Transport
To summarize then, travel in this setting:
- Uses FTL for inter-system travel
- Ships are limited to lightspeed and slower in systems
- FTL is achieved by larger ships with the tech, while smaller ships need to travel in close proximity with these ships to cross systems
- FTL needs the engines to charge for longer than it would need to actually take the journey in FTL. So a 12 hour FTL jump from Earth to Alpha Centauri would need 12 hours to spool up first before jumping
- There are established lanes and routes for ships traveling at certain speeds to prevent them crashing into eachother or into spaceports