GAPTRAN (Galactic Public Transit Network)

Interstellar transportation became feasible when the Prime Collective introduced the concept of jumpgates. Using wormhole theoretical physics, the Collective showed how they connected their far-flung star systems together using a network of powerful jumpgates. Humanity soon developed their first jumpgate to Alpha Centuari and the Terran empires were born. A massive political reorganization of Earth was undertaken as countries united in their ideals of expanding not just into other planets but into the entireness of the galaxy. As the Prime Collective and multiple Terran governments begin to strengthen their political relations, a number of projects were undertaken designed to connect the two cultures. The first joint Prime-Terran project was the construction of a galactic transportation system.

Called the Galactic Public Transit Network, or GAPTRAN, this is the most extensive network of jumpgates ever constructed. These immense structures are ring-shaped, with a small station built into the side of the ring that houses power plants, living quarters, maintenance facilities, docking stations and hangars. Each gate connected to a distance gate in another star system, entering the wormhole that gate creates causes the ship to slip into a subspace tunnel, a twirling tunnel of blinding blue and white light. GAPTRAN connects all Terran star systems in the Inner Sphere and Outer Sphere and most of the Frontier. Gates connect almost all of the Prime planets to human space.

Different levels of gates exist. The most powerful gates, the largest gates that connect major systems with high-traffic lanes, can let a ship travel at thirty minutes a light year in a short subspace tunnel. These gates require huge amounts of power and careful maintenance, as they hold open gigantic wormholes. As such, they are only used in major travel areas. More standard gates, ones that connect most systems, allow a travel factor at an hour a light year. Smaller gates that connect Frontier worlds together or small nebulae stations travel at a factor of several hours to a light year.

GAPTRAN is overseen by the Transit Authority, the independent body that provides services to the gates and runs the entire network.