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"Shifting Understandings"
Previous post "Keeping Your Feet On The Ground"
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IDIC, which stands for "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations" is the basis of Vulcan philosophy, celebrating the vast array of variables in the universe.  For us mere mortals it simply means that in the universe that surrounds us, everything is possible.
- Captain Seamus McTavish, USS PROPHECY, MIA

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Setting: USS ANUBIS, in orbit of the moon of PI ALPHA III
Stardate: 30148.1130

"Still unable to get any sort of sensor readings from the surface," one of the crewman assigned to the science department reported to the Avatar who stood in the middle of the bridge. Since the beginning of this training mission she had been there, aware of everything that happened, both on the ANUBIS and with the away team.

It had been difficult or the majority of the crew to understand that ANI and the ANUBIS were actually one, sharing every iota of information.  As the ship's Avatar she held no specific rank and therefor no official authority over any member of the crew, but as the ship-made-flesh, she controlled every aspect of the SCARAB-Class Intel Cruise which placed her in a role of command in the absence of the Senior Staff.

As an extension of the ship, most accepted her presence on the Bridge without question, going about their business without thinking twice about the Avatar.  As a purple-haired artificial humanoid ANI was respected as an individual and often interacted with as if she had been not only a member of the crew, but a ranking officer. This had been the reason why reports had been given verbally to her, despite the fact that she already knew of their content well before the words had been spoken.

What continued to occupy the Avatar's mechanical and computerized thoughts though had been that despite all of the state-of-the-art equipment present on board the USS ANUBIS, ANI had been unable to explain why all sensor and communication contact with the Senior Staff had so suddenly stopped.  The Science department had been tasked with identifying the origin and actual make-up of the interference field that had enveloped the moon in its entirety.  The Engineering department on their end had been tasked with finding a way to somehow penetrate this field from orbit, the Avatar not ready to blindly send in a shuttle to look for their missing officers.

"Probes 2, 3 and 4 all stopped transmitting the moment they came into contact with the distortion field," the crewman at the tactical station reported with dismay.  "It's as if the probes just vanished from existence.  There is no trace, no debris, nothing."

"The absence of something can be a clue on its own," the Avatar offered out loud as she accessed the ship's memory banks on dimensional phenomenon. "There," she added as the main view screen shifted to display a tactical representation of a dimensional rift surrounded by countless sensor data and scientific formulas.

"I don't get it," the lead scientist moaned, unable to see the connection between the displayed image and their current dilemma.  "If you are suggestion that the distortion field is caused by some sort of dimensional rift, we would have picked up some traces of an event horizon or a visual hint as to where the center of the phenomenon is located."

"Not if the moon itself is the origin and center of the dimensional rift," ANI offered, all of the clues, in their absence or presence, having left only one possible explanation.

"There has never been any records of a dimensional rift of that size," the scientist stated.  "In fact I would go as far as to say that it would be impossible to create a rift that size, it would tear everything around it for light-years."

"I believe that we are limited by our understanding of this type of phenomenon," the Avatar offered as the image on the main view screen changed to superimpose the moon with the tactical display that had been summoned earlier.  "The Federation has some dealings with dimensional rifts and travels, and although nothing has ever been recorded of this magnitude, their is no proof that such a rift is in fact impossible."

"Well, if we are dealing with a dimensional rift," the Scientist sighed. "What do you propose we do about it?"

"Unfortunately because we are completely isolated from the moon which is physically in another dimension from our own, there is nothing we can do other than wait," ANI admitted with as much regret as the programming of the artificial being could manage.

"We are receiving an encoded message from NEW ALEXANDRIA," the crewman sitting at OPS reported, the signal on his console having drawn his attention away from the main view screen.  "The USS MA'AT will rendezvous with us in two hours, apparently they have a new Chief of Security for us."

Although she felt no emotions, the android actual smiled at the news, thinking of the distance the MA'AT would cross in only a few hours where the ANUBIS had taken days.  The Quantum Slipstream Drive at the heart of the modified ANDROMEDA-Class Frigate had been something truly amazing, not that the ANUBIS had not been equally as impressive in her own way. Maybe the new Chief of Security would be able to offer a fresh perspective of this situation, one that would give them a way to see the members of the Senior Staff return safe and sound to the ANUBIS.

To insure that the new Chief of Security had been up-to-date with their current situation, ANI sent a copy of all available data and sensor logs to the USS MA'AT.  At the very least it would allow Ensign Ya'Han to become familiar with the issues being faced, allowing her to maybe formulate an alternate explanation to what the USS ANUBIS had been unexpectedly called to deal with.

--==(/\)==--

Francois Charette

Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC 18501

AND

Lt. Commander Elan Fairborn
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA