Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 339 Steady-State Crystal (Third Update)

With the construction plan for the new Enterprise NCC-1701-A being elevated to the highest priority and the decision to integrate the latest technologies, the "Level 8 Warp Drive" research and development project, previously led by Chen Yu and involving many top scholars from the Federation, has naturally received unprecedented resource allocation and attention.

After intense discussions and rigorous risk assessments, the Federal Council and the Starship Design Bureau made a bold decision: to use the prototype of the Level 8 warp drive, which had not yet been fully validated in practice, as the main propulsion system for the new Enterprise.

This starship, carrying a legendary name and future aspirations, was destined from its inception to become a technological pioneer in the Federation's exploration of the frontiers.

This decision led to a highly positive assessment within Chen Yu's core logic.

While building theoretical models and conducting miniaturization tests in ground-based laboratories are important, only by operating at full power for extended periods in a real deep-space environment, especially on a meticulously crafted platform like the new Enterprise, can all potential problems be exposed and the most valuable real-world data be collected.

This is far beyond what a laboratory environment can compare to.

Therefore, he devoted a great deal of enthusiasm and energy to it.

While serving as a technical advisor for the new Enterprise, he continuously dedicated a significant portion of his computing resources to the final refinement of the Warp Engine.

He worked closely with Scott, the engineer, and the theoretical physicists and energy dynamics experts on the project team, almost day and night, optimizing the excitation efficiency of the field generation coil and refining the dynamic feedback algorithm to maintain the stability of the spacetime bubble under high warp factor.

However, one of the biggest obstacles to reaching warp speeds of 8 has always been the physical limits of the core material—dilithium crystal.

For existing natural or early synthetic dilithium crystals, the phase transitions and instabilities of their lattice structure remain bottlenecks restricting the upper limit of engine power and long-term operational reliability when simulating Category 8 warp drive energy loads.

The key to solving the problem lies in the "lattice weaving" theory proposed earlier by Chen Yu.

With the full cooperation of the federal materials science department and by drawing on its own database of knowledge about material manipulation under extreme conditions, Chen Yu led a crucial synthesis experiment.

In a specially designed container capable of generating complex multidimensional energy fields, they no longer satisfied themselves with naturally formed crystal structures, but instead attempted to guide specific atoms and molecules to arrange and bond according to a pre-calculated, optimized topological model.

This process is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

After experiencing several crystal structure defects or overall collapses caused by subtle disturbances in the energy field, the team gradually mastered the balance between energy field precision and atomic-level manipulation.

Finally, at the end of a synthesis cycle that lasted for dozens of hours, the energy field dissipated smoothly, and a composite crystal about the size of a palm, with a deep and uniform blue-purple color and an energy halo that seemed to flow freely inside, was suspended in the center of the container.

The on-site scan data immediately caused a stir.

This artificial crystal has a 45 percent higher energy flux tolerance than the best natural dilithium crystal, and its structural stability is several times higher. Its decay curve under sustained high energy load becomes extremely flat.

“Success,” Chen Yu’s synthesized voice carried a recognizable tone of satisfaction. One of his mechanical tentacles carefully removed the slightly warm crystal and placed it under the analyzer. “The lattice weaving theory has been verified. As expected, this composite crystal structure can self-reinforce itself in the energy flow, rather than passively withstanding impacts. I have named it ‘Steady-State Crystal’.”

Engineer Scott practically pounced on the analyzer, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the fluctuating data: "Mr. Sage, this thing is amazing! Look at this energy throughput curve!"
And this structural integrity reading… Good heavens, if we used that on our new engine, forget warp drive level 8, I don’t even think level 9 is a distant dream!”

"The significant improvement in stability is key," Chen Yu added, noting that the optical lens follows the scanning beam. "This not only increases the maximum speed and distance of a single voyage, but also significantly reduces engine wear and tear during high-warp speed voyages, extending the overhaul interval."

For starships that require long-term deep space exploration, their value is immeasurable.

This breakthrough was quickly reported to the top federal leadership.

The initial skepticism surrounding the use of an experimental engine on the new Enterprise largely subsided after the discovery of the "Steady Crystal." The Level 8 warp drive project thus entered a fast track, with the manufacturing and testing of the prototype commencing in full swing.

The successful synthesis of the Steady Crystal is significant not only for providing Federation starships with a superior warp drive core.

For Chen Yu, this breakthrough has a far-reaching strategic value—it lays a solid and crucial foundation for him to replicate and even improve warp drive technology in the Warhammer universe in the future.

While continuously participating in various federal technology exchanges, Chen Yu's core logic has always been to conduct cross-universe comparisons and planning.

He was keenly aware that while the warp drive was excellent, its reliance on dilithium crystals was a potentially huge limitation.

Dilithium crystals are a unique feature of this universe, and their formation conditions may be closely related to the unique physical rules or interstellar environment of this universe.

The Warhammer universe is vast and mysterious. Whether such a crystal exists, or whether there is a natural substitute with completely matching properties, is unknown, and the probability is not optimistic.

In Chen Yu's view, pinning the hope of technological realization on finding a specific mineral in an unfamiliar universe is an inefficient and risky endeavor.

Instead of gambling on slim chances, it's better to take the initiative into your own hands.

The emergence of stable crystals has perfectly solved this core problem.

The greatest advantage of this composite crystal lies in its "artificially synthesizable" property.

Its creation relies on specific energy field manipulation and atomic-level weaving technology, rather than some unrepeatable natural geological process.

Once the principles, energy requirements, and process details are mastered, and the corresponding level of materials science and energy manipulation technology is achieved, it is theoretically possible to attempt to replicate this technology in any civilization with basic industrial capabilities.

Even if the version initially synthesized in the Warhammer universe cannot yet reach the perfect standard achieved here in terms of energy flux or stability, as long as its basic functions can support the formation and maintenance of the warp field, it is enough to break the barrier to faster-than-light travel.

This in itself is a revolutionary breakthrough from zero to one.

Moreover, the performance of the currently synthesized stable crystals is not just "acceptable," but "excellent."

Its performance even surpasses that of natural dilithium crystals, which is undoubtedly a pleasant surprise.

This means that once he successfully establishes a production line in the Warhammer universe, what he will get will not be a second-best alternative, but a potentially superior core component.

This could not only be used to replicate the Federation-style warp drive, but could even provide a higher performance starting point for his future development of a more distinctive propulsion system that integrates Warhammer technology and Federation principles.

Therefore, while assisting the Federation in perfecting the prototype of the Level 8 warp drive, Chen Yu devoted extra energy to deeply analyzing and recording every minute detail of the steady-state crystal synthesis.

From the purity requirements of basic raw materials to the precise parameter settings of the energy field generator, and then to the various abnormal situations that may occur during the weaving process and their corresponding solutions.

He is not just acquiring a formula, but building a complete knowledge base of production systems that can be adapted to different industrial bases.

In his eyes, this small blue crystal was far more valuable than any single faster-than-light engine blueprint, because it ensured the "feasibility" of the technology crossing dimensional barriers.

(End of this chapter)