WAYMARKERS

The most efficient way of traveling between two points is to use a straight line, this even holds with faster-than-light propulsion. The result is that heavy traffic (that is ships that cannot use gates) or isolated systems without gates have certain well-worn corridors of space that connect to other important worlds.

These routes are often defined by waymarkers. Ships are more than capable of traversing these corridors of space without the assistance given by the waymarkers, however for small ships with more limited sensors or for damaged ships, these markers become very useful.

Apart from their function of marking the roads between worlds, they also act as information carriers, acting as a line of subspace relays between worlds. This is not so important for worlds as they generally are connected through wormhole information connections, and entanglement connections, but for a ship traveling between the worlds, it offers a low energy input for rapid and broad communications access.

Waymarkers have been used since the earliest of routes, and have been used by the Trenoc before the foundation of the federation, the design of these marker has changed little since then. Generally the markers are small, generally with the main body of the machine no more than 2 metres across, and have extendable appendages for sensory and communicatory functions, and a specialized high output for low power beacon.

Energy is provided generally from a mixture of micro-fusion, and/or Casimir vacuum energy devices, which have low requirements for fuelling or maintenance, patrolling hawks see to the maintenance and fuelling of waymarkers.