SIM LOG NARRATIVE - SD 201906.21
Special Proceedings
The Penumbra welcomes a new simmer to the crew, Ensign Lea Kalawai'a. She is joining Lt. Cmdr. Bevin MacArdry and Lt. Aaron Riedinger in the Engineering Department. (In character, this person would have been on the ship ever since it arrived in the Gamma Quadrant but has been working the "Night Shift" and has now transferred to "Alpha Shift".)
Also, Ensigns T'Lin and Tabeshk Tibris were promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade. Congratulations, Lieutenants!
Lieutenants Jason Carter and Doctor Shadow K'Trevala were also promoted, to Lieutenant Commander. Carter was given the more advanced title of "Chief of Flight Operations" (instead of simply "Helmsman"). Congratulations, Commanders!
And the new LtJG Tibris was given a special Award: the "Silence is Golden, Duct Tape is Silver" Award, for "excessive commentary on the Bridge", a specialty award that is being counted as a Commander's Commendation.
Bridge, Main Engineering, & Nacelle 3
The Penumbra remained at Red Alert, even though they were on the far side of the planet from the Kyrathian invasion of Janidor, and from the orbital battle between Aslan Battlecruisers and Kyrathian Colony Ships.
The Capt. Zak Taylor's Diplomatic Team had entered the Caverns of Krigeth's beetle-like people, and Lt. Col. Patterson's Marine Contingent were busily setting up a Forward Operations Base on the island deemed the "Safe Zone", where they had placed 1000 Janosian refugees.
On the Bridge of the Penumbra were Lt. Cmdr. Relok in the Command Chair; the newly promoted Lt. Cmdr. Jason Carter, with his new title of Chief of Flight Operations in his usual post at the Helm; and the newly promoted Lieutenant Junior Grade Tabeshk Tibris at the Operations Console.
Down in Main Engineering, Lt. Cmdr. Bevin MacArdry was greeting Ens. Lea Kalawai'a to the Alpha Shift. "Daein grait thair, Miz Kalawai'a kaip ait ip."
Suddenly, a call came from Tabeshk, "Tabby to engineering, is anyone available? We have a clog in Nacelle 3 that needs to be removed ASAP."
Lea tapped her commbadge and answered, "I mean, if no one else is available ...," she trailed off.
Tabeshk replied, "Ah, the new ensign! If you aren't busy, please head to Nacelle 3, but be careful, I don't know exactly what this clog is."
Lea answered, "Not exactly new, sir. Not a lot of transfer points in the Gamma Quadrant."
Bevin said, "Taibby, I'll gae chaik ait aut. Whair d'ye gaisstimite tha ait waeld mist likely be?" She and Lean started putting on EVA suits to protect against any radiation or contaminants that might be present in the nacelle.
As Bevin suited up beside her, Lea asked, "I thought I was handling it, sir?"
Together they left Main Engineering headed towards Nacelle 3. Bevin remarked, "I'll nae saind sameane tae dae samethin I'll nae dae mesailf."
Lea protested, "It's fine, don't worry about it - I've got this." But Bevin did not relent and they continued together to the nacelle.
Meanwhile, on the Bridge, a call came from Mst. Gunny Hines, who was in the main Cargo Bay coordinating "assets" for the FOB. "Haymaker 6 to Operations. Requesting transporter clearance from ship to FOB for 6x Combat Vehicles, and 22 Pathfinders, myself included."
Carter glanced at Tabeshk, "Hines and his team are beaming down? Thought they were gonna use the Runabouts? Wait ... 6 vehicles, 22 personnel ... yeah, even with 3 runabouts, it'd be two, maybe three trips ... nevermind."
Tabeshk scowled at him playfully, "Hey, get your nose outta my stuff! I got it, I got it . kinda."
Carter scowled back. "If the original plan was to use the RAVENs and Runabouts ... that falls under my discretion as Flight Operations, wouldn't it?" He turned his chair to look at Relok and grunted, "Eh, not used to coordinating with an Ops officer. Used to have to do it myself AND fly the dang ship."
Tabeshk grunted back, "Well, you should thank me, Carter, less on your workload."
Relok raised an eyebrow, "So, your duties have changed, Commander. Tabeshk, arrange for the transport ... at your earliest opportunity."
