Deadspace Summary Description: Where?

[RainOfSteel]

I've just searched through the Table of Contents, and checked the entries in the Index.

I cannot locate where the summary description of Deadspace is located.

Please help me out, point me at a page where this is located?

 

[clementk]

p. 134 which is in the index. It really should IMO be defined the first or second time it's used. Instead there's like 9 references before, some to the "so-called Deadspace Phenomemon", which works only once for me. There is mention that's it something releated to jumpspace before p. 134.

It is one of the big ole mysteries of Gateway Domain so don't expect a *whole* lot about it.

FWIW I mainly use the final final pdf version of Gateway for stuff like this but it should be identical to the printed version, which I also have.

Casey

 

[Flynn]

From what I understand, the Deadspace phenomenon will be a big part of Grand Adventure Three, which is mostly a set of notes at the moment. Grand Adventure One: Homecoming has already been written, and I've gotten the impression that Grand Adventure Two: Power Plays is in the works, but uncertain as to whether or not it's complete as yet.

Each Grand Adventure explores one of the mysteries of the Gateway Domain, and opens up more possibilities for adventure.

Looking forward to seeing them published,

Flynn

 

[RainOfSteel]

Well, I wasn't really expecting the grand reasons and secrets behind it all.

What I was expecting was a summary list of the types of events occuring, a GM's helper of bright ideas.

"Deadspace" implies no-jump space zones.

However, what little was scattered amongst the various entries suggested time travel and alternate universe shifts.

Deadspace would, I think, imply no jumps at all, not misjumps . . . but the text would seem to indicate I'm wrong, so basically I can't tell from what's present what Deadspace is or what it does, and it inclines me toward ignoring it; which woudl be sad, because apparently it could be a cool idea.

 

[Flynn]

For now, I'm under the understanding that it's the Bermuda Triangle of jumpspace.

The chance of misjump is higher, as well as the chance of jumping, never to emerge again...

Occasionally, weird things happen there, like a ship that emerges from Jumpspace after having been lost for centuries, and the crew still onboard, not knowing that time has passed them by...

And even ghost ships emerging, in prestine condition save for the fact that the crew is gone, vanished into thin air. Meals left on the counter uneaten or partially eaten, etc. No signs of violence...

You know, that X-Files kind of thing.

I can't remember where all I got that impression, but that's what I seem to recall.

Hope this helps,
Flynn

 

[RainOfSteel]

Flynn,

Ok, I can do Bermuda Triangle.

 

[MJD]

Flynn's impression is pretty good.

Sometimes Jump dirve works fine, sometimes it doesn't work at all, and sometimes other things happen.

 

[Antares Administration]

For a recent campaign that I was running in the Glimmerdrift, my players started asking about the nature of Deadspace. Rather than simply giving them the anectodal evidence, i.e. 'jump drives don't work the way that they are supposed to', I gave them access to the theories of an NPC scientist that was currently getting a lot of attention/press in the 'Drift - a sort of 993 version of Carl Sagan or Stephen Hawking.

In a nutshell:

"We are all familiar with the effects of a gravity well on jump mechanics. The '100 diameters' maxim is the practical definition of the effect that mass has on our efforts to effect a higher-dimensional transit using our current technology. As you move to within the 100D limit, the gravitational gradiant begins to adversely effect the mathematics of jump, resulting in what we commonly call 'misjump'.

In the generic version of the gravity effect, the gravitational gradient is constant in relation to jump space. That is to say that the gradient is not significantly fluctuating or the mass is not in motion in relation to jump space.

I believe that the Deadspace Phenomenon occurs as a result of the interaction between what we normally consider 'jump space' and extremely high mass bodies, such as cosmic string or a black hole, that are in motion relative to jump space. Where the jump momentum (mass x velocity in jump space) is sufficient, the result is a gravitational 'wake' in jump space, much like the wake produced by a body in motion through a fluid. This jump-wake is itself in motion, causing the 'density' of jump-space to vary over time. A single jump-wake will diminish over a space-time, its energy dampening across the vastness of jumpspace. In an Einsteinian sense, a ship transiting through a jump wake will be delayed in normal space-time by the resistance created by the jump-wake.

One can only speculate that the region in the central portion of the Gateway Domain is dominated by some sort of recurrant gravity phenomenon, a cosmic string or a hyperluminal black hole-equivalent, which is generating a variable gravitational gradient in jump space. The fact that the effect has no apparent pattern suggests that the mass creating the effect is transitory, not continuous. Imagine an extremely large mass or group of masses in motion in that region's jump space.

It's fascinating, really. I could go on for days if you'd like."

- Abridged from an interview with Professor Sir Attila Naamatii, University of Khimudire, Titanstorm/Ley

Remember that this is not CANON, it's an NPC "expert" theory on the cause of Deadspace.

Thoughts?

Paul Nemeth
AA

 

[mike wightman]

Sounds like an interesting theory.

What if it's caused by a faulty attempt at creating a pocket universe?

Would it be explainable as the artificially generated gravity well (if that's how pocket universes are built) malfunctioning, and now sweeps an area of space with an erratic "gravity beam" - for want of a better term.

I'm just guessing here 'cos I don't want to know the answer just yet - wild speculation is so much more fun

 

[Antares Administration]

There are hundreds of possibilities, I'm sure.

"Prof. Naamatii" doesn't go so far as to say WHAT is in motion in Jumpspace. It could be "natural", or "not"...

My imagination is having lots of fun just extrapolating mechanical physics into j-space!

Paul Nemeth
AA

 

[Flynn]

That's technobabble of the highest order! Well done, Paul, well done!

Thanks,
Flynn

 

[RainOfSteel]

Excerpt from Introductory Preface to the article: Variability in Jumpspace Mechanics, p. 456-592
From the Proceedings of The Theoretical Physics Conference, Annapabar, 991
Enirii hault-Olavant. PPS, DGV, XPY. Professor Emeritus, permanent seat of the Grand Master of Physics Chair, University of Cleon City Capital/Core.


“My fellow physicists . . . we have all come to know the distant news reports of supposedly strange occurrences related to Jump travel in the last twenty to thirty years, mostly in the Crucis Margin, but with occasional incident in Glimmerdrift, Gateway, or even in the g-quad of Ley itself.

“I can assure all of you that there is nothing strange or unusual going on in any of this. Extensive forensic investigation of all these so-called incidents reveal that they either occur on board ships with long histories of poor maintenance records, or those who jumped to close to the minimum gravity threshold for maximum safety considerations.

“Such tales as that of the well known ‘regularly scheduled freighter out of Ewa’ coming into port in 986 in Nashchaug/Crucis Margin, without a living crew, are sheer nonsense. Like most apocryphal gobbledygook, there is no name for the freighter, its crew, or it passengers, or even its origin world. Investigators sent to the Ostermann subsector in 990 checked the departure logs of every starport for every world within J-4, and turned up nothing.

“Further investigations of similar stories have also turned up severe discrepancies in what was actually provable and what was actually on the lips of every rumormonger known.

“In short, it is my belief that the sensationalist stories spreading like wildfire throughout the Gateway Domain are a shadow play of half-truths and lies, and where the kernel of real truth can be found, only the steely-eyed scientist, unbent by the pressures of popular imagination, can know.

“As for the claims of a few amongst us, who have given themselves over wholly to such garbage . . . well, we all know who they are, and we all know how much credence to lend them and their works from this date forward.


(Note: The primary contributor to the 991 Theoretical Physics Conference was Sector Duke Nells.)


Or, in those Immortal Words from the movie, Erik the Viking: “I have it on the best of authority that this is not happening.”

 

[Antares Administration]

Originally posted by RainOfSteel:
Excerpt from Introductory Preface to the article: Variability in Jumpspace Mechanics, p. 456-592

“... As for the claims of a few amongst us, who have given themselves over wholly to such garbage . . . well, we all know who they are, and we all know how much credence to lend them and their works from this date forward.


(Note: The primary contributor to the 991 Theoretical Physics Conference was Sector Duke Nells.)

Rebuttal by Professor Sir Attila Naamatii: "The fools just can't see that there is no spoon!"

Paul Nemeth
AA

 

[RainOfSteel]

Antares,

"Not happening, not happening! La, la, la!"

 

[RainOfSteel]

Originally posted by Antares Administration:
Rebuttal by Professor Sir Attila Naamatii: "The fools just can't see that there is no spoon!"

