A particle fountain was a small but dangerous spatial anomaly. In the Alpha Quadrant, the Federation lost over a dozen starships attempting to study one. Consequently, the phenomenon was poorly understood. In 2376, the sentient ship Alice compelled Tom Paris to take "her" to a particle fountain in Grid 867, describing it as her "home". The crew of the USS Voyager was able to beam Paris away as Alice entered the fountain. Without an organic pilot, Alice lost helm control and was destroyed. (VOY: "Alice")