Subspace River
The Subspace River is a generic term given to a subspace event in which tachyon particles move in one direction at high warp, and carry anything in their ‘current’ along with them. It’s estimated speed is warp 9.99997. It is, apparently, a galaxy-wide event in which a web of these events extends from system to system.
It was first discovered by the scientists at the Cochrane Research Facility, before their transfer to the Meredith Class vessel USS Cochrane.
The Subspace River has terminuses at every system with a yellow sun and super-gas giant. The reason for this is unknown, and it is also unknown how far this phenomenon extends. Current subspace theories claim that it is a galaxy-wide event; no evidence has been presented that proves otherwise. Its existence has been proven throughout the known Federation, Klingon Empire and into every corner of Federation-Explored space.
Due to the property of carrying along anything in its flow at high warp, the Subspace River is being used by the Federation as a ‘highway’ device, mostly for exploration vessels to quickly arrive and depart from far-distant locations that would take months or years under traditional methods of transportation. The greatest advantages of this method are speed and energy conservation, a target ship does not require the use of any engines to travel. The disadvantage is that the river is static, a web of inter-connecting flows from system-to-system. If the River doesn’t pass by a planned location, then the target-ship must exit the river mid-transit and continue by conventional methods.
It is easiest to enter and exit the Subspace River from a terminus. A ship need only fly into the ‘mouth’ of the river to enter. And the reverse is true for leaving; any ship in the river which reaches a terminus point coasts out and begins to decelerate upon leaving the mouth. Entering or exiting the river mid-transit is much more difficult; the Subspace River’s event horizon is small and must be entered into at precisely the correct angle lest the target vessel be destroyed. To exit the river outside of a terminus, the target vessel must alter their shield geometry to ‘skip’ out of the river. When done properly, the target ship only feels a mild bump and rapidly decelerates, or coasts’ from warp 9.99997. If done improperly, the target ship could be torn apart or shook to pieces.
Every part of the 52nd fleet has been moved even further out by way of the Subspace river, to an area of space first defined and noticed by Starfleet Explorers because of a Subspace River Terminus that forms there, a mystery alone that calls for explanation. The area of space itself is rugged, unknown and inviting. There is evidence of several peoples previously un-encountered, of resources in plenty and mysteries in the deep of space just crying out to be explored.
