abstract
| - The Confederate was commissioned in the late 2260s as a prototype testbed for a new type of warp accelerator, a specially modified, energy-channeled dilithium crystal matrix installed where a Constitution-class vessel's dilithium crystal were normally activated. On a test run in 2270, the Confederate attempted to run the warp drive through the accelerator matrix and ended up creating a warp in space that shot them towards the Romulan Star Empire. The crew was able to escape in the primary hull by initiating a saucer separation, but the secondary hull was not destroyed as expected, and was catapulted across the Romulan Neutral Zone. Starfleet Intelligence covered up all evidence of the dangerous warp accelerator tests following the accident. The creator of the warp accelerator, Virgil Brahms, was not even aware of the test, since after he concluded that the device was impractical, Starfleet had decided to test it anyway, without his knowledge.
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