Naruto: Infinity Divide

A Genius in the Family

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This is mainly character building in preparation for a time skip in the near future. Enjoy!

Port = Left

Starboard = Right

[ ] Signifies a foreign language

Last time:

Stardate 2273.084 Planet Vulcan orbit, U.S.S Darwin

Naruto, T'Lyra and Shizuka returned to the Darwin via transporter and materialized on transporter pad two. They bid farewell to many family members and friends before beaming up. To their surprise Doctor Alison Fairbanks was waiting for them aboard the ship when they arrived. The petite redhead smiled widely at Naruto and T'Lyra and said, "It seems I'm hitching a ride on the Darwin. There are legal matters to clear up with the whole stasis field generator incident, so I'll be in your care."

Naruto said, "I see why you weren't there for our departure then."

"I beamed up here ahead of time." said Alison with a grin. "Besides, you know I'm bad at goodbyes."

…

Chapter 34

Stardate 2273.085 U.S.S. Darwin

"Ship's Log, Stardate 2273.085: Captain Mei Terumi reporting. NCC-1802 U.S.S. Darwin is en route to the Planet Earth to deliver Doctor Alison Fairbanks to Starfleet Command so she can testify before the Admiralty about the rather disastrous Stasis Field Generator experiment. We have been taken off course, however. We have received a distress call from NCC-1018 U.S.S. Goeben –a Constitution Class Heavy Cruiser that vanished nearly 16 years ago…"

Captain Mei Terumi marched onto the bridge of the Darwin and said, "How long till we are in special sensor range of the Goeben Commander Beam?"

Chief Science Officer Jamie Beam looked up from her sensor station and said, "At our current rate of speed we will be in special sensor range in twenty minutes."

Rafi was at the helm and Samui Schrodinger was at the navigator's position. Mei turned to Rafi and said, "Once we come into special sensor range, I want you to parallel the U.S.S. Goeben's speed and course Cadet Rafi. I don't want them to know we are out here just yet."

"Aye Captain." answered the Trill girl.

Commander Sarutobi looked puzzled and said, "Are you suspecting a trap of some sort Captain?"

Mei answered, "The U.S.S. Goeben vanished on the Kzinti border and was assumed lost 16 years ago. Now it reappears in the heart of Federation territory without being spotted in between those two points. It's hard to not be suspicious Asuma. I want a decent picture of the situation before we charge into the rescue. The object transmitting the distress call might not be the U.S.S. Goeben at all."

"…We're coming into special sensor range Captain. The U.S.S. Goeben is currently at a dead stop." said Commander Beam. "The sensor readings are very distorted as well. It's as if I'm scanning through a dense field of asteroids."

Mei nodded and said, "All stop Cadet Rafi." The red-haired Captain turned to Commander Beam and said, "On screen." The bridge crew gasped as they saw the U.S.S. Goeben seem to shimmer in and out of existence. "Magnify." commanded Mei.

The unmoving Goeben appeared translucent and was heavily damaged. "She's a battered wreck." said Shizuka. "The sensors can't tell us exactly what type of damage at this range but there is visual evidence of beam and direct fire weapon hits. It could be phasers or disruptors and drones."

"Any signs of energy output from the Goeben?" asked Asuma.

Jamie Beam shook her head. "There is too much interference for precise readings, but the Goeben appears to be in standby mode with minimum life support. The only way to tell for certain would be to close the range."

Mei drummed her fingers and said, "Ahead half impulse power Cadet Rafi. Jamie; see what you can figure out as we get closer. Shizuka, focus on the damage and see if you can tell what hit the Goeben. The weapons you described could be of Kzinti or Klingon origin and the U.S.S. Goeben disappeared near their combined border."

"We should be entering their sensor range now Captain Terumi." said Samui as she watched the distance between the two ships.

The redheaded Captain nodded. "Open hailing frequencies and try to signal the Goeben Cadet M'rella."

"Aye, aye Captain." acknowledged the beautiful Caitian girl.

While M'rella went through the hailing protocols, Commander Beam was carefully scanning the Goeben for any signs of life. "The interference is still too great Captain. I can't get a positive lock on the U.S.S. Goeben. It's as if the ship isn't entirely there."

"Sounds like spatial interphase." said a female voice from the turbolift. It was Doctor Alison Fairbanks.

Mei turned around in her Captain's chair and said, "If you can help shed some light on this Doctor Fairbanks; it would be wonderful. I have to ask what you are doing on my bridge though."

"I heard talk of a ghost ship in the Officer's lounge and decided to come see it for myself." said Allison. "Besides, I was bored."

The Captain sighed at the younger redhead's flippancy and said, "Please go to the special sensor station with Commander Beam." Mei turned back to the communications station and asked, "Any luck hailing them Cadet M'rella?"

The young Caitian woman shook her head. "All I'm getting is static and a repeated automatic distress signal Captain Terumi."

Mei nodded and said, "Keep trying M'rella."

Five minutes later Alison said, "There we go. We just had to use the special sensors in tandem instead of individually to account for the spatial interphase. Try it now Commander Beam."

Jamie said, "That's perfect Doctor Fairbanks; excellent!" The Chief Science Officer quickly tied in the other sensors to Shizuka's station as well as the others.

"Got it." said Shizuka. Medium phaser and heavy drone damage. It's probably from a Kzinti ship but we can't be one hundred percent sure."

"The U.S.S Goeben appears to be drifting backwards out of the spatial interphase space." said Alison. "There is an interphase 'rift' if front of the ship so we should approach from aft."

"Could we lock a tractor beam on the Goeben and pull it out of the interphase area?" asked Asuma.

Alison looked at the readings closely and said, "That seems plausible Commander Sarutobi."

"Plausible?" asked Asuma in puzzlement.

The young redheaded scientist explained, "No one knows what universe lies on the other side of spatial interphase. There may be many. You said the Goeben disappeared 16 years ago from our universe. It could have been in another universe for 16 minutes, 16 years or 16 centuries for all we know. If the ship is structurally intact there's no reason we can't tow it out. If the structure has decayed or degraded somehow then a tractor beam might tear the ship apart."

"Well, other than a tractor beam I don't know of any other way to pull thousands of metric tons of metal away from a doorway to another universe." said Mei. "Unless there are life forms aboard of course…"

…

Staff Meeting Room

Naruto M'Fau found himself once again sitting in on a staff meeting, this time discussing spatial interphase. He was very familiar with it mathematically speaking but he considered Alison to be the real expert regarding that particular phenomenon.

"So, what exactly is this spatial interphase we are dealing with Doctor Fairbanks?" asked Captain Terumi.

Alison hummed a moment and said, "In layman's terms, spatial interphase, also known as interspace or an interphasic rift, is a phenomenon in which the fabric of space begins to break up, allowing an overlap of parallel universes on different dimensional planes. The rift itself also contains a completely empty realm, devoid of life, between the dimensional planes."

Hearing the murmurs around the room Alison continued. "Six years ago NCC-1701 U.S.S. Enterprise encountered the NCC-1764 U.S.S. Defiant after the latter drifted into spatial interphase*①. I studied this a great deal due to my interest in the subject. The biggest danger to us here is 'interphase madness' to coin a term."

"So, what is interphase madness?" asked Doctor Walker.

"That's a good question." said Alison. "In short, as a result of being exposed to interphase, the crew of the Defiant began to suffer from a distortion of the brain tissue in their central nervous systems, which manifested itself as violent and paranoid behavior which ultimately led the crew to murder one another. There was a total loss of life on the Defiant." The crew of the Darwin gulped slightly at the concept.

Mei said, "Given you are talking about it so nonchalantly I'm assuming there is a cure for this interphase madness Doctor Fairbanks?"