Tabeshk groaned, "Yeah, yeah, no eyebrows." A second or two later he said, "All right, transport ready." Another minute or so and the assets from Cargo Bay had rematerialized at the FOB.
Soon, Bevin and Lea were entering Nacelle 3. Lea took the point, climbing into the nacelle first, followed by Bevin. Tabeshk watched from his station on the Bridge. After a few moments he called, "What does it look like in the nacelle?"
It was Lea who answered first, "I mean, haven't found anything interesting - it's due for a good scrubbing, but ...," she trailed off.
Tabeshk replied, "Interesting. Keep looking but remain careful. I do need this cleared out for Bug Zapper." He referred to his newly-designed electro-static repulsion system that would short out the energy-siphoning pods used by the Kyrathians.
Bevin gestured and said, "Wha d'ye ken o cawttin caindy? Thair's ainou ain hair tae tak keer o a thray waik plainitiry faire."
Somewhat taken aback by that report Tabeshk said simply, "I have no idea, Bevin!"
Lea mused, "You know, you sign up for this, and it's all 'new life, new civilizations', they really don't put the whole scrubbing plasma gunk off of giant neon tubes on the posters."
Tabeshk stifled a chuckle, "Just clean it out . oh my lord!" He gave in to his chuckle then said, "You get used to it, Ensign."
Lea grumbled, "Glad someone's laughing."
Bevin called to Tabeshk, "Taibby ye'd baittir waitch ait ye ken aill tae weel wha Stairflait says aiboot haizin. Chaik ait aut ain tha cawmpewtir."
Tabeshk did just that and responded, "Cotton candy in a nacelle tube . pfft!" He reigned in his laughter then added, "I'm actually a very funny, easy going guy, Lea. You should have seen the ship before. Ugh, too serious for me. Aside from Bevin, who I got along with instantly."
A minute or so passed then Tabeshk asked, "Anything else in there? I don't want either of you hurt."
Lea replied, "I mean, it's a nacelle, not sure what you're exactly expecting us to see, sir."
Beside Tabeshk, Carter checked the nav computer system. He spoke to Tabeshk, "Nacelle 3 is showing it's still offline from here. I had to shut down Nacelle 4 to compensate, so we're limited on warp speed until it's fixed." He tapped his commbadge, "Carter to Engineering Team. I believe the clog is isolated somewhere between Junctions 32 and 41. Can't quite pin down the source from here, but the way the flux capacitors appear to be functioning, I'd narrow it down to there. Particle density, most likely from the two dives into atmosphere we had to do."
Tabeshk said, "Okay, sounds like we gotta order a cleaning crew! Plasma gunk cotton candy . just what the heck is in that tube?"
Lea glanced at Bevin, "I start at 32, you start at 41, meet in the middle?"
Bevin nodded then gestured, "Lea kin ye spain? mait be tha faistist tae gait raid o ait aill."
Lea stared at Bevin, confused. "Spin, sir?"
Bevin smiled, "Aye, makin yairn o tha stuff."
Lea still gaped but said, "Oh . sure, I'll give it a go."
Tabeshk grunted, "Eww, Bevin, just . eww."
Lea smiled then and said, "Hey, you said it was like cotton candy - so, i'll give it a spin!"
Bevin smiled back, "Aye, I daid."
Tabeshk chuckled again, "I think I'm gonna love the both of you, but . that's just wrong in so many ways! What is wrong with you two? That's gross! None of us really know what is in the nacelle, so why would you not only touch it but craft out of it! That's Science's job!"
Lea held the "cotton candy" gunk several inches away from her and studied it a moment then mused, "My dad took me to a carnival once, they had cotton candy - almost as blue as this. And probably just as toxic."
Tabeshk replied, "At least you guys had food at fairs! We had feathers . and lots of them!"
After a few more minutes Bevin said, "Way're trayin tae clair ait aut o hair Taibby."
Tabeshk answered, "I know, Bevin, take your time."
Lea said, "Frankly, you're talking like you're expecting us to find something, sir."
Tabeshk said, "Well, to be honest, there is something that has Nacelle 3 clogged, but neither me nor Carter know where exactly, so we need someone to find it and remove it. After that is done, we could properly use Bug Zapper on the Kyrathian pods."
Bevin had started gathering large skeins of the blue strands spun into fluffy yarn that she thought would be perfect for stuffing into a Kyrathian port or three.
