Post by Kainus Maximus on Nov 11, 2008 23:38:18 GMT -5
They use Warp Engines... but not in the way you think of.
In the very very early ages of humanity (20 thousand years before 41st millennium or so), mankind had access to very effective faster than light travel. Unfortunately, this technology disappeared, and the Imperium of Man utilizes a new, slower, somewhat unreliable FTL travel.
What the Warp Engines do is basically create a gaping wound in reality to The Warp. The Warp is complete and utter chaos, it is also where Daemons and the Chaos Gods reside, making The Warp in a manner of speaking hell. A ship enters the warp, riding the rifts and waves to their destination light years away.
The Warp however is very dangerous, and without protection, the crew of a ship will find their souls devoured by the entities that reside in the dimension. In order to protect themselves, the crews use a device called a Gellar field. The Gellar field basically surrounds the ship in an aura of Real Space (the physical dimension we reside in) as it travels through the warp. Chaos cannot exist in real space (only under very specific circumstances) and thus, the ship is generally safe (things can go wrong).
The Warp is also incredibly unreliable. It's already slow (compared to other FTL travels like Star Wars hyper-drive engines), but things can go wrong. It has been known that sometimes, ships that enter the warp for a five year distant course, may come out on time, with the five years passing normally in The Warp, however 100 years have passed in real time outside the warp!
Travel is very rare outside of military ships in the Imperium of Man. Most planets keep to themselves and their solar systems, and rarely travel beyond this.
In the very very early ages of humanity (20 thousand years before 41st millennium or so), mankind had access to very effective faster than light travel. Unfortunately, this technology disappeared, and the Imperium of Man utilizes a new, slower, somewhat unreliable FTL travel.
What the Warp Engines do is basically create a gaping wound in reality to The Warp. The Warp is complete and utter chaos, it is also where Daemons and the Chaos Gods reside, making The Warp in a manner of speaking hell. A ship enters the warp, riding the rifts and waves to their destination light years away.
The Warp however is very dangerous, and without protection, the crew of a ship will find their souls devoured by the entities that reside in the dimension. In order to protect themselves, the crews use a device called a Gellar field. The Gellar field basically surrounds the ship in an aura of Real Space (the physical dimension we reside in) as it travels through the warp. Chaos cannot exist in real space (only under very specific circumstances) and thus, the ship is generally safe (things can go wrong).
The Warp is also incredibly unreliable. It's already slow (compared to other FTL travels like Star Wars hyper-drive engines), but things can go wrong. It has been known that sometimes, ships that enter the warp for a five year distant course, may come out on time, with the five years passing normally in The Warp, however 100 years have passed in real time outside the warp!
Travel is very rare outside of military ships in the Imperium of Man. Most planets keep to themselves and their solar systems, and rarely travel beyond this.