Alison nodded. "Though it was too late for the crew of the Defiant, Doctor Leonard McCoy of the Enterprise was able to counter the effects with a derivative of the Klingon nerve gas theragen. I'm not aware of the exact chemical composition but I have no doubt the information is in the Darwin's computers so it shouldn't be an issue. Besides, we haven't actually approached the interphasic rift so there shouldn't be any danger."

"My question is whether or not there are any survivors on board the Goeben." said Doctor Walker. "If there are we are wasting valuable time debating here when there are lives at stake."

Mei nodded. "Our sensors even at close range can't tell. We'll need to send over Away Teams that are inoculated against this interphase madness. One Team will check the Goeben's structural integrity for towing and the other will search for survivors. Both Teams will have armed escorts just in case. Doctor Walker; have your staff prepare this derivative of theragen gas and we'll assemble the Teams in the meantime."

…

Transporter Room, U.S.S. Darwin

Two hours later; the two Away Teams had been formed and the preventative drug based on theragen gas administered. They were all in environmental survival suits. Chief Engineer Sassaav was in command of the Team going to the main engine room to start investigating the Goeben's physical condition. Commander Asuma Sarutobi oversaw the Team searching for survivors starting with the bridge. After beaming over the two Teams set to work.

Bridge, U.S.S. Goeben

Asuma and his Away Team made up of Lieutenant Commander Jamie Beam, Shizuka Nadeshiko, Naruto M'Fau and Doctor Shelley Wilson shimmered into existence on the bridge of the Goeben. The remains of the crew were everywhere in a state of advanced decomposition. Doctor Wilson looked at the remains and said, "16 years looks about right. I'll start an examination."

Asuma said, "Fan out and look around. After seeing this I doubt anyone is left alive."

Naruto went over to the sciences station and immediately started scanning for life signs aboard the ship. After a few minutes he said, "Commander Sarutobi, there are no signs of life aboard this vessel except for the bridge and engineering."

Asuma shook his head. "I can't say I'm surprised. Sixteen years in a dead zone and interphase madness…these poor men and women never stood a chance." The Commander's communicator crackled to life, and he flipped it open. "This is Sarutobi, go ahead."

Sassaav's voice came through the communicator, and he said, "Commander, we have impulse power believe it or not. The Goeben is intact structurally. I recommend we back her out of the interphase under her own power."

Asuma's eyes lit up. "That's excellent news Sassaav. I'll contact Captain Terumi immediately."

Shizuka moved over to the helm position stepping over another body in the process. She said, "Thrusters are online, impulse engines are showing green…phasers are online too. I wonder why the phaser capacitor is charged."

Doctor Wilson looked up and said, "It's probably due to the paranoia of interphase madness. They were probably afraid of outside attack as well." Shelly turned to Asuma. "Commander Sarutobi, my estimates show these bodies have been decomposing for around fifteen or sixteen years."

"The ship's last log entry is dated 16 years ago as well." said Commander Beam.

"Viewscreen on." said Shizuka. The Away Team looked up and saw nothing but the blackness of interphase space ahead of them. There were stars to port and starboard but only dead space in the interphase. "That's not very reassuring." commented the security chief.

Asuma signaled the Darwin. "Commander Sarutobi to Darwin; come in please."

His communicator beeped and Captain Terumi answered. "What have you got Commander?" asked Mei.

Asuma said, "We can detect no signs of life on the Goeben Captain. The last log entry is sixteen years ago and by some miracle we have impulse power. I'm requesting permission to back the Goeben out of interphase space instead of using the Darwin's tractor beam."

Mei sounded surprised and replied, "That's excellent Commander, make it so. The sooner both ships are away from the spatial interphase rift the better I'll feel."

"Understood Captain." said Asuma. "Sarutobi out."

Shizuka asked from the helm station, "Shall I back us out Commander?"

Asuma nodded, "Full reverse impulse Lieutenant Nadeshiko."

"Full reverse Commander." echoed Shizuka.

