Hyperjump

Knight Officer Garx Hybeck muttered angrily to himself. This was supposed to be a simple diplomatic run. Pick up a bunch of dignitaries, take them for a tour of the Righteous Pursuit, brag about the military preparedness their taxes allowed, and lean heavily on the subtext that they'd be defenseless against the Sparnell Confederation heathens unless they continued to fund the great Militant Order of Descendents. Nothing I haven't done a million times before. But then the Sparnelli themselves had emerged from behind the Veil and suddenly he was trapped away from his post babysitting civilians during a surprise attack.
"Portals!" he barked into the telecomm, the on-duty Telepath automatically routing the call to his team. He gripped the receiver as the ship shuddered from another barrage, scowling as his charges stumbled and whined at the inconvenience.
<It's not good,> Initiate Gusse, his second, thought back. <The Telekinetics are holding but the Portal Generator took a direct hit. Navigations says they can do it manual but the Orbital Fareway Station is down and we'll risk a misalignment.>
<Damn.> Hybeck eyed the diplomats. <Fleet says to get the dignitaries out of here, they're sending the Armada to worry about the planet. What'll we tell the Captain?>
<We'll have to Hell Jump. I'll tell 'im. You get everyone snug for the shift.>

Hyperjumping taps into the powers of Necromancy to elevate a ship or other target into the higher dimensional spiritual planes of the Afterlife, fold reality to align the intended exit point with the ship's present position beyond the Veil, and drop the ship back into the mortal planes at the new destination.
More temperamental and with a higher Imperium requirement than Portal Travel, Hyperjumps are generally reserved for cases where Portal Travel is ineffective. For this reason it is used for capital ships among the Sparnell Confederation and Mordena, as their larger engine technologies still rely heavily upon magics which experience directional confusion within portals. The Hydell Order also relies upon Hyperjumping among their military ships as a backup option in cases where the Orbital Fareway System is unavailable or otherwise damaged.
The spell is difficult to master, requires large resources to teach, and is only available for use at large scales by the Cosmically Attuned. As a result most Hyperjump practicioners are Void Mages who have taken a Soul Oath to serve their training organization for a set number of years in exchange for the knowledge.

Effect

Hybeck slammed the telecomm back into its receiver before pasting on a fake smile and turning to his charges. "It's your lucky day! You get to experience a part of space most people don't get to return from!"
"We were promised this would be a short tour," one of the dignitaries scowled. "I'm missing important business meetings."
"I sincerely apologize for the delay," Hybeck gritted through his smile. "The Sparnelli were not thoughtful enough to schedule their invasion with us in advance." He tapped a code into the wall mounted keypad, causing the panels to rotate and reveal an array of jump harnesses complete with short-term emergency breathers. "Who wants to go first?"

The Hyperjump spell uses Necromancy to relocate items, creatures, and even capital ships to a different part of the universe by phasing the target into one of the higher planes of the Void, bending reality around it, and dropping the target back into the mortal planes in the desired location. For a Standard Hyperjump spell the caster must phase with the spell and any additional targets must be in contact with the caster or another target contacting the caster. The lower ranged Targeted Hyperjump spell can be used to bring items or creatures to the caster in exchange for a higher Imperium draw.

To cast the spell, a mage must:

1. Harness the power of the local star to supercharge their magic. This can only be performed in the Void, and only by a Cosmically Attuned mage. If the mage is powerful and the jump distance and target(s) are small this step may be skipped.
2. Attune to the intended targets. Hyperjumping requires a full awareness of all intended targets, including the mage themselves. When Hyperjumping a ship the crew will typically stow and secure everything within the ship, with passengers and crew strapping in to jump seats when possible to ensure they are included within the Hyperjump.
3. Shift the target(s) into a higher spiritual frequency. This shifts the target(s) to an ascended plane, outside of the lower mortal planes of reality. This step is why many experienced sailors refer to the Hyperjump as a "Hell Jump".
4. Bend the fabric of the mortal plane to reposition directly across the Veil from the intended destination. Because the ascended planes exist on a higher dimension, positioning in relation to the mortal plane can be manipulated. The Void Necromancer must have at least a basic idea of their intended location's positioning with relation to their former location. An emotional attachment to the destination can waive this requirement, if the attachment is strong enough.
5. Return to the mortal planes on the other side of the fold. This occurs once the spell is ended by the casting mage, although more skilled practicioners can provide a softer landing upon the return to known reality.

Risks

Large scale Hyperjumping requires a vast amount of magical power, and therefore carries the risk of death or even cosmic burnout if the Cosmically Attuned mage pushes their abilities too hard.
For other intended targets Hyperjumping carries a risk of being left behind. This serves as an inconvenience when moving small items or groups of people from a fairly stationary starting point but is understandably a large point of concern when Hyperjumping an entire ship. While the spell tends to count the life support and breathable air within as part of the ship itself, the same cannot be said of the people and cargo unless they are strapped down during the jump. Standard phase jump procedures therefore often include precautionary measures for short term survival in space if accidentally left behind, with cargo and crew often tagged with short range numbered locator beacons for quick inventory after the jump.

Training

The spell is difficult to learn, much less master, requiring a large investment into the student. As a result most who learn the spell sign over their soul to the training organization for a specified number of years afterwards, allowing that organization to dictate their employment and any Afterlife Planning decisions for them until their term of service has been fulfilled, at which point they are free to renegotiate the terms or end their service. Organizations jealously guard their hyperjump capable mages, often resulting in agreements heavily favoring capable mages during renegotiation as a way to entice them to remain in service.

