dimensional spacetime continuum, but there existed a fifth accessible dimension. Discrete space is what it became known as. The name is derived from the particular nature of the fourth spatial dimension, also known as the Discrete dimension. The ordinary 3 dimensions are continuous, but the Discrete dimension is discrete, with no space between its discrete states, called layers. Within each of these layers, a spacetime continuum exists similar to ordinary spacetime to be travelled through using ordinary means. Normal spacetime that planets and worlds exist in is counted as the 0’th layer and called nullspace.

Space contraction

Two phenomena were discovered about Discrete space relevant to Discrete technology. The first one was that despite the Discrete dimension's non-continuous nature, the spacetime continuum within the layer maps was one to one between all the layers, including gravitational time dilation for a portion of space.

The second phenomenon was the apparent contraction of distances. Distances between two points in lower layers, or a higher number, are significantly shorter there than they would be in nullspace.

Nex Astrum

Prior to the discovery of the discrete dimension and its layered nature, a hitherto unknown element was discovered. Despite countless searches within the inner parts of solar systems and observations of distant solar systems, no new elements could be found. But in the outer parts of the solar system, they found the key to interstellar exploration.

The element Isochium was found in the Kuiper belts of the solar system. Isochium is has the unique property of existing in every layer within the discrete dimension simultaneously, but to varying degrees. 

The drive

The Discrete drive is made out of several components, namely the Wave Collapser, Entanglement Generator, and Vathyron Shield. The Wave Collapser has a focused region in engineering where the isochium that is currently in use is located. It collapses the wave function of the isochium so that instead of existing in all layers, as is its natural state, the isochium is forced into a single layer of one's choice.

The Entanglement Generator creates an entanglement field around the ship with a focal point where it distributes the layer property of the now collapsed isochium to all matter within the entanglement shield. This is the part that forces all of the ship and its inhabitants into the desired layer.

The Vathyron Shield is an amplified shield generator designed to endure the vathyron pressure within discrete space such that the matter within the shield generator is consumed instead of the ship itself.

Vathyron pressure

Another phenomenon discovered in the lower layers of discrete space is a particle known as vathyron. It possesses the property of causing ordinary electrons to momentarily become electrically neutral and no longer be bound to their atom. This causes corrosive effects on any matter that comes in contact with vathyrons. Vathyron pressure is the term given to how much vathyrons are created in discrete space, as the amount, and thus the pressure, increases the deeper into discrete space a ship goes.

Dive metaphor

A frequent development among many cultures and species is the usage of submarine metaphors to describe travel within discrete space. The common reasoning has been that people imagine it similar to a world made entirely out of water where you are able to go up toward the surface and downward toward the core with impunity. In a world like this, going down to a depth, travelling there, then resurfacing is much faster than staying at the surface. Few other things mimic this as well as diving, hence the frequency of use, according to many linguists.

Interstellar entrance

All species that have not been enlightened by already existing interstellar species go through the discovery of these facts and the eventual development of the discrete drive. A species that manages to go through all the technological ordeals that lead up to this development is then welcomed into the interstellar community.