Black Fleet Numbers

[Illuminatus Primus]

What?

[FTeik]

Simple. An Imperial trap (hardly a novel idea) at an Imperial supply base nearly defeated Ackbar, but an antimatter tanker at the base was located close to one of the Imperials' superiority fleets, and its timely destruction would've punched a hole through the Imperial forces, and perhaps given Ackbar the edge to rout the Imperials.

That only works if Anx Minor was an imperial system with a supply-base.

And if so, why were only the ISDs destroyed (and not the base, too) and why were the ships close to the base itself (shouldn´t there be Golan-Defense-Stations?

Don't nitpick. You painted it out as an impossible senario. I showed it was not.

Simply put that the supply vessel was on the fringes of the space surrounding the base and just happened to be near one Imperial superiority fleet's worth of ISDs. Perhaps other vessels were destroyed but not named?

I'm saying that there could've been an ambush with multiple superiority fleets. One of those groups' attack runs brought it in the vacinity of a waiting antimatter tanker. Ackbar quickly destroyed it, killing a large percentage of the Imperial forces and confusing them, giving him the edge to turn it into a rout.

Hrrrrmpf.

For your scenario to work you need:

-an imperial ambush
-a system hold by the empire with a supply-base
-a NOT re-christianed tanker "Glory of Yevetha" (nowhere mentioned in the BFC)
-several superiority-fleets
-Ackbar realizing, that an ordinary tanker stores anti-matter

For the other scenario you only need a modified dreadnought (size open, but possibly a super-dreadnought of SSD-scale since it was escorted by 6 ISDs).

[Publius]

All page citations are given for the Guild Books America hardcover, single-volume collection of the Black Fleet Crisis, published by arrangement with Bantam Books in 1997.

Black Sword Command is the name of the Imperial unified combat command charged with the defence, according to Admiral Drayson, of “the center [sic] of the Empire’s Rim territories, [including] Praxlis, Corridan, the entire Kokash and Farlax sectors” (p. 109); Kokash and Farlax Sectors include the Morath Nebula and the Koornacht Cluster (p. 110). The Supreme Commander, Black Sword Command, was probably a Grand Moff ex officio, as BLACKSWORDCOM is clearly a multi-Sector command, with presence in the Inner Rim and the Core Worlds. As such, it could easily comprise a large number of Sector Groups.

Headquarters, Black Sword Command, were not at N’zoth. In fact, it is noted that while the Intimidator is spaceworthy, she had been “sent to Black 15 from the Core for finish work, to free up a Super-class shipway at the command’s home shipbuilding yard” (p. 7). Thus, it is clear from the text itself that the command’s primary facilities are located elsewhere, in the Core. This is made further clear by the fact that Black FIFTEEN was ordinarily defended only by a Victory Star Destroyer, the Harridan, ordered to join a rear-guard action at Notak three weeks prior to the order of the evacuation of N’zoth.

The Empire’s orbiting repair yard at N’zoth is code-named Black FIFTEEN, and was one of five shipyards belonging to BLACKSWORDCOM which were unknown to the New Republic (p. 114; Viceroy Spaar subsequently tells President Organa Solo (p. 121) that the Empire’s shipyards at N’zoth, Zhina, and Wakiza were destroyed). On the morning of the scheduled withdrawal from N’zoth, all nine shipways were occupied by Imperial warships, including the Super Star Destroyer Intimidator, the badly damaged Redoubtable, which had been badly damaged “in the retreat from Endor,” and the EX-F, “a weapons and propulsion test bed built on a Dreadnaught hull” (p. 7). Oddly, the text neatly contradicts itself; page six plainly states that the warships are “nine Star Destroyers together.”

[Edit: Shield of Lies partially confirms Viceroy Spaar's statement, and establishes (p. 487) that Black FIFTEEN was located at N'zoth, Black ELEVEN at Zhina, and Black EIGHT at Wakiza.]

The New Republic Defence Forces’ Asset Tracking Office, Threat Assessment Section, discovered that, less than a year before the withdrawal of BLACKSOWRDCOM from the Rim, there were some 44 capital ships assigned thereto, none of which had been accounted for since the death of the Galactic Emperor. According to this analysis, none were smaller than a Victory Star Destroyer, three were Super Star Destroyers, and all but five were either newly-lain keels or scheduled for refit or major repairs. Nevertheless, as Admiral Drayson notes, the missing “Black Fleet” of BLACKSWORDCOM is “more than enough firepower to overwhelm any planetary system in the New Republic, Coruscant included” (p. 109).

