OLD HUMANITY

Mankind (nonfaction specific)

Old Humanity (metahistorical purposes)

Ancestors (the Nastiche Church)

Last updated: August 28th 2026

COLLECTIVE SUMMARY

home.

Old Humanity was the collective effort and history of Earth/Mars-based nations and countless private groups for the first half of Civilization's existence within the Solar System and its stellar neighboorhood. At the time of the Dominion's foundation, humans had been a spacefaring species longer than we (the readers) had agriculture.

Known prominent factions include the Latin Catholic Church, the Federation of United Nations, the Union of Latino-American Republics, the Moon Alliance, the ITCA, Sable-Rustichelli MRDO, the Martian Coalition, the Solar Empire, and various minor interplanetary nations, groups, and companies across space.

Its domain across the stars lasted roughly 2000 years (2354 - 4300?), and at its largest extension spanned over 31 alien star systems, 40 inhabited exoplanets, countless moons, space habitats and outposts.

By 3000 CE, Old Humanity's frontier harbored over 120 million people beyond Earth, with roughly 40 million living beyond the Solar System (~0.26% of the total population). Mars, the second most populated colony, sustained over 80 million inhabitants across the planet's surface and its subterranean cities.

Pre-interplanetary history (prehistory - 2133)

With the end of World War II in July 5th, 1946, Europe was split into Western and Soviet spheres of influence. Western Europe aligned themselves with NATO, and Eastern Europe with the Warsaw Pact.There was a shift in power from Western Europe and the British Empire to the two new superpowers, the United States and the Eurasian Socialist Federation. These two rivals would later face off in the Cold War. In Asia, the defeat of Japan led to its democratization. China's civil war continued through and after the war, eventually resulting in the establishment of the Popular Republic of China. The former colonies of the European powers began their road to independence.

The Cold War would extend well into the early years of the 21st century. A highly coordinated cyberattack to the United States and British computer infrastructure on September 11th 1999 pushes NATO powers into the Middle East against the USF's proxy powers. This chaotic condition ripens the development and deployment of autonomous platforms of all kinds on both sides. In 2006, the conflict drains USF economy into a crash, leading to its complete dissolution.

By 2020, there is major isolation in economic and political spheres worldwide dealing with foreign firmware, OS, and hardware. Exporting computer platforms becomes expensive and daring endeavors, computing markets are mostly proprietary in major world blocs. The UN votes on a treaty on AI Non-Proliferation based on the guidelines of the American AICA. Further fueling the stigma of autonomous smart systems of any kind, the word itself becomes taboo, historically associated with destruction and terrorism. Civilian companies pivot towards “dumb automation”, deterministic and easily audited systems

The middle 21st century is dotted with a joint space exploration missions while the West and East continue to fight for influence and resources. By the 2040s, a third power axis in the global south starts to emerge after an oil crisis in the Middle East.

By 2050, Consumer level AI development initiatives resurface. The public is skeptical but willing to experiment with its gradual implementation. The south-american bloc seems to suffer a major recession due Brazilian involvement in the Rainforest Wars in West Africa, fighting French and Belgian influence in the region, supplying weapons and naval support to rebel forces and regime changes, sealing deals in Real. Venezuelan and Argentinian economies start to crack as economic opponents start to sanction Brazil and its allies. In 2074 the ULARs initiative happens, a temporary alliance, the Union of Latino-American Republics, is created as an extension of the ALCA to save South Americans from further recession, led by Brazil. Essentially creating an EU-like bloc, with soft borders, organized international peacekeeping and freer economy.

In 2099, the Federation of United Nations was founded as an off-world para-military and semi-governamental organization, by Russia, China, France and the United States — their goals? Split the heavens between them. Later joined by the UAE, Bharat, Greater Germany, Portugal, Kuwait up until 2140, and later Saratovia in 2189 after it gained independence from Russia in 2119. This marks the rupture of the third-world bloc to essentially North vs South.

In 2133, the Five Treaties for Peaceful uses of Space are re-written to accommodate space exploration and privatized efforts for a human presence beyond Earth. This immediately expands the number of private investments into space, namely Venus, Mars, Titan, Enceladus, and Europa.

Interplanetary Epoch (2133 - 2365)

Starting with the humans return to Mars after almost a century of infighting across the globe in 2139, both superpowers, the Federation and ULARs start pouring resources in expanding their space infrastructure, launching from Equador, to Baikonour and Cape Canaveral. The late 2100-2200s are in no shortage of multiple attacks in between the two, in economic, political, cultural, and technological fronts.

During the 2220 to 2252, tensions rise between the Federation states and ULARs. With Voronezh (a small landlocked nation in Eastern Europe) becoming a South American ‘Cuban missile’ platform. Pirates and separatists in the moon colonies begin using Voronesi-style tech. The UN starts policing information and firmware access more strictly. By 2270, the outworld colonies begin uprisings, partially sponsored by southern powers. Anti-Federation sentiment spreads. Voronesia becomes a potential flashpoint for a major conflict.

The ULARs' (top left), Voronesia's (top right), and the Federation's (center) flags at the time of the Voronesi-Federation war.

The Voronesi-Federation War (2271 - 2273)

A Voronesian first strike on Saratovia's air defenses on November 17th 2271 starts the Voronesi-Federation War. A humiliatingly long three-year conflict that would come to claim nearly 1.1 million casualties for the Federation side (locals and interplanetary conscripts alike) and about 33,200 Voronesi troops, due the extremely lopsided use of autonomous platforms from the Voronesi side such as Specters - a military disaster of unprecedented scale since the drone wars of the late 20th century.

The discovery of the Voronesi nuclear laboratory and subsequent investigation by the United Nations lead to an abrupt end to the war on April 2nd, 2273. The surviving conscripted martians were repatriated to their home planet with severe mental and physical scars. The Voronesi government heavily utilized the threat of nuclear war to assure its proper financial compensations for damages caused by the Federation in its homeland and outworld settlements, their borders being restored to their former 2201 delineations, all thanks to the last hour efforts made by their tactical computer cluster, known as ‘VOYNET’. The program, however, got demoted back to third patent tactician in the aftermath of negotiations.

The programming notes and technology used to construct and power VOYNET would be gathered by researchers for the Titan Academy of Computer Sciences, in New Bulgaria, on Titan (Saturn VI), the primary body behind the beginnings of Project Prometheus.

