FTL Arrester

An FTL Arrester is a device designed to 'lock down' a region of space by sending alternating pulses of high and low gravity through subspace. This causes serious disruption to the FTL drive of any ship intersected by a pulse. Only Python-reactor-based drives are affected, however this accounts for about 98% of all FTL travel in the known worlds. Military-spec Python Reactors typically have safety systems that can scram automatically if such a pulse is detected, while also being robust enough to survive such a scenario. Civilian-grade drives aren't so lucky, and often suffer irreparable damage when struck by an arrester.

For this reason, the Gudersnipe Foundation has made the development, production, and deployment of FTL Arrester technology a war crime under the Battle Charter. The Alliance has similar laws, and the Space Comission mandates any foreign power wishing to transit its ships through Alliance territory must agree to abandon all use of the technology.

The MK'Harens are not formally members of the Alliance and are the only major power who's warships use a type of drive unaffected by arresters. However, because they are on friendly terms with both the Alliance and the Foundation, there is a treat in place preventing them from perusing the technology.

Proliveration

Unfortunately, despite wide-spread agreement not to construct arresters, building them is not that difficult. It requires a modified subspace communications array, artificial gravity field generators, a very large power source, and usually an existing gravity well to amplify the effect. A decent-sized starship, fitting with a solar array and the necessary equipment, can easier project an arrester field over a large area if placed in a low solar orbit. This can all be achieved entirely using off-the-shelf civilian-grade equipment.

The signal from an arrester is directional. A typical Arrester design uses a technique called "fanning" which has the emitter pivot back and forth along an arc, sending out beams in roughly the shape of a fan. The typical effective range of most Arrester systems is about three light years. While the individual beams can travel much further, the odds of hitting a ship that far out are very low. To cover larger areas or defend an entire solar system, Arresters have to be placed in networks or arrays.

Without governmental support, it is expensive and technologically challenging to build and maintain a large-scale Arrester network. With governmental support, such a government would be effectively declaring war on all the major powers of the Verse and rapidly find themselves on the ass-end of an ass-kicking.