SUBJECT

The Galaxy of the
41st Millenium
>

TOPICS

Worlds of the Galaxy
Galactic Civilisation
Interstellar Travel >
The Astronomican
Stellar Fleets
Warfleets
Adeptus Astra Telepathica
Adeptus Mechanicus
Navis Nobilite

+++Interstellar Travel+++

Without space travel mankind would have died millennia ago in the poisoned desolation of earth's sterile deserts. Today, interstellar spaceships form a frail lifeline enabling humanity to survive amongst the stars. The defence of the Imperium, trade, communications and transport are each dependent upon interstellar travel and ultimately upon interstellar spaceships.

Interstellar spaceships are equipped with warp drives enabling them to travel between the stars. A few of these craft are owned by Imperial Commanders, Navigator families or other independent organisations or individuals. The vast majority belong to and are controlled by the Administratum, the administrative branch of the Adeptus Terra. All legally operating human ships, whether owned by the Imperium or not, are registered and policed by the Administratum.

 

THE WARP

An understanding of interstellar travel requires some knowledge of the warp. The material universe is just one aspect of reality. There is a quite separate and co-existing immaterial universe. This is commonly known as the Warp or warpspace, also known as Chaos, the otherworld, the ether, the empyrean, the void and the immaterium. The study and exploitation of the warn is the aim of warp technology, the most important achievement of which is warp travel.

Warpspace may be explained in terms of an endlessly broad and infinitely deep sea of raw energy. This energy carries within it the random thoughts, unfettered emotions, memory fragments and unshakeable beliefs of those who live in the material universe. In this sense it is the collective mind of the universe itself. It would be overly simple to claim that this is all there is to the warp, but the image is a useful mental tool which helps us to understand it.

 

THE PRINCIPLE OF WARP TRAVEL

A spacecraft drops into the warp by activating its warp engines. As a ship leaves the material universe it enters a corresponding point in warpspace. The ship is then carried along by the tides and currents of the warp.

After travelling in this fashion for an appropriate time, the ship uses its warp engines to drop back into real space. Because the material universe and the warp move relative to each other, the ship reappears in a new position several light years from its starting point. This process is called a jump or hop and the process of entering or leaving warpspace is known as a drop or shift. Journeys are undertaken in short jumps of up to 4 or 5 light years. Longer jumps are unpredictable and dangerous. The tides of warpspace move in complex and inconsistent patterns and ships attempting longer hops often end up wildly off course.

this limitation to apply to all warp travel then humanity wOirId not have spread throughout the galaxy as it has. It is misible to make long jumps of many light years by steering a within the warp itself - sensing, responding to and exploiting its currents and thereby directing the craft towards corresponding point in the material universe. Only the wige human mutants known as Navigators can pilot a craft through the warp in this way.

Some people are sensitive to the movements of warpspace. They can, for example, sometimes tell that a spacecraft is approaching even 'before it drops back into the material universe. This human sensitivity to the warp is not generally well developed. However, in a minority of people this sensitivity is far more finely tuned. These people are known as psykers and they are able to consciously control and use the energy of the warp to affect the material universe. Navigators are powerful psykers of a specialised kind who can use their powers to steer spacecraft in the warp.

 

THE ASTRONOMICAN AND THE WARP

The Astronomican is a psychic homing signal centred upon the Earth. It is powered by the continuous mental concentration of thousands of psykers. The Astronomican cannot be detected in the real universe but only in the warp. It is by means of this signal that Navigators can steer their spaceships over long distances.

The Astronomican's signal is strongest close to Earth and gets increasingly weaker further away. It extends over a spherical area with a diameter of about 50 thousand light years. Because the Earth is situated in the galactic west, the Astronomican does not cover the extreme eastern part of the galaxy. Nor is the extent or strength of the signal constant - it can sometimes be blocked by localised activity within the warn itself. Such activity may be compared to the hurricanes or storms of a terrestrial weather system and is known as a warpstorm. Warpstorms may be so had, and so long-lasting, that entire star systems are isolated for hundreds of years at a time.

A warpstorm not only obscures the signal of the Astronomican, it is also dangerous for spacecraft travelling nearby. No spacecraft can venture within a warpstorm and expect to survive, although there are tales of miraculous escapes and of ships being thrown tens of thousands of light years off course. Warpstorms are not the only dangers within the warp. There are sentient energies and other immaterial life-forms that inhabit it: creatures formed from (and part of) the shifting stuff of the warn. Few are friendly and many are hostile. They are known to mankind as daemons.

