An Engineer's Guide to the Technology of the Mass Effect Universe
A/N: Shorter than usual, but my wrist still hurts. Editing Gang didn't go over most of this, so this can surprise them too.
Jason Valthez adjusted the strap on his front armor plate nervously, glancing around the room as he did so. The fact that the briefing room was being sealed with EM blocks and sound dampeners was only slightly more concerning than the trio of Black Rendition Commissars at the front of the room with blank expressions.
Given the rumors about Black Rendition – a line of the Commissariat responsible for the direct control or nullification of 'moral' threats to the Systems Alliance, a group shrouded in mystery, myth, and showers of Red Notes – their presence was not Good News. But isolating the room was something they didn't do unless there could be no chance of a leak, and that always meant Very Bad Things.
The fact that the majority of the people in the room were soldiers didn't help the feeling in his gut. The room had three more researchers like him – Susan Benson, specializing in AI constructs, Kurt Phorisma, the project's lead containment and security guru, and – most worryingly – Dr. Abena Mbeka, one of the Ache Lameo specialists focusing on GOI-545 technology.
That didn't bode for pretty much anything fucking good at all.
The rest of the seats were taken up by heavily armed soldiers, every one of which appeared to be full cyborg conversions and clutching an alarming amount of heavy weapons. The front of the briefing room was taken up by a wide viewscreen and the imposing bulk of Colonel Sahu, her dark features looking as close as she could get to concerned.
The screen flickered, displaying the Alliance R&D logo, then cleared, showing Admiral Vandefar standing next to a tall, thin man in AIS colors and a haggard looking man with an N7 flash on his battered armor.
Vandefar's voice was grim sounding. "Commissar Geson, is the room secure?"
The tallest of the three black-coated Commissars gave a stiff nod. "Level IX secure, Admiral. My people are guarding all exits and Legio XII of the Silver Legions is on oversight. All attendees have been gene-verified, voice-verified, and produced both correct identification and 2FA passcode. Jammers and blockers are active."
The Admiral nodded slowly, then faced the group of seated men and women. "This is an operational briefing. The security of this is SUPERNOVA-OMEGA SIX, but everything is completely off the books per direct order – and Red Note – from the High Lords of Sol after an emergency meeting."
Her gaze traveled across the faces in the room. "Practically speaking, if you ever divulge anything in this operation to anyone not personally cleared by Alliance R&D you will be handed over to Black Rendition as a presumed traitor or infiltrator. All samples and recordings taken during this operation will be overseen and cataloged by Black Rendition. All operational limits, including deadly force, use of weapons of mass destruction, and authorization of eezo-antimatter inversion explosives, are explicitly authorized with no need for approval or second-check. Absolutely no recordings, logs, or documentation of the events that I describe or that will transpire shortly are to be created."
Valthez swallowed. EAM weapons were explicitly banned by the Citadel Council with threats of expulsion if used, as they had a nasty tendency to tear holes into space-time and ruin entire planets. They also had a bad habit of continuing to explode without stopping, due to some bizarre dark energy interaction. And not logging or recording was complete anathema to normal or even covert ops.
He focused his attention on the screen as it flickered to a representation of a solar system.
"Approximately 2200 hours two days ago, Alliance AIS intercepted deep-space comms relay data due to what we believe is a technical failure on the part of the sending party's encryption. The signal was broadcast on a private, stealthed ISCS network, but crossed over into main-trunk BBCR transmission between Hawking Eta, Haas, and Arcturus. Digital Forensics has not been able to determine the target of the transmission at this time, and the identity of who owns or built the ISCS sats is, at this time, also unknown.
"Only fragments of the data were obtained, but analysis by Digital Forensics led the AIS to dispatch a surveillance mission. The transmission was traced to a deep-space station of unknown provenance, constructed using off-the-shelf materials and generic modules from human, asari, and turian contractors. We've been unable to traceback purchases of this material and some of it looks to match manifests of bulk traders attacked over two years ago."
An image of a non-descript tubular station flashed, solar panels reflecting the sunlight from the type B star in the background.
