The Journey

Second had finally mastered the controls and functions of nearly every facility and piece of technology on the Warp-Ship. With a sense of readiness, he prepared to travel to Nyxterra. As he started the Warp-Ship, he pressed another button on the Key-shard, triggering the garage to disassemble and open its roof. This allowed the Warp-Ship to take off into outer space. According to the strict regulations, he needed to exit the atmosphere before initiating Warp-Drive to avoid attracting the attention of M1xT0c, a formidable galactic law enforcement agency.

With precision, Second boosted the thrusters, propelling the ship rapidly upward until it finally broke free from Derneria's atmosphere and entered the vast expanse of outer space. He then initiated the Warp Drive sequence, flipping a series of switches around the co-pilot's seat before settling into the pilot's chair. Methodically, he pressed and turned the virtual buttons, readying the ship for the Warp jump to Nyxterra.

From the outsider's perspective, the toroidal structures surrounding the ship, glowing with an ethereal blue, started to shimmer with a vibrant, violet light. These toroidal rings played a critical role in the warp drive process. They generated the warp field, bending the fabric of space-time to create a bubble around the Warp-Ship. This bubble contracted space-time in front of the ship and expands it behind, allowing the ship to move faster than light relative to the outside space without locally breaking the light speed barrier.

As the violet glow intensified, Second monitored the ship's systems closely. The toroidal structures harmonized the immense energy required to warp space, ensuring the ship remained stable and the crew safe during the transition. The hum of the engines grew louder, resonating through the ship as the warp field stabilized.

With everything in place, Second took a deep breath and initiated the final sequence. The ship vibrated as the space around it began to distort, the stars outside stretching into elongated streaks of light. In an instant, the Warp-Ship vanished from its position, propelled through the warped bubble of space-time towards Nyxterra.

Inside the ship, the transition was almost imperceptible. Second glanced at the navigation readouts, confirming that the warp drive was functioning perfectly. The journey to Nyxterra, which would have taken years with conventional propulsion, would now be completed in a matter of hours. He allowed himself to relax and was satisfied by the wonderous phenomenon that he was experiencing.

Warp Drive of this magnitude should not have been possible without an infinite amount of energy, but the Vampires and Dwarves joined hands in hopes of cooperationg to overcome this hurdle together and create something to benifit all. The warp factor that was most common in Warp-Ships was 700; that is: 700 times faster than the speed of light; a truly baffling feat, that would have been impossible to achieve without the help of Star and Planet Cores: sources of infinite amounts of energy.

However, the lower-end Warp-Ships, like that one that Second had, used artificial Star and Planet cores, that only allowed for a Warp drive of a 700 warp factor. However, the real Cores, that only the most luxurious ships or the ones owned by large companies, can range from a Warp factor of 1500 to 2250. Truly baffeling numbers when compared to the actual speed of light.

———

Finally, after an unknown period of time—because, Second had fallen asleep thanks to his restless days that continued for nearly 2 weeks and more—he had finally arrived near Nyxterra. 

As the Warp-Ship approached its destination, the toroidal structures began to gradually reduce their output, transitioning from the intense violet glow back to their initial ethereal blue. Second carefully monitored the deceleration process, ensuring the ship's stability as it emerged from the warp field. The stars outside, which had been stretched into luminous lines, slowly reverted to their familiar pinpoints of light.

With a soft jolt, the ship exited the warp bubble and returned to sub-light speeds. Ahead, the relatively dark, blue-green planet of Nyxterra loomed large against the backdrop of space. Second engaged the descent protocols, adjusting the ship's trajectory for atmospheric entry. The hull hummed with energy as the heat shields activated, preparing for the friction and pressure of re-entry.

However, before he could proceed and enter the dark, Super-earth planet, an alert flashed on his console. The planet's defense corporation, an organisation tasked with safeguarding Nyxterra, had detected his approach. Known for their stringent protocols by the outsiders and outcasts, they immediately initiated contact with the unidentified vessel.

"Unidentified ship, this is Nyxterra Defense Corporation. State your identity and purpose," a stern voice crackled through the communication system. Second quickly transmitted his credentials and identification codes that he had procured during his short stay on Derneria, after a similar investigation; he was instructed, luckily, by the kind person to get himself registered as a Pureblood Vampire, if he were, or as a Blood Breed. Luckily for him, he definitely was not the latter: a downtrodden species of Vampire Thralls and even Vampire Fledglings or Halflings.

One being either a Pureblooded, registered Vampire, or a special guest, was necessary to gain access to enter the planet of Nyxterra. Well, Second was definitely a Pureblood; the purest one to exist at the time too, being the direct Kin of Scion, the Original and Primordial Vampire.

There was a moment of silence from when Second transmitted his information to the defense team as the latter verified them. "Second, your credentials are being verified. Please hold your position," the voice responded. On the planet below, the defense corporation's systems were running comprehensive checks, cross-referencing Second's details with their secure database.

After a tense few minutes, the communication line opened again. "Second, we cannot find your details on our severs," the person speaking stopped before taking a puff of whatever he was smoking and finally spoke again: "Care to explain why things are as such?"

"I was only recently turned by a Noble, two months back," Second spoke, "He paid for the Warp-Ship and asked me to come to Nyxterra in search of him after I've been registered as the Pureblood Vampire that I am now. I don't see any problem with this; this should be somewhat of a regular occurance, in my opinion."

"Well, no one asked for you opinion," the person spoke in an irked tone, "You don't need to speak any more than what is required. I'll pass on the request to the main channel; you'll get a response in a few minutes. Don't move from where you are and don't try to do anything funny."

...

Waiting for about 15 minutes, Second was pretty tensed up right now. He wondered what he would do if things did not work out, but Scion assured him that it would work. And, if it did not, he could use her True Name, to demand entry and even receive the VVIP treatment on the level of the Vampire King—if things went well, that is, and unless they just smoke him in space itself.

Finally, someone connected to the open channel of Second's ship, and a soft, female voice spoke: "Hello, Sir Second, you can descend on the coordinates that I am going to send to you. Please traverse the distance at the planet's speed limit, in a direct and straight line. If you have any arms, you are to leave them in the ship before getting off so that we can perform a check-up on you and your potential crew, and register you as a citizen of Nyxterra's metropolis: Vastoria!"