No mundo do Rato de Aço Inoxidável eles têm comunicação FTL (na forma de transmissores FTL) e viagem FTL (na forma de drives de warp):
"So they are already in warpdrive and cannot be contacted until they emerge." I considered the possibilities. "You will of course be in touch with the authorities at their scheduled destination. The Stainless Steel Rat goes to Hell
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“Bang on.” I had forgotten that he was an engineer. “An FTL transmission, faster than light, is almost instantaneous, even at stellar distances. But radio waves move at the speed of light—and how far is the nearest star from here?” ‘Three point two light-years.” The Stainless Steel Rat gets Drafted
Existem algumas regras que parecem ser bastante comuns entre os vários romances;
- Os drives de distorção são acionados por "geradores" (este é um ponto-chave do segundo romance)
- As unidades de distorção permitem que você acesse o "espaço de dobra".
- As unidades mais recentes são de alguma forma melhores (não há explicação para isso)
- Ao viajar no espaço de dobra, você não pode receber comunicações convencionais ou FTL.
- Ao viajar no espaço de dobra, você não pode interagir com a matéria normal e, portanto, é imune ao ataque.
Curiosamente, na coleção de contos (publicada em 1994, mas escrita, " Stainless Steel Visions " substancialmente mais cedo) as regras são substancialmente diferentes . Nenhuma menção de drives de warp, agora é tudo sobre o trânsito do hiperespaço usando beacons.
To understand the importance of the beacons, you have to understand hyperspace. Not that many people do, but it is easy enough to understand that in this nonspace the regular rules don't apply. Speed and measurements are a matter of relationship, not constant facts like the fixed universe.
The first ships to enter hyperspace had no place to go—and no way to even tell if they had moved. The beacons solved that problem and opened the entire universe. They're built on planets and generate tremendous amounts of power. This power is turned into radiation that is punched through into hyperspace. Every beacon has a code signal that is part of its radiation and represents a measurable point in hyperspace. Triangulation and quadrature of the beacons works for navigation—only it follows its own rules. The rules are complex and variable, but they are still rules that a navigator can follow.
For a hyperspace jump, you need at least four beacons for an accurate fix. For long jumps, navigators use as many as seven or eight. So every beacon is important and every one has to keep operating. That is where I and the other troubleshooters come in.