Vandefar continued. "The station was abandoned and not functional. There was extensive evidence of some kind of firefight – all using human weapons – and bloodstains on several surfaces. There were no bodies recovered. Someone had managed to wipe the central computer of all data, but the Silver Legion was able to reconstruct some of it. The station was a stopover and relay for the terror network known as the 'Hand of Hades.' "
The image changed to that of a shattered, smoking light-cruiser.
"AIS investigators working with the Legion managed to reconstruct some of what happened. The station was attacked by another Hades ship, which docked and overwhelmed the defenders before wiping the computer and leaving. Tracking data allowed us to find the ship, which was headed for the Haas Trade Lane relay."
The image zoomed in on the cruiser.
"AIS elements found the ship – formerly SCL Dakar, decommmed two years ago and sold to private investors after demilitarization. The ship was dead in space, with several hull breaches from within, but no sign of external attack."
Vandefar gave a soft sigh, the image changing to show an internal shot of a stock SA light-cruiser, except for the internal damage and corpses. "No survivors were found. Based on fragments of logs and security footage, the cruiser was lightly crewed, and was trying to reach some kind of secure location after doing a 'full wipe.' The majority of the dead had lesions consistent with first or second-state Thanoptis Syndrome, a key indicator of being in close proximity to GOI-545 technology."
The image blanked, showing Vandefar again. "A thorough investigation of the ship and its crew did not yield many answers. Most of the dead had brutally killed one another, or committed suicide. The ship had several hull breaches from an attempt to scuttle it by what we believe were un-indoctrinated personnel. They did succeed in damaging the engine sufficiently to stop it."
The Admiral gestured to the battered N7 soldier next to her. "Major Alex Ryder and his unit were clearing the ship when they were attacked by what have been codenamed as 'husks.' Husks are post-mortal human remains animated by advanced nanotechnology and anomalous cybernetic interfaces. They were first encountered on Eden Prime by Commander Shepard, and on multiple occasions since then alongside geth. They were also encountered in massive numbers during the Collector attack on Horizon.
"Major Ryder lost most of his unit to these husks, and managed to destroy the rest only with great difficulty. Unlike husks previously encountered, these were highly resistant to impact, explosions, or kinetic damage, and could discharge electrical blasts at range. Twenty-seven husks were destroyed in the cargo hold, and another fifteen in a secondary cargo hold. Both cargo hold doors had been sealed and welded shut, but showed signs that something had been trying to get into them."
Vandefar tapped her desk, and the image was replaced by a star map, zooming in on a system. "It took almost a full day to decipher some of what was recorded and found on the cruiser, and on the station. It appears that Hades has discovered something very dangerous in the Thorne System, out in Hawking Eta."
The image zoomed into what Valthez assumed was a gas giant. "Mnemosyne is a thirty-plus J-scale gas giant with a massive gravitational pull. Not usable for He-3 mining, no moons, orbits at a slant to the rest of the system. The system is a barren one – two small inner planets with no usable mineral content aside from iron, a small asteroid field of carbon frags, and no Oort cloud worth mentioning. A perfect system if you want obscurity.
"On the cruiser, we found navigation data that the ship came from that system, from a base in orbit around it. Once we deployed a scout drone to the system, we found… this."
The image shifted again, showing a huge gas giant glowing a faint, sullen red. In the forefront of the picture was a massive, twisted and misshapen blob of darkness. The image zoomed and resolved several times, until the lenticular shape was recognizable.
"This is a Reaper derelict, orbiting the gas giant. There are multiple hull breaches of the main body, some of which appear to also breach interior areas of unknown providence. A human modular design station is built into one of the hull breaches. There are signs of extensive damage to the station and two, small, frigate-scale ships that are wrecked a short distance from the station. Initial scans seem to indicate the ships were probably destroyed by the cruiser."
She paused, her voice sounding wry for a moment. "Most of our sensor scans aren't penetrating the Reaper itself. Magres and FADAR show nothing at all – heat signature is minimal. Anything more robust is going to require ranges of far less than the estimated point eight light-minute range of the Reaper main weapon. Additionally, our attempt at unmanned exploration failed. Unfortunately, that means we are flying blind."
