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[[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.
 +
[[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 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.
+
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.
 
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.
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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.
  
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.
   
−
Most lighthuggers were owned or ruled by their crew of [[Ultranauts]], who, 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.
 +
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 [[Dark Drive|dark drives]] that emitted nothing in any detectable spectrum, miniaturized [[Cryo-arithmetic engine|cryo-arithmetic engines]] which cooled their hulls to make it nearly indistinguishable — in thermal terms — 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]].
  
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 [[Dark Drive|dark drives]] that emitted nothing in any detectable spectrum, miniaturized [[Cryo-arithmetic engine|cryo-arithmetic engines]] which cooled their hulls to make it nearly indistinguishable — in thermal terms — 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>
   
 
== Notes ==
  
== Notes ==
 
* At the end of ''[[Redemption Ark]]'' the vast carrying capacity of lighthuggers is demonstrated by [[Ana Khouri]] and [[Ilia Volyova|Triumvir Ilia Volyova]] as they load approximately 160,000 of the almost 200,000 on the world [[Resurgam]] onto the ''[[Nostalgia for Infinity]]''.
  
* At the end of ''[[Redemption Ark]]'' the vast carrying capacity of lighthuggers is demonstrated by [[Ana Khouri]] and [[Ilia Volyova|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).
  
* 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 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.
 +
* 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.
   
 
== List of known lighthuggers ==
  
== List of known lighthuggers ==
   
 
''Lighthuggers sorted by name, in alphabetical order.''
  
''Lighthuggers sorted by name, in alphabetical order.''
−  
−
''List in development. Please remain patient as we expand it.''
  
   
 
{| class="article-table"
  
{| class="article-table"
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!Appearances
  
!Appearances
 
!Notes / History
  
!Notes / History
  ⚫
|-
  +
|''[[Accompaniment of Shadows]]''
  +
|[[Ultranauts]]
  +
|TBA
  +
|''[[Aurora Rising]]'' <br> (novel)
  +
|Becomes part of a crime investigation during the events of ''Aurora Rising''.
 
|-
  
|-
 
|''[[Apollyon]]''
  
|''[[Apollyon]]''
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|''[[Weather]]'' <br> (short story, ''[[Galactic North]]'' anthology)
  
|''[[Weather]]'' <br> (short story, ''[[Galactic North]]'' anthology)
 
|Pirate lighthugger, pursued the ''Petronel'' in the short story ''Weather''.
  
|Pirate lighthugger, pursued the ''Petronel'' in the short story ''Weather''.
  ⚫
|-
  +
|''[[Death of Sophonisba]]''
  +
|[[Ultranauts]]
  +
|N/A
  +
|''[[Nightingale]]''
  +
|Featured in the short story ''Nightingale''.
  +
|-
  +
|''[[Equinoctial]]''
  +
|[[Ultranauts]]
  +
|[[Rauma Bernsdottir]] (captain)
  +
|''[[Night Passage]]'' <br> (short story, ''[[Infinite Stars]]'' anthology)
  +
|A lighthugger commanded by captain Bernsdottir, ferrying Conjoiner passengers as customers. First or one of the first to encounter a [[Shrouders|Shroud]].
  +
|-
  +
|''[[Faint Memory of Hokusai]]''
  +
|[[Ultranauts]]
  +
|N/A
  +
|''[[Absolution Gap]]''
  +
|Featured briefly during the later events of ''Absolution Gap''.
 
|-
  
|-
 
|''[[Galatea]]''
  
|''[[Galatea]]''
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|[[Queen Jasmina]] (captain/ruler), Grelier (surgeon/torturer), [[Quaiche|Horris Quaiche]], [[Morwenna]] (crew members)
  
|[[Queen Jasmina]] (captain/ruler), Grelier (surgeon/torturer), [[Quaiche|Horris Quaiche]], [[Morwenna]] (crew members)
 
|''[[Absolution Gap]]''
  
|''[[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''.
 +
|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]]''.
  +
|-
  +
|''[[Lachrimosa]]''
  +
|[[Ultranauts]]
  +
|
  +
|''[[The Last Log of the Lachrimosa]]'' <br> (short story, ''Subterranean Press Magazine'')
  +
|
  +
|-
  +
|''[[Lark Descending]]''
  +
|[[Ultranauts]]
  +
|N/A
  +
|''[[Absolution Gap]]''
  +
|Featured briefly during the later events of ''Absolution Gap''.
 