Within the time between the destruction of the Gnisnal and the withdrawal of BLACKSWORDCOM from the Rim, according to the Order of Battle, more than half of the “Black Fleet” was scheduled to be completed or fully repaired. Given that the Empire constructed shipyards and repair facilities in each sector under its control, the Asset Tracking Office concluded that it was possible that “as many as twenty Star Destroyers could be very much closer to us [the New Republic] than the [Deep] Core” (p. 110).

Thus, the analysis of the Asset Tracking Office, which Admiral Ackbar found to be “indisputable” (p. 109), is that, of the 44 ships of the “Black Fleet”, three were Super Star Destroyers, including the Intimidator, and as many as twenty Star Destroyers; none were smaller than a 900-metre long Victory Star Destroyer. This represents a warmaking capability roughly equivalent to the core components of two Sector Groups.

It is commented that, prior to the recovery of the Number 4 memory core of the Imperial Star Destroyer Gnisnal, the New Republic administration wanted to ally with the Duskhan League as a strategic consideration; one of President Organa Solo’s subordinates reminds her that “it sure would be nice to have a friend that big sitting between us and wherever Daala’s gotten herself to, in the Core. Right now Koornacht is one of the soft spots along the Inner Line” (p. 69). Senator Behn-kihl-nahm, the Chairman of the Senate Council on the Common Defence, cautioned conservatism in negotiating with the Duskhan League, despite the attractiveness of an ally on the Inner Line (p. 76).

It is made quite clear that the New Republic desired the Duskhan League’s partnership even without any detailed, or even cursory, knowledge of its military and naval capabilities, primarily because of the industrial and material resources and strategic location of the Koornacht Cluster. Although the Imperial hardware retained by the Duskhan League was relatively small in number, it was disproportionately powerful in warmaking capability, and located in a strategically vulnerable region of space.

Now, as to the subject of the identity of the EX-F....

To be continued.

Publius

[Publius]

As to the identity of the EX-F....

The EX-F first appeared in a shipway at Black FIFTEEN, over N'zoth, where she was described as "a weapons and propulsion test bed built on a Dreadnaught hull" (p. 7). However, this is neatly contradicted by the description of Black FIFTEEN on the immediately preceding page; there, the nine shipways are said to be occupied by "nine Star Destroyers". One page 487 (Shield of Lies), there is mention of "a queer-looking Dreadnaught-scale ship, which Nylykerka excitedly identified as a long-missing Imperial testbed, the EX-F". The Essential Chronology describes her merely as "the experimental weapons test bed EX-F" (p. 130).

So, we are immediately presented with a curious situation: Is she a Star Destroyer or a Dreadnaught? The weight of the evidence, the direct references from the Black Fleet Crisis, actually suggests that she is the latter, or at least a unique vessel based thereon (whether a Dreadnought in the sense of a battleship or a Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser remains to be seen).

However, the Order of Battle recovered from the Number 4 memory core of the Star Destroyer Gnisnal revealed that, of the 44 ships of Mr Nylykerka's "Black Fleet", not one was smaller than a Victory Star Destroyer, whose length overall (LOA) is 900 metres -- and yet, a Dreadnaught CA has a LOA of only 600 metres! If she is indeed a variation on the hull of a Dreadnaught CA, her LOA may have been substantially increased by the experimental apparatus which rendered her unique, even to the point that she might be colloquially called a Star Destroyer.

Page 209 identifies the Yevethan warship Glory as "the vessel the Imperials had called EX-F, and its curious propulsion system, unlike that in any other starship, had been an ongoing vexation". The Star Wars Encyclopedia identifies the Glory of Yevetha with the EX-F (pp. 96, 116), and in both entries (viz., "EX-F" and "Glory of Yevetha"), she is described as "a weapons and propulsion test bed taken by the Yevetha at N'zoth" (pp. 96, 116).

Now, the New Essential Guide to Characters describes (p. 17) Admiral Ackbar's victory at the Battle of Anx Minor, wherein he "scored a last-minute victory by focusing a hail of concentrated fire on the engines of the Imperial vessel Glory of Yevetha. The ship exploded, igniting its volatile antimatter reservoir and annihilating six nearby Star Destroyers". Notice that she is described only as an "Imperial vessel", not as a Star Destroyer.

