Jackhammer Platforms

While Wayhalls facilitate intergalactic travel, intrasystem travel is handled by a engineering marvel that combines mecha and metatech to provide a fast 'mass-transit' option that allows ships to ferry across the system at extreme speeds.

These structures use a kinetic sling combined with magnetic acceleration to send a flat 'sled' carreening through space like a railgun projectile. The Sled is designed to be returned via small corrective thrusts that send the sled on a return course to the station.

The launching platform itself carries a magazine of sleds, and handles everything from cargo freighters to personal vessels. If a ship can find space on a sled, it can park and take a ride.

Usually the platforms come a cost, as replacing components and replacing Meta Casks can become expensive to maintain.

The ship drifted into a massive chamber, a cylindrical cavern designed to take vessels twenty times the size of their own. The ship floated downwards, the landing pads thudded onto the deck of the chamber. The pair of Nasyk knew their pilot had to communicate because his sports broadcast went silent.

"This is FWS Crawdad, Chamber 3. Reporting green, green, and green. 3 Souls, Valoo. 1 dot 5 Months. Permission to send, Trigger." He sounded far more relaxed talking to fellow wayfarers than he did to the Nasyk. The platform surrounding their vessel roared to life, traveling up and around in a steady clockwise rotation. The rumbles of machinery shook through the deck to tingle at Raihn and Urnast's feet legs. The climb before the drop. "Thanks Trigger. Peace."

Mass Transit for Space Ships

Within systems, Jackhammers are set up to provide a highway between planets. Well established colonies will often have an orbital Jackhammer to transport ships to the Wayhall or to other points of interest such as space stations or moons.