5th Verse
The 5th Verse of the Exile as the Joint Nomad Fleet calls it, is the home verse of the humans.
Jumpgate Networks
Gate Classfication
Humans classify gates by the masses they can transfer without collapsing. Higher masses also mean larger gates. Mass limits on gates in the same class also have increased over time, but not all systems have upgraded their gates yet.
- Class W: Wormhole. Non-stabilized and temporary. Can be any mass limit.
- Class D: Data. Communications wormhole not intended for shipping.
- Class P: Parcel, up to 80 t. Mass driver-fed container gate not intended for spacecraft.
- Class X: Express, up to 200 kt. A few 50 kt gates still exist.
- Class C: Cargo, up to 300 Mt (human-built) or 700 Mt (JNF).
- Class S: Supercargo, up to 3 Gt. Observed, but never built by humans.
- Class I: Intergalactic, up to 240 Gt. Observed, but never built by humans.
Lynx Route
The 5th Verse Network, also called the Lynx Route, is the intergalactic jumpgate network built by the Joint Nomad Fleet. It connects the Milky Way to the Lynx Arc via more than a dozen galaxies.
The JNF uses only three types of shipping jumpgates. The mainline is constructed from enormous supercargo (Class S) and intergalactic gates (Class I) for their massive ships. Branch lines, mostly built by Wayward explorers, use regular cargo gates (Class C).
Within the Milky Way, some Lynx Route branch gates are accessible from human-settled systems. The largest part of the network is sealed off from other systems and — for now — used exclusively by the JNF and their intermediaries.
Accessible Gates
- From Ser South (independent / disputed):
- Tangra to Mun Hau (HD 10348, mainline terminus) to Mothallah
- HD 170347 via 60 Ser to HD 170493
- Terran Commonwealth: Tseen Ke via Naos (ζ Vel, sealed gate to Wezen) to Zeta Monoceros to 30 Mon
- Sirian Technocracy: Wezen (δ CMa, sealed gate to Naos) to Unurgunite to Liejupiru (HD 52698)
(This is a partial list.)
Human-built Networks
Humans have built their own jumpgate networks. None of them currently exceed 70.5 pc (230 ly) from Sol, tho a few lead to star systems with existing gates, such as the various Lynx Route branch gates.
- Proxima Federation: Proxima (α Cen C) to Rigil Kent (α Cen AB). Rigil Kent to Barnard's Star, Luhman 16, Ainalhai (γ Ser), Alpha Circini (α Cir).
- Sirian Technocracy: Sirius (α CMa) to Liejupiru (HD 52698), Yeji (ν2 CMa) and Beguwa (π CMa). Liejupiru to Unurgunite (σ CMa) to Wezen (δ CMa).
(This is a partial list.)
Galaxies
Milky Way
The home galaxy of humans is also the current home of the voidbrood.
Nebulae
Star Clusters
Jewel Box
Herschel's Jewel Box, also called Kappa Crucis Cluster (NGC 4755, Caldwell 94) or simply the Jewel Box, is an open cluster located some 1.97 kpc (6.44 kly) from Sol in the constellation Crux. The most prominent stars form an A-shaped asterism, with the red supergiant known as Jewel Heart near its center. The cluster contains over 100 stars, most of them blue-white giants. Located well beyond human-settled space, the cluster is Joint Nomad Fleet territory.
Settled systems in the cluster include Jewel Heart (DU Crx), Celestine (DS Crx), Haüyne (HR 4887), Larimar (BS Crx) and Kappa Crucis. Three transit systems are also considered part of the territory, tho not the cluster as such. Carminite (AO Crx) connects the cluster to the Lynx Route mainline via Carina Nexus (HD 93129). Aurichalcum (BZ Crx) connects it to Magellan (Acrux) via Lazuli (BV Crx).
Lynx Arc
The Lynx Arc is an ancient megacluster some 3.68 Gpc (12 Gly) from Sol. At the time it's observed from human-settled space (ie. in the early days of the universe), it was a starforming region home to extremely hot, young stars. When the voidbrood arrived there less than two billion years later, the most violent phase of star formation was already over.
The cluster is the origin terminus of the Lynx Route. In spite of Wayward plans to remap old territories, no JNF ships have visited the Arc in a long time.
Ser South & Wes-40
Serpens South, also called Ser South, is an open cluster located some 436 pc (1.42 kly) from Sol in the constellation Serpens. It consists of dozens of young stars and protostars in the process of formation. The cluster is obscured by the surrounding molecular cloud, but visible in infrared. Ser South is a gate nexus on the Lynx Route with seven of the older stars forming the local network.
Westerhout 40 (W40, Sharpless 64), also called Wes-40, is a star-forming region neighboring Ser South. The gate between them is currently sealed.
