FL's Random Thoughts

v2 verse related, but could also be assigned to other works.

There are two primary methods to traveling faster than light. These two methods could be described as the "Gravity Drive", and "Fold Space".

A gravity drive works when one has a negative mass being projected behind their ship, causing a wave of space-time to occur, pushing the ship ahead with pseudo-motion commonly greater than the speed of light. However, this method requires a great deal of exotic matter, which unless one has a massive amount of energy, typically cannot be created on the go on the ship.

Fold Space is peculiar, in that it allows for faster than light travel, while being significantly more energy efficient, working by shifting the ship upwards in an extra-dimensional cone, which allows for traveling over distances much faster than the speed of light. However, things are far more dangerous at this level, as virtual particles pop in and out at far more energetic amounts as one travels further into fold space. the naming system for fold space is as follows: x-fold, where x is equal to the amount of folding that is occurring compared to normal space. And while this rapidly gets more dangerous as one travels upward in fold space, communications can be transmitted through fold space virtually instantaneously, reaching fold numbers far greater than objects with mass could go towards easily. One must also be careful to travel through the layers of Fold Space slowly, as attempts of the contrary have resulted in ships either being ripped apart, or being crushed into infinitesimal sizes, due to the fact that each particle that makes up a mass is going into fold space at similar ratios, which means that one has to move slowly enough to account for the particles to be able to return to standard proportions. Many a space pilot has died when being too careless with their folding, causing brain hemorrhaging and blood clots.

EDIT: Got a small formula to demonstrate distances in fold space.

fold_distance=true_distance/2^x, where x is equal to the x in regards to x-fold, so 0-fold has the distance match entirely, while 1-fold is half... and it continues from there.