Now, it would appear, then, that the EX-F's experimental weapons and propulsion systems were responsible for an unusually large amount of antimatter being stowed aboard. If so, then it need not be assumed that an ordinary Dreadnaught or Star Destroyer would carry such a mass of antimatter. One wonders, though, why the Empire would be experimenting with antimatter in such a fashion.

Publius

[Connor MacLeod]

Good point about the size thing and "star destroyer" bit, I hadn't considered that.

Perhaps the EX-F is one of the larger "intermediate" ships between the Executor-class command ship (the Intimidator being the only one the Yevetha possessed) but also substantially larger than the ISDs (being a "dreadnaught"). This might suggest its on the order of 3-4 miles long, perhaps larger.

[FTeik]

Perhaps the anti-matter is a waste-product of a new and experimental reactor-type.

[FTeik]

Another question:

Was the Intimidator now part of BlackSword or was it simply there to be completed?

[nightmare]

http://www.jed1kn1ght.fsnet.co.uk/-=mat ... ps/exf.jpg

I don't know where the scan is from, but that's no Star Destroyer.

[Publius]

Perhaps the anti-matter is a waste-product of a new and experimental reactor-type.

This seems rather unlikely, as the text regarding the incident specifically refers to it as the ship's "volatile antimatter reservoir", which tends to suggest that it is being stowed for use, not for subsequent disposal. In any event, the storage of such waste material would be highly imprudent (at best) in combat situations.

Another question:

Was the Intimidator now part of BlackSword or was it simply there to be completed?

The Intimidator and her two sisters were among the 44 ships (Mr Nylykerka's "Black Fleet") assigned to BLACKSWORDCOM for which the New Republic's Asset Tracking Office was unable to account. The Intimidator herself was docked at Black FIFTEEN "from the Core for finish work, to free up a Super-class shipway at the command’s home shipbuilding yard" (p. 7).

To wit, the Intimidator was constructed at BLACKSWORDCOM's "home shipbuilding yard", and ordered to Black FIFTEEN for additional finish work so that the home shipbuilding yard could make use of the shipway for other purposes. Given the timing of the events, it may be that the Intimidator was not one of the five ships in full commission as of the Gnisnal's Order of Battle.

[FTeik]

[quot]

Perhaps the anti-matter is a waste-product of a new and experimental reactor-type.

This seems rather unlikely, as the text regarding the incident specifically refers to it as the ship's "volatile antimatter reservoir", which tends to suggest that it is being stowed for use, not for subsequent disposal. In any event, the storage of such waste material would be highly imprudent (at best) in combat situations.

Not if it was going to be used as additional energy-source or for weapons.

Another question:

Was the Intimidator now part of BlackSword or was it simply there to be completed?

The Intimidator and her two sisters were among the 44 ships (Mr Nylykerka's "Black Fleet") assigned to BLACKSWORDCOM for which the New Republic's Asset Tracking Office was unable to account. The Intimidator herself was docked at Black FIFTEEN "from the Core for finish work, to free up a Super-class shipway at the command’s home shipbuilding yard" (p. 7).

To wit, the Intimidator was constructed at BLACKSWORDCOM's "home shipbuilding yard", and ordered to Black FIFTEEN for additional finish work so that the home shipbuilding yard could make use of the shipway for other purposes. Given the timing of the events, it may be that the Intimidator was not one of the five ships in full commission as of the Gnisnal's Order of Battle.

[/quote]

BlackSwordCommand or the command of all imperial naval-forces? In the last case i think it highly unlikely, that a ship not operational (and unfinished) would be included into the fleet-count of the fighting-force.

[Publius]

Perhaps the anti-matter is a waste-product of a new and experimental reactor-type.

This seems rather unlikely, as the text regarding the incident specifically refers to it as the ship's "volatile antimatter reservoir", which tends to suggest that it is being stowed for use, not for subsequent disposal. In any event, the storage of such waste material would be highly imprudent (at best) in combat situations.

Not if it was going to be used as additional energy-source or for weapons.

If it were to be used as an additional power source for the ordinance department, then it would ipso facto not be a waste product: A waste product is somehting produced which is not used (hence, it is said to go to waste).

