Warp

The Cosmic Treadmill

Doors Sealing
Power diversion successful
Hull integrity - Holding

Navigation: Offline
Weapons: Offline
Engines: Offline
Life Support: Offline

Imagine this, if you will, and all the horror it implies: you hear the electrical hum reverberate throughout the vessel. The lights dim, the flickering screen before you presents its information dutifully, and all you can do is watch. You read each notification with a sense of dread. you know what's coming, and nothing you know of helps make it any easier to handle.

The humming gets louder. The lights flicker, then lose power, the screen goes black, and the last thing illuminating this vessel you call home is the sight of the hull warping under the strain of unfathomable forces at play. Shrouded in darkness, your vessel remains still and silent, the universe, itself, passing you by.

This is not an attack. It isn't the work of a super weapon, or some strange cosmic anomaly. This experience is the natural consequence of changing the rules, of forcing reality to bend to the indomitable will of energy in excess. This is the horrifying truth of warp travel. You can't see where you're going, can't control the situation, and even if you could, you can't even manuever the ship to avoid a potentially fatal incident.

Warp drives

Put simply, warp travel is a form of faster-than-light travel that is only possible through the use of warp drives. A warp drive allows one to bend space-time. By expanding the "fabric" of space-time behind a vessel, and compressing the fabric in front of the vessel, a ship can be pulled through the void, reaching its destination far sooner than previously possible.
Technically, the vessel isn't even moving. It's completely stationary, only giving the illusion of travel due to its ever-changing position. It's as if the universe moves around the vessel, completely indifferent to the vessel's existence. Not only does it give the illusion of travel, but it also technically shrinks the distance between a vessel and its destination. The value of the technology is unparalleled. In a universe filled with so much empty space, a means to close the gap is essential.
There are some drawbacks to using the technology. In order to operate a warp drive, one must be capable of supplying an enormous amount of power consistently over a period of time. Fusion technology provides a means of doing so, however, it doesn't provide the power needed for other systems on a vessel during operation. This means all systems must be powered down during a warp drive's operation, limiting the amount of time one can use it before life support needs to be turned back on.

Hyperlanes

Hyperlanes are needed to use warp technology with the highest level of safety. They come in two forms, depending on where you are. They are either heavily patrolled sections of space between two destinations, or the space between two massive rings left behind by a long dead civilization. The rings do the work themselves, but without the rings, hyperlanes must be routinely cleared of any debris and constantly surveyed to ensure celestial bodies don't interfere with incoming vessels. I imagine it's quite uncomfortable to warp through a star.
Generally speaking, hyperlanes without a ring are temporary, the math being done constantly to predict exactly when it's no longer safe to use. Hyperlane rings can't be used with warp travel, as in many ways, they function as external warp drives themselves, altering the fabric of space-time to allow for faster travel. Warp drives circumvent the need for hyperlane rings, and allow for more flexible hyperlanes that can shift depending on your destination.
It's a give an take. The pros and cons are plentiful. When it comes to which technology to use, it's up to a ship's designer. Retrofitting a warp drive is ill-advised, as a ship must be reinforced to withstand the strain on the hull. If one is not careful, their ship can be torn apart, the wreckage scattered across several hundred lightyears of space.

Operation

Warp travel can be extremely uncomfortable. Many report a sensation like restless leg syndrome, but felt across their entire body. The massive changes present in the environment are likely to blame. This is made worse when you consider how warp travel is only possible if done in complete darkness. The entire ship will be pitch black, and you will be flying blind as the sensors will be offline as well.
This makes Interdiction the most dangerous threat to a ship in warp. Interdiction is easy with warp drives. By cancelling out the changes in spacetime, a ship at warp will be completely stationary, and worse, they will be completely unaware of that fact. Many ships will be destroyed without ever realizing they were under attack.
Numerous countermeasures have been put in place to prevent this, such as battery operated sensors that act independently of the ship. Regardless, it takes a crew with incredible skill and discipline to restore a ship's functionality after being interdicted.

The Future

While no one has accomplished it, as far as we're aware, it may be possible to use warp drives as a means of achievement more effectively faster-than-light communication. The Quantum Telegraph leaves quite a bit to be desired.
Scientists on Safeharbor theorize that their may be a way of sending information quicker by creating a "warp corridor" which shortens the distance the information needs to travel.
This breaks many preconceived notions of physics, which only makes it more fun. Sadly, it's unlikely to be possible. Even The Eden have trouble regarding FTL communication, and they are among the most advanced species we know of in the galactic community.