[DCE-2] Spatial Anomaly J-7552

[Planet of Hats]

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 99579.6

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

LOCATION: Spatial Anomaly J-7552

MISSION: Continuing Deep Centaurus Expedition initiative.

OUTCOME: USS Copernicus escapes a spatial anomaly through a complex procedure.

KEY PERSONNEL:

CMDR Yma Quispe
LT Sey Cathalc
LT Cassiopeia Huynh
DR Yulia Zvizdaryk
COUN Elyxia Sudet
Long-Term Medical Hologram

NARRATIVE: This report serves to document our study of spatial anomaly J-7552. This anomaly is classified as an interphasic repeater and was discovered during the course of our survey.

J-7552 is an occurrence related to a spatial interphase. In a typical interphasic rift phenomenon, parallel universes on different dimensional planes overlap and fracture along the bounds of a central "void." The structure of J-7552 is significantly less organized and results in irregular interphasic pulses of variable intensity and reach, creating short-lived and deleterious periods of interphasic exposure in realspace within proximity to the rift as spacetime is randomly stressed. These pulses are associated with bursts of extreme subspace shear, disrupting warp field formation. These properties were not apparent upon our first approach, when Copernicus first identified J-7552 as an unusually large spatial interphase and held at what we presumed to be a safe distance to study it through sensor probes and remote analyses.

As we undertook research, it became apparent that the phenomenon was having some effect on the crew, first manifested in a modest increase in reports of dizziness in Sickbay. The repeater's pulsation phenomenon then intensified significantly. The key deleterious effect of interphasic exposure is immense pressure on the nervous system, manifesting as intense paranoia and hallucinations, in this case triggered through the interphasic phenomenon's interactions with the optic nerve. We were unable to generate a warp field, but DR Zvizdaryk and the ship's Long-Term Medical Hologram were able to mitigate the negative effects on the crew by inducing shipwide unconsciousness by adjusting the environmental controls to distribute a mixture of Theragen diluted with a type of herbal tea.

Three individuals were unaffected by the phenomenon:

* CMDR Quispe, whose optic nerves are governed by residual Borg implants capable of adapting to interphasic phenomena;
* LT Cathalc, who as an Arkonian has a nerve and brain structure unaffected by the phenomenon beyond a ringing in the ears; and
* The Long-Term Medical Hologram (ver. Bashir), being a photonic entity.

These three crew members quickly determined that the crew could be immediately relieved of the effects of the repeater by re-engaging power and withdrawing to a distance of two light years. However, continuous subspace shear had caused the warp core to go offline, while disrupting secondary power systems. With propulsion offline, CMDR Quispe ordered LT Cathalc to report to the bridge and utilize maneuvering thrusters to reorient the ship for rapid exit as soon as possible, before herself reporting to Engineering in an effort to restart the warp core.

Per CMDR Quispe's reporting, it became apparent that the complex subspatial and interphasic interactions with the warp core made conventional and advanced jump-starting methods inadvisable. Of the officers aboard, only Chief Engineer LT Huynh had the necessary expertise to create a modulated warp bubble capable of adjusting its configuration to withstand the repeater while not destroying the ship in transit. Waking LT Huynh would be impossible due to the deleterious effects of interphasic exposure. In response to this challenge, CMDR Quispe and the LTMH prepared a neural linkage - essentially allowing CMDR Quispe to utilize her residual Borg systems and a modified medical-issue cortical monitor to create a temporary "collective" with the unconscious LT Huynh, allowing her to interface with her submerged consciousness and access the information needed to prepare the warp bubble. As the linkage required LCDR Quispe to be in both-hands communication with LT Huynh, the information she accessed was relayed via comms to LT Cathalc, who input directions into the system and established the bubble.

The linkage process allowed the crew to bring the warp core online and restore main propulsion. LT Cathalc immediately exited the anomaly's halo at best possible speed and withdrew the ship to a distance of 2.4 light years. The LTMH then supervised the recovery of CMDR Quispe and LT Huynh before treating and reviving the crew.

In the wake of this phenomenon, I ordered a warning buoy with an effective communication range of three light-years to be placed in proximity to J-7552, cautioning approaching vessels of the anomaly's deleterious effects. I have also dispatched a long-duration probe to gather data on the phenomenon safely, allowing us to gather data without any further interphase exposure for the crew.

On another note, while I acknowledge CMDR Quispe and the LTMH for their innovative solution in accessing LT Huynh's knowledge, I am also deeply cognizant of the violation of LT Huynh's mental and physical factors involved in the procedure, essentially akin to a mind-meld. Both officers involved report feelings of deep discomfort and post-traumatic anxiety, LT Huynh from the sense of being briefly but involuntarily assimilated and having her innermost thoughts available to someone else, CMDR Quispe from the perceived necessity of reliving her past as a Borg drone and violating the bodily autonomy of a crew member she respects and considers a colleague. LT Huynh has assured me that she does not view the incident as a grievance and understands why the action was taken, but both have been left with complex and uncomfortable personal feelings. I have referred the matter to COUN Sudet and am aware that both are undergoing trauma counseling, both individually and in joint sessions, and I have made myself available to both officers to provide any support and wellness assistance either need. LT Huynh, after six days of physical and emotional recovery from the incident, resumed her duties to the fullest level of capability.

Vitally, CMDR Quispe - along with DR Zvizdaryk and the LTMH - have addressed my concern that the linkage procedure may have allowed the Commander to access personal or intimate memories unrelated to the mission. By my understanding, the linkage was deliberately modulated to be both partial and ephemeral - that is, CMDR Quispe would be able to share in LT Huynh's knowledge only during the moment of linkage, directed only by conscious effort to areas she sought to access, and with such knowledge stored in what amounts to "temporary memory" in CMDR Quispe's cortical memory buffer. These contents were essentially "wiped" upon disconnection, hence the necessity to repeat instructions directly to LT Cathalc (as the knowledge would be lost upon disconnection). I have discussed these findings with LT Huynh and we both share the opinion that we are satisfied by the careful steps taken to recognize the seriousness of the procedure and the need to safeguard the Lieutenant's privacy.

RECOMMENDATION: N/A



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