Unstable Space

Unstable Space is a jump shoal region primarily located in Halcyon Sector, in the Distant Fringe, though the trailing edge of the anomaly lies just within Far Home Sector.

• It is a poorly understood astrographic feature.
• It defies the laws of physics and spacetime.

Details (Specifications)

Unstable Space lies within the Harmal Deep, a region of lower stellar density that forms part of the Border Rifts.

Unstable Space is an irregularly shaped region measuring approximately 6 parsecs coreward-rimward by 9 parsecs spinward-trailing and affecting an area of approximately 30 parsecs. Unstable Space lies within a broad astrographic void called the Harmal Deep. Within Unstable Space it is unusually difficult to enter jump space, and travelling across the shoal diminishes the capabilities of jump drives generally.

• A jump-1 ship cannot enter jump space at all in this region; any vessel attempting to do so will suffer drive damage, as well as damage to the physical structure of the vessel.
• A jump-2 capable vessel can enter jump within Unstable Space, but will only cover one parsec before being dropped back into normal space. Fuel consumption is normal for the drive. Long range vessels have been able to cross the shoal and survey the systems that lie within it.

Systems

A number of star systems lie within Unstable Space:

• Cleistra, a desolate ball of rock.
• Harmal, a marginal world orbiting a giant star.
• Esulim, a temperate garden world.
• Estos, an ice-capped satellite of a gas giant.
• Farsoon, a stony planetoid belt.

History & Background (Dossier)

The feature has been known of for millennia but its exact area of effect was finally defined by the University of Tal Varisa Deep Sky Program. Its existence became accepted public knowledge rather than myth and rumour following publication of the "Where The Stars End" Astrographic Survey in 5550AD.

There are persistent tales of "Jump Phantoms" and "Jump Demons", said to be entities that manifest aboard vessels in jump space within the region. Normally inactive sensors track "Jump Shadows", signatures that supposedly match the starships vector within jump space but which originate beyond its jump field. Such data is regarded as unreliable.

• The 3V Entertainment show Dark Secrets of the Hidden Void stages vivid and sensationalist reconstructions of spooky incidents, strange encounters and mysterious disappearances that have occurred around the Unstable Space region.

Image Repository

TravellerMap:
[1]

Worlds & Sectors (Astrography)

This astrographic feature is primarily found in the following areas:
Uncharted Space - Distant Fringe:

• Far Home Sector
  • Natar Subsector
• Halcyon Sector
  • Abidal Subsector

World Listing: 1105

The following systems and worlds are associated with this astrographic feature:

4 of 4 World articles in Unstable Space

Estos  •  Esulim  •  Farsoon  •  Harmal  •  

startbacknext(4 listed)

References & Contributors (Sources)

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.

• Martin Dougherty The Great Rift, (Mongoose Traveller, 2018)
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master Scout Emeritus Adie Alegoric Stewart of the IISS
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science