The Goeben jolted slightly as she moved under her own power for the first time in over a decade. As it slowly backed away from the interphasic rift the Away Team saw the rift fluctuate and then vanish…

…

Bridge, U.S.S. Darwin

Alison Fairbanks said, "As I estimated, the rift collapsed once the U.S.S. Goeben was no longer there to keep it open. It's a shame. I'd like to have sent a probe in there to see what was in the rift."

Captain Terumi pivoted her chair to face the younger redhead and said, "Given how hazardous the interphase is I'm just glad the rift is gone."

…

"Personal Log, Stardate 2273.087: Captain Mei Terumi reporting. NCC-1802 U.S.S. Darwin has successfully towed the U.S.S Goeben to Utopia Planitia Shipyards in orbit of Mars. The Goeben, though damaged, is fully repairable according to our Chief Engineer Sassaav so Starfleet is at least regaining a heavy cruiser from this tragedy. On a personal note, towing a ship full of bodies has been hard on the crew, especially Security Chief Nadeshiko. She is handling it well enough but due to her previous experience on the Darwin it has been difficult for her. I have advised her to talk to counselor Yamanaka."

…

Starfleet Headquarters, San Francisco, Planet Earth

The Admiralty's Inquiry into the Stasis Field Generator disaster was both direct and to the point. Both Doctor Alison Fairbanks and Doctor Naruto M'Fau were asked to give depositions as expert witnesses on the experiment and were to remain on Earth for the next two weeks in case further questions arose. In the meantime, Alison decided to visit her estranged family on Earth. She was discussing it with Naruto…

"…It's not like I hate them or anything Naruto; it's just my parents and I never got along." said Alison. "They run a vineyard here in California and didn't know what to do with a daughter that is a genius. My two brothers and my sister are completely normal and want to continue the family business. I always wanted to explore the mysteries of the cosmos."

"When was the last time you were on Earth?" asked Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

Alison shrugged. "It's been six years, I guess. I haven't seen or spoken to my parents since I left to go to the Vulcan Science Academy. I consider Vulcan my home now as much as Earth. Want to tag along? We could bring T'Lyra of course."

Naruto said, "I'm on duty as your liaison to Starfleet so I may travel with you. Unfortunately, T'Lyra is on duty aboard the U.S.S. Darwin and no shore leave has been authorized."

"Well then mister liaison; I'll take you to the Fairbanks Vineyard." said Allison with a grin. She sighed internally. 'I hope that the family isn't still upset with me for just blowing them off and leaving Earth…They are probably still pissed.'

…

Alison rented a hovercraft and the two Vulcan Science Academy graduates headed north from San Francisco to the Fairbanks Vineyard which was just south of San Jose. Naruto noticed that Alison's usual cheerful banter was a bit strained. 'She's obviously worried.' thought the blonde hybrid. The drive was sedate enough as they followed the old California coastal highways. The redhead pointed out several landmarks along the way but the closer they got to their destination the quieter Alison seemed to get.

When the pair arrived at the Fairbanks Vineyard Naruto noted that it was cordoned off with a well maintained white wooden fence. They turned off the side road they were on towards a gravel driveway that led up to the Fairbanks home which was a spacious ranch style house. Judging by the size of the place Naruto figured the Fairbanks family was well off. As they pulled up in front of the house Alison said, "We may not be welcome here so be prepared just in case." Naruto simply nodded in agreement.

Alison hopped out of the hovercraft with Naruto in tow and knocked on the front door of the house. "Coming!" said a female voice from within. Alison cringed a bit and Naruto felt her nervousness on the rise. A petite woman in her fifties opened the door. She had red hair the same color as Alison's with streaks of gray in it. The woman looked at Alison in absolute shock and whispered, "…Ally? Is that you…?"

Alison said, "It's me, Mom."

"Who is at the door Selena?" asked a male voice.

The now named Selena said, "It's Ally, Charles…Our baby girl."