Paul Nemeth
AA

From: The University of Annapabar on behalf of:
Enirii hault-Olavant. PPS, DGV, XPY. Professor Emeritus, permanent seat of the Grand Master of Physics Chair, University of Cleon City Capital/Core.


Professor Attila Naamatii,

As Professor Emeritis Enirii hault-Olavant was on a grand tour of the higher centers of learning in the Imperium when he gave the lecture to which you refer in 991. He should by now, 993, if his schedule has remained stable, have reached Rhylanor or even Regina in the Spinward marches. And so, he is unable to respond to your missive at this time. A copy has been forwarded on a probable intercept delivery via the X-Boat Network for his return course through Corridor. Once the message has rendezvoused with Professor hault-Olavant, he will undoubtedly chose to make a response at that time.

Also on behalf of Professor hault-Olavant, we would like to thank you for taking this time to communicate with the preeminent mind in Physics in Charted Space today. I'm sure the experience will reward you greatly.


Signed,


Marissa Sjorden
Communications Director
University of Annapabar

 

[RainOfSteel]

TAS News: 991-078: Annapabar/Ley

•On 991-077, Enirii hault-Olavant, Professor Emeritus of the University of Cleon City, held a lecture at the 23rd Tri-Annual Conference on Theoretical Physics of the University of Annapabar. His paper, Variability in Jumpspace Mechanics, was a highly obscure discussion of jump grid interaction with jumpspace.
•It was the preface he gave before the lecture on his paper that surprised so many attending the conference. In it, Professor hault-Olavant, in no uncertain terms, denounced and debunked the entire phenomenon known as Deadspace.
•Many attendes, working at the University of Annapabar, who have been studying the phenomenon for years, were mortally offended at the offhand way with which the Capital-dwelling Professor hault-Olavant dismissed all such work. No one denounced the Professor in turn, however, as most at the time felt it would have been the equivalent of professional suicide.


TAS News: 991-248: Nashchaug/Crucis Margin

•On this date, Professor Sir Attila Naamatii, well-known front-line researcher of Deadspace, made an official statement to the press concerning the recent lecture by anti-Deadspace advocate, Professor Enirii hault-Olavant.
•“I must say at this time, that the series of disruptive gravitic events occuring in Jumpspace, popularly known as Deadspace, are quite real. Professor hault-Olavant may be well known for his theories on Capital, and may make wild and unsubstantiated claims about things he has never himself investigated, but out here in the trenches, where real problems stare real scientists in the face every day, and real people are effected by the dwindling traffic to this star system due to fear of the Deadspace phenomenon and the lives it has taken, we know better.&#148

 

[kafka47]

The obvious question how does Deadspace impact upon events in 1248 has not been asked. As Jumpspace and psionic phenomena have been linked perhaps Deadspace is part of a larger hyperspatial geometry to keep psionic phenomena at bay.

Sort of, like the barriers that break up waves on the seashore. Could deadspace do the same thing for the Empress Wave and other associated psionic weapons/echoes?

 

[Flynn]

I've actually yet to see Jumpspace and psionic phenomena linked in the OTU, but I've heard some good tales from people's campaigns.

If you could give me a reference or two, Grand Archivist Kafka, I would gladly partake of the knowledge you allege to in your post above.

I'm pretty sure that Deadspace impacts events in 1248, because the Grand Adventure will be referred to by name in the text of the book. (This comes from the playtest forum.) Beyond that, I have only my own personal thoughts to entertain me...

Thanks,
Flynn

 

[kafka47]

When I linked Jumpspace and psionics. I was thinking of the original write up for Teleport (my reference is the Traveller Book) which mentions the time and energy conservation formula, second reference, was from Challenge articles & T4 Long Way Home which linked HIPPEs with psionic residuals of beings trapped in Jumpspace and lastly, TNE's Fire, Fusion & Steel had a mention to psionic powered Jump Drives.

I am sure there are others but those were the ones that I was thinking of when I posted.

 

[BetterThanLife]

To paraphrase Capt. Dillon Hunt of the Cruiser Andromeda Ascendant, (Amazing how many parallels can be drawn between Traveller and Andromeda, an early episode even mentioned Traveller's Aide (SP?) having the latest news and holding and transmitting messages.

) "Jump Drive isn't the best way to travel faster than light, it is the only way!"