The image blanked. Vandefar appeared on the screen a moment later. "While a chance to research a direct aspect of GOI-545 technology would be a valuable boon, the complete destruction of this Hades operation combined with what we know of indoctrination means it is very dangerous. As I said, we have already attempted robotic exploration of the facility – our mech probes encountered what we can only describe as… anomalous difficulties and went offline within ten minutes of arrival."
The Admiral smiled thinly and unkindly. "The High Lords are not prepared at this time to attempt to secure the system, as it is very close to the lawless Terminus and within two jumps of a turian separatist colony. There's nothing here worth our time besides the Reaper, and transit distance means any damned STG cell or Blackwatch surveillance op will pick up on transit in large enough numbers to secure the system pretty quickly. Smaller forces could be fed in, piecemeal… but there is another risk with that. We cannot take the risk of the Citadel Council assuming humanity is researching Reaper technology outside of the agreed upon limits.
"Given the gas giant is not useful for He-3 mining and the rest of the system is barren, worthless rocks, it is unlikely anyone would FTL here and find the wreck… but we can't take that chance. It's clear Hades destroyed ships fleeing this operation and we can only assume something has gone horribly wrong. That leaves us with only one choice: neutralization."
Valthez did not like where this was going. At all.
"Colonel Sahu will provide you with your operational orders, but I wish to state a few things first. Your goals are simple. Destroy both wrecked frigates in such a fashion that they cannot be identified as human ships. Board the station. Recover any usable data and isolate the reasons behind any anomalous behavior if possible. Plant explosive charges and destroy the station utterly. Once this is complete, use a series of remote-piloted ships to push the Reaper derelict out of orbit and into Mnemosyne's gravity well where it will be… hidden… by the gas giant.
"Colonel, it's up to you now. Report back once you've finished the job."
The screen blanked and the Colonel folded her massive arms. "Listen up. Hades fucked-up something fierce on this one, and we are doing clean-up. If the Council found us mucking about with a Reaper derelict without having told them of it, they would freak… and based on what we found of Reaper tech, mucking with it is pretty stupid."
She glanced around. "I know most of you are thinking Hades isn't Alliance. I honestly don't know if Hades answers to someone in the Alliance or not… just like Cerberus used to. The Old Lady has her suspicions on this, and frankly, the High Lords are usually never willing to just hand out Council-defying Red Notes at the drop of a hat. That they are now means they're more than just 'concerned,' and… I know Alex Ryder. It takes a lot to shake that man, and he looks like he just aged a decade. Whatever he saw is bad and if aliens think we're linked to it…"
She trailed off and grimaced, then continued. "That means we – humans – probably have some exposure. No matter. We're soldiers and scientists, not politicians or cops. This is a fucking sweep and clean, so do it by the numbers. We go in, neutralize any hostiles, download or copy whatever Hades found, grab any artifacts, and get the fuck out."
"I won't lie, this is the most dangerous op we've ever authorized. Direct contact and exploration of a Reaper derelict is no doubt going to be unpleasant. And this is not going to be a simple run. Hades is mostly made up, according to the AIS, of hardened ex-Marines and other professional soldiers, not recycled civvies like Cerberus was. That means they were overwhelmed and outfought and went crazy – and we could end up the same way if we are not careful."
She gestured to her belt, where a wide badge of white plastic with black inlay was clipped. "Ache Lameo has come up with what we hope are exposure detectors for Thanoptic Mental Derangement. We get to test it out in live conditions. The film inside the badge you can see through the little window here is treated with chemicals and nanotech that will react to exposure. It will turn from black to blue, then yellow, then red and finally white. If we're right, as long as your badges don't go past red you are fine. If at any time your badge shows red, you will fall back immediately. Anyone with a white-film badge will be shot in the head and incinerated with absolutely no exceptions."
