Jump Drives

Jump Drives are the standard means of interstellar travel by any group. It is common to use Jump Drives in conjuction with Jump Stations which greatly increases the distance of the jump.

Mechanics
Essentially, Jump Drives work by punching a hole through this dimension, the "Prime Space" into another called "Jump Space" where the laws of physics don't apply as much. The Jump Drives launch you through the hole, into jump space, and you are sling-shotted towards your destination. However, there is a problem with taking Prime Space objects and putting them into Jump Space. The issue is best desribed as taking the north pole of two magnets and trying to push them together: It's not impossible, but it requires energy. Launching a ship into Jump Space requires the drive to exert a lot of energy to keep it there. When the drive's energy is depleted, the ship is pushed back into its own dimension.

A Jump Station works by amplifying the energy output of your engines, as well as using it's own energy to launch you further.

Specialized Jump Drives
Most Jump Drives are the product of the Earth company called I-Con. I-Con exclusively makes a standard Jump Drive. However thee are a number of companies and hobbyists that create specialized Jump Drives. The most notable of these are the Double-Fire, and Triple-Fire Jump Drives.

Double-Fire Jump Drives consist of twin drive core. The first drive, known as the primary, opens the hole to jump space and coasts along until the energy is depleted, at which point the secondary drive fires up, which keeps the ship in Jump Space twice as long. Another variety, which is made mostly by hobbyists, fires the secondary drive immediatly after entering Prime Space. These are usually looked down upon because they cause too many holes in space in such a short time.

Triple-Fire Jump Drives are basically the same as the Double-Fire, except they have a third, or tertiary drive. This allows the ship to stay in Jump Space for three times the length of a normal drive.

Alleged Damage to Space
When Jump Space pushes a ship back into its own dimension, it doesn't make a clean hole, it rips a hole in space time. Some theorize that these rips can go on to become spacial distortions, or even wormholes. Others believe that the rip seals back up, and cite the incompatability of both dimensions to eachother as a sign that no area of jump space would linger.

Best Way to Combat the Problem
Rather than allow Jump Space to push you back into Prime Space, which would cause the rip, it is considered best to manually go back to Prime Space before the drive energy runs out. This will leave a nice clean portal to close up behind you. The only problem with this method is that it cuts the distance of most jumps by a lightyear, meaning that more jumps may be required for the trip.

Laws
To remain on the safe side, there is a galactic law requiring that anyone using a Jump Drive must be licensed and authorized to use it, that insures that the pilot is educated on how to best use the drive. Also, many local juridictions have made laws that restrict the use of Specialized Jump Drives including Double-Fire, and Triple-Fire Jump Drives.