Warp Jump
From Lexicanum
A warp jump, or warp travel, is a form of faster-than-light travel which works by exploiting the relationship between real and warp space. A warp jump consists of entering the warp from real space, traveling the currents of the warp, and then reentering real space light years away. Various races and empires make use of warp travel, most notably the human Imperium. Eldar as a rule do not use warp travel, but make use of the Webway for similar faster than light travel.
Entering the warp can, like many things, further disturb the fabric of the warp. It is said to be like a drop of water landing in a larger pool of water, with ripples coming out in all directions. Often a warp jump can give away the position of a ship, allowing others to home in on the signal.
The warp is entered through the use of warp drives. For each point in the galaxy, there is a corresponding point in the warp. When a ship enters the warp, it travels the currents of the warp. The ship then leaves the warp, dropping back into real space, having bypassed light years of galactic space.
Imperial ships using the warp rely on both the psychic beacon known as the Astronomican and the mutant Navigators in order to make relatively safe and accurate warp jumps. Navigators alone have the ability to perceive this psychic light. The beacon's power, though immense, is limited, and cannot reach beyond the galaxy, while the part of the galaxy known as the Eastern Fringe is not reached at all - consequently the region is almost completely unexplored. Warp Storms and the massive Tyranid Hive Fleets can disrupt and block the beacon, making warp travel far more dangerous and unpredictable.
Two types of jump can be made, a calculated jump and a piloted jump.
Calculated jumps rely on the warp maintaining a constant stability during the jump, and short movements can be made without the need of a Navigator as the warp engines have a mechanical version built in. This is good enough for short jumps but on longer jumps it is too dangerous as they encounter changes in the currents of the warp.
Piloted jumps are much more efficient as they use the psychic powers of the Navigator. These special mutants can literally see the warp and make use of the Astronomican, guiding the ship from warp current to warp current. This allows for much safer and longer jumps.
- Entering the warp can occur in two ways
- Through the activation of a powerful warp drive, usually aboard a large space craft
- Entering a large warp rift, such as the Eye of Terror or Maelstrom, and passing through some form of region in which real and warp space merge
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Tau
The Tau do not directly enter the warp as they have no knowledge of the warp other than its existence. They travel by 'diving' towards the warp and skimming the edge. While this is much slower, it is much safer and more predictable. This limited form of warp travel has resulted in the Tau empire being closely packed, where the Imperium is dispersed throughout the entire galaxy.
Time Distortion
There is an unknown time difference between real space and the warp. While a ship travels in the warp for what may be hours from its own perspective, days or weeks could pass in real space. Sometimes, ships and fleets within the warp can be caught in time bubbles for hundreds of years. This can lead to many strange events such as space fleets disappearing and only arriving hundreds of years later, and armies being sent across the galaxy to defend a threatened planet, only to arrive many years later, the planet already being long lost to humanity and overrun by aliens. There is little to suggest that you can emerge before you enter however - but with the nature of the warp, anything is possible.
Sources
- White Dwarf 140, Jervis Johnson, Andy Jones, Simon Forrest & Rick Priestley