The Martian Secession Wars (2301 - 2305)

The growing political and social pressure of the 23rd century erupted with the opening of the new one. When the Gray Army, a far-left extremist group cut the powerlines between the martian cities of Bronkhorst and Mariner, leaving the entire region without its main supply of electricity - this move initiated a cascade of military incursions by the Federation that heavily deepened the opression sentiment already lived by the planet in previous decades. It also pushed several separatist movements across the political spectrum in other regions of the planet into full revolt status, such as the Metal Worker's Reformist Front and the Arean Liberty Movement - for the Federation forces would not distinguish active from potential rebel in their efforts to quench the insurgents.

Unfortunately, for the detriment of the Solar System colonies at large, the Martian Secession wars ended with the destruction of Betel Gateway Station around Earth, the Phobos Space Hook, and the insertion of 100,000 metric tons of steel caltrops around Earth's low orbit - making safe, commercial, and reliable space travel for Terrans (and particularly, the Federation) essentially impossible for the coming decades.

During the post-war decades, a series of civil conflicts and disputes boil over on Mars due the power vaccum left by the retreating Federation and corporate body. The conglomerate of newly instituded martian nations, the Martian Coalition, stumbled to reorganize the outer system's moon colonies under its new regime, becoming the new center of humanity in the Solar System. Meanwhile, the nations of Earth plunged themselves into World War III over who was to blame for the Martian-project disaster and how to (forcibly) redistribute whatever resources, goods, and power was left of the former Federation of United Nations and ULARs.

Early Stellar Epoch (2365 - 2550)

By 2330, with the aid of the Moon Alliance, suspended animation technology is further developed, five scientists volunteer for the program to be watched in permanent stasis. The Martian Coalition together with the Rustichelli Engineering Solutions fund the building of the Dandelion, the first official interstellar vehicle. Mission to establish a camp in Proxima Centauri b utilizing autnomous Specter units as proxies for human labor. The mission launched in 2365 is a success broadcasted to the world in 2403, and in 2410, a second ship, the Paloma reaches planet Alma around Toliman without major issues.

Also during the late 2390s, OmniHaul Dynamics Inc. takes the lead in starting to build starships to take pioneers over to Proxima and Alma, given the trip is just over 23 years for both destinations. The first few ships get ready in 2418, plus a third one looking to send both humans, specters, and two synths over to Tuomi, a small planet around Wolf 359 in just under 40 years.

Late Stellar Epoch (2550 - 2805)

In 2600, Unable to sustain its overreach to fund and control distant colonies, the Coalition starts issuing corporate charters. These grant a company sovereign rights to develop a star system in exchange for taxes, resource shares, and adherence to broad laws. This creates the "Charter" worlds. The discussions are broad and fierce, and need to be debated across the human domain. Its why any decisions will only be final by 2600. However, some local powers in the Sol system such as the Venusian bloc and the outer moons pushback against that stance under the argument that centralizing power around the craddle of humanity is only moral and ethical way to disperse, even though costly, to ensure companies don't abuse their powers. The Coalition heavily militarizes its ultramarine force with the sole purpose to project power across the stars and oversee corporate action.

During this epoch, Sable-Rustichelli MRDO (S&R) takes over as the major interstellar logistics conglomerate and charter holder across the human domain.

In 2700, a wealthy, well-established corporate charter, Freehold (YZ Ceti), declares its de facto independence, refusing Martian oversight. The stretched ultramarine force is unable to compel them, forcing a tense negotiation that redefines the power balance.

By 2784, the Triple-A Charter takes over the Trappist-1 system, seing the success of the Freehold revolt. No major reprisals from the core, although, mlilitary presence was thickened everywhere else, which caused a major series of political unrests across the domain.

Solar Imperial Era (2805 - 3321?)

The unrests end partially with the Venusian coup of 2805, switching the core of humanity to a constitutional monarchy, the Solar Empire. Pouring massive resources into revitalization of old Coalition rule territories, although partially still under martian control by allegiance. Mars becomes the military backbone of the empire. All while terran nations and enterprises try to get a bite of the solar parlament with its own houses during this exchange of hats. After decades of infighting, administrative powers over local colonies (Sol) are conceded to Terrans once more, but Venus and Mars govern themselves under imperial rule.

From 2880 to 2924, the Lambdan Serpentian Question occurs, a generation-long campaign to pacify and integrate the native populations of Caput to the Solar Empire. By proxy, uplifting them to client species status of humanity.

The Universal Blackout (3321 - 4350?)

All the colonies knew in the following decades, one by one, was that Sol, followed by every major of the inner colonies, suddenly went dark. The outer colonies didn't know that yet, but their great distance from the human core would prove itself as their greatest advantage against what later ensued.

Theories and chatter sputtered all over the place for what started the Universal Blackout, from aliens, to insurrectionists or simply the outcome of the Great Human Civil War sabotaging the TRAMN array, to rogue artificial intelligence. The true nature of the Enemy however didn't matter. What it did matter, was that it sought out the complete disassembling of human civilizational infrastructure. When an organized resistance was put together, survivors accounted for a mere 0.2% of the original human population.

[end of files]

SCIENCE&ARTWORK | SABLE-RUSTICHELLI MRDO

Last updated: August 26th 2026

SABLE-RUSTICHELLI MARITIME RESOURCE AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

"For Everyone, Everywhere"

S&R's visual identity has largely remained unchanged since its origins in the late 2550s, mainly because updating stencils across interstellar space gets expensive

OVERVIEW

The Sable-Rustichelli MRDO — known colloquially as S&R, The Office, or Sable-Rusty to its detractors — was the dominant interstellar logistics and resource extraction corporate conglomerate of Old Humanity's expansion era. Operating from the mid-24th century through the late 33rd century, S&R was the commercial and logistical backbone of human expansion beyond the Solar System, functioning as the de facto interstellar arm of the Martian Coalition, and later, the Solar Empire.

In practice, S&R was a corporate leviathan. Holding sovereign charters over entire star systems, operating its own fleets, and effectively governing colonies on behalf of distant Solar-based authorities. It became a major player of the ITCA's (Inteplanetary Transport and Commerce Association, fund. 2142) review board in 2559.

At the height of its extension during the early 3000s, S&R valued at ~122 trillion Martian Marks (roughly 54 trillion 2020-US dollars), with an average annual revenue $13.66 trillion. Its massive globally distributed workforce (direct and indirect contractors) extended to over 18 million people, with ~4.6 million human employees in 2954. S&R's naval power operated about 221 starships simultaneously across human space, mostly within its charter space in an 18-month rotation, from freighters, to military transport, to exploratory vessels in deep space - with a focus on ensuring the company's presence in every facet of human expansion.

ORIGINS & HISTORY

In more ways than one, S&R history is deeply interwoven with human history during the human interstellar era, let's take a look at a summarized timeline...