There was absolute silence at that, and Sahu gave a thin, cruel smile before she pointed at the soldiers. "From what we know, Thanoptic Mental Derangement – or 'indoctrination' – is made up of many things. Some of it is sonic, some is nanotech bullshit, and some of it is… an energy field or something. We're unsure of the details and – as you can imagine – researching exposure is kind of a non-starter. We've done what we can. All of you have been given a sealed environmental suit that is coated with protective nanoemitters. The helmets you have are aurally isolated. Studies show that a full-conversion cyborg can last the longest when exposed to Reaper tech, but we don't have good mean time to failures on that. We'll see what the badges do in that regard. The suit should theoretically protect you for some time, but we're leading with the cyborgs, since you have the most chance of running into… enhanced areas of contamination."
The grizzled Master Sergeant in front gave a grunt. "Fair enough, ma'am. My boys can do it. What's our command hierarchy and dispatch?"
Colonel Sahu tapped her own chest. "Splitting into teams. All Marines go in to the initial landing area and secure the landing zone. The researchers and I will follow the combat teams in once a landing area is secured. The navy pukes will clear up the wrecks and prep to shove the Reaper into the gas giant while we do our job. Marine Team One is sweep and clear. Marine Teams Two and Three are support. Marine Team Four will remain with me and the science guys at all times. Marine Team Five will unlimber the EAM detcharge once we land and will remain at the landing area, with orders to blow us all to hell if security goes down or we have signs that the combat or science team is compromised.
"You've been issued special weapons that we think will do better against these husks than the existing ones we are used to using. We go in, do a sweep and clear, have a detailed search and download, and then we are done. Any questions?"
One of the big soldiers up front stood. "When do we ship out?"
Sahu glanced at her watch. "Two hours. Check every part of your kit and make sure you have fallback plans ready to go. You've got enough time for lunch – I'd recommend eating lightly, given where we're headed. Once we get going, there's no turning back."
Dr. Mbeka stood. "Are we really going to destroy a derelict instead of further research? I'm aware of the dangers, but Hades is hardly a group of careful scientists, and the fact they failed does not mean we would."
Sahu shrugged, but the Commissar next to her spoke in a cool voice. "The recovery team aboard the Dakar indicated most of the crew had gone insane. We saw people pulled limb from limb, injuries consistent with human teeth marks, and one instance where someone had torn their own throat out using powered tools. Major Ryder is very experienced and had a full reinforced company of vets – including a fire team of DACT – and suffered almost ninety percent casualties."
The Commissar gave a small shrug. "We do not know what went wrong and we are disinclined to take any chances."
Sahu gave a slow nod. "There is one other thing. There is low-level energy emitting from the derelict. The hull blocks most of our scans and the damned sensors can't tell what kind of energy it is. The wreck… may not be completely inoperable. For all we know, the thing could turn back on at any time. While it is heavily damaged, it would inflict incredible damage on any fleets it encountered. Studying something like this – that drove people crazy and could get us in real trouble with the Council – is bad enough, but if it came back on…"
She trailed off then gestured. "You get the idea. Dismissed. I expect full kitouts ready by no later than 1100. We'll eat and then head out at 1230 with arrival at 1700. If things go well, you'll be back in time for a nap before morning chow."
Jason merely sighed, then turned to head back to his quarters. He idly decided to browse some more of the tech guide while he waited for the galley to open up. Remembering Sahu bitching about sensors, he flipped around looking for that section again
FTL-Accelerated Technologies
While the primary use of the mass effect is typically considered to be faster-than-light travel, most FTL tech is actually in the realm of communications, sensor technology, computer acceleration, and gravitic manipulation and control. These fields include a great deal of high-level math, topographic physics, and other esoteric subjects that are not germane to your required level of understanding.
That being said, at the very least, a basic working knowledge of each of these is required for all Alliance R&D and Engineering personnel, as they literally form the backbone of much of what allows any interstellar nation to function effectively. You are not expected to be able to map out the z-curve over time of a comm network's range, but you are expected to understand how to cut a comm network's effective lines of transmission.
To review, the mass effect is the result of utilizing electrical current or charge into a mass of eezo. Specifically, when utilized in a charged circuit, the charge polarity into the eezo can increase or decrease mass. As changing the function of mass affects the speed of light, lowering the base mass threshold results in light moving faster than its normal rate of baseline C.
