Editing Lighthugger

[[File:Lighthugger.jpg|thumb|300px]]'''Lighthuggers''' were spacecraft that traveled at just below the speed of light, taking months or years to accelerate to their cruising speed. Although capable of extremely powerful bursts of acceleration (at least 10 g without any inertial suppression), when in transit between stellar systems lighthuggers typically sustained an acceleration of 1 g which would enable them to reach 99% of the speed of light in about 1 Earth year.

Generally 3–4 km long, they used [[Conjoiner Drive|Conjoiner drives]] for propulsion, and were also coated with a thick caul of ice that protected against minor impacts at relativistic velocities and acted as armour against the attacks of other ships. The great size of the lighthuggers enabled them to carry vast numbers of passengers and huge amounts of cargo. 

Lighthuggers also possessed a limited repair and redesign capability. They were capable of moving rooms or machinery around within their hulls, or stripping material from one point to repair another. At least some were also equipped with "[[manufactories]]", which could build a considerable range of devices, given the relevant specifications. 

Their small, point-defense weapons -- ostensibly defensive in nature -- were capable of blasting a 200 kilometre crater in a planet and disrupting weather formations in a fashion similar to a large geological event, such as an asteroid impact or volcanic eruption.

Though originally invented by Conjoiners, most lighthuggers were owned or ruled by their crew of [[Ultranauts]]. Ultras, because of their long stretches in [[reefersleep]] and constant hopping from one star system to another, were mostly divorced from baseline humanity. They were characterized by extreme modifications, often in the form of replacement or mechanical limbs or even holes right through them. However, Ultras varied greatly as individuals and crews, from ship to ship, each crew having their own preferred lifestyle, ideology and degree of body modification. 

By the time of the [[Human-Inhibitor War]], there existed a fleet of lighthuggers that had been upgraded or built from scratch by the human elements fighting the [[Inhibitors]]. These ships were far more advanced than the average lighthugger, and were equipped with an assortment of varied and unique technologies, including optimally stealth [[Dark Drive|dark drives]] that emitted nothing in any detectable spectrum, miniaturized [[Cryo-arithmetic engine|cryo-arithmetic engines]] which cooled their hulls to make them nearly indistinguishable&nbsp;— in thermal terms&nbsp;— from empty space, [[Inertia Suppression|inertia suppression machinery]] that allowed extremely fast acceleration and deceleration, [[Free-force Bubbles|free-force bubbles]] which absorbed enemy attacks, [[Camouflaging Sceens|camouflage screens]] that aided concealment, and extremely heavy armaments, including [[Bladder-mine|bladder-mines]] and [[Hypometric Weapon|hypometric weaponry]].

== RS Glossary entry ==

'''''Lighthugger:''' Any large space vehicle with a relativistic cruise ceiling.''<br>
- description from the official RS glossary <ref>[http://www.alastairreynolds.com/rs-universe/rs-glossary/ ''Revelation Space universe - RS Glossary - L''], AlastairReynolds.com, the official website of Alastair Reynolds</ref>

'''''[[Ramliner]]:''' Passenger carrying lighthugger.''<br>
- description from the official RS glossary <ref>[http://www.alastairreynolds.com/rs-universe/rs-glossary/ ''Revelation Space universe - RS Glossary - R''], AlastairReynolds.com, the official website of Alastair Reynolds</ref>

== List of known lighthuggers ==

''Lighthuggers sorted by name, in alphabetical order.''

