Engine

The current design of the engine used for Stenza spacecraft is modeled after their adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase, and has been the preferred model for almost a century.

Utility

Although some craft, such as The Lawgiver, are designed to never make planetfall (and therefore have their own engine needs), the most common uses of an engine are to propel a craft past the escape velocity of a planet and provide it the ability to change course while in the void of space.

Social Impact

There are two major impacts brought on by the invention of the space engine and the ability to travel through the void: the ability to migrate offworld, rather than simply further south, and contact with alien species. The latter has been met with extremely mixed feelings that, based on results, seem to have gradually shifted from rage at these other species mere existence to stiff-lipped begrudging acceptance of their presence, and potentially back into rage again.

Access & Availability

Engines of this type can be found in every spacecraft of Stenza manufacture.

Complexity

The many moving parts and complicated operation of the engine require suspension in a microgravity chamber, often aft of the rest of the ship by convention. Gravity Control is a central component to facilitating engine functionality. Most ships can be scuttled by disrupting the gravity control of the engine room, which causes many of the engine's moving parts to grind together, become irreparably damaged in most cases, and begin causing widespread system failure.

Discovery

The earliest engine was developed during the Battle with the Stone Menace, and was designed to propel a large object (the Artificial Moon) from the surface of Mudewei into orbit. It was notoriously inefficient and a hazard to use, but provided a baseline for more refined models that were able to make better use of ambient space dust first to transport crew and supplies to the Artificial Moon and then to facilitate the first offworld Migration. The current design is the result of centuries of fine-tuning.

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