Meanwhile, a call came in from Patterson but Tabeshk was distracted with the team in Nacelle 3. Instead, Carter answered, "Penumbra here, Colonel. Go ahead."
Patterson said, "I need the RAVENs and Runabouts deployed down here. Get the runabouts geared for geological surveying and advanced sensors if possible. We may have Kyrathians hiding under the water."
"Aye, Colonel," Carter answered, "Sending the RAVENs down now. Runabouts in 15 minutes. Penumbra out." He glanced over at Tabeshk, "Aren't you in charge of the comms?"
Tabehsk flushed slightly, "Yes, Carter, I am . I was just . lost a bit. Trying to help find the clog on the ship's blueprints. I apologize, Carter."
Then a call came in from Lt. Cmdr. Spearhorse who was in the Refugee Camp some ways from the FOB. "Site to site transport to the FOB, please." Tabeshk was quick to respond to that one and beamed the Commander to the site.
The Caverns of the Beetle-People:
Capt. Zak Taylor, Counselor Charis Ariti, the newly promoted Lt. Cmdr. Dr. Shadow K'Trevala, the newly promoted Lt. Junior Grade T'Lin, and Gny. Khalgon and Cpl. Holden of the Pathfinders, had followed the beetle-like Krigeth into the Caverns his people called home. The Captain was hoping to speak to their Council of Elders and persuade them to assist the humanoid inhabitants of the continent across the ocean against the Kyrathian Swarm.
As they entered the Cavern, dozens of the beetle-people were peering at them from the edges of a cavern. Zak glanced around, smiling and trying not to look too intimidating. Beside him, the Klingon warrior, Khalgon, could not help but be intimidating.
Krigeth led the team up to an old beetle with a mottled shell, who was apparently sleeping in an alcove. Krigeth click-buzzed as he approached and the Penumbrians heard the translation from their Universal Translators. "Elder Folsen, may I have words with you?"
The Elder beetle twitched one antenna and a ripple passed through his shell. Zak glanced at the Counselor, then Shadow and he cleared his throat, "Ahem ." Krigeth bumped Zak's leg and chittered anxiously. The UT translated, "You may not speak, yet, Elder Zak."
Finally, the old beetle roused and clicked, "What do you want, youngster, and why do you bring Soft Skins right into our Cavern?"
Krigeth buzzed, "Honored Elder, I bring new friends who are in urgent need. May they address the Elder Council?"
Folsen replied, "The Council? a Soft Skin? Bah! Go back to your games, youngster, they don't speak to the Council. Now go away and leave me sleep!"
Krigeth set his bat'leth into the cavern floor with a hard "clink" noise and growled under his breath. Zak tried to resist his urge to speak, but failed. He said, "Elder, your Council must hear me!"
Krigeth let out a clunk-tick that the UT translated as "Oh, no."
T'Lin whispered, "Sir ."
Zak waved off T'Lin and ignored Krigeth. He continued, "I've come here, hat in hand as they say, to beg your people for aid, and you're going to just dismiss me out of your own prejudice?"
Khalgon mumbled, "A phaser blast would get their attention pretty quick."
Shadow commented, "There might be an easier way." He closed his eyes and began telepathically projecting the destruction wrought by the Kyrathians upon both the "soft skins" and other insectoid races.
Folsen rose up on his rearmost legs, standing nearly as tall as Zak. "How dare you!"
Khalgon instantly raised his bat'leth, "You will not threaten the Captain again!" Cpl. Holden raised his WAR rifle, targeting the Elder's legs.
T'Lin reached out and placed a hand on Khalgon's bat'leth, indicating he should lower it. She said, "Do not." Then she glanced at the Captain, "Sir, this is a diplomatic envoy." She turned to face the Elder, "May we speak with the Elder Council?"
Khalgon bristled at T'lin, "Do not touch my bat'leth again."
T'Lin looked at the Klingon. "Would you have listened if I simply asked you to lower your weapon? I think not. But, I apologize, Khalgon. I shall not."
Krigeth rushed around the Penumbrian team, "No! No weapons! Elder Folsen is . well, just a cranky old man, don't kill him!"
