Fold Drives

The technology that makes galactic civilization possible. Fold space, skip the distance, arrive before you left.

Overview

Fold drives are the foundation of interstellar civilization. By “folding” space itself, ships can travel between star systems in hours rather than centuries. Without this technology, the Confederation couldn’t exist—worlds would be isolated islands in an infinite ocean.

How It Works

The Fold

Fold drives create a temporary bubble where normal physics… bends. The ship doesn’t travel through space; space folds around the ship, bringing origin and destination together.

Translation

The moment of “translation”—entering and exiting fold space—requires precise calculations. Navigation computers plot safe routes. Getting the math wrong means emerging inside a star, or not emerging at all.

Duration

Fold journeys feel nearly instantaneous to passengers, though external time does pass. Longer distances require more complex folds and longer translations.

Applications

Interstellar Travel

Commerce, communication, governance—everything depends on fold-capable ships moving between systems.

Military Applications

Fleet mobility. Surprise attacks. Strategic redeployment. Fold drives make space warfare three-dimensional.

Emergency Escape

When things go wrong, a fold-capable ship can simply… leave. Hard to catch someone who can skip across the galaxy.

Limitations

Navigation Computers

Fold calculations are beyond organic minds. Ships require navigation computers—restricted technology controlled by the Confederation. Without proper nav data, folds are suicide.

Mass Limits

Bigger ships require more power, more precise calculations. There are practical limits to what can fold.

Detection

Fold translations create detectable signatures. You can run, but they’ll know where you went.

Controlled Technology

The Confederation controls navigation data distribution. They decide who can fold where. This is power.

Connections

• Navigation computers - Required for safe translation
• The Acus’Rube - Upgraded fold drive
• Ma’Tak - Modified the crew’s drive
• The Confederation - Controls the technology

Fold Drives features throughout the Fannec Records series.