|-
  
|-
 
|''[[Lorean]]''
  
|''[[Lorean]]''
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|''[[Revelation Space]]''
  
|''[[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.
  
|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]]''
  
|''[[Nightshade]]''
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|''[[Nostalgia for Infinity]]''
  
|''[[Nostalgia for Infinity]]''
 
|[[Ultranauts]]
  
|[[Ultranauts]]
−
|[[John Brannigan]] (captain), <br> [[Ilia Volyova]], [[Yuuji Sajaki]], Hegazi (triumvirs), <br> [[Boris Nagorny]], Sudjić, Kjarval (crew members), <br> janitor-rats (clean-up pets)
 +
|[[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]]''
  
|''[[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''.
 +
|"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]]''
  
|''[[Pelican in Impiety]]''
 
|[[Ultranauts]]
  
|[[Ultranauts]]
  +
|Ormazd (a passenger)
⚫
|
  
 
|''[[Turquoise Days]]'' (novella, ''[[Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days]]'' anthology)
  
|''[[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]]''
  
|''[[Petronel]]''
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|''[[Poseidon]]''
  
|''[[Poseidon]]''
 
|[[Ultranauts]]
  
|[[Ultranauts]]
−
|[[Verika Adebi]] (captain)
 +
|[[Verika Abebi]] (triumvir)
 
|''[[Diamond Dogs]]'' (novella, ''[[Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days]]'' anthology, mentioned only)
  
|''[[Diamond Dogs]]'' (novella, ''[[Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days]]'' anthology, mentioned only)
−
|Mentioned by its captain in the finale of the novella.
 +
|Mentioned by a triumvir from its crew in the finale of the novella.
 
|-
  
|-
 
|''[[Sandra Voi (ship)|Sandra Voi]]''
  
|''[[Sandra Voi (ship)|Sandra Voi]]''
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|''[[Glacial]]'' <br> (short story, ''[[Galactic North]]'' anthology)
  
|''[[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]].
  
|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]].
  +
|-
  +
|''[[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]]''
  +
|Ramliner (passenger lighthugger) and its crew, featured in the short story ''Dilation Sleep''.
 
|-
  
|-
 
|''[[Zodiacal Light]]''
  
|''[[Zodiacal Light]]''
 
|[[Ultranauts]] ''(formerly)'' <br> Clavain's expedition to Resurgam ''(later)'' <br> Remontoire's group ''(last known)''
  
|[[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.)
 +
|[[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)
  
|''[[Redemption Ark]]'' <br> <br> ''[[Galactic North (short story)|Galactic North]]'' <br> (short story, ''[[Galactic North]]'' anthology)
−
|Originally known as the ''Eldritch Witch''. 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]]''.
 +
|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]]''.
 
|}
  
|}
   
 
== Gallery ==
  
== Gallery ==
 
<gallery>
  
<gallery>
−
File:Lighthugger.jpg|Alastair Reynolds' own sketch of a typical lighthugger (from his official website)
 +
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 ''[[Galactic North]]''
 +
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 (Dominic Harman)
  +
Revelation Space (Romanian edition by Nemira).jpg|The ''[[Nostalgia for Infinity]]'' on the Romanian cover of the novel ''[[Revelation Space]]''
 
</gallery>
  
</gallery>
   
−
== See also ==
 +
==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]].
  
*[[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.
−
*[[Ramliner]] - An older type of slower-than-light interstellar starship. Slower than a lighthugger and more reliant on reerersleep due to long travel times.
  
  +
{{Spacecraft}}
 
[[Category:Technology]]
  
[[Category:Technology]]
 
[[Category:Lighthuggers| ]]
  
[[Category:Lighthuggers| ]]

Revision as of 22:05, 26 April 2020

Lighthugger

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 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 dark drives that emitted nothing in any detectable spectrum, miniaturized cryo-arithmetic engines which cooled their hulls to make it nearly indistinguishable — in thermal terms — from empty space, inertia suppression machinery that allowed extremely fast acceleration and deceleration, free-force bubbles which absorbed enemy attacks, camouflage screens that aided concealment, and extremely heavy armaments, including bladder-mines and hypometric weaponry.

RS Glossary entry

Lighthugger: Any large space vehicle with a relativistic cruise ceiling.
- description from the official RS glossary [1]

Ramliner: Passenger carrying lighthugger.
- description from the official RS glossary [2]

Notes

  • 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' 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 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 that if he blackballed him among the Ultra community he would be stranded in the 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.

