***Sim Log Narrative, SD 201911.08***

Bridge:

The Penumbra was still managing to maintain a bumpy orbit over a tiny frozen moon, the most distant planet in the system that contains the gas giant where the Kyrathians had set up their Collection Station and Nursery and were building their Colony Ships.

Long-range sensors had detected a particular energy emission that had drawn the Penumbra to investigate. Some kind of odd turbulence perturbs their orbit if they get too close, and some kind of containment and dispersion field envelops the tiny moon. Our first attempt at a reconnaissance probe lasted only 4.4 seconds. A second probe, this time encased in a torpedo casing with shielding, lasted 7 seconds and allowed a peek through the "hole" in the field. Through this hole came some kind of Borg distress signal and another flash of intense radiation before the field re-established itself.

The Bridge was almost crowded. Capt. Zak Taylor was pacing yet again; Lt. Col. Travis Patterson sat in the Executive Officer's seat, but he'd glanced more than once at the Command Chair, wondering that if the Captain didn't seem to know how to sit in it, whether he should move over there; LtCmdr Relok was at the Primary Science Station, giving an icy glare at the Captain's pacing; LtCmdr Jason Carter was at his usual place at the Helm, flying "by stick" against the strange thickness of space around the tiny moon in order to keep a "feel" of how the ship was handling; LtJG Lea Kalawai'a had moved from her Engineering Station to stand next to LtJG Tabeshk Tibris at the Operations Console as together they worked through calculations and power settings to split a tractor beam into "Grabby Hands"; LtJG T'Lin was standing at the Secondary Science Station, occasionally glancing back at the Captain as he paced back and forth across the Bridge; LtJG Denovan Hawke was working at the Tactical Station, double checking all the settings of their second torpedo probe; MstGny Derek Hines was at his Reconnaissance Station, but was at that moment going through his ready-bag in case he got called for Away Team duty . again; and the Artificial Intelligence called MAX flickered from station to station as he found the most opportune console from which to speak his thoughts, currently his "face" was displayed on the Operations Console.

MAX was saying, "Lt. Tibris, I have identified multiple points of contact we could attempt to apply our modified tractor beam to. I will put them on display for you as needed."

Tabeshk answered, "MAX, you can just call me 'Tabby'. You know this, right?" He gave a sigh and asked, "So, what was that, MAX?"

MAX replied, "Just letting you know I found the best places to grab onto to rip that hole open, Tab- ... by ...," he trailed off on the nickname.

Tabeshk smiled, "It's okay, MAX, I'm still not used to it."

T'Lin was poring over the sensor feeds. She commented as she adjusted the focal point, "Relok, hold that scanner riiiight ... there." She indicated that she'd found the targeted location where the hole had opened before. Having an eidetic memory, she could recognize the precise location. She continued, "Long range scanners, continuous scan. The next time it opens, for the milliseconds it is there, we need to see inside it."

The Captain finally noticed the glare from his Chief Science Officer and turned to sit in the Command Chair. As he did he asked, "So, Relok, how long do we have to hold the hole open to get a team past the containment field?"

Relok answered, "I would want at least 5 seconds, sir. Ten would be better. But ...," he trailed off.

The Captain turned to face him and prompted, "But .?"

Relok cleared his throat and said, "Captain, if we beam a team down through a hole in the field ... how do they get back?"

Patterson turned towards the Captain and raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Zak's lips formed a grim line and eventually he said, "Yes ... that is a problem, isn't it?"

Hawke suggested, "Transporter enhancers."

The Captain began, "I have two ideas: first, we give them a specific time frame and then open a new hole and beam them up ...," he trailed off.

Lea interrupted, "The Away Team could create a hole in the shields from the inside once we're there."

Patterson smirked, "Like your little bubble shield, but backwards, Lea?"

Lea blushed, "Well, a little less elegant .."

The Captain smirked as Lea hit on his second option. He said, "Exactly, Lea, that's option 2, the AT disable the field from the inside."

Carter suggested, "We do have the Delta Flyers operational again, and with their upgraded hull armor? Could be worth a shot."

Relok responded, "But, Mr. Carter, we're getting only a 'pinhole' in effect, nothing big enough to fly a ship through."

"Yes," Carter replied, "but they have tractor beams as well. More hands means more likelihood of keeping the hole open."

Tabeshk muttered, "Well, that's something. Now how the hell do I make tractor beam ... hand's ...."

Hawke heard the half-Klingon's muttering and said, "Perhaps you can focus the tip of the beam like a vice-grip for a stronger hold."

Relok tilted his head as he thought of something. "Wait, Carter, we might not want to hold the hole open."

The Captain turned to Relok and again prompted him to continue, "And .?"

Relok gave his reasoning. "Those flashes of radiation ... what if we punch a hole, and hold it open ... and that level of radiation remains constant. That couldn't be good."

