FTL Travel
Although not strictly required for interstellar trips, the development of faster-than-light (FTL) travel made it possible for the quick expansion of humans, Jellies, and other species throughout the galaxy. By 2257, humans had established seven major colonies on distant planets and explored many light years further still.
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Alien FTL
Orb of Conversion
Jelly ships used this device to transition a ship from STL space to FTL space. The tech was scavenged by the Wranaui from Old Ones’ ruins and is essentially a more advanced version of the Markov Drive.
Torque Engine
This generator and propulsive engine devised by the Old Ones worked by “torqueing” the membrane of fluidic spacetime in such a way as to allow the extraction of energy from superluminal space, despite the lower energy density of that space. The distortion could also be used to propel the engine through subluminal space via warping or to form a Markov Bubble for FTL travel. Torque Engines were used to power Unity as well as drive spaceships of the Old Ones’ design.
Torque Gate
An artificial wormhole generated and sustained by a torque engine stationed at either mouth. Used by the Old Ones for near-instantaneous travel over vast distances.
Human FTL
Markov Bubble
A sphere of subluminal space permeated with a conditioned EM field that allows for tardyonic matter to transition through the membrane of fluidic spacetime into superluminal space. In other words, a protective bubble that allows a spaceship to travel faster than light.
Markov Drive (FTL)
Although long theorized, superluminal travel did not become a practical reality until Ilya Markov codified the unified field theory (UFT) in 2107. Empirical confirmation followed soon afterward, and the first working prototype of an FTL drive was constructed in 2114. This anti-matter machine made long jumps through space possible, allowing humans to venture into the stars. Markov became the most famous human scientist since Einstein.