On the way to the engine room, Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, the proud Scotsman who adored his ship, opened up to Osiris, the otherworldly Magos, who showed intense interest in the Warp Drive, the culmination of Scott's life's work.
Scott enthusiastically began to explain: "The principle of the Warp Drive, simply put, is not to make the ship itself 'move' faster than light in space, as that would violate the laws of physics.
Instead, it's by creating a localized spacetime curvature bubble, or 'Warp Field,' that envelops the ship.
The ship itself is relatively stationary within the bubble, but spacetime itself is distorted, compressed, and expanded outside the bubble... We compress the space in front of the ship while expanding the space behind it. In this way, space itself 'pushes' us forward, and the ship itself does not violate the speed of light limit…"
Scott gestured, trying to explain the complex concept in a relatively intuitive way, while observing Osiris' reaction.
He saw the crimson optical lens focused intently on him, seemingly recording and analyzing every word.
He found it quite gratifying to be listened to so seriously by a 'colleague' who clearly possessed advanced technology.
After the introduction, Scott couldn't help but ask the question that had been on his mind for a while: "Seriously, Mr. Magos, with your level of technology that allows for interdimensional travel, haven't you… developed a similar Warp-like faster-than-light technology?"
He found it hard to imagine a civilization capable of transcending the barriers of reality being confined within the cage of conventional light speed.
Osiris' mechanical head rotated slightly, and his synthesized voice calmly sounded, giving an answer that shocked both Scott and Saavik, who was listening in: "We possess faster-than-light technology, and it is extremely efficient.
In my world, in the early stages of humanity's journey to ignite the star seas, not long after inventing basic faster-than-light engines, we quickly developed a key technology called the 'Warp Engine.'"
He paused briefly, seemingly retrieving precise data.
"It is a technology that utilizes a special, extra dimension called the 'Warp' for navigation. Thanks to the unique physical rules of this special sub-space, which are vastly different from the real universe, and its… 'convenient' connectivity with our universe, Warp navigation can easily achieve speeds unimaginable in the real universe."
Osiris' synthesized voice remained steady, but the subsequent description made Scott's eyes widen: "Navigating in the Warp, distances become blurred, and the flow of time is also out of sync with reality.
A successful Warp jump, spanning thousands or even tens of thousands of light-years, might only take weeks, months, or years in the real universe.
In some extreme cases, due to the bizarre flow of time within the Warp, the spacecraft might even arrive at its destination earlier than it departed."
"Time travel?!" Scott exclaimed in shock, this completely overturned his understanding of physics.
Even the usually calm Saavik raised her characteristic eyebrow; the Vulcan's logical mind was working furiously, trying to comprehend this possibility that violated causality.
"It can be understood that way, although it is usually an uncontrollable and extremely dangerous byproduct," Osiris confirmed, then revealed the cruel cost behind this efficient technology, "However, the Warp is not a vacuum. It is filled with turbulent energy currents, unpredictable 'storms,' and… malicious entities that exist based on the emotions and thoughts of sentient beings.
Navigating within it is like piloting a small boat on a dark, raging sea, liable to be torn apart by storms at any moment, or have one's soul devoured by lurking 'entities.' Every jump is a huge gamble."
He concluded, his tone carrying a factual statement rather than boasting: "It is precisely because of the 'efficiency' that the Warp Engine demonstrated in long-distance travel, which conventional faster-than-light engines could hardly match, and the rapid expansion needs of the Human Federation at that time, that in my world, in-depth research into conventional faster-than-light engines was deemed an unnecessary branch long ago and largely abandoned. We… chose a faster, but also more dangerous path."
Scott opened his mouth, unsure what to say for a moment.
He was proud of the Enterprise's Warp Drive, considering it a reliable partner for exploring the galaxy, but he never expected that in another universe, humanity would be traversing the star seas by harnessing such terrifying and bizarre power.
A mixture of dread and relief spread through his heart.
Osiris then turned his gaze towards the direction at the end of the corridor, where stronger energy fluctuations were faintly emanating, his synthesized voice carrying an undeniable resolve: "Therefore, Mr. Scott, your path of safe and reliable faster-than-light technology, based on the physical laws of the real universe, holds immeasurable potential value for me and my world. I am eager to understand it in depth."
Faced with Osiris' undisguised urgency and focus, Engineer Montgomery Scott's pride in the Warp Drive and the unique sharing desire of a technical professional completely overcame his initial caution.
He no longer held anything back, enthusiastically leading Osiris' massive mechanical body towards the heart of the Enterprise—the Warp Engine Room.
When the heavy radiation shield door slid open, the sight that greeted Osiris' optical lenses was starkly different from the Imperial Warp Engine rooms he was familiar with.
A massive Warp core device occupied most of the space, with complex energy conduits winding and extending like the roots of a giant tree, emitting a stable, low hum.
Blue energy streams flowed steadily within transparent containment field channels, and the air was filled with the scent of ozone and efficient coolant, yet it wasn't unpleasant.
"That's her!" Scott's voice carried almost paternal pride as he pointed to the massive core, "The Warp core, generating immense energy through the controlled annihilation of matter and antimatter.
Look over there, the dilithium crystals are responsible for focusing and regulating the energy flow; they are key to the entire system…"
Scott began to explain volubly, from the power regulation of the matter/antimatter reaction matrix to the precision control of the plasma injection system, and how the Warp coils generated and maintained that crucial spacetime curvature bubble.
He mentioned specialized terms like 'Cochrane,' and 'Warp factor,' which were not in Osiris' database, and even casually brought up complex energy flow diagrams and structural cross-sections on a nearby control panel.
Osiris stood silently in the center of the engine room, his crimson optical lenses following Scott's gestures, precisely scanning every component, every pipeline, every control panel.
His massive body remained motionless, but inside, a tsunami of data processing was underway.
His advanced sensors captured every minute spectrum of energy radiation, analyzed the atomic-level composition of materials, and recorded the physical effects produced during the system's operation.
More crucially, his memory storage arrays, directly linked to his logical core, were recording every technical term, every principle description, and even the anecdotal experience conveyed in the engineer's tone, meticulously categorized and precisely, with the highest priority.
These information streams flowed like sweet dew, irrigating his desert of knowledge regarding faster-than-light technology. He was rapidly constructing a preliminary theoretical model of Warp technology and comparing and verifying it with his own understanding of physics.