At that moment another powerful surge of intense radiation sent the ship bucking and Carter fighting the sticks to re-establish their orbit.

Tabeshk grabbed the edges of his console to hold on. Hawke braced himself on his own console. Patterson rattled in his seat, and the Captain's coffee cup splashed coffee on his leg and the floor. Thankfully it had gone cold and didn't scald him! He stood and patted his leg and resumed his customary pacing across the Bridge.

Relok had grabbed his own console for stability and once Carter had fought the ship back into a stable orbit he said, "Exactly what I was talking about!"

Patterson turned his head to address Hawke, "How's she holding?"

Hawke checked his readings and reported, "Shields down to 87%. Hull integrity of forward ventral at 92% and dorsal 95%."

Carter grunted as he wrestled with the controls, "It's like trying to slide a fork through molasses without it getting dirty!"

Zak asked, "OK, so, Lea, Tabby, do we have hands yet?"

Lea answered first, "Yes . uh . probably."

Tabeshk answered similarly, "Uh . I think we do."

The Captain said, "We're gonna need to do this soon."

Tabeshk asked, "Shouldn't we . test first?"

Carter mumbled, "Yeah. See if we can grab the Captain by the legs so he can't pace back and forth."

Relok let out a snort and coughed, trying not to actually chuckle out loud.

Tabeshk chuckled, "I could do that for you, Carter."

The Captain gave a slight smile, "The test will be when it works ... or doesn't." He walked back to the Command Chair and took his seat again, then turned to his Executive Officer, "Patterson, figure out who goes down there. And, Colonel ... it could be a one-way ticket."

Relok's face went pale as he thought of an Away Mission being a one-way ticket. Lea's face did the the same.

Patterson nodded and murmured, "As much as I hate the idea." He tapped his commbadge, "Bridge to Sickbay."

The voice of the Andorian Marine Corpsman, 2nd Lt. Arrin ch'Tijaat, came back, "Can I help you?"

Patterson said, "I need the status of Mr. Spearhorse."

Arrin answered, "Not fit for duty yet. Though ...," he voice diminished as he apparently turned to call to someone else in Sickbay, "leeches might be a good idea."

The Captain turned to Patterson, "Colonel, might I suggest that Marine Lieutenant combat medic ... the one that answered your call to Sickbay. What's his name? Arrin?"

Patterson sighed and continued his call to Sickbay, "Get him fit for duty. Five minutes. Patterson out." He looked up at the Captain, "I wanna prove something to Dean. Myself, Spearhorse, Hawke, Relok, ... minimum profile under current Directives."

Zak squinted one eye, "Dean? I'm not sure he's ready, Travis."

Patterson smiled, "Can't expect a herding dog to lay on the porch all day, Captain."

The Captain tried to stifle a groan as he gave in, "Fine, your call, Colonel. Be careful. I'm giving you half an hour then making another hole."

Patterson gave a brief nod, and then said, "Hines, take the Tac. Carter, get us as close as you can. Hawke, Relok, with me." He tapped his commbadge and called Sickbay, "On your feet, Dean. Meet me in Transporter Room One with your ready-bag."

Arrin's voice responded, "Sir . he's not ready." There was a pause and before Patterson could respond he added, "I'll do my best."

Hawke logged out of the Tactical Console and Hines nodded and stepped over to replace him. Relok stepped away from the Primary Science Station, and as he did he addressed T'Lin, "Watch the hole carefully, Lt. We need to know in short order whether it's even safe for us to beam down."

T'Lin acknowledged, "That is precisely why we need scans."

Lea still stood beside the Operations Console She sighed with relief that she wouldn't be required to join the Away Team this time. As she did, Tabeshk turned to her and asked, "Lea, I think we should test our 'Grabby Hands', what do you think? Captain?"

Carter heard the nickname Tabeshk had given to their dual tractor beam and slapped a hand to his face. Lea responded, "I'm all for testing it, just .," she glanced at the Captain, "don't get mad if it fails."

Carter reported, "Captain, closing to 12,000 km. Speed is still 1/16th impulse, but we're slowing."

As Patterson, Relok, and Hawke stepped towards the turbolift, the Captain gave a nod and turned to Operations, "Tabby, you and Lea get your hands ready."

Tabeshk responded, "Okay, we'll get the 'Grabby Hands' ready."

Zak turned to the Science station, "T'Lin, like Relok said, we need to peek through that hole and know whether our team can safely beam over. We'll have a small window of opportunity."

"Exactly," T'Lin answered.

Zak turned to the Tactical station, "Hines, ready that torpedo probe Hawke prepared. We all have to work together in proper sequence to get this right."

Hines nodded, "Torp-E-Probe ready, sir."

Tabeshk turned his chair to eye Hines, "Torp-E-Probe? Really?"

The big man shrugged, "You had a silly name for the tractor beam thing. I was beginning to feel left out." He grinned.

Lea commented, "Two wrongs don't make a right, Hines!"