    2155 - Sable Chronotactical Inc. founded as a military watch contractor, based on Czechia (Earth). Bulk of its initial success was due contracts with the Federation of United Nations and their outworld operations across the Solar system. At the center of S&R's Sol headquarters, a single wristwatch is displayed in a glass case. It is a reminder of the company's origins as a watchmaker, the device stopped ticking in August 2495 due radiodepletion of its battery.

    2230s - Sable pivots to shipping and packaging technologies as Sable Maritime Ltd., serving both private enterprises and the Federation up until their collapse, during the Martian Secession in the late 2290s.

    2427 - Sable Maritime partners with the Martian Coalition for the Epsilon Eridani mission. Launching the pilot starship program "Skipper", hoping to establish a looping logistics chain between nearby stars and the Solar system, but results wouldn't arrive until 2470.

    2435 - Sable Maritime starts pumping out starships to fill its contract with the Coalition, all while using this endeavor to field test its own proprietary Specters and Synths in the engineering department (mainly as a PR stunt, but then they started getting really good at it.) The newest frontier is set to Jubilee, a small frozen world around Ross 128, with ships that can pull up to ~24% lightspeed during cruise.

    2551 - Sable Maritime absorbs OmniHaul Dynamics Inc. (OHD) and their existing infrastructure after the partnership with the Martian Coalition. Then fuses with Rustichelli Engineering Solutions in 2557 (an outworld construction company based on Dallas, Earth) - creating the 'Sable-Rustichelli Maritime Resource and Development Office' (or simply S&R), and a jointed development achieves very stable Synths and 50% lightspeed. Humanity's interstellar roads now span 15 destinations across 13 systems within 20 light-years from the Sun, average travel time is cut down to 10-25 years, increasing the transit of personnel to and from the colonies to the Sol system.

    2600 - The Martian Coalition issues corporate charters to ease control pressures across the human domain. S&R becomes a primary charter holder, but the Coalition heavily militarizes its ultramarine force with the sole purpose to project power across the stars and oversee corporate action. Joint missions between the Coalition's Naval Intelligence Office and S&R become commonplace.

    2805 - Venusian coup establishes the Solar Empire, S&R aligns with the new imperial order, holding alone well over 40% of human space.

    2880-2924 - S&R heavily influenced imperial operations during the Lambda Serpentian Question and treaties with the locals of planet Caput (Lambda Serpentis c). A morally questionable enterprise but one that saved the empire decades if not centuries of troubles with its inhabitants, the insectoid Haskans. The Haskans continued to become part of the human interstellar diaspora as useful and at times, disposable assets.

    3000-3300s - This period of human history in general is muddled by a series of civil wars and skirmishes between large factions and corporations. Fragmentary records indicate S&R continued to faithfully serve the Solar Empire, heavily funding and arming the Solar side of the Great Human Civil War, mainly involved in the direct conflict between Sol-Alpha Centauri. It is unclear whether it continued to exist in any fair capacity after the Universal Blackout.

    4000 - Present - It is certainly extinct at present time.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY

The Civilizational Mission

S&R was not merely a profit-driven entity, at least, not at its core. The company's founders and old guard genuinely believed in a "civilizational mission" — the expansion of humanity across the stars, the building of infrastructure, the creation of a future that would outlast any single corporation or government.

This belief was genuine, but it was also convenient. S&R's mission allowed it to justify its power, its wealth, and its willingness to invest in distant, unproven ventures. The company was the practical arm of humanity's ambition, and it profited handsomely from it.

The Corporate Reality

S&R's corporate culture was a blend of military discipline and corporate ambition. Employees were expected to be loyal, hardworking, and willing to sacrifice for the mission. In return, they were given a share of the company's success, and a sense of purpose that was rare in the corporate world.

Beneath the noble mission was a sprawling, often ruthless corporation. S&R was very much...

• Essential. It built the infrastructure that made interstellar expansion possible.
• Exploitative. Its charter systems were often run as corporate fiefdoms, with workers treated as assets. 
• Contradictory. The same company that built hospitals also suppressed labor movements, the same company that funded scientific research also armed militias.

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

Propulsion Systems

S&R was at the forefront of interstellar propulsion research since its cargo freighting days. Being a major sponsor of Project Archer (a probe mission to Alpha Centauri that never left the paper).

    Ion Drives. The TorrMikk-Mitsubishi ionic drivers, which powered early interstellar missions. S&R's early mass-production of ion propulsion made routine freight service across the inner Solar System economically viable.

    Plasma Drives. Pioneered by the Martian branch of TorrMikk after the Martian Revolution, later acquired by Sable Maritime in 2355 when the company went bankrupt.

    Udanium-Based M-AM Drives. The "wonder material" that made efficient relativistic travel possible. A synthetic superheavy metal with a 255-year half-life, able to power high-efficiency pion rockets.

By the late 2550s, S&R ships could achieve 50% lightspeed, and by 3000 CE, commercial/military ships typically pulled 0.75c, making interstellar travel practical on a generational scale.

Suspended Animation

    Cryo-stasis. Long-duration metabolic suppression allowing biological passengers to survive interstellar voyages lasting decades, with documented missions extending to approximately 50 years.

Communication

    Transstellar Messaging Network (TRAMN). Initially developed during the pre-Coalition era to support efficient communications between the planets, moons, and orbital habitats of the Solar System, the network was inherited and extensively modernized by S&R. Expanded into an interstellar communications backbone, TRAMN links frontier settlements through dedicated communications stations (TRANSMTRs, or Transstellar Messaging and Telecommunications Relays) centered around steerable 900-meter radio dishes, equipped with autonomous stellar tracking systems and operating primarily in the X-band with RF outputs ranging from 50 to 900 kW.

At the receiving end, distributed antenna arrays operate in parallel, synthesizing a combined effective aperture for high-sensitivity signal detection and long-duration integration. This architecture enables reliable communications between colonies separated by tens of light-years, while maintaining compatibility with legacy Solar-era infrastructure.

Specters & Synths

S&R was a major developer of autonomous systems.

    Specters. Remote-controlled or semi-autonomous humanoid chassis, used in construction, combat, and hazardous environments. Although not remotely invented by S&R (late 20th and early 21st century), they have been producing specters since 2242. By 2439 Sable Maritime had outgrown other Earth-based competitors such as the nationalized brazillian Meireles&Souza Robótica, the voronesian Samosek Systems, and the american CMU Robotics.

    Synths. More advanced, lifelike units designed for mainly social and administrative roles, became common in unmanned space exploration by the 2400s. Proprietary S&R technology.