Hybeck braced for their protests, but the internal broadcast system buzzed to life. "Rig for emergency hyperjump in ten minutes. Full jump protocols engaged."
Suddenly everyone wanted to go first. Hybeck grinned as he walked them through the protocols, explaining the use of the breather and what to do if accidentally left behind by the jump. Ten minutes, he marveled. Hyperjumps were strenuous affairs for any Void Necromancer, often leading to an infuriating arrogance at their own competence, not to mention a half hour jump cycle on the best of days. She must've started prepping the moment they appeared.
He had just strapped in the last diplomat as the final countdown began. There wouldn't be time to strap himself in. Donning his own breather he quickly hooked his arms around the closest occupied harness, preparing his mind for the trip past the Veil.
Reality shifted.

Alternate Names

Plane Jump, Plane Phase, Hell Jump, Phasing, Shifting Between, Void Jump, Voidstepping

Related Organizations

• Hydell Order
• Mordena
• Sparnell Confederation

Related Discipline

Void Mage

Related School

Necromancy

Effect Casting Time

1 minute to several hours depending upon the size of the target and the skill of the caster

Level

Expert Cosmically Attuned Void Mage

Applied Restriction

Hyperjumping requires a vast amount of Imperium and concentration to cast for even small targets, with the requirements increasing with the target's size and quantities. Standard usage of the Hyperjump spell involves phasing entire capital ships, thereby requiring a vast amount of magical power. Solo casters are generally Cosmically Attuned and highly trained Void Mages, with the spell cast in proximity to a star, although a hyperjump can also be performed via Apotheturgic teamcasting or Imperium linking with enough participants.

Further Reading

Manifestation

Casting

The casting mage will center themselves before reaching out mentally to feel their surroundings, until they have developed a detailed awareness of everything they intend to bring with them during the Hyperjump. This is the part of the spell which determines the bulk of the cast time, as once the Void Mage has fully Attuned with their targets the remainder of the spell can be performed by instinct. Pausing the spell to remain within this state results in a mental drain for the caster.
The mage will then begin to feel for the layers just outside the reality of the mortal planes, latching on to the higher plans and pulling their spell's target with them into the Void by altering their spiritual vibrations. Those skilled in Necromancy feel the power of the Void almost as a living entity once in this ascended state, wrapping them in power and welcome or warning, depending upon the mage's level of acceptance of their necromantic abilities. This part of the spell determines the required Imperium for success, as those from the mortal planes are not intended to remain ascended for long, and any attempts to hold a Hyperjump target within the Ascended Void requires a large expenditure of magical reserves.
The Void Mage will gather some level of the Void's power into themselves, dependent upon the required strength of their spell. This connection allows them to manipulate the higher dimension's relation to the mortal planes, essentially twisting reality through manipulation at a higher dimension. By bending the fabric of the lower planes a Void Mage is able to align their intended mortal destination with their present location beyond the Veil, allowing them to simply re-enter the lower plane at their new intended location.
It is possible to lose one's self within the Void, and so most mages learn to construct mental magical valves to limit their ability to tap into the Void, as the sense of absolute power can be quite overwhelming for the unprepared.

Passengers

Individuals subjected to a Hyperjump will feel an inner shift as they rise to a higher plane of ascension and their spiritual vibration realigns to match. They will also feel the Void against their minds, much like waves against a boat, with their personal feelings of welcome from the Void dependent upon their own comfort with the thought that they are now within the planes of the Afterlife. As the shift is usually short lived most travelers feel sensations much as a different form of momentum, a sudden sickness to the stomach before settling again. Necromancers, of course, always recognize the shift for its true nature, even if they were not the initiator.

Observers

Observers of a Hyperjump will see a sudden distortion at the location of the targets, as if reality is twisting upon itself, and then suddenly the phased items are no longer present and reality has calmed again. Those watching a Hyperjump landing will view the same basic effects, but in reverse as the targets suddenly appear before their eyes.

Hybeck grinned as he untangled himself from the harness before beginning the process of releasing his charges. "And welcome back to the land of the living!"
For once the dignitaries seemed too stunned to argue.
Less than a minute into the process the shipwide communicator sprang back to life. "Emergency Jump complete. All personnel accounted for. Cargo container GH28B has been lost to the Void. Congratulations on a successful Jump."
GH28B... Why did that number sound familiar?
Before Hybeck could place it he was connected back with his second. <Sir. Now that we're no longer under fire, I'd like to get a team out there to fix the damage. I need your authorization.>
<Granted.> Hybeck was forever grateful to whomever had assigned Initiate Gusse as his second. He had no doubt the young mage would exceed his own career someday, but for now it was an honor to work beside him.
<Sir?> the Initiate continued. <That cargo crate... Wasn't it one of the ones you signed for?>
<Damn. The Festival!> He remembered now, the food for tomorrow's religious feast had arrived slightly before the dignitaries. He had only been halfway through stowing it when he'd been called away to give the tour. The Sparnelli fleet had arrived shortly afterwards, and it must have been forgotten in the ensuing chaos.
<Honestly, Sir?> the Initiate continued. <If you did that on purpose, you're a hero. The Festival of Bitter Regret is... Well, thank you, Sir.>
Initiate Gusse would absolutely surpass his own career, but only if he learned to keep such thoughts to himself. Hybeck smiled as he released the final diplomat. <Your secret's safe with me, kid, but don't go telling just anybody that sort of opinion. Let me get these civilians situated and we'll sort out that portal drive.>