The following are basic rules and mechanics of space travel in the Sword and Shield setting. Since this is an original setting, everything won’t work 100% like another universe.


Hyperspace: Hyperspace requires a hyperdrive. A hyperdrive allows a ship to move faster than light. A hyperdrive is too large to fit on single-man crafts, such as fighters, personal orbital conveyances, etc. The following rules apply to Hyperspace:

• Hyperspace cannot be used within 3 AU of a star. Within that area, sub-light only. Dispatch boats are immune to this, due to special drives.
• A hyperdrive cannot be activated within .5 light seconds (half a light second, which is halfway between Earth and the Moon) of any large space station.
• A ship in hyperspace moves 1,000 lightyears in 24 earth hours.
Hyperdrive cannot be activated when interference is high. This is caused by increased radiation, increased gravitational fields, or powerful ECM generated by multiple ships.
• A ship in hyperspace cannot be tracked, followed, attacked, communicated with, or interrupted (You can’t pull them out of hyperspace, exceptions permitting). You CAN determine the direction of travel, as hyperspace is linear, meaning to change the direction of travel, you have to come out of hyperspace.
• Hyperspace travel can be interrupted (any affected ship drops into normal space) by a null zone, which is generated the same way as one uses to prevent a jump: Powerful ECM, radiation, powerful gravitational fields, etc. This is accomplished by multiple ships producing the zone. Naturally, this is produced by the radiation from a supernova and by passing too close to a black hole. The smaller the ships used to produce the null zone, the more ships you need.
• Hyperdrives have varying ranges, based on quality. The best quality hyperdrives allow for a trip of 80,000 light-years in a single jump. Lesser qualities, or older drives, have lesser range.
• All hyperdrives have a recharge time, so you cannot pop out, then pop back in. There is a 5 minute recharge time for civilian drives, 30 second recharge for modern warships.
• You can come out of hyperdrive at any point outside the hyper limit, provided you are not closer than .5 light seconds to a large celestial body.
• All ships move at the same speed in hyperspace except Dispatch boats. they have a unique drive that allows them faster movement.
• You cannot enter hyperspace in motion. You must be completely stopped to enter hyperspace.

Sub-light travel: sub-light refers to speeds slower than light, which is normal travel.

• Sub-light speeds differ based on the mass of the ship. The more mass a ship has, the slower it moves. No Battleship or Carrier should ever move faster than a Corvette at max speed.
• Stopping is not instant. You have to decelerate first, so there’s no stopping on a dime.
• The more mass a ship has, the more powerful the engine needed, as well as the more time needed to come to a full and complete stop.
• Ships must be 900 meters or UNDER in order to land on a planet with similar stats to Earth. Warships, and surplus warships, cannot land.

Communications: Communications refer to audio, visual, or text either broadcast or streamed.

• Communications move at FTL speeds, but after a light-year, you start getting an incremental delay. Meaning you eventually stop being able to directly stream.
• Communications come in two types: Direct and general.

• Direct communications go to a specific target or number of targets. This is normally encrypted and has a limited range. Range can be boosted by use of relays or other ships at various points. Can be picked up by anyone close enough with the right receiver tuned to the right frequency, though if the broadcast is encrypted, they might not be able to listen in.

• General communications are a general broadcast, akin to shouting out loud. Anyone can pick it up and it has unlimited range. If you make a general broadcast in a star system, everyone with the right receiver can pick it up. However, it can also be blocked through the use of communication equipment designed to intercept transmissions (an example is the extensive array of listening posts scattered throughout the Solarian Empire). These broadcasts can be encrypted, but are generally less secure. General broadcasts move at a slightly slower speed than direct communications