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HYPERSPACE JUMP GATE
Vortex Generators, or "Jump Gates" are massive arrays organized in groups of two to five generators, with each generator measuring between one and ten miles in length. Jump Gates allow ships of variable size to pass through into Hyperspace, a topological distinct dimension which maps distances into a much smaller space, allowing for interstellar travel without going faster than the speed of light. This is accomplished by focusing four different types of energy at one point and, while alone these energy waves are fairly harmless in the galactic sense, when brought together these four distinct energy patterns rend the fabric of space/time and open a passage into first level Hyperspace. Ships using Jump Gates can traverse great distances in a matter of hours or days and any race with the most basic of space flight capabilities can find the universe opened up to them if they have a Jump Gate in their solar system. Newtonian physics do still apply to ships traveling in Hyperspace, so any inertia created while passing through the gate remains upon entry/exit. Capital ships of a certain size (usually 500 meters or greater) are capable of entering Hyperspace without using a Jump Gate, but with an extreme cost in energy. It has become common for these ships to use Jump Gates to enter/exit Hyperspace whenever the chance arises, in order to save energy. This is vital, as most FTL communications and some weapons systems can be rendered inoperable while making a jump. It takes a great deal of energy to punch a hole in the fabric of space/time, to traverse the barrier between real space and Hyperspace. Some races, like the Shadows and Vorlons, can use pure gravimetric technology to make this transition. Most other races however are dependent upon the use of Quantium 40, which, due to its unique properties, allows ships to traverse the barrier between dimensional planes. Due to the high cost in energy consumption, Jump Gates are very difficult to activate and deactivate. If a gate is deactivated too quickly or recharged too quickly, it will very likely explode with a "low-end" force equivalent to a 2-Gigaton explosion. Many starships reliant upon Jump Gates must use a predefined access code in order to activate an entrance sequence into Hyperspace. This allows races to charge others for the use of their Jump Gates. Exit is, predominantly, a free service as it is all too easy to become lost in Hyperspace and a quick exit can mean the difference between life and death. Given the vast emptiness of Hyperspace with no distinctions or markers to use as a guide, all Jump Gates transmit a signal into Hyperspace. This system is divided into two separate but equally important transitions. The first signal is called "Local Beacon." This signal tells everyone within an immediate area that a Jump Gate in near and extends for several hundred kilometers into Hyperspace. The second signal is called a "Beacon Pair", which links one Jump Gate to many others. The system linking Jump Gates together is called the "Hyperspace Beacon System." This system of interconnected gates has existed for thousands of years, longer than most races have existed. The Destruction of a single gate can seriously shift the links between other gates, disrupting the Hyperspace Beacon system. This can lead to a starship ending up exiting at the wrong gate or becoming lost in Hyperspace. Even in the most hostile of wars, the deliberate destruction of Jump Gates is considered an act of aggression against all sentient races. The destruction of the Beacon system would lead to hundreds of races becoming stranded forced to re-map the universe, looking for the lock-on signal from other Jump Gates. Fortunately, the loss of a few Jump Gates doesn't cause too much trouble. Multiple destruction of Jump Gates can however completely rewrite the Beacon maps. Some gates that are military specific are fitted with a program that requires a very distinct tacheon signal to activate the gate. This prevents anyone from easily accessing a Jump Gate but, more often than not, cause more problems than they solve. Many military organizations that wish to keep a specific Jump-Gate's location out of the hands of the general public simply do not interconnect their Gate directly with the rest of the Hyperspace Beacon system.
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