By deploying autonomous units to handle the majority of its operations, the company reduced its human workforce to a manageable core of specialists and managers. This allowed S&R to scale its operations without the logistical burden of supporting millions of human employees across interstellar distances.

EXTENSION

The Charter Systems

The charter system was the foundation of S&R's power. In exchange for taxes, resource shares, and adherence to broad laws, S&R was granted sovereign rights over entire star systems. These systems were run as corporate fiefdoms, with company-appointed administrators, private security forces, and a legal system designed to maximize profit. The Coalition's and later, Imperial oversight was minimal, and S&R's authority was absolute.

Following, is a list of heavily S&R controlled worlds and systems within Human Space, note that although dense in these systems, corporate operations wasn't solely limited to those, depending on the scale and nature of different operations - such as personnel, equipment, or material transport, in fact, it was pretty common for multiple corporations to operate within the same system up until the 2800s, before the charter and corporate wars began, and then, the Great Human Civil War - at which point, S&R had absorbed or subsidized the majority of its competitors.

• Ross 128; Jubilee
• Epsilon Eridani; Aegis
• Groombridge 34; Port Royal
• Epsilon Indi; New Andorra
• Teegarden's Star; Granaria
• HR 8832; Odyssey
• Pollux; Aurora, Timandra (moon of Thestias)
• Lambda Serpentis; Sargasso, Caput, New Spirit
• Mu Arae; Pepe (moon of Cervantes)

OTHER CONCEPTS | SPACE WARFARE | PART 5 - HARD SCI-FI x STARFLEET

PITCHING A GREEK TRIREME AGAINST A WW2 WARSHIP

THIS POST CONTAINS QUITE TECHNICAL DETAILS AND SPECULATIVE COURSE OF ACTION

MEET THE COMBATANTS

Galaxy-class USS EANES, NCC-1434

(After Gil Eanes, portuguese sailor from the 1430s which ended the myth of sea monsters in the northwestern African coast)

In the Star Trek universe, Galaxy-class starships were put in service around the 2360s into the 2370s by the Starfleet, crewed by between 1000 to 6000 people; these 641 meter behemoths were usually designated as explorer ships. Like most Starfleet vessels, it is composed of a large saucer, a neck, and two warp nacelles.

The average speed for cruising can be around warp 6, though at times warp 9 is possible but risky for long periods.

Armaments include a total of 26 phaser arrays (halves above and below the saucer), 2 torpedo launchers (250 photon torpedoes), and antimatter mines, and of course the staple deflector shields.

There isn't much information about how powerful phasers can be, citations say it takes several seconds to melt through granite, for further strength calculations 1 second will be considered for 1kg, for a total power estimate of 1.7 MJ/s, or roughly 2MW. In the TNG series throughout episodes we can estimate that typical firing power for ship-to-ship combat is between 40 and 400 MW, the latter of which is more than enough to overpower the ship’s shielding.

The TNG manual says phasers travel just under lightspeed with an effective range of 300 thousand kilometers.

Photon torpedoes get their power from matter/antimatter annihilation, which releases great quantities of radiation. Photon torpedoes are warp-capable depending on model, traveling up to 0.17-0.2c, they have an approximate range of some 300 thousand kilometers, but this can be extended at the expense of torpedo yield to 3.5 million km. 

The series speaks of setting levels for torpedo yield, which commonly go from 1 to 16, called isotons, and at one time is said that a level 25 warhead could level a city, so I'd imagine they'd have the yield of tactical nukes overall, is implied that these levels are not linear, since a 54 isoton could blow up a planet. The Star Trek Next Generation Technical Manual page 129 says that about 1.1-1.5 kg of anti-matter are carried by your typical photon torpedo, and conversion parameters set the explosive yield at a maximum of 64,4 megatons, it could be less if the annihilation is not total.

So basically this ship's capabilities are taking out a ~4 km wide asteroid with a single torpedo (from the gravitational binding energy equation), and particle beans able to vaporize through up to 200kg of rock a second.

On the other side of the ring, we have a fleet designed by me:

All ships follow the same construction rules as the blog's flagship the Scitalis, including the camouflage pattern

SCITALIS-class Support Cruisers
(The Scitalis is a medieval beast that is said to possess beautiful shiny marks)

Each vessel is about 320 meters long, I calculated, given an overestimate of the density of submarines, for 400-600 kg/m³ to account for the plates, reactor and skirts, that each ship would have a dry mass around 50 or 60 thousand tons, or the weight of two moderately-sized battleships, it could be way less if it can be manned by a small crew, or none at all, which is why I'm counting on a computer to crew the ship.

 

In the last post I calculated that a decent spin for the ship would impart over 60 G of acceleration on the ends of the ship, and knowing that the tensile strength of steel is between 400-800 MPa, and that the ship has an overall cross-section of the deck of some 24-35m, the stress shouldn't be above 20 MPa per square meter, and so the ship wouldn't rip itself apart unless it is spinning anything over 160 rpm (as fast as the blades of a fan).

No warp drives or superluminal travel capabilities, minimum artificial gravity, top speed just about solar escape velocity at 50 km/s, no in-atmosphere flight capabilities. No energy shielding, relying on inclined and thickened steel plating for projectile protection, which can be as thick as 1 meter in the most critical parts, with effective thickness of 2-3 meters due sloped armor.

For weapons, each broadside is equipped with 75x 80mm 7,4 ton fast paced artillery guns (40 rounds/minute). And 6x 7,0 ton kinetic kill dispersers (basically a shotgun with 300kg of pellets a shot), firing in a 30° cone.
Making this ship 2% cannons by mass, muzzle velocity at ~850m/s for 10 kg artillery and 100g pellets.

The typical barrel life for WW2 warships was between 200 to some 300 shots depending on what cannon, while allowance (typical/minimum ammo carried) was up to half as much, with less than 50-60 shots fired per battle. By the same standards, since we have 150 cannons across the ship, our allowance is about 100 rounds per cannon, and our typical munitions cache is under 15 thousand rounds (150 tons of shells), had one vessel have to empty their stockpile, it would take approximately six minutes using a single broadside, costing us that whole set of weapons.

If the cannons on one side concentrate fire inside a 10 meter wide area, each salvo would impart over 270 megajoules of energy, or >1.73 MJ per m². 

Jaculus-class Gunships

(The Jaculus is a medieval beast, a flying serpent that hides on top of trees and strikes from above)

While the Scitalis-class hulls are pretty scary for their suppressive fire capability, a Jaculus-class ship, as the name suggests is intended to attack directly with a powerful strike. Because Jaculus ships are a big collective of heavy weapons, they must be scouted by lighter and faster ships which give them space and time to aim their salvos.

