I have had requests for media related to the Barghest universe. Although I will keep working on the ship classification chart, for now I have uploaded a map of the star systems referenced in Barghest. Hopefully this will give readers a better idea of the distance and relationship of other stars to Earth in the Sol System.
Creating this map was more fun – and more challenging- than I had thought it would be. The Barghest universe is as large (for the moment) as our corner of the Milky Way. That is a sphere of roughly 3,500 light years in diameter. Imagine the area as a peach, with Earth at the pit. It would take the space shuttle Atlantis 72 million years to get to the outside edge.
That’s a lot of Tang.
Of course, science fiction being what it is, Sergeant Maker and the Legion do not have to rely on traditional rocket fuel as we know it today. In their time, the Sol Coalition, and civilian human space craft, rely on two main types of engines: sublight and ISG. Sublight engines are exactly what they sound like: a propulsion system designed for travel below the speed of light. They cannot break that speed barrier, and are designed for travel within solar systems. Interstellar Gravity drives, or ISG, are not precisely faster-than-light engines, but they do have the effect of allowing travel to places too distant to reach at sublight speeds. This technology was reverse engineered from Culler ships after the invasion and Repulsion in 2056. It utilizes gravity to bend space, shortening the distance between two points. The effects at either end can be disastrous to anything that was already occupying that space, and any objects that exert a gravitational force on a ship should be avoided when entering and exiting ISG. Safety standards adopted by the Sol Coalition and most reputable corporations dictate that ISG should not be used within a solar system.
Chapter 13 is posted, and I hope you enjoy it. Please, let me know if you have questions or thoughts about the story. I would love to hear from you!
[…] Across the Dark and hundreds of light-years from Maker’s Earth, Malak has grown frustrated with his position within the Coalition hierarchy – or, rather, outside it. Although he is their most effective tool, at every turn he finds himself strangled by the regulations of a human organization and their paradoxical disregard for the value of human lives. The death of one of his own only makes him question his purpose more. Fighting to save a species that is not his own will eventually get everyone he protects killed. A mission years in the planning is nearly compromised, and he is left with a decision. He has the authority and duty to eliminate any threat to the Sol Confederation – and anyone with knowledge of his mission or his team. In this instance, he would not even have to pull the trigger. Walk away, and fulfill his mission objectives. Walk away, and agree that no one human life was worth his time, his effort. A human that had no place on the battlefield – was more hindrance that help in his eyes – and yet still fought tenaciously for her comrades. Malak saves Maker’s life, but it only leaves him in turmoil. […]