Zak took a deep breath, realizing how close his "Diplomatic Team" was to disaster. He addressed his Marines, "Stand down." Then he turned to the Elder, "I apologize, Elder, I just ...," he was cut off by whistling coming from the Elder's shell.
Folsen chuckled, "Heh, heh, got you riled up good, didn't I? Relax, Strangers. I'm an ally."
Zak gaped, his mouth open, "Uh ."
Krigeth did the beetle version of a "chin drop", his antennae drooping. "Elder . you're an ally?"
Cpl. Holden slowly lowered his rifle to a ready position. "Elder Folsen, I have had several insectoid species like yourself make the same gestures towards some of my colleagues moments before they were gruesomely torn apart."
The Captain recovered himself. He said, "Still, I apologize for my behavior, Elder, but we are in urgent need of your people. The other Soft Skins across the water are in dire straits."
Folsen replied, "Yes, the Demon Plague from the Beyond. We've investigated and decided our people are not equipped to help them. But ... I think yours can be. But ... why do you come to us?"
It was Shadow who answered, "Elder, we believe that, working together, you, us, and the other softskins, we can get rid of the Demon Plague."
Zak continued for him, "As my friend says, Elder, we think your people can produce some kind of ... pheromone ... that might repel them. Only, we can't replicate it."
Krigeth added, "They took a sample of my juices, Elder."
Folsen thunked, "That's disgusting!"
Cpl. Holden glanced at the PADD built into the arm of his combat armor then gestured to Khalgon. The Gunny stepped over to take a look.
Suddenly, Zak's commbadged chirped. He said, "Excuse me a moment," and stepped away. Lt. Cmdr. Spearhorse was calling and Zak answered, "Go ahead, Commander."
Dean said, "Captain, there is a new development. The Janosians are reporting warfare at sea sounding like mines and torpedoes ... their wooden ships are no match. Sounds like WWI tactics being used versus 16th century ships."
The Captain scowled, "That's not good news, Commander. It means the Kyrathians have expanded their control to the ocean. They'll find our Safe Zone soon enough."
Dean continued, "They never see the attacker ... most likely submarine operations."
Zak replied, "We need to bring the fight to them somehow. Has Patterson come up with any tactics? Any plans to attack anywhere?"
Dean answered, "I am not sure. The air defense will likely take a week to get running and train a number of personnel to operate the servicing equipment. I suggest we meet back on the ship to discuss what we can do against the sub threat."
Zak responded, "Not on the ship, Commander. That FOB is for just this purpose. I'm almost done here, I'll have myself transported there for a briefing shortly. Zak out."
Meanwhile, Folsen, Krigeth, and the rest of the team continued their conversation. Folsen said, "Hmm ... maybe there's something to that, after all. I will bring your request to the Council. Unfortunately, you will not be allowed to address them personally. There are protocols, after all. The fact our people didn't kill you for setting foot on our Mountain was a stretch, you certainly can't expect to go into our Council!"
Krigeth bobbed his whole body in a sign of deference. "Sorry, my new friends, I thought maybe you could address the Council, but ... now I think you're going to have to leave. Is there a way I can call you when they've finished deliberating?"
T'Lin answered first, "That is understandable. Meet us back at the beach?" She glanced to the Captain for confirmation.
Shadow and Ariti nearly simultaneously offered their commbadges. Shadow spoke first, "It will chirp when someone's calling and you just tap it to talk."
Ariti clarified, "Tap it here and call for me or Elder Zak, we'll hear you and respond."
Krigeth took the device offered by Ariti in his forward-most "hands". He said, "I understand, Strange One Ariti." He turned and gathered the rest of the Penumbrians. "I will escort you back out of the Cavern, then you can slide through your Nishara to your home and I will call you using this ... thing."
Zak returned to the rest of his team, grumbling as he did so, "Came a long way just to walk away empty handed."
Krigeth replied, "Elder Zak, you're not 'empty handed'. You spoke to our eldest Elder, and found he is your ally. He will bring your words to our Council and I'm sure they'll quickly decide to help the Soft Skins."
Shadow said, "Thank you Krigeth, you are a true friend."
T'Lin said, "Captain, we got more than we expected to. The fact that they are giving us a chance is far more than nothing."
Zak smiled at Krigeth, "I appreciate your confidence, Krigeth, I do, but ... I don't know, I wanted more, I guess."