The frontal hull of the Jaculus possess parabolic geometry to deflect incoming shells, the main array of 7x 120mm cannons is endearingly called "Trumpets" as a reference to the trumpets in the book of Apocalypse, each shell weighing 20 kilograms, fired at 1,7km/s and 10 rounds a minute. With 1000 shells aboard, the ammunition types are broken in ¾ shaped explosives, and ¼ shredder rounds which break apart to maximize structural damage. The main arsenal in a Jaculus gunship are 24x 100kt plutonium fission warheads, these are usually kept unarmed and separated at different parts of the ship, in extreme situations the three-man crew will initiate the assembly which takes a few minutes, and then deploy the weapon.

The Jaculus cannot maneuver its individual Trumpet cannons, since they are mounted on the ship's structure. The whole vessel has to be pointing directly at the target as the small face size of the ship grants all cannons greater accuracy regardless of distance, for this reason it possesses greater turning capability than its companions.

A full Trumpet salvo can deliver >202 MJ of energy at once, making it as powerful as a Scitalis-class ship. Each side of the ship is lined with 15x 80mm cannons like the ones used in Scitalis-class ships, their purpose is purely defensive at first.

Archer-class Ranged Battleship

(I didn't find a beast cool enough to name it for its ability)

The Archer-class ships have very similar hulls to the Jaculus-class, but the Archers exchange caliber for range and speed, in place of 120mm cannons they sport 90mm with superior muzzle velocity, at 3 km/s, 20 rounds a minute, and 15kg shells. Most of their arsenal are shredder and cluster rounds. The ordinance that gives the ship hull its name are curved trajectory missiles and flashbang/flare charges, which are designed to fly along a predetermined curved path in the hopes of striking the target from an inconvenient angle, at adjustable speeds up to 5 km/s.

If Scitalis-class ships are in the middle of the battle, and Jaculus aim for the citadels, Archers rely mainly on taking down moderate value targets, like enemy ordinance, fighters, and peripherals as well as providing field intel and combat interference from a distance.

THE FIRST ENCOUNTER

2372.74, Omicron sector

Unknown presence detected moving across the UFP-Romulan neutral zone. The Federation fears another Borg threat. As of a few years ago, Starfleet has sent Galaxy-class USS EANES to verify the strange movements last seen near the Iconia system…

 

From the crew’s point of view the readings of the potential hostiles are not threatening, the detection of no shields and minimum vital signatures inside the group would raise curiosity but proceeding with caution is the order. The bridge would transmit their salutations and warnings in the name of the United Federation of Planets, but they answer with a negative, claiming the Iconia system and the ancient technology within it under their control.

The first encounter fleet is composed of two archers and two scitalis ships, captain Leonhardt from the USS Eanes orders the shields to be activated, and that the rebel fleet surrenders to the UFP. To no avail, the two archers strike first with a full cannon salvo against the starfleet ship, just to be stopped by the energy shield, an immediate surprise for the home side.

The Eanes crew is slightly less worried about the aggression capabilities of the enemy, as their attack didn’t even scratch their deflector shields a bit.

 

 

Their science official onboard is rather confused with the primitive armament they are being attacked with, the crew considers transmitting again, as the rising of a new spacefaring civilization sounds of importance to the Federation. Still, they are received with aggression, no known language in either side's catalog makes for a stable communication. As the weapons seem of no effect at all, the squadron starts to maneuver around the planet for a retreat.

I'm not sure about other captains, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be fair to fire back at such puny threat at first, as it had occurred several times across the series. Yet the Eanes follows the group around the planet, and as soon as the initial report from the fleet is analyzed in the next dozen minutes, a small object crosses space at some 10 km/s, from beyond the horizon in the direction of the starfleet ship. The collision with the frontal shields reveals that the object was a small 100 kiloton fission bomb, doing a small dip in the shields reading like those created by phasers in typical combat situations. Now this is the signal the crew needed to get ready for combat, despite less advanced, the civilization clearly sees them a threat to be dealt with, and so the crew decides upon showing who's boss, maybe this opens space for negotiation.

 

A 20-kiloton device can irradiate up to 100 R in a radius of 50km, using the inverse square law, we can say the explosion released 250 kR/km² at 1km from its center, this means that any nukes we launch at the Eanes here will be harmless to our computers and crew even at distances as close as less than 20-50km, as they are protected by 1m thick steel plating and possibly water as well (to get the radiation dose down to a billionth of the exposure), however, the radiation released by a photon torpedo would be so high, that the radiation would be lethal from as far as probably 500-1000 kilometers without some even thicker shielding. Although the starfleet ships have windows that would allow the radiation to penetrate, the deflector and cruising shields are good enough to deal with it during warp as usual, so I'm not even counting on giving the crew radiation sickness from a few nukes near the bridge.

THE SECOND ENCOUNTER

A few phaser beams are shot against the nearest battleships, cutting through the 1m thick steel plating and the ship's internals in less than 1 minute, depending on what exactly are phasers made of, it might not be very effective at all because of the shapes and structures of the hulls, but had it operate maximum effectiveness it would easily vaporize through 5 tons of steel in some 30 seconds, the rapid expansion of the material still causes explosions along where the beam hits. A ship hit with this sort of weapon for more than a pair of seconds anywhere will be taken out easily. No amount of nukes across the frontal shields of the Eanes will stop it, the fleet stops and regroups in a point far above the planet.

 

With the mutual silent cease-fire the two sides maneuver in space and observe each other.

The surviving scitalis ship relays the result of nuclear attacks as it retreats past the organizing defense fleet, composed of seven scitalis-class ships, four archers and four jaculus gunships, all of which start dispersing at full speed around space. The longer ships start to spin through space while the manned ships skim behind, keeping themselves locked with the Eanes on sight. The captain orders immediate response to the detected new wave of attacks. The scitalis ships cannons light in sequence like Christmas lights as they fire towards the pilons of the warp nacelles and neck of the Eanes, as they are seemingly the weakest structures of the ship, the rain of shells does not do much being promptly stopped by the shielding, the enemy crew orders the computers to concentrate fire on the closest of the warp nacelles to try and overwhelm the shields, maybe it could lower them on other parts of the Eanes. Seeing the shield lecture dip down little by little prompts the Eanes to start attacking the support cruisers but the phaser banks can't get a good reading nor straight shot through the erratically spinning ships, defensive sprays of buckshots also partially block the phaser beans that do manage to hit the ships for a fraction of a second at a time.

So here where the course of conflict diverges in two scenarios:

1. The release of single photon torpedo annihilates the whole enemy fleet, as I'm not counting they would be much further than a few hundred km from each other.
   
2. The crew agrees to not use PTs for their large destructive power, and because they still intent to establish dialogue. It is possible that the Eanes sustains significant damage if nothing is done about the aggressors.

- M.O. Valent, 17/07/2026

i forgot from when is this original draft

HUKAT, A TRAVELLER'S ACCOUNT

LANGUAGES OF THE DOMINION

HUKAT, A TRAVELLER’S ACCOUNT

“Hukat”, they call it. I was told by Chase (spelt Sha-Se, written as XSE), their medical officer, that it would be better this way, if I learned it and fast. If I ever wanted to complete my mission with Ayrio.

I’m still struggling with old Marsi, so I don’t even fully understand what Chase tells me half of the time, but, whatever this strange human, or Chelok language is, it is close enough to what I know to be useful. From what I understand, it's an old liturgical language of “my people”. He is rather surprised that I don’t know it nor hukat. Apparently a second-language to many of my kind.

I explained to him I am not Chelok. Though he very patiently nods at it, I know he is humoring me. Mind you, for a Specter, he is quite of a strong will and humor.

I’ve been his shadow since I’ve been forcefully “invited” to this settlement by his people. He’s the oldest among them, but repairs and spare parts have kept him good as new for almost a century.

There is something deeper about the language I still can't quite grasp. The spelling rules I can learn. Which syllables take stress, when to write K or Q, those are merely habits. The speech itself is another matter entirely. It seems their faces and nasal structure echo and blow some air in ways my flat, human, face cannot. So I’m left to fare with this strange idiom with whatever mother-nature has bestowed upon me.

Chase told me that I shouldn’t be afraid of not being able to say it. It’s a well known fact that Chelok, I mean, Humans, can’t really do it. So it is okay as long as I get the syllables right, I will be understood.

I at least learned how to read well. Well, spelling out loud I mean.

Just enough that through some educated guesswork, most words reveal themselves before me. The base roots are pretty simple, but the more specific a word gets, the concept behind a word becomes more abstract. The ancients had words for water, rock, and silver - but they couldn’t ever foresee something like gasoline or computer screens. Which they call, if translated literally from the compound words, “fastwater” and “bright canvas”, which sounds crude when worded like that, but I personally find it quite helpful for my hoku education.

It took me embarrassingly long to realize the letters weren't merely letters. Each one used to mean something before it became part of the writing system. Not every word still uses those meanings literally, but enough do that you begin to notice patterns. Two symbols together often suggest a broader idea, four or five may describe something surprisingly specific. Sometimes I can guess an unfamiliar word simply by recognizing two of its older roots.

The letters for “ground” (D, de) plus “measure” (G, gue) together make the word “short” (DG, dege). As if you are physically measuring the distance from the ground up.

Which is deceitfully simple to grasp at first. Until you arrive at something like “nation” (ZAEXOKU, zaaexoku). It is, simultaneously, wonderful for my education and terrible for my sanity, very stackable in the way it produces words from simpler concepts.

I still have some difficulty figuring out what parts of words are the actual roots and which are descriptors or specifiers. I'll word it like that. Though the order of the compoundings seems rather consistent most of the time.

And don’t get me started on valency, placeness, intensity, and verb direction. Heavens, what a nightmare.

The hoku. Perhaps safer to say, these hoku, in my current ignorance. Refer to MOST concepts in what Chase has explained to me as “positive” or “affirmative” direction. Which, as far as I could research from old magazines and books and even an old hard-cover dictionary, means that ABOUT HALF of the words in this god-forsaken tongue don’t formally exist anywhere.

Sure, they ARE USED, in writing, and speech. But they don’t exist the same way it exists in Marsi, Anglis, or Franque, or even Latin for all I know. Every verb seems convinced reality comes in directions.

"Flow" (FXF, fixafi) exists.

"Not flowing" (MVFXF, mevifixafi) exists.

"Reverse flow" (MNFXF, mnefixafi) also exists.

Same word, three completely different verbs. To go, to go nowhere, and to return.

Apparently every action wants to know who's doing it, who's receiving it, and whether either of them ought to exist in the sentence at all. Chase called it Valency. The Hoku seem perfectly comfortable with this arrangement. I am not.

Then comes what Chase calls Placeness. A thing isn't merely a thing. It's also somewhere, becoming somewhere, belonging somewhere, or existing in some state I still haven't figured out. Which I think gives the language some poetic liberty, but also makes me look either uneducated or insane when trying to speak, alongside grammatical genders and imperatives.

I find Intensity, alongside direction, the most important part of the language in the sense that it produces more words with recognizable meanings at a glance. In crude terms, it's how large your subject is.

Think of “animal” (QIUK, qiuko).

A very small animal, such as a vermin or small bug is a qiukegi (KIUKEGI), but a large beast is an aaqiuko (AAQIUK), while a mythical monster is a qiukosage (QIUKSG).

I won’t even delve into derivational morphology and determinant articles because even though my notes are still incomplete, after almost a year among them, it seems pretty standard to them, of course it is. But they often get the memo when I say “drink”, “eat”, “you” or “us” anyway. Some gestures and mime often help bridging the gap, they seem to do the same to me when speaking.

I must admit that, because learning hukat seems more convenient for me at the time, it is beginning to be an intuitive bridge between Titan and whatever is this Chelok language. By simply looking at the way the Hoku translates these strange words.

I can’t wait for you to have a crack at it, Galileo. I’m sure you and Chase would do well with one another, and hopefully, give me some subtitles in my helmet visor soon.

The big day is tomorrow. I’ll see you in the desert, my friend.

Ian, sol 181, whatever year you reckon it to be

Last updated: July 21st 2026

THE ARRENE CORE

The Arrene Sphere | Formerly known as the Luminary Combine

The signet of the Arrene Combine flies muted over government installations and stamps official documents, but its use has fallen more into tradition than pride

OVERVIEW

The Arrene Core is the informal designation given to the interconnected administrative, commercial and demographic regions surrounding Argost and the historical territories of the former Luminary Combine. Although commonly treated as a contiguous polity by outsiders, neither the Treaty of Forzai nor subsequent Foundation legislation provides a universally accepted legal definition of where the Core begins or ends.

Infrastructure is primarily administered through the Arrene Combine, whose responsibilities overlap with those of several Dominion Foundation offices and associated commercial entities. Jurisdiction frequently depends on whether the matter concerns Dominion law, Arrene law, inter-domain commerce, Foundation precedent, or treaty interpretation.

