Location: Speech Room, Dysnomia (orbiting Eris)
Local Time: 101 AFL, Day 344, 11:04 hours
Earth Date: 2252, August 25, 6:32 PM UTC
"... So in conclusion: the fifth dimension is something that is known to be there, that cannot be seen normally, but is powerful and affects us. It is my strong belief that the future of travel will be pursued in what I dub 5DT. Thank you, that is all."
Mild, but respectful, clapping ensues. It would be easy to take as a sign of a research project well presented, but everybody claps like this no matter the occasion. Oh well... She feels good about it, regardless! Professor Gromm pushes up her glasses, as they started to slide down her nose towards the end of her speech
Knowing their social patterns, she will soon be receiving a review from the highest authority present. Professer Gromm knows for quite certain that her PhD in tertiary-physics (with a minor mastery of compression techniques for 4D metals) has certainly paid off by now! (Not that "paying" for education has mattered since global capitalism was over thrown 178 years ago, allowing a humane space age to unravel, but the phrase has stuck regardless). She's had major successes in both acclimating to the strange social customs in the Eris system, as well as revolutionizing fresh grounds for a new age of travel.
Suddenly annoyed by a strange flicker in the corner of her vision, the professor takes her glasses off to rub it on her shirt (lens wipes are being rationed due to the trajectory error of the last resupply bot). When she puts the spectacles back on, her attention is suddenly captivated by what she sees. The lenses are as softly smudgy as before, but it's not the uncleanliness distracting her, it's-
Location: [UNKNOWN]
Local Time: 2 seconds since arrival
Earth Date: [SCAN FOR EARTH FAILED]
A flurry of colours and un-sound enveloping all sensory nodes (both human and mechanical). "Is that thin pillar behind me, or in front of me? Why is the radar simultaneously picking up a large presence of negative energy, as well as a depleted fuel tank?", the far-flung professor thought to herself. Laurel knew, or rather, hoped, that higher dimension sources of perpetual motion energy would be available for temporary usage.
(Temporary because one cannot dare to make unlimited gains of perpetual motion because they would thusly become an unstoppable force, which would surely inevitably meet with an immovable object; and that's just annoying). However, while the goal of her travel intended to find much negative energy naturally existing in 5D, ready for immediate use, she was not expecting the fuel tank to be exhausted during merely the initial launch.
Laurel hardly has the time (it's only been only a few seconds since launch according to her 4D-isolated clock) to process these stimuli and reactive thoughts, especially while her sight seems to be split down the middle. It doesn't help that blurs move back and forth across each of her visual cones, making it more difficult to parse what on Eris is going on! Moving her fingers across the glass again does not help as it did before, meaning that she is fully in sync in 5D.
Desperate for a way to focus, Laurel tries closing her right eye and-
conciousness
The strange, incomprehensible vision Professor Gromm just underwent must have just been some kind of headache side effect, induced from the stress of trying to meaningfully convey her life's work to a room of the most judgmental scientists this side of the universe. Yes, that must be it. In any case, it's not continuing to happen, so no further understanding of it is possible.
Striding towards Professer Gromm, through the mini-crowds of cliques, is Jaz Yulip- the head research commander of the Dysnomia Institute, who thusly commands the highest page of respect from the anti-official Dysnomic Scientist's Handbook Of Anarchic Oratory. Gromm's last interaction with Jaz led to her silent demotion for failing to counter enough of their social jockeying; she has spent the past year slowly working her way to the most interesting part of the horizontal organization by proving her ability to explore a higher dimension of travel.
Having recently practiced the counter-intuitive attitudes the handbook asks for, the first thing Professor Gromm does to signal to Yulip that she is aware of them is by turning to a contrary side and pretending to be listening to the closest of the many off-shoot group conversations, which naturally form after any educational speech. Jaz is forced to feign a cough and subsequent throat-clearing to make their presence socially aware.
"Ahem! Trying to figure out what your co-researchers judge of your knowledge, Professor?", Jaz deftly opens with a mean barb- it is frowned upon to gain self-review not given personally.
"Oh! Hello Yulip, I didn't realize you had time to make attendance. You surprised me out of my thought process," Laurel retorts, bypassing their question. "I'm sure I can resume it later..."
Once again, the tables is flipped as Jaz is now faced with the assumption that they could have disrupted the professor's critical thinking. "I understand! You have a lot to consider with your new role..."
Though it causes her discomfort to force it, Laurel stares directly into Jaz's eyes while not making any motion suggesting she intends to fill the gap. Professor Gromm is well aware that she was not told of any change in position, but refuses to break her composure.
"... As, you know, the lead constructor for the lovely ship you gave the room such a riveting presentation on," Jaz concludes while raising a slight smile and pausing for just but a moment. "I congratulate you, and-"
"Thanks Yulip, and I have to say it makes a lot of sense considering your decision to let me be the first test pilot!" Laurel deftly turns her own ambition into the responsibility of Jaz. If they deny this, they'd only be snubbing their last comment!
"Absolutely, it does. I presume you already have a destination in mind, pilot?" Jaz has decided to raise the ante of the conversation, in an attempt to make sure they have the final word.
"Zenus Alpha Nine Nine Prime Seven Four", Laurel retorts back with immediately. Everybody on Dysnomia is well aware of those very specific co-ordinates, because it's where that damn supply bot accidentally launched a ten year supply of glass cleaning equipment. Also, to much dismay, the location was condemned for approach after a survey by the Eris Lifeguard Telescope Centre, due to the hazards towards 4D travel on the way... However, Laurel concludes with "Of course, I will be using 5DT for the way back, as well."
Jaz is well aware, before the professor finishes speaking, that they have lost the conversation. Avoiding showing an outwards frown, Jaz nods very slightly and offers an entirely new proposition, one they are sure cannot be argued against. "You must be tired after your extended speech. Synth-donut and tea? The Naming Party should be just beginning, and you know how hungry everybody gets with fresh food on the table."
"Yes, let's head over-", Laurel begins, but suddenly is cut off by her own self as she feels a sharp wince in the right hemisphere of her brain. She is forced to close her eyes, as her vision contracts sharply-
The professor winces twice as her spacecraft seems to zoom ahead without her, and then snap back behind her skull, as if she fired an elastic band and it traveled around the galaxy to hit her in the back of the head. In a way, that's exactly what happened, except instead of an elastic band it was the concept of visual consciousness. The fifth dimension has, through the plane of physics it exists on, shown Laurel Gromm that she cannot, nor can any thing that naturally dwells in 4D, decide to limit the stimuli brought to them here.