There was silence for a few moments and then a man of short stature came running up to the door. He stared at Alison with wide eyes and said, "My baby girl; have you come home to stay?"

Alison shook her head. "I'm just visiting Dad. I won't be staying."

Both parents looked a bit crestfallen, but Selena said, "Won't you come in?"

Alison asked, "Is it really okay? You told me if I left to never come back."

"Baby girl, I never meant any of the things I said…I was just angry at the time." said Charles with a tear in his eye.

Selena had tears in her eyes as well and said, "Where have you been Ally? We looked high and low for you. We'd lost all hope…"

"Maybe coming back here was a bad idea…" said Alison looking at her crying parents.

"No, no!" said Charles. "Please come in baby girl…It broke our hearts when you vanished. Where did you go? Where have you been all this time?"

Alison looked sadly at her parents and was going to say something when they both suddenly noticed Naruto was there. "Ummm…you are…?" asked Selina.

Naruto thought to himself, 'So this is where Alison's tunnel vision comes from. They didn't even notice I was here until now.'

The younger redhead said, "This is my dear friend Naruto. He's here to act as my escort from Starfleet."

"Starfleet?" asked Charles. "You joined the military?!"

Naruto interjected, "Doctor Fairbanks didn't join Starfleet. She is a consultant for Starfleet, and I am acting as her liaison."

"DOCTOR?!" asked the two startled parents as one.

Naruto simply said, "Your daughter holds two doctoral degrees at the Vulcan Science Academy in Astrophysics and Quantum Physics."

…

Spacedock, geosynchronous orbit above San Fransico, U.S.S. Darwin

Aboard the U.S.S. Darwin, Captain Mei Terumi was less than thrilled they would be in dock for two weeks but decided that it would be an opportunity to start the ship's department heads on reviewing the Cadet's performance so far. They were halfway through the Cadet Cruise and now was as good a time as any…

Calling a staff meeting Mei squared her shoulders and saw her department heads. Commander Asuma Sarutobi, Chief Engineer Sassaav, Doctor Jonathon Walker, Lt Commander Jamie Beam and Lt Shizuka Nadeshiko all looked bright and attentive. Captain Terumi said, "As we are halfway through our Cadet Cruise; we will be doing performance evaluations on our cadets and regular personnel." She saw their faces fall as if they'd all been demoted to KP duty for the rest of their lives. Getting her usual smile on her beautiful face the redheaded Captain said, "Is there a problem…?" in a tone that would peel the paint off of the bulkheads.

"NO, MA'AM!" answered her department heads in terror of their Captain's wrath.

Mei said smiling, "Good, good. I'm so glad to have such a bunch of loyal, obedient officers in my crew. That is all."

…

The Fairbanks residence

Naruto found that the Fairbanks family was as random as his dear friend Alison was. Their conversations tended to drift all over the place in an abstract manner…Only they were more random than Alison. Selena said, "So Mister Naruto, you and Alison worked on your Doctoral Degrees together. I can't believe my Ally graduated from one of the most prestigious institutions in the whole Federation."

"Alison never dropped out of the top five positions in our class." explained Naruto. "You seem surprised at her intellect."

Charles looked embarrassed. "We always knew Ally was very bright. She was always bored at school and always causing problems. We thought she was just a troublemaker. I guess Ally was even smarter than we realized." Alison's Father turned to her and said, "How did you get to Vulcan to begin with baby girl? You were only fourteen when you left."

Alison swirled her coffee in her cup and said, "I qualified for a free ride during pre-testing at the Vulcan Science Academy before I left home. I thought things through, and I had a scholarship long before I moved on. Besides, we were always fighting…I just wanted out."

"I wish you would have called and told us where you were and that you were alright Ally." said Selena. "We were horribly worried about you! Your Dad and I prayed for you every day."

The younger redhead looked down and said, "I didn't think you'd want to know. Besides, living on Vulcan is great. I was afraid you'd make me come back to Earth since I was a minor."