 

TIME DISPLACEMENT

The time differences between real space and warpspace are quite drastic. Not only does time pass at different rates in both kinds of space, but it also passes at very variable rates. Until a ship finishes its jump, it is impossible for a ship's crew to know exactly how long their journey has taken. Time passing in real space is referred to as real time. Time passing on board a spacecraft is referred to as warp time.  For example, a 100 light year jump will seem to take from 234 to 934 hours to a spaceship's crew, but between 3 days and 3 weeks will have passed in real space. These times do not include journey times out to and from jump points on the edge of the star systems. It takes from days to weeks of travel at sub-light speeds to reach a drop from the spaceship's starting planet, and a similar time to re-enter the destination system.

The Imperium is approximately 75 thousand light years from edge to edge. A journey of this length would take between 75 and 300 days in warp time, and between 6 years and 40 years real time.

 

WARP NAVIGATION

Once a spacecraft activates its warp drives it is plunged into a dimension very different from our universe. It is convenient to imagine warpspace as consisting of a relatively dense, almost liquid, energy which is devoid of stars, light and life as we know it.

Once within warpspace a ship may move by means of its main warp drives, following powerful eddies and currents in the warp, eventually reaching a point in the warp corresponding to a destination in real space. The most difficult aspect of warp travel is that it is impossible to detect the movement of warpspace once a ship is in the warp. The ship can only blindly carry on, its crew trusting that it is going in the right direction. The longer a ship remains in warpspace the greater the chances of encountering some unexpected current that can turn it unknowingly off-course.

Navigation of warpspace can be achieved in two ways: the calculated jump and the piloted jump.

All warp-drives incorporate navigational mechanisms. When the ship is in real space, these monitor the ever shifting movements of the part of the warp corresponding to the ship's current position. By observing these movements in the warp it is possible to calculate a course, corrective manoeuvres, and approximate journey time to a proposed destination. Calculation relies on the assumption that the 'warp-currents observed from real space don't change significantly during flight. This method is known as a calculated jump. It is not safe to make a calculated jump of more than four or five light years at one go. The longer the jump, the greater the chances of a significant change in warp current movement.

The second, and more efficient, form of warp-navigation is the piloted jump. This method relies upon two factors: the human mutants known as Navigators and the psychic beacon called the Astronomican. The Astronomican is centred on Earth and is not only controlled by, but is directed by, the psychic power of the Emperor himself. The Astronomican is a beacon that, because it is psychic, penetrates into warpspace. A Navigator on board a ship in the warp is able to pick up these signals and can steer a spaceship through warpspace, compensating for current changes as he does so. A piloted jump can safely cover a far greater distance than a calculated jump. 5,000 light years would be the normal maximum jump, but longer jumps have been made.

 

IMPERIAL SPACESHIPS

The whole structure of the Imperium is founded upon the craft that transport its armies and officials across the galaxy. It is the fleets that carry vital food to the starving hive-worlds, and which bring technology and equipment to the agricultural planets. Without its fleets the Imperium would soon collapse and humanity would perish in many parts of the galaxy.

Interstellar craft may be privately owned but most operate on behalf of one of the Imperial organisations. Of these, the Imperial Fleet is the largest, numbering tens of thousands of warships and hundreds of thousands of cargo vessels of varying sizes. In addition to its spacecraft, the Fleet maintains military spaceports, space stations, mining and factory ships, various orbital research stations and countless unmanned orbiting spaceships that serve as early warning, exploration and research satellites.

So vast is the Imperium that the Fleet is divided into five main sections, each functioning as an independent administrative unit (although they co-operate whenever it's necessary). Most of the higher levels of Fleet command come directly from the ranks of the Priesthood - principally from the Administratum. The overall fleet commander is also a High Lord of Terra and resident on Earth.

The Priesthood also maintains a small number of its own ships. Some of these reside permanently on the Imperial planet, whilst others are scattered throughout the galaxy, transporting Imperial servants on missions of the greatest importance or secrecy. A further corps of ships lies under the direct control of the Adeptus Arbites, the Judges, to he used for transportation and war.

The Space Marines have their own interstellar transports and battlefleets. Although not large in numbers these are manned by the most ferocious and highly-trained warriors in the galaxy. Each Space Marine chapter has sufficient ships to act as a spacebound home base, including equipment transports and landing craft Space Marine Commanders are at liberty to purchase craft or capture enemy craft and use them how they will. Individual chapters use their own colour schemes and markings and their ships are immediately identifiable.

