Nielson-Cobarro Drive

The successor to Telemetric Hyperdrive technology the Nielson-Cobarro, or simply "NC", drive was developed by humans in 2275. It allowed for the rapid expansion of humanity out into the Milky Way galaxy.



Theory
The Nielson-Cobarro drive utilizes a vortex core in order to create a small momentary quantum singularity that allows the ship to enter "non space". Non-space is a dimension where there exists no empty space at all, rather all things that have mass are instead pushed right up against the rest. By travelling through this realm where no "empty" space exists huge distances can be traversed almost instantly.

Application
NC drives have a "horizon" within which they can jump. Advanced or powerful engines have broader jump horizons than outdated or lower power NC drives. Speeds in excess of 0.07% of C are required before a ship can transit to NC space. Sublight speeds beyond this affect travel times in NC space. A ship that enters NC at precisely 0.07% of C will move through NC space slower than a vessel entering it at 0.15% of C.

Most ships do not jump anywhere near their maximum NC horizon, but instead tend to use several smaller jumps in order to travel. The reasoning is thus; one long jump leaves the craft stranded for several minutes while the drive recharges but with small jumps a ship can almost instantly jump out of danger should they find themselves in a tight spot. It is normally for this very reason that tracking a ship once it goes to NC is considered virtually impossible but with sufficient observation prior to the jump and access to very powerful computer systems to calculate the variables a reasonable track can be accomplished.

NC skip is described as a flash of light, a spiral of color, and a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach.