No object can move faster than the speed of light. PTPWD achieves its apparent velocity by jumping from one point in space to the next. It never occupies the intervening points of space. Since the drive never actually moves, its velocity is based on the size and frequency of the jumps. The number of jumps per second is arbitrarily set to 1000 per second. That leaves the size of the jump as the only determining factor of apparent velocity.

The physical nature of the jump is proprietary information of ClifCore Universal. However, it can be revealed that the engine uses a simplified model of interdimensional quantum rotation. This is a very low energy propulsion system. In theory, it could propel a child’s bicycle for a year using just a watch battery. The resulting size of the propulsion unit is unexpectedly small. It could easily fit in a traveler’s waist pouch. The controls to manipulate the drive and navigate the ship are actually larger and more complicated than the drive itself!

The energy expended by the drive is determined by the volume of interdimensional space being rotated, not the mass of the object or the size of the jump. Therefore, large, heavy objects can be transported with only slightly more energy than small, light objects.

Apparent velocity is limited by the drive designers, not the propulsion method. In other words, there is no theoretical minimum or maximum apparent velocity.

The reason the motion of the drive is called "apparent velocity" is that the drive never actually moves. When the drive makes a series of rapid jumps, it appears to be moving, much in the same manner as a moving picture is actually made up of a series of still pictures displayed in rapid succession.

Each jump from point to point is infinitely fast. The entire 1/1000th of a second spent making each jump is actually spent just sitting stationary. This means that there is no blue shifting of objects as a spacecraft approaches a light source. Objects will appear normal at any apparent velocity.

The ship is also not affected by redshifting as it traverses the universe. It arrives at each point in space with the same velocity relative to its surrounding space as it had at the previous point in space, assuming that no other force is being applied.

Matter is actually folded space. Under the right circumstances, space can be folded until, when released, it remains folded. Space that is folded tends to remain folded and space that is unfolded tends to remain unfolded. This is called bipolar stability. Over very long periods of time, small volumes of space can switch between states. That is how spontaneous proton generation and decay occurs.

It is possible to create a chain reaction whereby all folded space becomes unfolded. The debris from this reaction is random chunks of space and matter with a strong polarization towards mostly matter or mostly space. The reaction begins at a central point and spreads outward at slightly faster than the speed of light. A rapidly growing bubble of destruction is created as all space and matter is shredded at the surface of the expanding wavefront effect. Normally, red-shifting would cause everything outside of the observable universe - as defined by Hubble - to remain unaffected by the reaction. However, the reaction is not slowed by red-shifting, so all of space is eventually affected.

Outside the bubble of destruction, the universe continues without any knowledge of its impending doom. Since the reaction exceeds the speed of light, it is not normally possible to detect the catastrophe except to notice the strange disappearance of spacecraft in a growing region of space. Once such a region is discovered, a probe could be sent into the bubble. The probe would broadcast its position using Point to Point Warp Drive (PTPWD) transmitters. When the probe encounters the bubble, it is consumed immediately. The last known location of the probe defines the edge of the bubble. Sending in many probes from different positions and at different times can determine the size and growth rate of the bubble.

It is not possible to jump to the other side of the bubble because the chain reaction is an extra-dimensional effect and limits the jumps to local three dimensional space. Even if it was possible to make the jump, it would be unsafe. The new universe being created within the bubble can be space oriented or matter oriented. Our current bubble is space oriented. A matter oriented universe would be the inverse of our universe. Matter would dominate a matter universe just as space dominates our universe. Rare pockets of space would be the building blocks of life as opposed to pockets of matter.

As time progresses, bubbles can be formed within bubbles. Sometimes several bubbles can form within a single bubble. When the bubbles collide, the effects continue on in the same manner as two waves passing by each other. The effects do not reflect, refract, and are not absorbed. Our boundless universe is actually limited by the surface area of many bubbles within bubbles expanding to infinity.

The laws of nature prevent these bubbles from forming naturally. Therefore, all existing bubbles were created by a conscious manipulation of the laws of nature. In other words, people in other bubbles brought this destruction on themselves. The technique for creating a bubble is to apply a rather exotic manipulation of extra-dimensional space similar to PTPWD. It is possible to contain the effect in a small area, such as a special test facility, but once let loose from the facility, there is no known way to contain the effect due its rapid expansion. While it is completely safe to use PTPWD, it is not safe to experiment with the bipolar nature of the universe outside an approved test facility.

Once the chain reaction begins, victims will not be aware of their destruction since it will be quicker and more complete than for victims of an atomic explosion. The most minute particles of matter would be shredded by spatial unfolding and bipolar restabilization as mostly matter or mostly space. This effect could become the ultimate doomsday device because the victim, the aggressor, and the rest of the universe would be annihilated sooner or later.

The new universe would be born from a single point of space, but all matter would not be concentrated in that space. Matter would simply be created or destroyed by a passing wavefront. There would be a large amount of radiation released that would approximate the background radiation we currently observe in our universe. A new cycle of life would begin. It would continue until a region of space develops consciousness and destroys itself. It is not known how many bubbles currently exist. It is known that bubbles containing mostly matter tend to survive for much longer than bubbles of mostly space. It is currently believed that bubbles of mostly matter cannot support life. However, there seems to be a very slight tendency to favor a mostly space universe, so occasionally a piece of matter will spontaneously unfold. This happens slightly more often than the spontaneous folding of space. Over vast periods of time, a mostly matter universe converts to a mostly space universe. Thus life has the opportunity to form and destroy the universe. Of course, a bubble wavefront can do the job much more quickly.

Specific information concerning the details of creating an unfolding space chain reaction has been determined to be unsuitable for the general public and will therefore remain unpublished, restricted, and highly classified. An attempt to create a bubble is punishable by death. A successful attempt will have similar consequences, but will occur without legal intervention. The perpetrator will be unfolded by his own bubble.