Article 40: BioWarp 2
When comparing BioWarp drives to each other, there are three factors that one must consider. The first is the drive's efficiency. The impact shield must be cast as a single spell in most cases, though some layered shields exist which can recast the spell after the ship has entered BioWarp. Regardless, the shield has a hard limit based on its hardware that determines how much of the energy it absorbs it can use, while the excess "leaks" from the back of the ship producing a trail that can often be tracked before it disperses. This is the BioWarp drive's efficiency, and determines how long the ship takes to reach its top BioWarp speed. Different ship manufacturers use different ratings systems to describe a drive's efficiency, but there exist conversion formulas to compare them. Because smaller ships require a smaller relativity field, they generally have a higher efficiency when using the same hardware. The second consideration is the drive's capacity. If you recall, the thickness of a shield determines the ship's top speed. Despite the massive influx of energy into the system, the shield's generators can only handle so much of it, and this limit applies to the depth of the shielding and therefore the ship's maximum safe speed. Larger ships tend to have more powerful generators and therefore are more likely to be able to sustain a more robust shield. As a result of these two factors, larger ships in general tend to reach their top speed more slowly, but have a higher limit to their speed, making them more suited to long distance travel, while smaller ships will reach their lower top speed more quickly, lending themselves more appropriately to relatively short-ranged BioWarp jumps. There are, of course, exceptions to this, with transport ships in particular generally being equipped with mahoutech batteries wired entirely into the shielding system, giving them both a high top speed and acceleration, earning them their share of jobs transporting goods to and from all ends of the galaxy. A third factor, the ship's mahoucharge rating, determines the amount by which a skilled BioWarp mage (or an extraordinarily skilled engineer redirecting subsystem power) can channel energy into the drive, increasing both its efficiency and capacity for as long as they can handle the mental strain. For most ships, this rating is zero, but many military, emergency, or pirate vehicles have mahoucharge-enabled drives in order to hasten travel times or escape and regroup at a more rapid pace.
As incredible as BioWarp technology is, it has at this point in history become so commonplace that someone who puts a reasonable amount of effort into the investment can, at most civilized planets, buy a used ship with its own BioWarp drive. Doing so usually pays off, as there is always need for the transport of cargo across the vast emptiness of space. Unfortunately, this also means that shady used ship dealers have devised a number of ways to cheat you out of your hard earned credits. The most common scam is what's commonly referred to as the "booster" scam. When allowing you to test drive the ship, they may wire in an old mahoubattery to an older, inefficient and low capacity drive, oftentimes rigging a mahoucharge circuit into it. For the first few uses, it will appear fine, but the batteries are rarely designed for that use and not only does the mahoucite within lose its charge, but it is often "burned out", reverting the precious crystal into common, nonmagical quartz. Such a scam sounds relatively harmless, but when a week-long trip ends up being stretched into a month-long trip, supplies become a problem and it quickly becomes a matter of finding a nearby planet to stop at. More potentially damaging scams include tampering with the ship's sensors to register faster speeds, removing regulators that cap the top speed at a safe one, and tweaking the shielding envelope to unsafe sizes. All of these can be spotted by a mechanic worth their salt.
The hazards of BioWarp travel extend well past the dealer's lot. The most obvious danger is hitting something. While the impact shields hold up to even baseball-sized chunks of matter floating through space, anything much larger risks overloading the capacitors and forcibly yanking you back into the land of relativity. Even the ship's inertial dampeners and gravity manipulators can't prevent your entire ship from what's affectionately called "pancaking", so a thorough check of all sensors is required before engaging your BioWarp drive. Modern BioWarp drives take into account the magical belief levels radiating from different star systems, but poorly maintained or damaged field inducers can result in temporal or even physical dilation, an uncomfortable problem that you will want to correct before it happens to you. Numerous space hazards like nebulae, supernovas and black holes require maneuvering during the faster-than-light travel, so make sure that your hazard map is updated every time you stop on a planet with a netcore. Pirates often use immense gravity well simulators to fool your sensors into halting or preventing jumps, so when traveling through dangerous areas be sure to stay armed, keep an escort, or prepare for the possibility of having your cargo or even ship stolen. Depending on where you depart from and where you're headed, local ordinances may apply to you and your ship and you may be subject to scans, searches, tolls, and tariffs, most of which are galactically known cut the occasional corrupt politician, warlord, or corporate profiteer has been known to enact sudden required payment to pass through an area. Despite all of these potential dangers and annoyances, however, BioWarp travel is still generally safe and is the only choice when trying to go from system to system. Until someone comes up with a better way to get from point A to point B, there will always be a need for skilled pilots to make their living using this incredible and invaluable piece of mahoutechnology.
