AlfaAstrix

For a while now, I've been working on creating a story for a future video game that would take place in several different time periods throughout the future. Right now I'm stuck on the near future and how humanity would finally get around to getting off this rock.

From the research I've done, I know that hydrogen or helium-3 fusion based engines would allow us to get to Mars, if not Jupiter. Throw a little anti-matter injection into it, and you *might* get enough thrust for borderline FTL. From scientific theories, it looks like a warp field is the only sure-fire way to achieve FTL, but I'm wondering if my static ion webbing would work?

This is my theory:
We've already proven that you can magnetically lock two particles together, as well as we've already proven that you can make an object follow a path via magnetism. So based on ion thruster design, could you not use multiple inverted ion thrusters to electrically charge a path of particles that you could then be used to "ride" from one place to another in space at damn near the speed of light, if not at the speed of light? Yes this would be one hell of a bumpy ride, but hey, that's what inertial dampeners are for right?

Of course this is all theory, so honestly I have no idea where to go with it. Other then that, when to go with it. According to current consumption charts, humanity will be lucky to have anything left by 2150 A.D. If we begin mining the moon, we could move off of fossil fuels to fusion based fuels since it's extremely Helium-3 rich. Mars is extremely iron rich, as well as many other metals, to which we could use to balance the mineral cost to get to and from there. So that just leaves why we should go past that? Man, so many thoughts, not enough people to bounce these ideas off of...