{| class="article-table"
!Name
!Ownership
!Associated with
!Appearances
!Notes / History
|-
|''[[Accompaniment of Shadows]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|TBA
|''[[Aurora Rising]]'' <br> (novel)
|Becomes part of a crime investigation during the events of ''Aurora Rising''.
|-
|''[[Apollyon]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|[[Forqueray]] (captain), [[Roland Childe]], [[Richard Swift]], [[Celestine]], [[Hirz]], [[Dr. Trintignant]] (expedition to Golgotha)
|''[[Diamond Dogs]]'' <br> (novella, ''[[Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days]]'' anthology)
|Lighthugger of the Roland Childe organised expedition to the planet Golgotha, with its mysterious and infamous [[Blood Spire]].
|-
|''[[Bride of the Wind]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|[[Basquiat]] (captain)
|''[[Absolution Gap]]''
|Featured briefly during the later events of ''Absolution Gap''.
|-
|''[[Cockatrice]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|[[Voulage]] (captain), [[Weather (Conjoiner)|Weather]] (former captive)
|''[[Weather]]'' <br> (novella, ''[[Galactic North]]'' anthology)
|Pirate lighthugger, pursued the ''Petronel'' in the novella ''Weather''.
|-
|''[[Death of Sophonisba]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|N/A
|''[[Nightingale]]'' <br> (novella, ''[[Galactic North]]'' anthology)
|Featured in the novella ''Nightingale''.
|-
|''[[Faint Memory of Hokusai]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|N/A
|''[[Absolution Gap]]''
|Featured briefly during the later events of ''Absolution Gap''.
|-
|''[[Galatea]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|
|''[[Revelation Space]]'' (mentioned only)
|Mentioned briefly in ''Revelation Space'' during Volyova's personal investigation into the Boris Nagorny case.
|-
|''[[Gnostic Ascension]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|[[Queen Jasmina]] (captain/ruler), Grelier (surgeon/torturer), [[Quaiche|Horris Quaiche]], [[Morwenna]] (crew members)
|''[[Absolution Gap]]''
|Quaiche's original home ship. Destroyed over [[Hela]], where he later decided to settle down and research the moon. Its auxilliary ships included the ''[[Dominatrix]]'' and Quaiche's own shuttle, the ''[[Scavenger's Daughter]]''.
|-
|''[[Lark Descending]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|N/A
|''[[Absolution Gap]]''
|Featured briefly during the later events of ''Absolution Gap''.
|-
|''[[Lorean]]''
|[[Demarchists]]
|[[Alicia]] (leader, post-mutiny on Resurgam), Alicia's mutineers from the Resurgam expedition, [[Dan Sylveste]] and other Resurgam expedition members
|''[[Revelation Space]]''
|Originally the lighthugger of the Sylveste Institute sponsored expedition from [[Yellowstone]] to [[Resurgam]], led by [[Dan Sylveste]]. (The ship was christened after his grandfather.) Twenty years before the beginning of ''Revelation Space'', Dan Sylveste's wife Alicia led a mutiny that commandeered the ship and left Resurgam orbit for parts unknown, stranding the rest of the expedition on the planet.
|-
|''[[Hideyoshi]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|
|''[[Galactic North (short story)|Galactic North]]''
|Featured in the short story ''Galactic North''.
|-
|''[[Hirondelle]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|[[Irravel Veda]], [[Mirsky]], ''Hirondelle'' sleeper passengers
|''[[Galactic North (short story)|Galactic North]]''
|Ramliner (passenger lighthugger) and its crew, featured in the short story ''Galactic North''.
|-
|''[[Madonna of the Wasps]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|N/A
|''[[Absolution Gap]]''
|Featured briefly during the later events of ''Absolution Gap''.
|-
|''[[Nightshade]]''
|[[Conjoiners]]
|[[Skade]] (commander)
|''[[Redemption Ark]]'' <br> <br> ''[[Absolution Gap]]''
|Prototype for an experimental new class of smaller, but apparently more powerful lighthuggers. Despite warnings, Skade attempts to break the light barrier with this ship, with some unforseen effects and consequences.
|-
|''[[Nostalgia for Infinity]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|[[John Brannigan]] (captain), <br> [[Ilia Volyova]], [[Yuuji Sajaki]], [[Abdul Hegazi]] (triumvirs), <br> [[Boris Nagorny]], [[Sudjic|Sudjić]], [[Sula Kjarval]] (crew members), <br> janitor-rats (clean-up pets)
|''[[Revelation Space]]'' <br> <br> ''[[Redemption Ark]]'' <br> <br> ''[[Absolution Gap]]''
|"Hero ship" of the [[:Category:Inhibitor trilogy|Inhibitor trilogy]]. Closely tied to the fate of captain Brannigan and many of its crew members and passengers. One of its shuttles is the ''[[Melancholia of Departure]]''.
|-
|''[[Orvieto]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|[[Orcagna]] (captain) <br> male and female Chimerics (crew members) <br> [[Pellegrino]] (shuttle pilot) 
|''[[Chasm City (novel)|Chasm City]]''
|Featured in the first third of ''Chasm City'', visiting [[Sky's Edge]].
|-
|''[[Pelican in Impiety]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|Ormazd (a passenger)
|''[[Turquoise Days]]'' (novella, ''[[Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days]]'' anthology)
|A century before the events of ''Turquoise Days'', the ''Pelican'' visited [[Turquoise]], bringing both benefits in the form of trade and tech exchange, and less savoury elements, such as suspected clandestine activities.
|-
|''[[Petronel]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|[[Rafe Van Ness]] (captain), [[Inigo Standish]] (shipmaster), [[Weather (Conjoiner)|Weather]] (captive, honorary crew member)
|''[[Weather]]'' <br> (novella, ''[[Galactic North]]'' anthology)
|The ship of the main protagonists in the novella ''Weather''. Transporting refugees from Shiva-Parvati, initially pursued by the ''[[Cockatrice]]''.
|-
|''[[Poseidon]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|[[Verika Abebi]] (triumvir)
|''[[Diamond Dogs]]'' (novella, ''[[Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days]]'' anthology, mentioned only)
|Mentioned by a triumvir from its crew in the finale of the novella.
|-
|''[[Sandra Voi (ship)|Sandra Voi]]''
|[[Conjoiners]]
|[[Galiana]], [[Nevil Clavain]], [[Felka]]
|''[[Glacial]]'' <br> (short story, ''[[Galactic North]]'' anthology)
|The first completed and successful lighthugger. Featured in the short story ''[[Glacial]]'' and implied to be in development in ''[[The Great Wall of Mars]]''. Named in honour of deceased [[Demarchists|Demarchist]] leader [[Sandra Voi]] by [[Nevil Clavain]].
|-
|[[Scythe]]
|[[Glass]]
|[[Glass]], [[Miguel de Ruyter]]
|[[Inhibitor Phase|''Inhibitor Phase'']]
|
|-
|''[[Silence Under Snow]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|N/A
|''[[Absolution Gap]]''
|Featured briefly during the later events of ''Absolution Gap''.
|-
|''[[Third Gazometric]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|Heckel (captain)
|''[[Absolution Gap]]''
|Featured briefly during the later events of ''Absolution Gap''.
|-
|''[[Transfigured Night]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|N/A
|''[[Absolution Gap]]''
|Featured briefly during the later events of ''Absolution Gap''.
|-
|''[[Voice of Evening]]''
|[[Ultranauts]]
|[[Moreau]] (captain), Amesha Crane, Rafael Weir, Simon Matsubara
|''[[Turquoise Days]]'' (novella, ''[[Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days]]'' anthology)
|The Turquoise government views the lighthugger's crew with great suspicion.
|-
|''[[Wild Pallas]]''
|[[Ultranauts]] / [[Demarchists]]
|[[Uri Andrei Sagdev]], [[Katia Sagdev]]
|''[[Dilation Sleep]]'' <br> (short story, ''[[Galactic North]]'' anthology)
|Ramliner (passenger lighthugger) and its crew, featured in the short story ''Dilation Sleep''.
|-
|''[[Zodiacal Light]]''
|[[Ultranauts]] ''(formerly)'' <br> Clavain's expedition to Resurgam ''(later)'' <br> Remontoire's group ''(last known)''
|[[Nevil Clavain]] (captain), [[Scorpio]], [[Antoinette Bax]], [[Xavier Liu]], various crew and mercenaries (human and hyperpig) from Yellowstone, [[Remontoire]] (later, while allied with Clavain and co.)
|''[[Redemption Ark]]'' <br> <br> ''[[Galactic North (short story)|Galactic North]]'' <br> (short story, ''[[Galactic North]]'' anthology)
|Originally known as the ''Eldritch Child''. Commandeered from Ultras (with help from [[Sky Haussmann|H]]) by Clavain, Scorpio et al, for their expedition to the Delta Pavonis system. Carries combat-augmented "trike" shuttles and Bax's private ship, ''[[Storm Bird]]''.
|}

