Hyper Light Drives

Trans light Generators
The Shaw-Hoshino Trans-Light Generator was the brain child of Jason Shaw and Saito Miyazaki, and was the first and only drive of it's type. It was fundamental in altering human space travel, going from missions that would take hundreds, if not thousands of years at near or close to light-speed, or in cases hundreds of thousands of years at standard sub-light speeds.

Invention
The FTL Drive's that came to dominate space travel across the Orion Arm of the Galaxy, was invented by Jason Shaw and Saito Miyazaki, a astrophysicist and quantum theorist, and a brilliant engineer. Originally research into these drive types were highly theoretical throughout much of the late 20th and 21st centuries. However, during a mishap using the Particle Accelerator at Utopia Plantea University in 2077 they discovered the Omega Particle, which could be synthesized and stabilized into Entropy Crystal, which contained enough energy to overcome the massive energy requirements for the Folding of Space-Time. This unusual particle when synthesized contained over (1.3680*10^34)^9 joules of energy, an equivalent to nine sols.

 

The first Entropy Generator used only 9 nanograms of the substance and was able to power the entirety of the planet. However, the technology was unstable, and the Crystals released a unknown radiation that was extremely hazardous to carbon based lifeforms, capable of completely disrupting the amino acids of a human body, inhibiting DNA repair overtime. However, the importance of such a discovery outweighed the risks, and research was continued using a breeder style reactor to generate what would be One Entropy Crystal which was only about 1 gram.

When the IRM-Earth Alliance was formed in 2099 Shaw was transferred to continue his technology development on the first Quantum Displacement Drive which could in-theory bend the very fabric of space-time between two points. During a symposium he met the Miyazaki Siblings and began research and development together. Their research yielded the Mark 0 which was installed onboard the ISA "Enterprise" which made the first ever trans-light trip to Mars. However, the quantum and gravimetric stresses on the ship resulted it being torn in half, with the drive section being completely pulverized. The incident resulted in the technology being shelved for future use, however Saito continued her drive development as Shaw grew weak from Vector Radiation Poisoning and would die in 2109. The Mark I would be installed in 2116 onboard the USS "Resolute" the first ship designed to handle the forces on the vessel, as well as an inverse field generator to protect the exterior and interior of the ship. A year later Saito herself would die from the disease which caused a irreparable brain anuerism.

Physics
The Quantum Displacement Drive worked on complex quantum physics. It in technicality didn't adhere strictly to Einsteins Theory of General Relativity, nor Special Relativity. It function using the Entropy Crystals installed at the heart of every ship to use enough energy to generate a microscopic worm-hole by folding space-time within the ship effectively creating a Einstein-Rosen Bridge between two points. It uses complex spacial-geometry to calculate the points between two "safe" spaces in order to fold up space between the two and then temporarily punching through a different spacial dimension between the two selected coordinates and then jumping between the two. To a person within the ship, often the transfer is nearly instantaneous but can experience what sailors call "LSD Vision" where the space in the ship contorts. However, on the outside the ship nearly vanishes in a blink of an eye often with spectacular flashes of light running front to back.

However, with the massive amount of energy and gravity generated on the ship, it's been a known risk to suffer a random malfunction which generates more power than within the "safety" limit, causing the ship to overshoot and risk jumping into the middle of a star or planetary body. However, the most dangerous incidents are "Spin Outs" where the Inverse Generator which keeps the crew safe malfunctions, the crew might be literally torn up at the molecular level, or suffer more horrendous deaths such as being crushed beyond recognition, or in rare incidents being folded up and twisted. Rarely a ship might disappear as a result of being stuck in what is called the "inner space" between two coordinates. Often called "void-outs" the ships are irretrievable and permanently lost, with all hands. It is presumed that the crew simply ceases to exist, but several intentional studies have shown nothing at all, or sometimes different matter that are nearly identical with only difference quantum signatures indicating a parallel universe or as fans of a 20th century TV show call it a mirror universe.