Mass effect travel using eezo cores and physical objects builds up electrical charge (from broken electron bonds) and thus limits both how fast and how far ships can travel. When used to modulate particles or energy, however, charge is meaningless and thus, signals can be accelerated to incredible velocities.
FTL Communications Theory
There are three main 'trunks' of the intragalactic comms-network: BBRC, TTL, and ISCL.
BBRC is 'Backbone Broadcast Relay Circuit.' This is a series of unmanned stations paired on either side of primary (cross galactic) relays and most secondary (cross cluster) relays. These stations contain powerful mass effect generators and remote-link triggers for their associated mass relay.
A BBRC receives either TTL or ISCL signals and encodes them in encrypted format. This is then 'coded' into a coherent cylinder of various gases in an excited state that is launched into an active mass relay connection. The gases are held in place by the mass force generator, a device that can generate extremely low-durability 'shapes' of mass effect fields. These shapes are so weak as to be useless for most other applications.
The cylinder will not 'come apart' during transmission via relay as it happens almost instantly.
The receiving station performs spectrography on the gases pattern to receive the message and then translates into a normal TTL signal.
BBRC is a messy system. Using various gases to encode data is not a lossless conversion, and as such, BBRC is restricted to text only. However, given it uses the relays to cover large portions of the galaxy instantly, it is the fastest method to send simple messages rapidly to anywhere.
BBRC, by its nature, is not a secure transmission source. The BBRC stations are open for use to all, and anyone with a spectrometer who observes the reception can decode and understand the message. As such, most BBRC transmissions of a secretive nature are text phrases using non-replacement character one-time-pad phrases.
BBRC has several channels, set apart by the mix of gases used. Longer and more complex messages rely on heavier elements that will retain gaseous cohesion longer and do not intermix freely. Most BBRC pairs are paid for by national governments in conjunction with the Citadel, and the providing government has priority transmission rights over all other traffic – but must accept all traffic without fail.
TTL is 'Transmitted Text Language.' While it started out as text-only, over time it has evolved, and modern TTL is a far more robust system, using laser-burst to replicate binary data. It can encode text (what it was designed for), but also compressed and encrypted forms of rich media and haptic code-maps. TTL has a number of sub-modes and categories that are not important here. What is important is that TTL is the primary comms method used throughout the galaxy.
TTL relies on straight-line transmission from dedicated arrays in orbit around most planets and a series of deep-space satellites. Mostly it is used within contiguous spaces, as even when hyper accelerated to many times the speed of light, a signal from the rim would take almost four days to reach the other rim. When in closer proximity (less than 500 ly), TTL is real-time and instant, however.
Almost seventy percent of current TTL bandwidth is consumed for extranet propagation and the ETTL-C network protocol ensures that high priority messages can usurp this in case of emergency.
Unlike BBRC, TTL is considered semi-secure. It is robust enough that many methods of conventional encryption can work and – as each signal is encoded with a destination – is not easily monitored without very expensive and detailed equipment and a fair amount of luck. TTL satellites are manufactured, paid for, and operated by the Citadel Council, and as such, must transmit all traffic equally. Taxes and a usage fee pay for the system's operation.
ISCS, or 'InterStellar Communications System,' is the most extensive comms system. Comprised of tens of millions of FTL-capable buoys, ISCS mimics part of the TTL system by using FTL-accelerated laser links between satellite chains, but also mimics the BBRC system by having larger sats at most primary and secondary relays to pulse lasers when a ship activates the mass relay. The laser-pulse is usually less than a second and is carefully timed to coincide with the relay's activation, which is usually triggered by dedicated 'transfer' ships that make one relay hop every hour.
ISCS is faster than TTL over long distances, and is far more robust in what can be transmitted than BBRC. However, the network of satellites is very expensive to both operate and maintain, and it is expensive to send messages this way. All ISCS networks are either property of the government that built them or – in a few cases – extremely wealthy private corporations or organizations.
ISCS nets can be smaller for in-system or even planetary use with a trio of satellites, and due to the laser link nature of the comms and private ownership, is usually seen as the most secure of the linktypes.
