Rift

A Rift is an astrographic area of low Stellar Density.

• Large rifts are often significant impediments to interstellar travel in the era of J-6 jump drives
• Please see Main for a related article.

Description (Specifications)

A Rift is a vast void containing very few, if any, stars, planets, or other bodies, though nebulae are sometimes present. Notable rifts in Charted Space include the following:

Greater Rifts (Four)

The four Greater Rifts within Charted Space are:

1. Delphi Rift, covering much of Delphi Sector
2. Great Rift, spinward of the main region of the Third Imperium
3. Lesser Rift, trailing the main region of the Third Imperium
4. Windhorn rift, coreward, mostly located in Vargr Extents space

Selected Lesser Rifts (Numerous)

There are many lesser rifts within Charted Space, some approaching the size of a greater rift, while others are barely impediments to a J-2 starship:

• Abyss Rift in the Lanth Subsector of the Spinward Marches
• Dudin-Bolivar Rift
• Helix Rift in the Vanguard Reaches Sector
• Kidunal Rift
• Keawe Rift
• Lorspane Rift
• The Maw
• Rimward Gap
• Sirius Gap
• Trojan Bight or Outrim Void
• Zhdant Abyss
• Mikikuma Nothingness

Selected Jump Bridges (Numerous)

Jump Bridges cross rifts. Some if the more prominent jump bridges located within Charted Space include:

1. J-2 Amigu-Unlshplir Jump Bridge
2. J-4 Gn'hk'r Jump Bridge
3. J-5 Trans-rift Hierate Route or Great Rift Crossing or Verge Connector
4. Pact-Remnants Mainbridge
5. Saris-Yenisei Bridge

History & Background (Dossier)

Rifts are one of the few major impediments to FTL travel using jump drives within Charted Space. There are few ways to cross a rift, and known ways include:

• Jump Bridge
• Jumpspace engines using superior technology to modern TL-15 standards.
• Misjump

Intergalactic Space & Exploration

Charted Space is but a tiny island on just one branch of just one galaxy, what Terrans call the Milky Way Galaxy. The Greater Rifts are very small disturbances within habitable tracts of stars in the Known Galaxy. Intergalactic space is vast in comparison, truly vast expanses of void between the galaxies, completely beyond any star-traversing technology projected in the near future if current research trends hold.

Coreward Exploration

No information yet available.

• Julian Colonial Core Mission
• K'kree Core Eradication
• Vargr Core Voyages
• Zhodani Core Expedition

Rimward Exploration

Several expeditions to explore rimward space and perhaps even intergalactic space have been rumored:

• Hiver Pangenesis Project of the Rim
  • No information yet available.
• The Solomani Perseus Project
  • No information yet available.
• Turokan's Expedition to the Galactic Rim
  • Turokan's Rim Expedition: Sometimes, in the back of seedy bars and taverns, salty old spacers talk of a legend, one of a great explorer and interstellar traveller known as Turokan. The legends vary greatly in detail and likely verity, but the general gist of the tales is that Turokan supposedly explored all the way out to the galactic rim... and back. No one knows the truth of it. Perhaps one day, a new band of interstellar travellers might explore the tale and bring back word of it to Charted Space.

Spinward Exploration

• Zhodani Exploration

Trailing Exploration

• K'kree Trailing Eradication

Rifts & Military Strategy

Modern interstellar naval strategy focuses on using rifts as a maneuver denying astrographic feature. They are as close as it gets to a terrestrial defensive obstacle in a world of three-dimensional starship maneuver within the vacuum of deep space.

Strategic Void Area Denial (SVAD)

No information yet available.

Jump Bridges as Choke Points

Jump Bridges, the conventional solution to smaller, more manageable rifts, take an immense outlay of resources and effort to construct and maintain.

• A Jump Bridge is never an oversight and they are immensely vulnerable to hostility including piracy.

References & Contributors (Sources)

This article is missing content for one or more detailed sections. Additional details are required to complete the article. You can help the Traveller Wiki by expanding it.

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Classic Traveller Supplement 8 Library Data (A-M)
• Classic Traveller The Traveller Book
• GURPS Traveller: First In
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science