Interstellar Travel



Each species has achieved Faster Than Light travel in unique ways. Humanity's first FTL drive was built in 2017, the Alcubierre-White Drive. As of 2389, the Colonial Space Administration has continued to use a similar concept to the Transition Drive, while the races of the URG have crafted a much more advanced drive based on each of their respective FTL technology; the ICD (Interstellar Connection Drive).

Humanity
The Alcubierre-White Drive, commonly known as the White Drive, was the first method of Faster Than Light travel developed by Humanity in 2017. This FTL model allows for a localized field of space around an object to be contracted in the direction it wishes to go and expanded behind itself, allowing for the warping of space to achieve FTL travel. This first model was able to achieve speeds of up to eight times the speed of light. Retired in 2127, its successor was the Transition Drive, which has been able to reach speeds of 10 light years per hour

The Transition Drive is based on a similar concept in comparison to the White Drive, but is able to use more energy more efficiently, allowing for limited entry into subspace. While theorized for many decades, Humanity was unable to enter subspace until the Transition Drive was created. Until then, the White Drive simply allowed for FTL travel in normal space. Subspace travel consists of wrapping space-time in such a way that you can travel extremely quickly down an artificial "tunnel" to your destination. The CSA's Transition Drive allowed for a subspace bubble to be wrapped around a ship rather than constructing a tunnel, as it required much less energy.

Imperium
The Imperium developed a method of FTL travel that is able to momentarily contruct subspace tunnels (not wormholes) that allow for travel with speeds of up to 30 light years per hour. At the height of their empire, this kind of travel was used frequently. After the collapse of their civilization, however, the Imperium lost a great deal of technology and the means to generate enough energy to fully realize the potential of their creation, such as the Subspace Bridges.

Entente
The Entente races were uplifted by the Imperium and aided in the development of their FTL technology, which began as less advanced Subspace Bridges. When they united and formed their own empire to overthrow the Imperium, their FTL drive ultimately became a Wormhole Drive. This method of FTL was able to reach its fastest speeds at 15 light years per hour.

Tutorea
The Tutorea possessed the most advanced FTL technology encountered by the URG races to date. Known as the Gravity Drive, the very mechanics of it were not understood until the super-intelligence Myriad was able to analyze the technology on board the Overseer-class megaship Arecibo. The Tutorea were actually able to calculate the gravitational attraction of an object with respect to the surrounding region and effectively ride that gravitational curvature of space directly to the target destination. Their initial incursion to the Milky Way targeted Sagittarius A*, the galaxy's supermassive black hole. It is believed that the Tutorea focus on black holes first, then target other massive objects for their travels.