Encyclopedia Hiigara
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Hyperspace inhibitors are a type of technology seen in the Homeworld universe. They project an inhibitor field in space, interrupting the hyperspace jump of passing vessels and forcing them to return to normal space. The inhibitor field works by disrupting the quantum wavefront generated by a ship's hyperdrive, which is a crucial process required for ships to sustain a jump. This causes the energy required to maintain the field to increase exponentially, which ultimately results in the ship dropping back into real space, unable to supply the hyperdrive with enough power. A strong enough gravity well, like that of a planet or a black hole can also pull starships out of hyperspace.

Hyperspace inhibitors: Homeworld[]

In Homeworld, the Kadeshi used hyperspace inhibitors in their Motherships to keep any fleet that entered the Great Nebula from leaving, allowing them to live in relative peace while remaining hidden from the Taiidan Empire, who would've tried to exterminate them if they found out they used Hyperspace tech on their ships. The only way the inhibitors could be deactivated was by destroying the motherships. The Kushan fleet encountered three Kadeshi Motherships, and were only able to leave the Great Nebula after destroying them.

The Taiidan Empire also used at least two forms of hyperspace inhibition technology. They developed the Koraal-class Gravwell Generator Frigate as an anti-strikecraft weapon that was also able to pull ships out of hyperspace. The Taiidani used this tech on several occasions against the Kushan fleet as it moved closer to Hiigara. The Kushan would later obtain Gravity Generator tech from the Ghost Ship after disabling it. The Taiidani also installed a large network of more advanced Hyperspace Inhibitors around the Hiigara System to protect their capital from unwanted intruders. The Kushan were able to break through the network after attacking and destroying its weakest link, the Bridge of Sighs.

The Second Core, and presumably the rest of the Trinity are able to interfere with other Hyperspace drives if they are suffering from malfunctions. In the worst cases, it will completely shut down both the hyperdrive and the conventional drives, leaving the affected ship as a sitting duck, which can be lethal if the ship is in low orbit of a planet.

Hyperspace inhibitors: Homeworld 2[]

HyperspaceInhibitor

Hyperspace Inhibitor on a Shipyard

Hyperspace inhibitors are abundant in Homeworld 2. There are natural inhibitors as well as artificial inhibitors.

The first inhibitors the Hiigarans come across in Homeworld 2 are the Vaygr asteroid inhibitors that protect the Gehenna asteroid fields. The Pride of Hiigara and its accompanying fleet had to destroy a total of 12 inhibitors on 3 asteroids, after which the fleet could then make a tactical jump to engage the Vaygr outpost further inward. Though how they could jump so close to the inhibitors is a mystery; maybe the inhibitors only acted as a barrier, stopping ships that tried to pass them in hyperspace and alerting the local Vaygr forces.

En route to the Progenitor Dreadnaught, the Hiigaran fleet was pulled out of hyperspace in another region of the vast Karos Graveyard. The reason for this was that the surrounding Progenitor derelict hulks were emitting quantum waveform anomalies that were interfering with the Mothership's Hyperspace Core. The only way out was to destroy the hulks with reverse-engineered Progenitor Movers. However, the task was made more difficult with the arrival of a substantial Vaygr fleet.

When the Pride of Hiigara arrived at the Dreadnaught Berth, the fleet's approach to the Dreadnaught caused the ancient Keeper to power up. The Keeper emitted a powerful inhibitor field that effectively trapped the fleet where they were. Combined firepower from frigates and destroyers were useless against the Keeper's energy shields. It was only with a plot devised by Fleet Intelligence that the Hiigaran fleet was able to trap the Keeper within another Progenitor relic, allowing them to escape to hyperspace.

The Pride of Hiigara was jumping to the Command Station Thaddis Sabbah to rescue the captured Captain Soban. However, the fleet's jump was interrupted in the Great Wastelands by the Keepers of Abassid. In this battle, the Keepers were completely unstoppable for they had the ability to phase out when they had taken a certain amount of damage. Meanwhile, the Hiigaran fleet continued to take damage from the Keeper. It was only with the self-destruction of Bentus that the Hiigaran fleet was able to escape with their lives. Even then, it remains a mystery as to how the fleet was able to jump with the Keeper inhibitors still on.

The greatest inhibitor of all is the natural inhibitor at Balcora. Balcora is a black hole cluster at the center of the Galaxy. The massive gravitational influence of the black holes prevents all hyperspace activity within a 500 light year radius. However, the Progenitor hypergate known as the Balcora Gate provided a path into the place where Sajuuk is sealed. After defeating the Vaygr forces that were trying to disable the gate, the Hiigaran fleet jumped through after activating the gate with the Dreadnought. Also, Sajuuk demonstrated a massive feat by jumping straight out of Balcora, unaffected by the inhibition.

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