Jetgates
Jetgates are ancient structures that had been built by a civilization long gone to propel starships to speeds of hundreds of thousands of times the speed of light. Their technology and inner workings are so far beyond the capabilities of all players on the galactic stage, that no-one can replicate the efficiency of these enigmatic installations. Which also sets the precedence for what is considered “Pretech”.
Jetgate operations are carried out by experienced staff of Danube Research Corp. and on-board Navigators. For a ship to use a jetgate, they will need to approach the black hole in a very specific way only a Navigator can judge. When they end up near the actual jetgate structure, the hull is wrapped in a thin shield before locked into the spinal launch facility. Then, the locking mechanism is disengaged and the ship gains momentum from the black hole’s matter jet. During Superlight Travel, the shield is worn away through Micro-matter that floats around in a ship’s path. Modern ships are built in an “aerodynamic” way to ensure that shield and physical hull collisions are deflected in the least degrading way possible. The last part of the travel procedure involves a gravity anchor made by Lanternyard Incorporated This anchor lets a starship and all mass connected to it multiply its mass hundred-fold and drop back to regular sub-light speeds in a matter of seconds, without any negative effects on crew, ship systems or equipment.
Navigators
Navigators are specially trained individuals who have studied the operation of a jetgate through Danube Research Corp. They are vital to be on-board for any ship that wants to utilize a jetgate as they are the only ones familiar with the activation rituals needed for safe passage.
Most of them are enigmatic beings that have been altered through some kind of physical or mental process to make the jetgate interaction more effective. New Navigators will tend to be more … „human“ while more experienced ones will have unnatural modifications to their mind and body. Some believe the Navigators to undergo some procedure during training that makes them more like the aliens who built the gates, but no one that isn’t a Navigators themselves knows what is done to new initiates.