There are rumors that several groups – including the hanar, Cerberus, and the terror network known as the 'League of Zero' – have discovered a method of using entangled quantum pairs for communications. Thus far, Alliance scientists have been unable to replicate this due to observational collapse of quantum states – this method appears to violate what we understand of how physics works. In theory, it would allow instant real-time communications across vast distances, but the links would only work in pairs and would require dedicated setup.
Communications Ramifications
The Alliance operates sixteen channels on an Alliance-wide hardened ISCS network known as 'SA-NET.' SA-NET transmits six channels for government use, four for military, four for educational and engineering purposes, and licenses off time slots for the other two channels. The Alliance and the asari both jointly upkeep and operate the asari/human BBRC network, linking Earth and all Class III colonies with Thessia and all mainline 'Ocean-level' colonies – roughly a hundred worlds total.
The SA operates two TTL networks, 'SA-Public Comms' and 'SA-Extranet Backbone.' The HLoS, the Commissariat, the Corporate Court, and the Court of Independent Colonial Affairs operate their own TTL nets.
A good deal of effort, time, and technology have gone into securing our comms-network. In a serious war, we are likely to lose a large portion of the TTL and ISCS sats, but all of our BBRC sats are incorporated into defense stations, and a small number of 'critical' comms-links are using stealthed sats to ensure some level of TTL comms throughput.
Jamming signals vary in execution depending on the network, redundancy, and re-transmit options. In some cases, there are 'bottlenecks' that can be destroyed, but most networks have several backup routes.
FTL Sensor Technology
Given that space combat only occurs within gravity wells where conventional FTL drives rapidly lose power, it should be no surprise that a great deal of successful combat is identifying enemy forces. Ships are visible to camera-enhanced detection at ranges no greater than one to two light-minutes. By 'visible,' we mean there are physical objects in images that a computer search can identify as 'something is there.'
Clear physical-visual confirmation is only possible within less than ten light-seconds.
Beyond this range, there are four primary sensor types: FTL particle accelerated distance and range (FADAR), FTL backscatter temperature sensing (FBTS), and magnetic field distortion resonance at range (MFDR2) are 'direct' sensors. Tachyon-burst grid identification (or GRID) is passive detection.
GRID is used to simply detect incoming FTL events – usually from a starship exiting FTL travel at the edge of a gravity well. While tachyon physics is still poorly understood, all ships leaving FTL generate a wake of tachyons that erupt forward at FTL speeds once they disengage the FTL field around the ship. This wake is diffuse and weak, and sensors are usually only able to pick it up in open space at a distance to provide a very rough bearing. A larger ship generates a larger wake, although classification is only binary – light (sub cruiser) or heavy (cruiser and above).
FADAR is the primary method of locking up a target within engagement-range, which is between two and fifteen light-minutes. FADAR works by using a mass effect field to accelerate particles at an already spotted or detected target, and using bearing change and parallax to determine range. FADAR is too indiscrete to profile a ship beyond very rough class – sub-capital, capital, and dreadnought. Most uses of FADAR are for navigational purposes to avoid hard to detect objects (Kuiper belt drift, asteroids, etc.) and to provide range and bearing solutions for missile launches.
FBTS is used further out for initial detection. All starships create heat when transiting in FTL and more in-system. While picking up engine flare was once viable, almost every ship in modern times has baffles and methods of concealing that. The heat that suffuses the hull, however, cannot be freely dissipated – it has to be either soaked (in heatsinks) or radiated (convection does not work in a vacuum, after all).
Using mass effect-accelerated lasers in staggered, programmed sequences, a map of particle movement (the primary result of heat) can be measured roughly. While this is not exact by any means, it does allow for an area with a suspected contact to be measured and identify any hotspots. This kind of sensor detection can happen at ranges up to the edge of a solar system, although it works much better the closer in a ship gets (and the less ability it has to dump heat).
FBTS at closer ranges can be used to profile and identify ships based on heat-map distributions, showing the rough shape and outline of the vessel in question. The drawback is that FBTS systems are slow – they have to measure over a period of time, and FTL accelerating the laser inevitably generates blue-shifted 'stray' particles that indicate the scan is happening. At long distances, hiding behind comets or other bodies completely blocks detection.
