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Universe and Navigation
The Universe of Vendetta is composed of a great many Solar Systems,
linked by "Wormhole Areas". These Systems will contain multiple Sectors.
Within a given solar system, characters will travel from sector to sector
using a short range (ie, millions of miles) high speed propulsion system,
activated by a navigational computer. Between whole solar systems, Wormhole
Areas (sectors unto themselves) will be utilized, wormhole activation
providing instantaneous very-long-range transportation.
Exploration of the universe will be possible, the use of probes allowing
characters to scan systems for the presence of unknown Wormhole Areas.
Discovery of a new Wormhole Area could open up whole new systems, or yield a
lucrative new trade route to established systems. The Universe will be very,
very, very large, but exploration will not be for the faint of heart.
Wormhole Areas
The galaxy of Vendetta is dotted with nondescript areas of space, in which
a calculated expenditure of energy may open a "wormhole" to another specific
locale. These "wormhole areas" function on a principle of congruence, or
"spatial sameness" between one point and another. However, wormhole areas
also possess a resonant frequency, constantly shifting in and out of phase
with our vision of reality. An Area that has shifted out of phase will cease
to exist, becoming just like any other empty location in space, until it next
shifts back into phase. The frequency of each area is unique, some shifting
back and forth in a matter of hours or days, others on the order of millions
of years. Those areas with phase-shift dates in the distant future are
generally considered "stable".
Wormhole areas are not small in scale, sometimes encompassing large areas of
space. Anywhere within this area it is possible to open a "wormhole" to the
destination, which will always be the same for any given area. The remote
end will be another wormhole area, which could be located anywhere in the
galaxy. Wormhole areas tend to exist near one another, but the process of
their discovery is time consuming and requires special equipment. Plus,
the stability of an area can be difficult to determine accurately, raising
the possibility of an intrepid adventurer being stranded in a distant and
alien part of space.
In AD 2235, the first wormhole area was discovered by the human race, near
the orbital path of Saturn. Subsequent exploration led to the successful
colonization of a planet on the far side. Ignorant of the phase-shifting
properties of wormhole areas, the colony was stranded in AD 2310 when the
area connecting the colony to Earth ceased to exist. That wormhole would not
reactivate for another two million years. Utterly cut off from their home
planet, humanity in Exile subsisted, thrived and eventually expanded to
cover many wormhole-linked systems throughout the galaxy. However, after
over two thousand years and much exploration, they have never found a way
Home.
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