T'Lin replied, "We have what we came here for, sir, speaking with the Elder Council, just not personally."
They emerged from the cavern back onto the slopes of the mountain. The Captain addressed his team, "Shadow, Ariti, get the rest of the team back to the Penumbra. I'm going to meet Patterson and Spearhorse at the FOB."
Shadow addressed Krigeth, "Krigeth, there is a storm heading this way in a few days. I know you know how to protect yourselves, but, if there are those that go out to collect food and they get caught outside, they could be in great danger."
Forward Operations Base:
Lt. Col. Travis Patterson was on the ground at the Forward Operations Base coordinating the teams into position to receive their vehiles.
Up on the Penumbra, MGny. Derek Hines was finishing up the preparation of those vehicles. He called to his team, "All right, we've got the vehicles fitted for combat against the Swarm. Let's get them down there! Havoc 3, mount up!" He moved over and hopped up onto the Commander's Hatch of the Mobile Command Vehicle and waited for his Pathfinders to take their places.
Patterson's voice came through his commbadge, "Godfather to Haymaker 6. Status report."
Hines tapped his badge and answered, "Godfather, this is 6. We're Oscar Mike, ETA 60 seconds." The code "Oscar Mike" was Marine-speak for "on the move". He tapped his badge to change channels, "Haymaker 6 to Operations. Requesting transporter clearance from ship to FOB for 6x Combat Vehicles, and 22 Pathfinders, myself included." A few minutes later the whole squad was beamed down to the planet.
Patterson glanced around, dispersing his Marines, then tapped his commbadge, "Dean, Travis. What's the coordination efforts look like? We've got vehicles beaming down shortly to reinforce the perimeter. Pathfinders will drop it off to the Marine forces here. I'm giving you command of the FOB whilst I take the Pathfinders with me. We're gonna go do a little Recon."
Lt. Cmdr. Dean Spearhorse was in the Refugee Camp some distance away from the FOB, speaking with the Janosian Elder and others. He answered, "The set up might take about a week depending on the iron rails."
Patterson heard the shimmer as the vehicles and the entire Pathfinder unit materialized. "Well, it's about bloody time," he said. He tapped his badge again, "Dean, get back to the CP double-time. Got a present for you." The CP was the Command Post.
Hines dismounted from the MCV with a chuckle, "Good to see you again too, Travis. Where you need the armor?"
Patterson answered, "Hines, get the vehicles spread out around the perimeter, and coordinate with Spearhorse on getting the base established. I'm gonna take the Pathfinders out for some Recon. See what we can dig up."
Hines turned and called to the Marines, "You heard the Colonel. Move your rears!"
Patterson tapped his badge again, "Commander Spearhorse, Hines and his team have landed at the FOB with 6 Combat Vehicles that are being deployed to the defense perimeter, and a whole company of Marines. I'm putting you in command of the FOB. Hold this position, whatever it takes. I'll see if I can't identify targets and threats with the Pathfinders."
Dean had been talking with the Captain over the comm, but Patterson heard it too as he was contacting Dean, "Captain, there is a new development. The Janosians are reporting warfare at sea sounding like mines and torpedoes ... their wooden ships are no match. Sounds like WWI tactics being used versus 16th century ships."
The Captain's voice came back, "That's not good news, Commander. It means the Kyrathians have expanded their control to the ocean. They'll find our Safe Zone soon enough."
Dean continued, "They never see the attacker ... most likely submarine operations."
Zak replied, "We need to bring the fight to them somehow. Has Patterson come up with any tactics? Any plans to attack anywhere?"
Dean answered, "I am not sure. The air defense will likely take a week to get running and train a number of personnel to operate the servicing equipment. I suggest we meet back on the ship to discuss what we can do against the sub threat."
Zak responded, "Not on the ship, Commander. That FOB is for just this purpose. I'm almost done here, I'll have myself transported there for a briefing shortly. Zak out."
Patterson tapped his commbadge as he walked away, "Patterson to Penumbra."
It was Carter's voice that replied, "Penumbra here, Colonel. Go ahead."
Patterson continued, "I need the RAVENs and Runabouts deployed down here. Get the runabouts geared for geological surveying and advanced sensors if possible. We may have Kyrathians hiding under the water."
Carter answered, "Aye, Colonel. Sending the RAVENs down now. Runabouts in 15 minutes. Penumbra out."