Furthermore, if a byproduct of the propulsion plant were to be used as an ancillary power source, then the ordinance department would also be obliged to stow large reserves of reactant matter, calculated to match the output of the engineering department. Such would be a profound logistical headache, to say the least.

Could you clarify the second part of your post? It is unclear as to what you are asking, and a proper response can self-evidently not be formulated if one does not know to what one is supposed to be responding.

Publius

[FTeik]

To provide reactant-matter for the "by-product" antimatter would be difficult, but not impossible. If the empire was desperate enough they might have very well been trying everything, that would have given them an edge of the NR.

My other question was about the original shipyard of the Intimidator, if the shipyard was part of the BlackSwordCommand or somewhere else inside the imperial core. Taking a look at "Before the Storm" confirmed, that the shipyard was part of BSC (sidenote: this gives us four places, where SSDs were built: Fondor, Kuat, Byss and the unknown shipyard Intimidator where Intimidator was built).

The second part of my statement deals with Intimidator being part of the order of battle for the BSC, since the ship was never fully operational until finished at Black 15 and then captured by the Yevethans. If not we would get three anonymous SSDs plus Intimidator.

[Publius]

To provide reactant-matter for the "by-product" antimatter would be difficult, but not impossible. If the empire was desperate enough they might have very well been trying everything, that would have given them an edge of the NR.

However, the EX-F already existed as an experimental weapons and propulsion systems testbed as early as six months after the Battle of Endor. At that stage, the Empire still controlled the majority of the galaxy, including Imperial Centre, and was as yet only consolidating its forces (hence, the ordered withdrawal of BLACKSWORDCOM from the Rim).

Keep in mind that as of six months after Endor, the Alliance of Free Planets was only just beginning its push toward the Core (which only really began with the fall of Bormea sector), and Grand Vizier Sate Pestage was either still in power or only recently ousted.

It is conceptually a bit difficult to grasp the obscenity of the amount of antimatter that the EX-F must have been carrying. It was sufficient to overwhelm the defences of (and completely destroy) six Star Destroyers. A very rough estimate, kindly provided by Connor MacLeod, is that she must have been carrying some several tens to hundreds of millions of tonnes of antimatter, at the very least. As a minimum, then, she must have been carrying well over a Star Destroyer's worth of mass in antimatter alone; it could very well be significantly more than that.

As a matter of logistics, it is hard to credit the idea that such a truly ridiculous amount of antimatter -- which must naturally have an equal amount of matter wherewith to react -- would be an attractive "desperation" mechanism. The EX-F is only really useful to a galaxy-spanning Empire; it makes no sense for the materially- and strategically-desperate, declining Empire to turn to such a logistical nightmare, especially given that she clearly represented a significant threat to nearby ships.

My other question was about the original shipyard of the Intimidator, if the shipyard was part of the BlackSwordCommand or somewhere else inside the imperial core. Taking a look at "Before the Storm" confirmed, that the shipyard was part of BSC (sidenote: this gives us four places, where SSDs were built: Fondor, Kuat, Byss and the unknown shipyard Intimidator where Intimidator was built).

Correct. Contextually, the only appropriate interpretation is that the Intimidator was constructed at the primary shipyards of BLACKSWORDCOM, and subsequently ordered to Black FIFTEEN for finishing work, in order to make available the "Super-class" shipway wherein she was constructed.

The second part of my statement deals with Intimidator being part of the order of battle for the BSC, since the ship was never fully operational until finished at Black 15 and then captured by the Yevethans. If not we would get three anonymous SSDs plus Intimidator.

The Order of Battle recovered from the Number 4 memory core of the Star Destroyer Gnisnal was rather more complete than was the norm. As the text itself puts it:

It was all there: Every warship, by name, class, callsign, and commander, assigned to every fleet and combat command. Every fighter, interceptor, bomber, and assault squadron posted to every SD, SSD, carrier, and Dreadnaught, with squadron strengths detailed. Every stormtrooper company and infantry battalion assigned to every transport, occupation force, outpost, and fort. Every cripple in a drydock and every keel in a shipyard, with projected repair and completion dates. Even the second-tier vessels allocated to training commands were included.