EXTENT

Most contemporary surveys broadly define the Core as the region extending approximately 45 to 75 light-years from Argost, encompassing the oldest Arrene settlements, the principal Dominion institutions, and the greatest concentration of Foundation offices.

Within this volume are found:

• 7 major inhabited worlds, plus Argost.
• hundreds of orbital habitats and industrial stations.
• the largest concentration of interstellar freight traffic in the Dominion.
• the headquarters of the Arrene Combine.
• the principal administrative centers of numerous Dominion institutions.

Despite occupying around 25% of the Dominion's central volume, the Arrene Core remains the economic and bureacratic center of the Foundational Dominion.

Outside this region, Arrene influence becomes increasingly indirect, usually exercised through commercial agreements, legal precedent, Dominion offices, and transportation infrastructure rather than direct political administration.

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

Unlike most interstellar states, the Arrene Core possesses no singular executive authority.

Political administration is instead distributed across an accumulation of commercial entities, civic administrations, treaty obligations, Foundation offices, standing commissions, and historical jurisdictions whose responsibilities frequently overlap and whose legal competencies have gradually expanded through over three millennia of precedent.

The largest and most influential of these remains the Arrene Combine, successor to the former Luminary Combine following the Treaty of Forzai.

The Combine is primarily responsible for maintaining infrastructure, regulating commerce, administering Core logistics, and coordinating many of the administrative functions necessary for the operation of Dominion institutions. Although frequently described by foreign observers as "the Arrene government", this characterization is generally regarded as an oversimplification.

Authority throughout the Core is largely precedent-driven. Determining which institution possesses final authority frequently depends upon the specific matter under consideration rather than upon any universally recognized chain of command.

Consequently, the distinction between government, commerce, and infrastructure is often difficult to define in practice.

Higher Foundation offices rarely intervene directly in routine administration.

When such intervention does occur, it is generally regarded as final, though the legal reasoning behind these decisions is not always made public.

CULTURE & SOCIETY
Among all Dominion civilizations, the Arrene remain perhaps the most difficult to characterize socially. Visitors to the Core frequently remark that ordinary Arrene appear remarkably... unoccupied.

Unlike other members' domains, there is remarkably little visible evidence of a conventional labor force. Outside observers often describe the Core as resembling a civilization permanently enjoying a public holiday. This impression is misleading.
Office districts exist, ports operate continuously, immigration authorities process millions of travelers, public transportation runs with remarkable punctuality, and critical infrastructure remains functional around the clock, but the average Arrene citizen is far more likely to be encountered dining, shopping, studying, traveling, attending cultural events, or simply living an apparently leisurely existence than performing conventional labor.

A longstanding subject of speculation concerns the apparent workforce responsible for maintaining the immense infrastructure of the Core.

Although Arrene are publicly observed serving as immigration officers, emergency responders, military personnel, medical professionals, engineers, and numerous other essential occupations, outsiders have for centuries remarked that these individuals often appear strangely interchangeable. The widespread Arrene acceptance of human cloning technologies, together with historical precedents established before the Prime Foundation, has led to persistent speculation that a significant proportion of these public-facing workers may in fact be cloned individuals specifically cultivated for institutional service.

Neither the Arrene Combine nor any recognized Foundation office has ever formally confirmed or denied these claims.

LANGUAGE & IDENTITY

Regarding language and identity, the Arrene Core has historically used Norrina, commonly known abroad as Standard Arrene, as its principal administrative and literary language. For most of the Dominion's history, it served as the language of legislation, interstellar treaties, higher education, and communication between Dominion institutions.

Since the Prime Foundation however, increasing concerns regarding accessibility, immigration, and interstellar commerce have gradually shifted the Core toward an increasingly multilingual model. Government buildings, transportation hubs, public services, and commercial establishments routinely display information in a dozen or more major languages, while automated translation has become effectively ubiquitous throughout the Core.

• Arrene Standard, the official language of Dominion institutions and legal documentation.
• Nagiv, the principal language of the Ygiv peoples.
• Corespeak, a Chelok-derived creole that emerged among the numerous human communities living throughout the Core.
• Hukat & Sidessian, by far the most spoken idioms among hoku and chelok communities living abroad in the core, particularly Argost.
• Rolian, also known as Guildspeak, maintained by the Voyager's Guild and considered indispensable for commerce beyond the reach of the Arrene-backed Lodestar Accord.
• Numerous local dialects, community languages, and immigrant creoles maintained by the many populations living throughout the Core.

Paradoxically, although Standard Arrene remains the official language of government, relatively few residents require it in their daily lives. The Arrene themselves are believed to constitute only a minority of the population on several of their own developed worlds, including Argost, where immigrant communities from across the Dominion collectively outnumber the native population.

As a result, learning Standard Arrene, or even familiarizing with traditional Arrene customs, is generally regarded as unnecessary for most foreigners. Outside legal, diplomatic, and institutional settings, everyday life in the Core is conducted overwhelmingly in the many common languages shared by its inhabitants.

RELATIONS WITH OTHER POWERS

THE PANCALESTIA

Relations with the Chelok sphere have remained broadly stable since humanity's admission to the Dominion as an extra-signatory civilization. Although cooperation in commerce and scientific exchange is extensive, historical grievances continue to influence public opinion on both sides.

Within the Core, these events are generally regarded as belonging to a fundamentally different political order whose institutions ceased to exist following the Prime Foundation.

THE HOKU & NAN-NAN

Relations with the Hoku are generally pragmatic.

The Hoku remain one of the Dominion's most important commercial and transportation partners outside the Core, particularly through the activities of the Kahiko Moku and the numerous freight organizations operating throughout Hoku space.

Institutionally, relations are cordial despite recurring political disagreements concerning jurisdiction and frontier administration.

THE SAFFI

The unusually favorable relationship between the Core and the Branch Coalition has long attracted speculation, particularly in light of the Qire's historically positive attitude toward the Saffi. No official explanation has ever been published.

Saffi personnel are disproportionately represented within salvage operations, brokerage services, independent commerce, and frontier logistics.

Official Arrene attitudes toward the Coalition are generally favorable, though often tempered by concerns regarding jurisdictional ambiguity and informal clan networks.

THE QIRE

Foundation records recognize the continued participation of Qire offices within the Dominion. Public documentation concerning their responsibilities, internal organization, and decision-making processes remains limited.

Higher Foundation intervention is historically infrequent. Compliance, however, is effectively universal.