Patterson tapped his badge again, changing channels. "Raven Flight, begin scans of the eastern coastal waterways first, and begin orbit clockwise from there. If you identify any Kyrathian signatures, contact me immediately, and render assistance to any Janosian vessels under fire. You have execute authority."
The voice of the pilot of Delta 1 responded, "Godfather, this is Delta 1. Orders acknowledged. Execute authority is authorized."
As Patterson heard the confirmation, Dean materialized nearby. As soon as he'd stabilized he addressed Patterson, "Colonel, we had a report that the refugee ships at sea are being targeted by metal fish."
Patterson glanced at the Chief of Security, "Right on time. Come have a look. I'll show you the plans we've set into motion. Defenses, Recon, Air Support, Assets and Adjacent Units ... and here's the OPORD as a whole."
Safe Zone Refugee Camp:
Lt. Cmdr. Dean Spearhorse was in the Refugee Camp some distance from the Forward Operations Base that Patterson and the Marines were establishing. He was speaking to some of the Starfleet Security personnel and assistant Engineers that had been assigned to the Camp. "We need to link the fire control to the solar powered computer core with the backup wind-powered turbine and connect that to the radar system ...," he said.
After he'd given those instructions, he moved on to the Janosian Foreman of the mining operation. "You will have to work with the metal forges to create a system of tracks to help bring the laser cannons to bear. The targeting and movement can be controlled by four redundant bloetooth relays directed by radar." He knew that some of what he said would go over the man's head but Starfleet Engineers would assist in the set up, so they would help with the technical aspects.
After giving those instructions, his commbadge chirped as Lt. Col. Patterson called, "Dean, Travis. What's the coordination efforts look like? We've got vehicles beaming down shortly to reinforce the perimeter. Pathfinders will drop it off to the Marine forces here. I'm giving you command of the FOB whilst I take the Pathfinders with me. We're gonna go do a little Recon."
Dean answered, "The set up might take about a week depending on the iron rails."
Patterson heard the shimmer as the vehicles and the entire Pathfinder unit materialized. "Well, it's about bloody time," he said. He tapped his badge again, "Dean, get back to the CP double-time. Got a present for you."
Dean acknowledged and proceeded down to the beach where the Janosian Elder, Nort, was greeting new refugees arriving by ship from the homeland. As Dean approached, a grizzled sea captain was speaking, "We lost three ships in a storm coming in ... two burst into flame for no apparent reason ... a survivor says the ship he was on was holed below the waterline before it caught fire and capsized."
Another man standing beside the sea captain said, "They brought monsters! Metal fish and bobbles that blow up if your ship touches them!"
Dean stroked his chin, "Sounds like torpedoes and mines. I must report this development to my boss." He stepped off a ways and was about to tap his commbadge to call the Captain when Patterson called instead.
"Commander Spearhorse," Patterson began, "Hines and his team have landed at the FOB with 6 Combat Vehicles that are being deployed to the defense perimeter, and a whole company of Marines. I'm putting you in command of the FOB. Hold this position, whatever it takes. I'll see if I can't identify targets and threats with the Pathfinders."
Dean acknowledged and tapped his badge to change the channel, but the signal remained open to Patterson as well. He began, "Captain, there is a new development. The Janosians are reporting warfare at sea sounding like mines and torpedoes ... their wooden ships are no match. Sounds like WWI tactics being used versus 16th century ships."
The Captain's voice came back, "That's not good news, Commander. It means the Kyrathians have expanded their control to the ocean. They'll find our Safe Zone soon enough."
Dean continued, "They never see the attacker ... most likely submarine operations."
Zak replied, "We need to bring the fight to them somehow. Has Patterson come up with any tactics? Any plans to attack anywhere?"
Dean answered, "I am not sure. The air defense will likely take a week to get running and train a number of personnel to operate the servicing equipment. I suggest we meet back on the ship to discuss what we can do against the sub threat."
Zak responded, "Not on the ship, Commander. That FOB is for just this purpose. I'm almost done here, I'll have myself transported there for a briefing shortly. Zak out."
Dean acknowledged with "Understood, sir." He tapped his badge again, this time calling the Penumbra, "Site to site transport to the FOB, please." Tabeshk was quick to respond and beamed the Commander to the site.