"So where did you come into the picture Mister Naruto?" asked Selena. "I can tell you and Ally are close."

Alison chuckled. "Naruto was as young as I was in the Academy and we both were in the top five students, so we became study buddies all the way through till we got our doctorates."

"You are a Doctor too Mister Naruto?" asked Charles.

"I hold two doctoral degrees in Astrodynamics and Genetics." said Naruto. "Allison and I helped each other on our Doctoral Theses."

"That's unbelievable to have accomplished so much at such a young age." said Selena.

Alison pulled her platinum medallion from the Vulcan Science Academy out and showed it to her parents. "This is the medallion you receive when you become a student at the Vulcan Science Academy. The emblem in the center is the Vulcan symbol for Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. The script is in Golic Vulcan so I'll translate it for you. The script shows my doctorate and this in smaller letters means with great honor…"

Naruto relaxed a bit seeing Alison bonding with her parents. They seemed genuinely thrilled with Alison's accomplishments. He would have been satisfied to have remained out of the conversation but Alison's curious parents wanted to see his medallion too, so he reluctantly pulled it out for them to admire. The blonde normally didn't wear his medallion but he had it on since he'd given a deposition earlier that day. Charles and Selena hadn't ever met a Vulcan before so that became another random topic of discussion…

"So, what is Planet Vulcan like?" asked Selena excitedly.

Alison sweat dropped and said, "Well, it's hot and arid is largely a desert. You have to make sure to stay hydrated at all times."

"I'm surprised you don't have a dark tan then baby girl." said Charles.

"I wear Vulcan robes and they keep my skin from being exposed too much." answered Alison.

"Is Mister Naruto here your boyfriend?" asked Selena.

Alison blushed and thought, 'I wish.' "Naruto is my dear friend, not my boyfriend."

Selena giggled and said, "Are you sure?"

Naruto thought to himself, 'Selena is as blunt and tactless as her daughter can be it seems.'

Charles took a pontificating tone and said, "I'm not so sure about you dating my daughter Mister Naruto. I mean, you seem like a responsible young man but-"

"WE ARE NOT DATING!" shrieked Alison.

'…' thought Naruto to no one in particular…

…

U.S.S Darwin

Sassaav was doing one of the things he hated the most, performance reviews. He hated giving them; he hated receiving them but most of all he absolutely despised writing them! "I guess I'll start with the Cadets…." he grumbled to himself. 'What's that big Orion kid's name? Kloene. Let's see…Job knowledge: Excellent, Discipline: Above Average, Ability to work with others: Above Average, Command Ability: Excellent. Comments: Cadet Kloene is an excellent Cadet Officer that stands out among his peers due to his excellent knowledge and intuition. I have not seen him make a recommendation that wasn't logical and qualified…'

…

Doctor Jonathan Walker was reviewing his initial drafts. 'I have five Cadets that are a head and shoulders above the rest in almost every way. They all coincidentally are part of the Think Tank. It seems the Admiralty knew exactly what they were doing when they pushed that group of kids ahead. The only other Cadet that is close to them in performance is Cadet Ino Yamanaka whose work as Acting Counselor has been outstanding…'

…

Lieutenant Shizuka Nadeshiko was gnashing her teeth and pulling her hair. This was her first time writing performance evaluations as a department head. 'These performance evaluations are hell! It wasn't until I started having to write the damn things that I realized the true horror of them!' "I'm going to be here for the rest of my life!" she said as she cried anime tears.

…

The Fairbanks residence

The Fairbanks family was having dinner. It was a Vulcan's worst nightmare: beef tacos. Naruto was eating a salad (with utensils) quietly as the Fairbanks family fought tooth and nail in what the blonde would describe as a civil war over a meal called "Taco Crunch" which they ate with their hands. As Vulcan's never touched their food with their hands Naruto had to hide his distaste at the scene. He was offered a thick, greasy beef taco by Allison's eldest brother William but the hybrid politely declined in favor of his vegetarian meal.