The datestamp on the file was more than ten years old, but it was still a treasure beyond price. The order of battle encompassed information far beyond that which ordinary ship captains and task force commanders would have at their disposal, information that only a ranking sector commander or the Emperor's own military aides would possess.

From this priceless treasure of ELINT, Mr Ayddar Nylykerka, chief analyst of the Asset Tracking Office, Intelligence Section, Fleet Command, was able to identify 44 ships assigned to BLACKSWORDCOM which had been neither seen nor heard from since the Emperor's death; not one of the 44 ships of this "Black Fleet" was smaller than a Victory Star Destroyer, and three were Super Star Destroyers.

However, all but five of the 44 ships were either newly-lain keels or in a yard somewhere for refit or major repairs. By the time that BLACKSWORDCOM withdrew from the Rim, less than a year after the loss of the Gnisnal, more than half of those 39 ships were scheduled for completion or commissioning.

The fact that Intimidator was still in Black FIFTEEN for finish work at the time that the withdrawal was ordered indicates that while it was one of the three Super Star Destroyers in Mr Nylykerka's "Black Fleet", it was probably not one of the five vessels in full commission as of the date of the Order of Battle recovered from the Gnisnal.

Ordinarily, the Intimidator would probably not have been listed in the Order of Battle for BLACKSWORDCOM, but as the Order of Battle recovered was a rather more comprehensive one, she and 38 other as yet inoperative warships in various stages of completion were listed. In answer to your question, she is undoubtedly one of the three Super Star Destroyers for which the Asset Tracking Office was unable to account.

Publius

[FTeik]

It is conceptually a bit difficult to grasp the obscenity of the amount of antimatter that the EX-F must have been carrying. It was sufficient to overwhelm the defences of (and completely destroy) six Star Destroyers. A very rough estimate, kindly provided by Connor MacLeod, is that she must have been carrying some several tens to hundreds of millions of tonnes of antimatter, at the very least. As a minimum, then, she must have been carrying well over a Star Destroyer's worth of mass in antimatter alone; it could very well be significantly more than that.

That would bring us back to the assumption, that the EX-F was one of the multikilometer long Dreadnoughts and not a 600 meter long Rendili-Dreadnought-Class Heavy Cruiser.

As a matter of logistics, it is hard to credit the idea that such a truly ridiculous amount of antimatter -- which must naturally have an equal amount of matter wherewith to react -- would be an attractive "desperation" mechanism. The EX-F is only really useful to a galaxy-spanning Empire; it makes no sense for the materially- and strategically-desperate, declining Empire to turn to such a logistical nightmare, especially given that she clearly represented a significant threat to nearby ships.

I agree.

However i can´t imagine, why the empire at the height of its power would introduce a new type of reactor that uses antimatter, since they already have a strong energy-source with hypermatter and because of the obvious dangers. Who tells us, that the experimental reactor-system wasn´t a failure or would have been viewed as one. Twelve years later when they needed every ship they had available such concerns would have been ignored (especially if the EF-X was some kind of SSD).

Every cripple in a drydock and every keel in a shipyard, with projected repair and completion dates.

Sigh. I was hoping we could add another SSD to the count. But according to this quote there were "only" three SSDs in the BSC.

Thanks, Publius.

[vakundok]

Excuse me, I do not know anything about hypermatter, but isn't it possible that hypermatter has an 'anti-hypermatter' pair?

[PainRack]

Could the Empire be testing "warp drive" capability? After all, didn't Lawrence Krauss state that the ST warp drive will require a large amount of negative matter to operate? This could be a prototype variant, to probably get around the gravity limitations of a Interdictor cruiser.

[FTeik]

Warpdrive for tactical situations?

Possible, but unlikely, if you ask me. Besides, the Bakurans discovered a different method several years later to solve the problem with interdiction-fields.

As far as i know, one of the effects of a warp-drive is, that it "shoves" the mass of the ship into subspace. So interdictors would still have an effect, even if the ship is able to go to warp.

[YT300000]

Could the Empire be testing "warp drive" capability? After all, didn't Lawrence Krauss state that the ST warp drive will require a large amount of negative matter to operate? This could be a prototype variant, to probably get around the gravity limitations of a Interdictor cruiser.

The Dyson Sphere's gravity pulled the E-D out of warp, and interdictors have stronger gravity wells.

[FTeik]

Yes, but klingon BoP were able to go to warp in the corona of a star.