Other interstellar craft form a minority. The small exploratory fleets of the Rogue Traders may number as many as two hundred ships at one time, but are scattered beyond the fringes of human space. Other Imperial organisations, such as the Officio Assassinorum, also have access to interstellar craft, but the details of these ships are well-guarded secrets.

Interstellar ships in private hands make up a fairly small fraction of the total. In addition there are space stations, mines and factory craft also owned by individuals, corporations or mercantile families but these are a rarity. As far as interstellar travel is concerned, the Imperium is all-powerful and ships not controlled by the Imperium are only permitted to exist because their owners are co-operative and useful.

The most noteworthy privately-owned ventures are the great mercantile families of Navigators. Even the largest of these owns a relatively small number of craft, but in terms of real wealth this represents a huge investment. Most of these ships are ancient - family possessions nurtured and maintained over die millennia - but they are generally large and well built.

 

THE SEGMENTAE MAJORIS

The Imperium is divided into five fleet zones known as the Segmentae Majoris. Although intended for purposes of fleet administration and shipping controls, the Segmentae have evolved into administrative divisions of the Adeptus Terra.

All shipping is supervised within the jurisdiction of one of the five Segmentae. Each Segmentum has an orbital headquarters called a Segmentum Fortress which forms the base of fleet actions within the Segmentum. The Segmentum Fortress is controlled directly by a high-ranking official of the Administratum known as the Master of the Segmentum.

 

Zone         Segmentum                 Fortress

Central        Segmentum Sola         Mars

North        Segmentum Obscurus Cypra Mundi

South        Segmentum Tempestus Bakka

East                 Ultima Segmentum        Kar Duniash

West        Segm&ntum Pacificus Hydraphur

 

Sectors

Each Segmentum is divided into sectors. The size of a Sector varies according to local demands and stellar density. A typical sector might encompass 7 million cubic light years, equivalent to a cube with sides almost 200 light years long.

 

Sub-Sectors

Sectors are divided into sub-sectors, usually comprising between 2 and 8 star systems within a 10 light year radius (some may encompass more systems - others only 1). This size is governed by the practical patrol ranges of spaceships. Because sub-sectors are divisions of worlds (rather than volumes of space) there are vast numbers of star systems within each sector which do not fall within a sub-sector. These are referred to as inter sectors - and are commonly known as wilderness zones, forbidden zones, empty space and frontier space. Inter-sectors may contain gas or dust nebulae, inaccessible areas, alien systems, unexplored systems, uninhabited systems and uninhabitable worlds.

 

THE FLEET

The Imperium's interstellar ships comprise merchant vessels, warships, civil craft and several other specialised types. These are organised into specific fleets: merchant fleets, warfleets, and civil fleets. Each of the Segmentae Majoris has its own merchant, civil and warfleets. So for example, the Warfleet Solar is the Warfleet of the Segmentum Solar, the Merchant Pacificus is the merchant fleet of the Segmentum Pacificus, the Civilis Tempestus is the civil fleet of the Segmentum Tempestus and so on.

  

THE MERCHANT FLEETS

The combined merchant fleets comprise almost 90% of all interstellar spacecraft in the Imperium. Each fleet is based in one of the five Segmentae Majoris, and its administrative staff operate from the Segmentum Fortress. For example, the Solar fleet is based on Mars, while the fleet of the northern zone -the Segmentum Obscurus - is based on Cypra Mundi. Although these fleet bases are huge ports equipped with docks, shipyards and repair facilities, their main function is to administrate the fleets operating within their area. Only a small proportion of ships ever travel to the Segmentum Fortress where they are theoretically based.

Each merchant ship serves its fleet under an arrangement called a merchant charter. Not all charters are the same - some confer more power and responsibility to the ship's captain than others - but all types take the form of a feudal oath sworn to the fleet authorities on behalf of the Emperor. A captain may not register his vessel with the fleet authorities until this oath has been sworn and a record of it entered at the Segmentum Fortress for that zone and on the Segmentum Fortress on Mars.

  

CIVIL FLEETS

Although the vast majority of interstellar spacecraft are part of the merchant fleets, there are several thousand ships registered to individuals, families or trading cartels. All privately owned interstellar craft operate along routes licensed to them by the fleet authorities responsible for shipping within that Segmentum. These route licences must be bought, and must be renewed after a fixed time, usually a hundred years. This means few privately-owned ships like to risk the effects of time dilation on long journeys. A licence may run out before the ship has completed its journey!

Civil fleets vary in size from a single vessel to several dozen. One of the largest is that of the Navigator family Redondo, numbering 47 registered interstellar ships. Most ship owners have only a single vessel.


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