encyclopedia

Hyperspace Fold

A distortion of the space-time continuum that is generated by a vessel to circumvent the limitation of the speed of light across great distances through space.

The Hyperspace Fold phenomenon is one of the advancements of Robotechnology that has permitted humankind to expand its reach to the stars. A Hyperspace Fold drive distorts the space-time continuum to generate a spherical fold "bubble" that can be transported at speeds that circumvent the limitations of the speed of light through space. A common battlefield tactic takes advantage of the range of the fold bubble to take along incapacitated vessels or to conserve Protoculture usage by simultaneously transporting groups of ships. A more daring and sparingly used technique called the "Orbital Warp Blast" can be used to cause major damage to the enemy by the shock wave of the displacement of the fold bubble.

The radius of the bubble is restricted by the capacity of the fold drive and the quantity of expendable Protoculture. The Hyperspace Fold shares a common property with Shadow Dimensional Fields in that in can mask or even shield against gravitational forces and some forms of energy.

Unfortunately, as the humans have been struggling to adapt an otherwise alien technology, early attempts to utilize this form of transportation were met with mixed results due to the limited range and reliability of systems recovered from salvaged alien vessels. The Second Robotech War was plagued by the separation of the Expeditionary Forces across vast distances of the galaxy before human engineers were able to independently mass-produce more capable and reliable fold systems. By the end of the Third Robotech War, most of these obstacles had been overcome, except for limitations in the supply of Protoculture to power the fold drives themselves.