AAR: Map the Potter's Field Anomaly


Stardate: 93458.0Map the Potter's Field AnomalyReport Submitted: CMDR CaspiusLevel 1: Open



Purusant to orders, Deep Space 13 officers, academy annex cadets, and the fleet public affairs officer all convened for a briefing and subsequent mission on stardate 93455.8. CMDR Everhart (Chief Science Officer) conducted the briefing, during which instructions were given that the U.S.S. Asimov, currently on detatched assignment to Deep Space 13, should map the boundaries of the 'Potter's Field Anomaly' discovered at K-1522 by the U.S.S. Myanmar, as detailed in a report of stardate 93166.9. The briefing sounded a note of caution, because ships within the anomaly rapidly lose power and, as such, the ability to escape.

Consequent to the briefing, I assumed command of the Asimov on stardate 93455.9, assigning crew to the posts indicated at the conclusion of this report. I add for the sake of clarity that although CMDR Everhart holds his commission as Commander senior to CMDR Konieczko, the latter's experience with the anomaly, in addition to her role as mission specialist, led me to select her to serve as executive officer for this mission. Nevertheless, CMDR Everhart's contributions were vital, as this report will show.

Having laid in a course for a destination which was further from the anomaly than the the Myanmar's exit coordinates, I instructed CDT Mitsuki to engage at Warp 6. We arrived without incident and began scanning for the anomaly. At that time, there were no visual indications of the anomaly, nor were there sensor readings to indicate its presence. After we had exhausted routine scanning options, LTJG Kelda launched a probe directed towards the anomaly, based on the position indicated by the Myanmar. Visual tracking of the probe agreed with the telemetry received, until the probe entered the anomaly at the expected position, approximately 100,000km ahead of the Asimov's stationary position. At that point, the probe was no longer visually detectable, and all telemetry ceased. No further recovery of signal or visual identification of the probe proved to be possible.

Because determining the boundaries of the anomaly through expending probes would have been too costly in terms of material and time, I entertained suggestions about how best to map the boundaries. When the Myanmar had been caught inside the anomaly, it provided brief illumination of the anomaly interior with an explosion. So I offered as an initial plan that the detonation of a photon torpedo within the anomaly might illuminate it once again and provide some form of information--albeit perhaps limited--to an observer outside of the anomaly. However, CMDR Everhart suggested that using the deflector dish to emit a low-power graviton beam would suffice for determining the exterior range of the anomaly without risking any unknown effects that could come about as a result of an antimatter explosion within the anomaly. Although this would not necessarily offer the potential of information about the interior of the anomaly, our mission was to determine the external boundaries of the anomaly first and foremost, and I accepted the logic of his suggestion as it facilitated that assigned goal with less risk to the ship.

After engaging the deflector dish, the graviton beam failed to provide any information about the anomaly interior; however, it provided excellent detail in determining the edge of the anomaly, based upon its apparent point of termination. CMDR Everhart and I determined that a wide-angle beam would allow us to make relatively short work of the survey process. He began to prepare the deflector array for the widest possible beam that would provide a level of fidelity necessary for cartographical surety whilst keeping us at an extremely safe distance from the anomaly's edge.

During the preparation of the deflector dish, I also considered a suggestion made by CDT Mitsuki to try detecting a chemical beacon directed into the anomaly. Although there seemed little chance of this having an effect, the unknown nature of the anomaly interior made it worth considering, and there was little risk or expenditure of time associated with the attempt, which proved ultimately unsuccessful. In addition, LTJG Kelda offered the possibility of using a shuttle to draw near to the anomaly and to attempt to use its transporters to lock onto a random area of the interior and beam the contents into the shuttle for examination. However, I felt that such a course was too risky to personnel and material; that it was not consequent to our mission to map the anomaly; and that the expenditure of time necessary was too great compared to the likelihood of failure--there being no way to get sensor readings from within the anomaly, it would not be possible to lock onto a target for the transporters to beam out, to say nothing of receiving a matter-energy stream from within the anomaly.

LT Kermit was able to connect the cartographic systems directly to the deflector array, which increased the speed and resolution of our survey. I then gave order to use manoeuvring thrusters to take us parallel along the known edge of the anomaly. However, CMDR Everhart immediately countermanded this order, having determined that the anomaly protruded directly ahead of the ship. Although we were 100,000km away from danger and moving on thrusters only, his readiness to act was nevertheless warranted and acceptable. Using stabilising thrusters, we brought the ship about and determined that we were located in a form of depression in the outer edge of the anomaly, not unlike a bowl or valley.

Spoiler: Cartography ProcessShow
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Consequently, we proceeded out of the area and to a safer distance, after which we continued our cartographical survey using the graviton beam. CMDR Everhart suggested using a warp-capable probe, directed through the anomaly, with the intention of meeting us on the other side--there having been a theory circulating amongst the bridge crew that the anomaly might not affect subspace, and so a ship travelling at warp could pass through it without becoming stuck inside of it. Upon launching the probe, which CDT Tonorr tracked, we departed at low warp, using the graviton beam to map the perimeter, along with course corrections to keep us at least one million kilometres from the anomaly. This process required numerous and complex course corrections at warp, in which task CDT Mitsuki demonstrated herself fully competent.

As we mapped the anomaly, we discovered that the Myanmar had, in fact, been extremely fortunate in where it had become stuck. For, as indicated in the display above, the Myanmar's previous location is the narrowest section of the anomaly. In fact, the anomaly was considerably larger than even our most extensive projections, occupying the majority of the space between the Echomet and Waydis systems. Upon realising this, we sent a message to both systems, and to Deep Space 13, giving notifcation about the extensive region of dangerous space. In addition, we dropped warning buoys with information about the boundaries. Both the communications, and the warning buoys, were updated at the conclusion of our survey with the latest information. And, as we continued our survey, we used further warp-capable probes, programmed and tracked by CDT Tonorr, to facilitate a speedy and accurate survey of the anomaly--a task we completed successfully and without damage or casualties of any sort, whereupon we returned to Deep Space 13 without further incident.

In addition to our successful mapping of the anomaly, the bridge crew of the Asimov considered several questions, including:
1. Whether the anomaly might be a life-form of some unfamiliar kind; and,
2. Whether collapsing the anomaly would lead to the complete loss of everything inside of it.
However, we lacked information to make a reasonable determination about either of these questions and, because exploration of the anomaly was not part of our assigned mission, nor, indeed, was the Asimov properly outfitted or supported for such a perilous engagement, it was my decision to leave exploration of the anomaly's interior and nature to a future mission focused on such a task.

Finally, I should like to recognise the bridge crew of the Asimov for their exceptional conduct in this mission, which was carried out to textbook perfection. In particular, I am indebted to CMDR Konieczko for volunteering what information she had, which made her an invaluable assistance and resource on this mission. And, in recognition of the Myanmar's contribution to the discovery of this apparently unique phenomenon, I suggest that it be formally charted as the Myanmar Expanse.

Personnel Involved:
CMDR Caspius, Commanding
CMDR Everhart, Science
CMDR Konieczko, Executive Officer and Mission Specialist
LT Kermit, Operations (inc. Communications and Cartography)
LTJG Kelda, Engineering
CDT Mitsuki, Helm
CDT Tonorr, Intelligence (inc. Telemetry and Tactical)

//SIGNED//
CMDR Caspius
Executive Officer, Deep Space 13
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