This and other incidents suggest, that the warp-bubble has to be "adapted" (i don´t have better words to explain it at the moment) to the gravity-well to "balance" the effects.

[Publius]

It is conceptually a bit difficult to grasp the obscenity of the amount of antimatter that the EX-F must have been carrying. It was sufficient to overwhelm the defences of (and completely destroy) six Star Destroyers. A very rough estimate, kindly provided by Connor MacLeod, is that she must have been carrying some several tens to hundreds of millions of tonnes of antimatter, at the very least. As a minimum, then, she must have been carrying well over a Star Destroyer's worth of mass in antimatter alone; it could very well be significantly more than that.

That would bring us back to the assumption, that the EX-F was one of the multikilometer long Dreadnoughts and not a 600 meter long Rendili-Dreadnought-Class Heavy Cruiser.

Actually, the calculated mass of the antimatter was performed without in any way considering the LOA of the EX-F. It was simply done to give an estimate of how much antimatter was in the reservoir, with the hope of possibly giving some indication as to the size of the vessel. As can be seen, the additional information provided by The New Essential Guide to Characters rather supports a very large dreadnought instead of a 600-metre Dreadnaught-class CA (which was not technically possible, as even if she were the latter, she must have been extensively modified so as to be no smaller than a Victory Star Destroyer).

Publius

[Publius]

Could the Empire be testing "warp drive" capability? After all, didn't Lawrence Krauss state that the ST warp drive will require a large amount of negative matter to operate? This could be a prototype variant, to probably get around the gravity limitations of a Interdictor cruiser.

It seems unlikely. The Empire's technological superiority over the Federation makes incredible the idea that the Empire's prototypical warp drive would require more fuel than the entire Federation Starfleet (the EX-F must have been carrying tens to hundreds of millions of tonnes of antimatter, whereas even if one accepts the Technical Manual's figure of an average fuel tonnage of about 750 tonnes, and posits as many as 10,000 starships of that size, the EX-F still outmasses the entire Starfleet's fuel requirements in gross tonnage).

Publius

[FTeik]

That would bring us back to the assumption, that the EX-F was one of the multikilometer long Dreadnoughts and not a 600 meter long Rendili-Dreadnought-Class Heavy Cruiser.

Actually, the calculated mass of the antimatter was performed without in any way considering the LOA of the EX-F. It was simply done to give an estimate of how much antimatter was in the reservoir, with the hope of possibly giving some indication as to the size of the vessel. As can be seen, the additional information provided by The New Essential Guide to Characters rather supports a very large dreadnought instead of a 600-metre Dreadnaught-class CA (which was not technically possible, as even if she were the latter, she must have been extensively modified so as to be no smaller than a Victory Star Destroyer).
[/quote]

Ehem, did i claim otherwise?

Personally i would prefer a multi-kilometer long Dreadnought.

It would explain the ships in close proximity as escorts during the battle at Anx Minor and it would explain, why the empire bothered with the logistical problems and the dangers of the use of antimatter, if the ship was "heavier" in weapons and power-output.

[FTeik]

It seems unlikely. The Empire's technological superiority over the Federation makes incredible the idea that the Empire's prototypical warp drive would require more fuel than the entire Federation Starfleet (the EX-F must have been carrying tens to hundreds of millions of tonnes of antimatter, whereas even if one accepts the Technical Manual's figure of an average fuel tonnage of about 750 tonnes, and posits as many as 10,000 starships of that size, the EX-F still outmasses the entire Starfleet's fuel requirements in gross tonnage).

Who claimed, that the antimatter only served as fuel for the warp-drive? And perhaps so much antimatter would be needed for warp 9.99999999...

Despite that, i don´t believe in the warp-drive-theory.

What about an intergalactic drive-system? For new conquests of the emperor?

[Super-Gagme]

Excuse me, I do not know anything about hypermatter, but isn't it possible that hypermatter has an 'anti-hypermatter' pair?

My theory on it is that all matter that exists in Hyperspace naturally is considered Hypermatter and since Anti-matter reactors need Matter mixed with anti-matter to generate power my guess is you mix Matter with Hypermatter and it creates some kind of power.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Hypermatter is a kind of complex-mass ballast, that contributes to the transition from baryonic to tachyonic matter by the ship. It isn't known how it is transformed into energy.