Alison's older sister Marie was glaring at Alison jealously and then switching to making eyes at Naruto. The blonde Vulcan noted that the two sisters closely resembled each other physically but after that all the similarities ended. Whereas Alison was brilliantly smart, genuinely outgoing, and friendly; Marie seemed slow, mean spirited and downright acerbic. She didn't seem to be happy that Alison was there at all.

"So, Ally finally came wandering home." said Alison's other brother Charles Junior (He went by Junior). "I told you all she would. We even kept your room the same Ally." he said in an upbeat tone.

Alison wanted to groan at the idea of moving back. "I'm just here to visit Junior. I have a job and a house on Planet Vulcan in ShiKhar City. I can't stay."

"How long are you going to be here then Ally?" asked her Mother in a concerned tone of voice.

Alison glanced at Naruto and he said, "We are required to be on hand for the proceedings at Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco. After that the U.S.S. Darwin will be departing. We will be leaving Earth in two weeks at the latest."

"U.S.S. Darwin is your ship Mister Naruto?" asked Marie with big eyes.

Rolling her own eyes, Alison thought; 'Making eyes at Naruto doesn't work at all Marie; I've tried.'

"The Darwin is the ship I'm currently assigned to." stated Naruto.

"It must be amazing travelling through space." Marie said wistfully.

Alison wanted to make gagging noises at her sister's enthusiasm about Naruto. 'Looking back, Marie always tried to take whatever I had even though she was two years older. Oh well, it's irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.' thought the beautiful redhead.

"Won't you two be staying tonight?" asked Selena kindly. "There's plenty of room for you both."

"It is getting dark out, so driving isn't as safe." added Charles helpfully.

Alison sighed. "I guess we could stay overnight." She looked at Naruto and asked, "Will that present any problems?"

Naruto said, "I'll contact the ship and get it cleared." The blonde excused himself and stepped outside to make the call.

Selena smiled and said, "Are you sure he isn't your boyfriend Alison? You two act like a couple and he is very handsome. I even like his ears."

"Should I be jealous?" asked Charles in a cheeky tone.

"I like your ears too dear." said Selena sweetly. Her husband smiled and rolled his eyes.

"He's not my boyfriend…" replied Alison in a tired voice.

"Then I hope you don't mind if I take him Ally." said Marie haughtily.

Alison gave a rather vicious smile to her sister and said, "Good luck with that. Don't blame me if he knocks you out in self-defense."

Marie looked a bit shocked at Alison's comment and the rest of the family was silent until Naruto came back inside.

"Everything is cleared." said Naruto. "Should something unexpected occur we'll beam up to the ship."

…

The next morning Naruto woke up at 05:00 as usual. He quickly got dressed and reflected on the not-so-great night's sleep he had. The blonde was used to sleeping on a firm cot both on Vulcan and in Starfleet. The Fairbanks family slept on huge, cushy feather beds and frankly Naruto tossed and turned all night. Standing up and doing some stretches to loosen his body up, Naruto went about making his daily log entry on his tablet:

"Personal Log, Stardate 2273.090: My stay at the Fairbanks household has been an interesting one. Alison's family is friendly enough but are fundamentally different from Alison herself. They simply do not share her brilliance. I did ask her if there were other members in her family that are scientists and she said that she was the only one. I can tell that Alison feels somewhat alienated from her family from the way she reacts to them. Although leaving them behind without a trace was highly irresponsible and illogical of her, I can understand her reasoning why…"

Naruto closed his tablet and got up. He found that everyone was still in bed except for Alison who was an early riser due to her job at the Vulcan Science Academy. She was dressed and her green eyes were bright. "Good morning, Naruto." said the redhead.

"Good morning to you Alison." replied Naruto. "When do you want to set out for San Francisco?"

"I guess we should wait until after breakfast so I can tell my family goodbye." she answered. "I'll try to find something vegetarian for you to eat."

