Mass Technology

Mass Accelerator
The Mass Accelerator is a special device used on large ships to allow travel at the speed of light and even faster. Using special dark matter, it can project "dark energy" into specialty fitted engines to accelerate the ship at impossible speeds, allowing light speed possible. It is comparable to "Hyperspace" and other fictional forms of FTL travel.

Mass Driver
Similar technologies include the Mass Driver, which works in the same way, using "dark energy" to slow a ship down in space. In space, there is no friction or resistance, so you have to have engines facing in all directions or in most relative so that you can move and slow down. Using a Mass driver, you can stop and slow down in space without the need for engines on all sides, thus reducing the overall load put on the ships weight, fuel consumption, and cost.

Dark Matter
Dark matter as a fuel and technology has only been around for the past 70 years, and is highly volatile. Most of the ships utilize "dark energy" have the heaviest shields in the fleet. However, using artificial gravity, you can have other ships be captured in the field of energy and transported with you, so certain ships can allow others to travel. Dark matter is also highly toxic, and heavy lead and frar shielding is required in equipment and handling, as well as the engines themselves. Exposure to this kind of matter can cause rapid degrading of the bones, skin, cells, and cause Cancer. It is highly recommended that crew spend no more than 30 minutes fueling and repairing at a time, taking breaks, and to take chemotherapy pills.

A solution is trying to be found to the dark matter problem, but since 2089 it has been put on hold.