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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TELEPORTERS?

by Hazed

When the universe shifted... when the constants changed... when too much timewarping damaged the fabric of the universe... it wasn't just time machines that stopped working (see the Encyclopedia Galactica entry on the Interregnum). Teleporters malfunctioned, too. Some of them just ceased to function. Others became defective, porting people to the center of stars or deep inside the rocks of a planet. There were some ghastly cases of people becoming fused with flies that got caught up in the machinery, with hideous consequences. An immediate ban on teleportation was instituted and all machinery was deactivated.

The interstellar link network was rebuilt to work under the new universal conditions, but what about teleporters? Well, the Imperial Navy continued to research the technology, looking for a way to get it to work again, because the military applications are obvious. And they succeeded. They have in fact had working teleporters for over a year, but they have kept it a secret because, well, that's what the military do. Only high-ranking Galactic Administration officials were given access to the technology by the Imperial Navy, on the condition they kept its existence a secret.

This worked for a while, but now the secret is out - like all secrets, it proved impossible to keep and it has leaked. Rogue scientists got hold of the details and figured out how to build teleporters that work safely and reliably - and cheaply. And now they are selling them. Or, more precisely, renting them.

The Navy isn't happy, but since the technology is being offered from an asteroid where the GA's rule is shaky, there is nothing they can do about it. Technology, once released, cannot be suppressed. Still, the back-street (or back-corridor) operation that is providing teleporters is mindful that what it's doing is, technically, illegal, so it doesn't advertise, but relies on word of mouth to bring customers in, and payment is demanded in slithy toves, the unofficial currency for all shady deals.

These new-style teleporters don't have the same abilities of the old ones built at great expense by Barons - not because of any technical limitations but because of political considerations. When porting to another planet, you can only port directly to the landing pad, so as to ensure you don't avoid customs and immigration services. After all, nobody wants strange diseases or dangerous technology to be brought into their star systems. Emily's Emporium, the establishment which rents out the porters, may scorn the Imperial Navy's displeasure but it doesn't want to alienate POs who are its potential customers!

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