List of known lighthuggers

Lighthuggers sorted by name, in alphabetical order.

Name Ownership Associated with Appearances Notes / History
Accompaniment of Shadows Ultranauts TBA Aurora Rising
(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
(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 (former captive) Weather
(short story, Galactic North anthology) 		Pirate lighthugger, pursued the Petronel in the short story Weather.
Death of Sophonisba Ultranauts N/A Nightingale Featured in the short story Nightingale.
Equinoctial Ultranauts Rauma Bernsdottir (captain) Night Passage
(short story, Infinite Stars anthology) 		A lighthugger commanded by captain Bernsdottir, ferrying Conjoiner passengers as customers. First or one of the first to encounter a Shroud.
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), 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.
Lachrimosa Ultranauts The Last Log of the Lachrimosa
(short story, Subterranean Press Magazine)
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 Featured in the short story Galactic North.
Hirondelle Ultranauts Irravel Veda, Mirsky, Hirondelle sleeper passengers 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

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),
Ilia Volyova, Yuuji Sajaki, Abdul Hegazi (triumvirs),
Boris Nagorny, Sudjić, Sula Kjarval (crew members),
janitor-rats (clean-up pets) 		Revelation Space

Redemption Ark

Absolution Gap 		"Hero ship" of the 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)
male and female Chimerics (crew members)
Pellegrino (shuttle pilot) 		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 (captive, honorary crew member) Weather
(short story, Galactic North anthology) 		The ship of the main protagonists in the short story 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 Conjoiners Galiana, Nevil Clavain, Felka Glacial
(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 Demarchist leader Sandra Voi by Nevil Clavain.
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 Ramliner (passenger lighthugger) and its crew, featured in the short story Dilation Sleep.
Zodiacal Light Ultranauts (formerly)
Clavain's expedition to Resurgam (later)
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

Galactic North
(short story, Galactic North anthology) 		Originally known as the Eldritch Child. Commandeered from Ultras (with help from 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.

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ Revelation Space universe - RS Glossary - L, AlastairReynolds.com, the official website of Alastair Reynolds
  2. ↑ Revelation Space universe - RS Glossary - R, AlastairReynolds.com, the official website of Alastair Reynolds

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 Demarchist project for a prototype ramscoop-powered starship that could compete with Conjoiner-developed lighthuggers.
Spacecraft
SHUTTLES AND SMALL CRAFT*
Civilian shuttles/small craft: Trike | Tug | Cutter | Spherical shuttle | Flotilla excursion shuttle
Police shuttles/small craft: Panoply cutter
Individual shuttles/small craft: Melancholia of Departure (spherical shuttle)
Remontoire's 'Trident' fighter (outrigger fightercraft)
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ATMOSPHERIC SHUTTLES**
Coalition shuttle | Flotilla delta-winged shuttle
Cutter | "Claw" shuttle | Lighthugger orbital shuttle
Individual atmo-shuttles: Scavenger's Daughter | Dominatrix
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INTERPLANETARY SPACECRAFT (LARGE SPACESHIPS)
Civilian ships: Freighter | Liner | Hospital ship | Lighthugger in-system craft
Police and military ships: Deep-system cruiser
Demarchist military vessel | Conjoiner ''Moray''-class corvette
Individual ships: Bellatrix | Democratic Circus | High Catherine
Nightingale | Storm Bird | Universal Suffrage
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INTERSTELLAR SPACECRAFT (STARSHIPS)
Generation ships - Flotilla ships: Santiago, Islamabad, Brazilia, Palestine, Baghdad
Ramscoop starships - Atalanta
Lighthuggers - List (Sandra Voi, Nostalgia for Infinity, Zodiacal Light, Nightshade, Hirondelle, Petronel, etc.)
Alien starships - Void warren ("Caleuche")
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SPACECRAFT PROPULSION
Antimatter engines | Ramscoop | Conjoiner Drive | Stealth Conjoiner Drive
Dark Drive | Inertia-suppression Machinery | Cryo-arithmetic engine
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SPACECRAFT WEAPONRY AND DEFENCES
Magnetic railgun | Boser | Ack-am | Foam-phase Munition | Pin-head munitions
Camouflaging screens | Hypometric weapon | Bladder-mine

* - capable only of flight in the vacuum of space
** - double as both spacecraft and aircraft, depending on the need
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