The fighter also has a basic LCARS interface in the cockpit for control and maintenance of the ship only. How ever, a joystick and ‘rudder’ is used primarily to control the ship.

“Well, I had the computer finally construct it, but I did have it break a few rules so that it would work…and it’s still a pain for maintenance,” Chris said.

“What ‘rules’ did you break,” Kalia asked.

“The compression of both antimatter and coolant,” Chris said. “I made it so compressed so that a lot could be fit into it. I know that this has always been a difficult process and that it has been rare to make a stable version of this.”

Kalia frowned at the ship a moment, and finally said, “Well, I saw something in the mainframe aboard the Dintaqua.” She tapped her comm badge and said, “Tarkent to bridge. Patch my communicator over the Carl aboard the Dintaqua.”

After a moment, Carl’s voice said, “Yes, Kalia?”

“Carl, I saw some design schematics aboard your ship for compressing both anti-matter and coolant. Could you bring it over?”

“Of course,” Carl replied. “I was just finishing looking over the schematics of your fighter ship, and I was going to mention that to you. I’ll be right over. Dintaqua out.”

After a couple of hours and some consulting with several of both Carl’s and the Dragon’s crew, they finally came to an answer with the compression of the anti-matter and coolant. They found a way to compress it even more so than Chris had designed it to do which, along with the new warp field, deflector dish, and every thing else for warp technology, it increased the range of the fighter to four days at a constant speed of warp 3.

“Bridge to holodeck one,” Tom said over the comm system.

“Go ahead, Tom,” Chris said.

“Sir, the probe is ready and the worm hole is about to open.”

“Very well, we are on our way,” Chris replied. “Computer, save program exactly as it is as Harriman-bladerunner-2. Security lock out code Harriman-435-Omega. End program.”

“Program saved,” the familiar computer voice replied. The holodeck then returned to its grid walls.

“Looks like we’ll have to figure out the quantum torpedo replication problem later,” Sarah commented.



“The probe has finally reached the other end,” Tom reported.

“Long range scans,” Chris ordered.

After a moment, Tom replied, “Well according to the Hintaru maps, it’s about one light year out side of Hintaru space!”

Chris slumped in his chair and sighed. “Good, we can finally give the Dragon a proper cleaning and repair.

“When’s the next time it will open,” Chris asked.

“In one hour,” Tom replied. “I think.”

“Good, inform the Dintaqua and prepare all ships to move in,” Chris ordered. “It’s a good thing the Vorkalai never use wormholes,” Chris commented quietly. “This’ll give us about a month or two to prepare the Hintaru and to repair and add on to the Dragon.”



“We use an advanced plasma drive instead of your impulse engines,” Carl said. “Though it won’t help on your larger ship, it would greatly increase the speed and maneuverability of the Bladerunner fighters.”

“All right then, Carl and Sarah, you two work on the plasma drive while Kalia and I work on the replicator problems,” Chris ordered.

They then set to work. “Well, you weren’t too far off when you estimated it would take about three quarters of a minute per torpedo,” Kalia commented. “But we first have to make it work. Replicating small quantities of anti-matter is very difficult to do, but not unheard of.”

“Carl,” Chris yelled out. “Do you know of any way to replicate anti-matter?”

Carl looked out from the now empty shaft where the port impulse engine was and said, “Of course, it should be downloaded under anti-matter replication. Code is alpha-omega 3.”

“Computer, show file on anti-matter replication,” Chris said. “Authorization Harriman, alpha-omega 3.”

A schematic of some type of special, yet very small replicator came onto the screen. “Of course,” Kalia said. “It was so simple! You have to give it a very small computer as well as a very small quantity of anti-matter to go by. Of course, it uses minute quantities of the anti-matter each time, but it should be good enough for about sixty quantum torpedoes.”

“That’s better than I hoped for,” Chris said.

“Well, I’ve got the schematics made for the entire system, and it will cut the replication time down to forty seconds, but it’ll work,” Kalia said. “How ever, we’ve got less than ten minutes before the worm hole opens again.”

“All right,” Chris said. “Sarah, we’ve got to get back to the bridge. Carl, you should get back to your ship.”

“All right,” they both replied.

“Computer, save program exactly as is, same authorization,” Chris ordered.