by Ben Robinson
The incredible energies produced in the reactors begin with semi-solid materials that are kept at °260°C. The central volume of matter is referred to as deuterium but is actually 92.57 per cent cryogenic deuterium mixed with 7.4 per cent tritium, another isotope of hydrogen, plus a final 0.03 per cent infusion of the pyroelectric crystal trigexite. It is maintained in an insulated storage tank on Deck 4, an immediate-use tank that is periodically refilled from similar tanks on other decks in the aft hull. Spiral mechanical pellet cutters and micro-force field emitters within the tank feed precise streams of deuterium to computer controlled pumps, and then through conduits to the matter injectors high up on Deck 3.
The antimatter, in the form of anti-deuterium, is stored in a series of magnetically-shielded containment pods in Main Engineering that slide into racks on the floor of Deck 6. Like a great deal of the Bird-of-Prey’s structure, the pods are made from machined and gamma-welded duranium titanide.
WARP CORE
The Bird-of-Prey’s twin warp cores are constructed of some the strongest materials ever devised for starships. They are each 16.38m tall and 7.26m in diameter at their widest points, and are attached to the vessel frame with twelve momentum conditioners—shock absorbers—that allow each reactor to ‘float’ within open holes in Decks 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Each core is fabricated as two major subassemblies, the reinforcing framework and the matter-antimatter reactor itself. The reinforcing frame, made from varying proportions of kar’dasnoth and baakten, relies on a combination of compression and tension members to hold the reactor together. The two metals—variants of densified tritanium—are blended in vapor-deposition furnaces, creating tight atomic matrices that are somewhat brittle, but exceedingly strong.
The reactor walls are built with a similar vapor-deposition technique from multiple alternating layers of genn’thok and ur hargol and hardened by exposure to controlled plasma detonations. The hexagonal photon spill ‘windows’ are created during the initial fabrication steps by altering the atomic structure, similar to transparent aluminum, to allow 0.000013 of the visible spectrum to pass through.
WARP ENGINE ROOM
1 Shock Absorbers
2 Aft Compartment Wall
3 Deck 6
4 Deck 3
5 Engineering Support Compartment
6 Impulse Support Compartment
7 Main Impulse Section Access
8 Main Matter Tank
9 Antimatter Pod Rack
10 Antimatter Pod
11 Main Engineering Computer Console
12 Matter Injector
13 Pressure Vessel Structural Frame
14 Upper Pressure Vessel
15 Dilithium Controller
16 Dilithium Crystal Holder
17 Antimatter Manifold
18 Self-Destruct Package
19 Lower Pressure Vessel
20 Antimatter Injector
21 Transverse Plasma Conduit
22 Plasma T-Junction to Impulse Section
23 Plasma Monitor Window
24 Central Reaction Chamber
25 Interdeck Access Ladder
26 Decking Supports
27 Deck 4
28 Deck 5
29 Port Compartment Wall
ANTIMATTER STORAGE
The warp engines use antimatter in the form of anti-deuterium which is stored in 20 pods that prevent it from coming into contact with normal matter.
1 Impact Armor Cap
2 Structural End Plate
3 Tension Bar
4 Rack Cradle Alignment Plate
5 Duranium Titanide Tank
6 Cradle Scuff Plate
7 Magnetic Transfer Conduit
8 Anti-Grav Transport Lock
9 Pod Reinforcement Plate
10 Magnetic Vacuum Vent
ANTIMATTER PODS
The antimatter pods have been designed to withstand most physical shocks from battle damage in the engineering section, typically from falling or shattered equipment, and even most short-duration energy weapons. It is ironic that while a great many redundant safety measures have been built into the antimatter pods, the racks in which they sit have been designed to hold the primary self-destruct explosive packages.
The B’rel-class uses a total of 20 antimatter pods in Main Engineering, which are distributed among two six-pod and two four-pod racks. If they are needed, additional tanks can be stored in the engineering support areas further forward on Deck 6, depending on the mission. Both rack types are 3.87m tall, about twice the height of a warrior; the large rack is 4.92m wide and the smaller one is 3.34m wide.
Pods can be installed and extracted by mechanical lifts or antigravs. Like the pods, the racks are also fitted with magnetic isolation valves and conduits that prevent the antimatter from coming into contact with normal matter.
They measure 1.56m in diameter and 2.92m long and are heavily lined with Type-III neodium-gallinide, which magnetically repels the anti-deuterium at least 2.3cm, preventing it from touching the inner walls of the pod and therefore causing an uncontrolled matter-antimatter explosion.
Each pod has a pellet cutter at the aft end that uses a shielded micro-force field maniuplator to isolate tiny packets of anti-deuterium, into magnetically contained pellets, approximately 6mm in diameter, that it pushes through the system.
The anti-deuterium pellets do not flow directly to the antimatter injectors but instead pass through a set of intermediate manifolds, two per warp core, which include additional magnetic gate valves and mass monitors. Antimatter is a dangerous substance under the best of conditions, and even more so in a combat vessel where the smallest containment breach can spell disaster. As such, all pods, mag-lined conduits, and connectors are equipped with superconducting coils that will continue to provide shielding for 35 minutes if power to the system is cut.
During normal flight operations, the antimatter manifolds apply pulsed magnetic fields to send the anti-deuterium pellets through one last set of conduits before they reach the injectors just below Deck 6.
Ideally, the reactant flows and injector firings are balanced in both warp cores through constant sensor monitoring and adjustments by both the Main Engineering computer node and the central computer.
The antimatter pods are stored in racks in engineering that are connected to the engines and allow antimatter to be fed into the system.
1 Pod Rack Structural Frame
2 Antimatter Pod
3 Self-Destruct Package
4 Pod Support Cradle
5 Frame Reinforcement Plates
6 Pod Status Monitor
ANTIMATTER MANIFOLD
In practice, however, the propulsion control software is constantly chasing slight imbalances that are felt as occasional but annoying vibrations. In combat, if a warp core is damaged but still operating, the total fuel flow system does what it can to smooth out the plasma going to the wing warp drives, weapons, and general power network.
The temperature and pressure of the plasma in the reactor is regulated by precisely controlling the flow rates of the matter and antimatter. The frequency of the plasma is controlled by four dilithium controllers, which ring the middle section of each core. Each controller covers a small penetration in the reactor and contains a removable assembly that securely holds a large piece of dilithium crystal into the plasma stream.
The crystals extend into the core, where they’re bathed in the plasma, and as the plasma passes between the four crystals in each core they alter its frequency. Through a set of actuators the clamp assembly can adjust the crystal angle and rotation to reach the best frequency level for a particular flight regime.
Complete control over warp velocities is a complex numerical dance as the Main Engineering computer node commands all eight crystal clamps, coordinates the reactor temperatures and pressures, and triggers the proper warp wing energizing sequence.
The modified plasma stream passes from the warp cores into the transverse plasma transfer conduit
for distribution throughout the ship. The conduit itself runs to the warp wings but it also incorporates a series of six medium and 30 smaller EPS (electroplasma) energy taps, which are channeled to every part of the ship for basic power. The transverse conduit contains a number of visual inspection ports similar to the hexagonal photon spill versions in the cores, used for general confirmation of the flow and intensity of the plasma.
The antimatter manifolds (two per warp core) feed a stream of antimatter pellets suspended in carefully controlled micro force fields into the bottom of the warp reactors.
1 Antimatter Inlet Conduits
2 Manifold Casing Reinforcements
3 Waste Heat Controlled Release Port
4 Antimatter Temperature Monitor
5 Antimatter Flow Monitor
6 System Power Indicator
7 Contingency Flow Redirect Port
8 System Status Indicators
9 Antimatter Sample Port
10 Maintenance Lift Fixture
11 Magnetic Field Test Port
The ability to divert superheated plasma to any part of the ship’s energy system gives the Bird-of-Prey a unique advantage over other faster-than-light starships.
The antimatter manifolds (two per warp core) feed a stream of antimatter pellets suspended in carefully controlled micro force fields into the bottom of the warp reactors.
Four sets of computer-controlled gate valves, each consisting of a pair of metallic composite doors and an electromagnetic iris, can be opened and closed to channel plasma to the warp wings, disruptors, impulse engines, and life-support systems, usually prioritized in that order.
The amount of plasma used in each system can also be adjusted, depending on the condition of the core. The warp drive is deemed more important than the impulse or sublight engines, since the warp wings can also propel the ship at fractional warp values if necessary.
If one or both cores are running at less than optimal output for any reason, including battle damage, the system can still measure and balance the energy and pressure in the plasma conduits that head to the wings.
If necessary, the EM irises can constrict tightly and then open in precise cycles to generate high plasma pressure and high temperature if the cores are not running properly. The technique does not work for long periods and is wasteful of fuel, but can be useful in a crisis.
At the center of the transverse plasma conduit, there is a T-section diverter that can send plasma to the impulse engines. This is a backup system that is activated only if the impulse fusion reactors cannot access their regular energy source, but it compensates for several of the most likely forms of impulse engine failure. The reverse is also possible under extraordinary conditions, where energy from the impulse chambers can assist in warp flight through the same giant conduit.
All of the central reactor hardware is surrounded by structures that protect it from most weapon hits, plus all of the necessary utilities to keep them running. The spaceframe elements enveloping this section are reinforced by the decking and by vertical and horizontal support members, all of which are fabricated from alloys of duranium and tritanium and varying proportions of embedded nanocarbon whiskers.
The pressure hull around Main Engineering is almost twice the thickness of that on the rest of the ship. The standard hull thickness is 20.33cm whereas in Engineering it is 32.71cm. The outer armor layer is also reinforced and the standard thickness of 44.45cm is given an additional kinetic and beam weapon ablator layer 12.32cm.
The total physical impact hull—without defensive energy shields—measures some 89.48cm thick, nearly a meter of solid matter. When this is added to the spaceframe member thickness of 26.27cm, in places the overall protection reaches as much as 1.15m.
DILITHIUM CHAMBER
The need for the additional armor is two-fold; while the alloy layers are designed to stop incoming weapons fire, they are also in place to limit explosion effects from internal causes. The walls and frames help contain reactor plasma breaches, while the large transverse plasma conduit opens to space and bleeds off pressure through the ventral wing vents. Any amount of containment helps in most breach scenarios, and provides valuable time to fix the situation or prepare for escape from the vessel.
Adjacent engineering support rooms contain vital subsystems, including electrohydraulic pumps, pressurized gas spheres and cylinders, plasma sampling and monitoring gear, and sensor processors. The support rooms, which are rather hot and cramped, occupy the twin narrow tail pieces of the hull to the port and starboard of the impulse section, and share a number of subsystems with the impulse engines.
Most of these subsystems on one side are interconnected with their twins on the opposite side and can all be shut down and isolated or left active as needed. Access doors and hatches on Decks 4, 5, and 6 lead into the support rooms and allow for transfer of swappable machine components and supply tanks manually or by antigrav.
Each door contains safety locks to prevent opening if the compartment beyond is damaged and open to space. Command overrides of the door locking mechanisms, emergency force fields, and hostile environment suits come into play if repairs or rescue situations warrant. Crew movement between decks, either in the support compartments or in Main Engineering itself, is accomplished by ladder wells. The largest of these are three triangular ladders close to the warp reactors that allow for quick inspections and equipment swapouts.
Each reactor uses four dilithium crystals which are housed around the outside of the warp core.
Thick bundles of optical fiber and carbon data ribbon are built into the walls and decking, and connect to sensors that record all aspects of engine operation and environmental conditions, transmit equipment programs and activation commands, and relay all relevant information to the central computer and the bridge.
Redundant engineering computer nodes are installed in hardened casings just outside of the armored space on Deck 6. These nodes, equipped with emergency subspace beacons, preserve duplicate data records in the event of a catastrophic failure. Unless the casings are hit directly by weapons fire, there is a good chance they will survive being ejected into space or thrown about a planetary surface.
Besides the data and power conduits, other piping networks transport gases and liquids among the various major engine assemblies and support gear. The largest fluid pipes replenish the cryogenic matter tanks, and smaller ones move coolant, liquified breathing gases, and hardware cleaning compounds.
Dilithium plays a vital role in ‘tuning’ the matter-antimatter reaction. Huge amounts of Klingon dilithium come from the mines on Rura Penthe.
1 Dilithium Crystal
2 Genn’thok Pressure Pad
3 Ur Hargol Articulated Control Arms
4 Carbonitrium Pressure Plug
5 Pressure Relief Ports
6 External Plug Cap
DILITHIUM
Dilithium crystals degrade over time, coating the inner reactor walls with thin layers of atoms and requiring frequency recalibration every 3900 operating hours. Once thought impossible, dilithium can undergo recrystallization using reclaimed materials and quantum scaffolding. Crystals are tested on board the ship and reconstructed if necessary, or handed off to an Empire shipyard during maintenance layovers.
WARP COILS
The Bird-of-Prey achieves warp flight using a different system of energized alloys from other ships in the IKDF fleet. Most civilizations that are capable of faster than light travel use circular or oval rings of space-bending metals and composites. The familiar ’warp coils’—housed in stand-off nacelles or incorporated within a starship hull—warp space and provide propulsion when they are exposed to high energy plasma.
Early Klingon, Vulcan, and Romulan vessels used this system to make their way through interstellar space, employing a variety of cryogenic fuels and antimatter to achieve greater and greater speeds and distances. While plasma reactions had originally been triggered directly within the nacelles, advances in pumping super hot plasm
a from remote—and protected—engines allowed for larger, more powerful systems. Magnetically lined conduits could be routed through different ship structures. Crystalline materials such as ikemenite, faslonite, and dilithium became standards for regulating the furious energies and smoothing out the plasma frequencies within the core.
Design engineers within the Imperial Klingon Defense Forces, with ship commanders taking an active role in deciding what systems were to be installed in their ships, experimented early in the 22nd century with reshaping the usual nacelle configuration for new classes of fast, stealthy attack vessels.
It was determined that the sequential energizing of warp alloys did not necessarily require the ‘coils’ to be coils at all, but the alloys could be compacted into flat sheets. Beginning with Klingon vessels of the 2120s, the energized warp wing was born, leading to the development of the 23rd-century B’rel-class Bird-of-Prey with its imposing bird shape.
In the B’rel-class, plasma produced in the twin warp cores is allowed to fill and pressurize the central horizontal conduits that lead to the wings, through penetrations in the engineering hull on Deck 5. Each central conduit has a variable aperture duct, which works in concert with the wing hinge to provide different amounts and pressures of plasma to the warp system depending on the flight mode—liftoff/landing, cruise, and attack.