MFDR2 is a salarian sensor system that was sold to the Alliance some time ago. It uses massively accelerated magnetic waves (via FTL from a dedicated eezo core setup) to create large magnetic pulses at FTL speeds that will interact and deform if they hit metallic objects. While this method is even slower than FBTS, a ship with sustained dump charge from FTL travel simply cannot evade detection from this kind of sensor.
MFDR2 is broadly generated and can only indicate a very rough bearing, but is a solid indicator of something in-system and is usable at very long-range (1 AU or more). While some work on nonferrous hull materials and magnetic isolation has made things trickier, these are the best sensors to pick up on incoming FTL vessels. Conversely, they aren't much use in identifying ships arriving via mass relay.
All of these systems work in tandem with heavy computer oversight and heuristic pattern analysis. Positive ID of ships often requires direct line of sight, which is why almost all FTL lanes and mass relays are ringed with small cameras, RADAR systems, and other methods of positive identification. The creation of photonic cloaking and heat cloaking, alongside improvements in magnetic isolation, have made GRID systems more popular, but almost all ships will use all four sensor types where possible.
Sensor Ramifications
The Alliance tends to have three layers of sensor detection in our systems: a GRID array covering 360 degrees at system's edge as well as upper and lower ecliptic planes; a focused steerable MFDR2 along most approach lines to any actual colony worlds, and a series of satellites at mid-system terminator with FBTS and FADAR systems. Ground FADAR and RADAR installations as well as penetrating magnetic resonance scanners finish out most detection networks.
Jamming or spoofing sensor results is critical to achieving space superiority, and is a race between ship design and sensor development. So far, achieving real-time 'wide' coverage using accelerated EM radiation or particles simply requires too much power to use effectively, resulting in piecemeal coverage being the norm.
Gravitic Control and Manipulation
As you're no doubt aware, the level of gravity you are accustomed to on a terrestrial surface does not exist in space. While zero-g offers some benefits (particularly in terms of some industrial and medical fields), no race known today – except vorcha – can handle long durations in zero-g conditions well.
As such, the main method of gravity control is using mass effect fields to artificially increase mass in thin plates of durable material, thus generating an artificial gravity well. This allows for the generation of anywhere from 0.4 g to 1.5 g under almost all circumstances. The same method can be used – to an extent – to assist in nullifying high-g forces during evasive maneuvers.
The generation equipment to create this effect is too large to fit on fighters, bombers, gunships, and most system patrol boats. Frigates and smaller escort ships often have gravity set to a touch lighter than standard to reduce power consumption, while larger capital ships can set multiple gravity types – gym sections can typically be increased to 1.2 g for additional workout difficulty.
While there has been some work done on ranged gravitic manipulation, most of it is very short-range and used in construction work and/or drydocking. There are no magical 'tractor' beams – mass-locking (using a grav-beam to anchor a ship) is limited to well under one hundred fifty meters, and usually requires that both ships sync maneuver thrusters.
The asari use very advanced gravitic control methods to create both warp swords and Silaris armor, while the human hyperscoop also utilizes it for filtering and compression. It has applications in prison containment, materials isolation, and several other fields.
Weaponization of gravitic field is still ongoing. The Kyle-class shipkiller torpedoes were created using very powerful mass effect fields to nullify and compress flakes of neutron star material, and were ruinously expensive in return for unrivaled killing power.
Gravitic Ramifications
Sabotage, damage, or malicious alteration of enemy grav fields is one of the best methods known to nullify or capture enemy starships. If it can be pulled off, it creates a great deal of chaos on a ship. While all naval and A-rate Marines are trained in zero-g maneuver and combat, training is always an approximation. In actual combat, zero-g is a very difficult environmental actor to deal with – especially when under enemy fire.
Some gravitic construction equipment or industrial containment can be rigged into traps or other damaging effects. Keep in mind that complete destabilization of the mass effect field means all that mass goes away and is typically translated into kinetic or heat energy.
This can be lethal at close proximity.
Jason looked up at the haptic screen across from him as it flashed its message.
Chow will be served in fifteen minutes. Prep for inspection prior to breakfast and eat lightly.