Relativistic Travel

Last updated: August 18th 2026

RELATIVISTIC TRAVEL IN BtFF

In this house we don't do faster-than-light travel. Relativity is sacred in this universe - the challenge is not to circumvent it, but to live with its consequences.

The rating of relativistic speed of starships in this universe is given as integers of the Lorentz factor (γ) instead of decimal fractions of the speed of light - that is, how many times the subjetive ship time appears to compress due time dilation in comparison with restframe time.

For example, a relatively fast starship with a rating of γ ~ 6 experiences a subjective time that is 1/6th of the restframe - for a 10 light-year trip, thats about 1yr8m trip experienced by the crew. So keep that in mind whenever that gamma (γ) rating gets thrown around.

It is also commonplace to use stasis chambers for the slowing down of biological clocks for really long trips or at lower cruise ratings, for example, Old Humanity managed to make it work for an additional 40 years of subjective time while in their prime.

TRAVEL PROFILES
Travel profiles are constraint that depends on a few factors such as travel speed, acceleration, target distance, and propulsion method.

COASTING
Typical travel profiles for intermediate distance destinations (d_aceleration < 0.5*d_total), such as those in between large populational centers in the Dominion core are dominated by a acceleration-coast-deceleration type of travel. If we determine:

a = acceleration in G's

d = distance in light-years

y_coast = target coasting speed in Lorentz factor.

Then we can calculate:

Time spent accelerating (total, inertial observer).

Distance traveled while accelerating/decelerating (total, inertial observer).

Coast time (inertial observer).

It then follows that the total travel time is the sum of t_coastinertial + t_burninertial.

As an example case, at 1G acceleration, top speed of γ ~ 6, traveling 50 light-years takes 11.48yrs (acc/dec) + 40.87yrs (coast), for a total time of 52y 4m 5d 14hrs to arrive.

BRACHISTOCHRONIC (CONSTANT ACC.)
As γ increases (or distance decreases), the math dictates that the acceleration/deceleration phases must increase in time, in such way that, the coasting time shrinks to an infinitesimal fraction of the total time spent traveling. Which means the travel speed grows and peaks before decreasing.

Without a explicit ceiling for the maximum speed obtained, these travel profiles are mostly limited only by fuel reserves in order to sustain constant acceleration throughout the trip - which isn't the case for most non-Qire starships within the Dominion.

CUSTOMARY METHODS OF PROPULSION
Choice of propulsion is determined less by maximum cruise velocity than by economics. Fuel cost, available infrastructure, expected travel time, maintenance requirements, and intended cargo all influence the selection of a propulsion system. Consequently, no single architecture has displaced all others, and vessels of widely differing performance routinely share the Dominion's starlane network.

Practical cruise ratings throughout the Dominion rarely exceed γ≈10. Although higher Lorentz factors greatly reduce the time experienced aboard a vessel, they offer progressively smaller reductions in arrival time as measured by the outside universe. Since fuel consumption and engineering complexity increase far more rapidly than the logistical benefits gained, most commercial operators regard higher cruise factors as economically unjustifiable.

Pure Aneutronic Matter-Antimatter Rockets

Typical cruise factor: γ ≈ 2-10

The standard propulsion system throughout most of the Dominion. Matter and antimatter are reacted producing primarily charged pions whose momentum is directed magnetically to generate thrust. Their high thrust-to-weight ratio, operational flexibility and comparatively simple engineering have made them the preferred propulsion method for commercial, military and civilian spacecraft alike.

Although fuel-intensive, matter-antimatter rockets are capable of sustained acceleration and deceleration over interstellar distances, allowing routine travel between neighboring systems within acceptable subjective travel times.

Most Dominion freight, passenger traffic and naval operations rely upon some variation of this architecture.

Pion "Drip" Drivers

Typical cruise factor: γ ≈ 1-6

Among the oldest propulsion systems still in widespread service. Pion Drip Drivers accelerate vessels through the gradual release of small quantities of antimatter over extremely long burn periods. Their comparatively low thrust results in months or years of continuous acceleration, making them poorly suited for passenger transport but exceptionally economical for bulk cargo.

They remain common aboard autonomous freighters, industrial tugs, ore transports and long-duration logistical missions where travel time is of secondary importance. Their modest top speed means they can more safely and frequently venture across uncharted interstellar space for shortcuts and direct routes rather than using starlanes, with reduced risks of high relativistic impacts or abrasion.

Ion-Fusion Drivers

Typical cruise factor: γ ≈ 2-5

Ion propulsion remains popular among smaller spacecraft operating within developed regions of the Dominion. By continuously accelerating ionized reaction mass through powerful electromagnetic fields, these engines provide excellent efficiency at the cost of relatively low thrust.

Although incapable of the rapid departures characteristic of matter-antimatter vessels, Ion Drivers are regarded as remarkably reliable and inexpensive to maintain. Patrol craft, survey vessels, scientific expeditions and privately owned starships frequently employ them for regional traffic between nearby systems.

Light Sails

Typical cruise factor: γ ≈ 1-4

Rather than carrying significant quantities of reaction mass, light sail vessels derive propulsion from immense laser arrays positioned throughout developed star systems. These arrays illuminate highly reflective sails over distances of several astronomical units, accelerating vessels with no onboard fuel expenditure.

Because propulsion infrastructure must exist at both departure and arrival systems, light sails are almost exclusively employed along heavily trafficked commercial corridors and within mature planetary systems. Their exceptionally low operating costs have made them popular for passenger liners, luxury transport and scheduled commuter services despite their comparatively modest cruise velocities.

Many Core worlds maintain dedicated beamways linking orbital habitats, neighboring planets and nearby systems, functioning as an interstellar equivalent of public rail infrastructure.

Ramscoop Matter-Antimatter Ships

Typical cruise factor: γ ≫ 10

No confirmed Dominion civilization is presently known to possess operational Ramscoop Matter-Antimatter propulsion. The only documented examples have been observed aboard the Elder Starships of the Great Expedition.

The immense forward structures characteristic of these vessels are widely interpreted as magnetic collection systems capable of harvesting the sparse interstellar medium while simultaneously serving as radiation shielding during extreme relativistic flight. If correct, such systems would permit effectively unlimited operational range without conventional refueling while sustaining cruise velocities approaching several hundred to >1,000 in Lorentz factor.

Whether harvested hydrogen is directly fused, converted into antimatter, or merely supplements onboard reserves remains unknown. Likewise, many observed performance characteristics continue to defy satisfactory theoretical explanation, leading some researchers to suspect the presence of additional propulsion systems operating alongside the ramscoop architecture.