Naruto nodded. "Your efforts are appreciated." Soon the pair was discussing the properties of interphase space and the effects on the space-time continuum in detail. "…In whatever parallel universe the U.S.S. Goeben slipped into time flowed at the same rate as our own." said the blonde. "It is most intriguing."

"Are you implying that interphase only ties into universes with the same rate of time as our own?" asked Alison.

The hybrid shook his head. "We have no evidence to support such a theorem. Besides, in an infinite number of universes the odds are incalculable as to how many have time flow at the same rate as our own."

Alison nodded, "I agree but there are other factors to consider. We don't know how long the Goeben was in interphase or how long it was in a parallel universe. Does time actually flow in interphase or is it timeless void as is widely accepted? We have no proof either way."

"I agree with you but without isolating the factors which interphase-" Naruto stopped when he noticed Alison's family staring at him and Alison with swirls in their eyes. "May I help you?" asked the blonde.

Junior asked, "What on Earth are you talking about? I'm completely lost."

Naruto answered, "We were talking about the intrinsic properties unique to interphasic rifts."

The whole family looked to Alison for an explanation. She said, "We were talking about holes in the fabric of space-time itself and what they are like."

"Ooooh." said the entire Fairbanks family.

"I'm still completely lost." said Junior.

Alison sweat dropped and Naruto simply raised an eyebrow as he tended to do…

…

Starfleet Headquarters

Doctor Naruto M'Fau and Doctor Alison Fairbanks were called in as expert witnesses on the Stasis Field Generator Project several more times during the next week as the Admiralty argued back and forth whether it was worth the money to continue the program at all. As it turned out the program's development costs had already gone into massive cost overruns and the money involved was considered 'grossly mismanaged.' The Project Director was forced to resign from his position and several members of the staff went with him. It was no longer a scientific matter but rather a bureaucratic one that would take months (if not years) to unravel. In the end the program was shut down 'pending further review…'

…

U.S.S. Darwin, Ship's lounge

"So, in the end it was all for naught." said Alison as she sat with her friends Naruto and T'Lyra. "The Stasis Field Generator Project is all but terminated. They asked me to do a case study, but I've washed my hands of this mess. I don't like using my skills to develop weapons for anybody."

Naruto nodded in understanding and said, "It seems that the previous development team must have been quite corrupt to have gone through all those credits in a mere six years."

"I will never fully understand the concept of human greed." T"Lyra stated.

Alison grouched, "Greed runs rampant I'm afraid-and it isn't limited to humans. As advanced as our civilization has become, some of the most basic things like war and greed still run strong. It doesn't make much sense in this day and age."

"Have you considered applying your knowledge about Stasis Fields towards other applications Alison?" asked T'Lyra.

Alison raised a delicate eyebrow and asked, "Such as?"

Naruto saw where his mate was going with this. "There are medical applications such as stasis beds. Senva's company EpiCenter Pharmaceuticals mentioned the idea as one their 'dream projects.' It would certainly be worth looking into."

The redhead smiled. "…And with you two backing it I could still work at the Vulcan Science Academy. I'll get with Senva when I get back to Vulcan."

"Sounds like a plan." said Naruto.

...

POSTSCRIPT:

*① See the TOS Episode "The Tholian Web."

Well, I originally wanted to use the U.S.S. Defiant (NCC-1764) rather than the U.S.S. Goeben (NCC-1018) because it vanished into interphase in the old series. However, the Defiant later turned up in the mirror universe in an episode of Enterprise so I dropped that idea and chose the U.S.S. Goeben as it was of an older generation of ships, and few have heard of it. I suppose it's academic from the point of view of just story telling but details like that are important to yours truly. I also briefly considered making the Goeben come from the Mirror Universe as I.S.S. Goeben of the Terran Empire, but I decided opening that can of worms was something I didn't want to do (at least at this point).

In the next chapter we're going to have a time skip and start a new arc. See you next time. Blue out. 9/26/23