== Notes ==
* The scale of a typical (i.e. 4 km long) lighthugger can be viewed on [https://cincodenada.com/size-of-things/index.html this site], alongside other fictional and theoretical spacecraft for comparison. (If you have trouble finding the ship, simply type 'lighthugger' in the search bar once the images have loaded.)
* At the end of ''[[Redemption Ark]]'', the vast carrying capacity of lighthuggers is demonstrated by [[Ana Khouri]] and triumvir [[Ilia Volyova]] as they load approximately 160,000 of the almost 200,000 on the world [[Resurgam]] onto the ''[[Nostalgia for Infinity]]''.
* The full extent of a lighthugger's manufacturing capabilities is unknown, as they are only ever used in the novels to produce weapons. However, it is implied in ''[[Absolution Gap]] ''that the [[Shadows|shadows']] mass-synthesizer technology operated on the same basic principle, and there was little it could not build (up-to and including near-immortal robotic bodies).
* Despite [[Skade]] mentioning to [[Nevil Clavain|Clavain]] in ''Redemption Ark ''that Conjoiners sold their drives primarily to the [[Demarchists]] and ''never ''directly to the Ultras, [[Sajaki]] of the ''[[Nostalgia for Infinity]] ''claims to [[Dan Sylveste|Dan]] that if he blackballed him among the Ultra community he would be stranded in the [[Epsilon Eridani|Epsilon Eridani system]] indefinitely -- a statement Dan doesn't dispute, despite Dan being an influential man among the Demarchists. This implies that sometime before 2460 Demarchist society either sold or re-purposed their lighthuggers en masse.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Lighthugger.jpg|[[Alastair Reynolds]]' own sketch of a typical lighthugger (from his official website)
File:Galactic_North.jpg|A lighthugger on the cover art of the ''[[Galactic North]]'' anthology (Chris Moore)
File:Beyond the Aquila Rift by Alastair Reynolds trade.jpg|Lighthuggers clashing on the cover art of the ''[[Beyond the Aquila Rift]]'' anthology (cover by Dominic Harman)
Revelation Space (Romanian edition by Nemira).jpg|The ''[[Nostalgia for Infinity]]'' on the Romanian cover of the novel ''[[Revelation Space]]''
File:Inhibitor Phase.jpg|A lighthugger (likely the ''Scythe'') on the cover of the novel ''[[Inhibitor Phase]]'' (cover by Blacksheep Design)
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>

== See also ==
*[[Flotilla]] - The fleet of slower-than-light generation starships that preceded the invention of lighthuggers and was used to colonise the planet of [[Sky's Edge]].
*''[[Atalanta]]'' - The ''Atalanta'' was an unsuccessful [[Demarchists|Demarchist]] project for a prototype ramscoop-powered starship that could compete with Conjoiner-developed lighthuggers.
{{Spacecraft}}
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Lighthuggers| ]]