- "What lay beyond hushed every voice in the Galaxy" — Narrator in Homeworld 2
The Great Network of Hyperspace Gates map
The Great Network of Hyperspace Gates was a network of Hyperspace gates similar to Balcora Gate built by the Progenitors. It was unknown to any creature in the galaxy since the Progenitors left the Galaxy. When the three Hyperspace cores were united in Sajuuk, the Hiigarans discovered the Eye of Aarran, the Gate leading to the Ancient hyperspace gates network. Discovery of it began the Age of S'jet.
The gates allow instantaneous travel across enormous distances without the aid of a hyperspace core. More significantly the gate network allowed travel to neighbouring galaxies, a feat deemed impossible until then. The extent of the network, even today, is unknown. The Hiigarans naturally began efforts to map the network even as early as Arran's opening in 9626 GSY.
Efforts to map the Hyperspace network are tightly controlled by the Hiigaran navy, with approval officially delegated by the Daiamid on Hiigara. Though many other races in the Homeworld Galaxy have petitioned the Daiamid to open up exploration from other allied nations, the Hiigarans have refused, citing claims of maintaining galactic security. This have caused a predictable rise in tensions though the rest of the galaxy is not in a place to challenge the Hiigaran's supremacy.
Expeditions history[]
The first expeditions through the gates were exclusively efforts by the Hiigaran Navy, the largest of which was The Lazarus Expedition to the Nimbus Galaxy in 9631 GSY. Though the failure rate remains high for single-ship expeditions, the Hiigarans maintain two extra-galactic colonies still in contact with Hiigara.
One of them is a research outpost in the Eros galaxy, while the other is the Vinland settlement in Aurora. After the Kiithless takeover of the Daiamid, contact with these outposts became a classified matter for their protection.
The new Daiamid under Kiithless control has sharply curtailed official gate expeditions, though plenty of unauthorized ventures still happen outside of their control while the Hiigaran Navy looks the other way. One of the last official expeditions sanctioned by the Daiamid to pass through the gate, the Task Force Ararat lead by Ahab Naabal, has vanished without a trace after departing for the Nimbus Galaxy.
Disappearances of the Expeditions[]
In spite of the high disappearance rate of vessels traveling through the gates, the myth of riches and lost Progenitor treasures continues to draw the adventurous and the desperate through the hyperspace gates in search of glory. Explorers, opportunists and pirates alike all venture through the gates to meet whatever fate awaits them on the other side. For the Kiithid traveling through the gates, this is their only hope to recover the rule of Hiigara from the Kiithless. Whether it be finding a new power over Progenitor treasures, or establishing a new seat of power from which to organize, the future of the exiles is to be found outside the Homeworld Galaxy.
An unforeseen complication of traveling through the gate is the change in access codes. Though Sajuuk's word grants command over many Progenitor artifacts in the Homeworld Galaxy, none could have predicted these commands would not function on the other side. This, along with unexpected Keeper attacks, is what prevents many expeditions from returning to Hiigara. The exact cause is unknown.
Arrival at the Nimbus Galaxy[]
The first expedition to reach Nimbus was the Carrier Abiigado in 9629. Though the entire battle group was destroyed by Progenitor keepers, two assault frigates managed to escape where they were captured by Cangacian pirates. The fate of the Abiigado would be unknown until those survivors arrived at Lazarus base six years later. Many other ships would arrive in Nimbus only to be unable to return through the gates or be destroyed by Progenitor keepers before they could attempt a return. The reason for the hostility of the Progenitors remains unknown.
The Lazarus Expedition in 9631 GSY was the largest and best-equipped venture of the time out of the prototype Lazarus-class mothership. Though unable to return through the gate, a message was received through their departure point at Astarte gate that the expedition had defeated the keepers and continued. Lazarus would go on to venture into what is known now as the Empty Quarter and construct Lazarus Base as a staging area between several hyperspace gates discovered in the region. Afterward, the Lazarus departed with its escort fleet to the center of the galaxy. It never reached the borders of the Tanoch Empire and is presumed lost.
More and more Hiigaran ships continued to arrive in the area and become savaged by keepers. Those that survived managed to limp their way through space until eventually coming across Lazarus Base, which has become a regional capital for the stranded Hiigarans discovering themselves in Nimbus. Lazarus Base functions as a fleet base and administrative capital of the settlement efforts of the region. It is only since 9638 GSY that a supply network has been established to allow Lazarus base to serve as a fleet base to the rag-tag remnants appearing in Nimbus. Efforts to colonize the Empty Quarter as a Hiigaran settlement are underway, though face problems from the nearby Cangacian pirates and the predation of the warlord Supay and his forces, the Fleet of Rams.
Named places[]
These are the known places that the Hiigarans visit while exploring:
- Nimbus Galaxy
- Duzumi Gate
- Wiracoda Gate
- Eros Galaxy
- Aurora Galaxy
- Astarte Gate
Trivia[]
- There are functional hyperspace gate connections not on the network controlled by the Eye of Aarran.