Hines answered, "Nah, but three 'Left Faces' do."

Tabeshk grunted, "Yeah, true." Lea just rolled her eyes.

The Captain continued, "We'll fire the probe, then when it hits the barrier, Tabby and Lea grab the edges of the hole (whatever it is) and hold on ... then T'Lin takes a peek through the hole and gives us the Go/No-Go ... then we transport on Go."

Another flash of radiation escaped the containment field and again the ship bucked violently. Hines checked his readings and reported, "Hull integrity ship forward dorsal at 92%. Integrity ventral holding at 89%. Shields down to 80%... Tabby, can we get any more power to the integrity field?"

Tabeshk answered, "Okay, but using my 'Grabby Hands', I kinda need the power for it."

Hines nodded in acknowledgement and said, "Shifting power from aft shields to fore, and taking rear torpedoes and point defense offline."

After a quick scan of all his people, the Captain tapped his commbadge. "We're ready here, Colonel. Stand by for Go/No-Go."

Patterson's voice responded, "Standing by."

Too anxious to remain seated, the Captain stands again and said, "OK, are we ready? Hines ... then Tabby & Lea ... then T'Lin."

Each acknowledged their orders and sequence and the Captain tapped his badge again to call Patterson, "Operation 'Mind the Gap' about to commence ... stand by, Colonel."

Tabeshk smiled, "'Mind the Gap'? I . LIKE IT!"

Zak glanced at the Tactical Station, "Hines . launch the Torp-E-Probe."

Hines pressed a button and reported, "Probe away. Extending shields."

They watched on the main viewscreen as the probe sailed straight down to the moon. At about 5 seconds out it wobbled. At 7 seconds it hit the barrier. The Captain called, "Go for 'Grabby Hands'!"

Lea had moved back to her Engineering Station to monitor the dual tractor beam deemed 'Grabby Hands'. Tabeshk acknowledged, "Aye, sir!" He pressed a button and said, "'Grabby Hands' are a go, sir!"

The twin tractor beams grabbed the shimmering edges of the hole in the containment field and held on. A massive flare of intense radiation came spewing from the hole, along with a distinctive Borg distress signal! The ship started bucking and heaving with the waves of radiation.

The Captain spun, "T'Lin, Go or No-Go?"

T'Lin quickly checked her sensor feed, and seeing a safe environment (in spite of the intense radiation that the Away Team's EVA suits and Combat Armor could survive) and reported, "Good to go!"

Zak nodded and tapped his commbadge, "You are Go, Colonel! Godspeed and be safe! Call you in 30."

In the Transporter Room, Patterson tapped a timer on the PADD built into the arm of his Combat Armor and then responded over the commlink, "Go affirmed!" He nodded at the transporter operator, "Chief, energize!"

Tabeshk called out, " Have fun guys! Um . don't turn into . well, you know .... I ... am shutting up now."

Hawke's voice came back over the commlink just before the transporter engaged, "I heard that!"

Hines chuckled, "Backup plan with Travis? If it ain't Travis . shoot it!"

Lea muttered, "Once we're done here, I'll have to take a look down in Engineering so we can make a quick escape."

The 'Grabby Hands' began to fluctuate, losing their hold on the edges of the hole. As it closed, all readings of bio-signals and commlinks for the Away Team were cut off. There was no way for the Penumbra to know if the Away Team actually arrived safely or not.

Tabeshk asked, "Well, did it work?"

Hines reported, "I've got no sensor data, nothing from the Away Team!"

Lea said, "Well, those shields were pretty thick."

T'Lin said, "Radiation levels are steadily increasing!"

The ship's bucking reached a critical level with everyone holding on for dear life. The Captain got back to his chair and held on as Carter called out, "Bug out protocol! Full impulse reverse, adjusting course 180 from source of density. Nacelles coming online!"

Lea said, "Sir, I recommend we pull back to a safe location until it's time to pick the Away Team up. We can't reach them, anyway."

Hines said, "Shields at 52% ... 50 ... 49 ...," he trailed off with a scowl on his face.

Carter announced, "Ten seconds to warp velocity!"

Sickbay:

Lt. Cmdr. Dean Spearhorse was still in Sickbay, struggling through withdrawal from the Janosian herb called Nautilus Root. He was mumbling to himself, "Feed the flu, starve a fever . what did they do for addictions in the old days?"

He was being tended by Nurse Emily Rose Thompson and a Marine Corpsman Combat Medic, the Andorian Second Lieutenant, Arrin ch'Tijaat. Arrin was checking the biobed scans of Dean's condition while Emily tried to keep Dean hydrated and comfortable.

Dr. Shadow K'Trevala was also in Sickbay, passing by every so often to check on his patient and render any additional aid that would improve his condition, but he knew that at this point, the only treatment was time.

Earlier, the Red Alert klaxon and flashing red lights had warned the crew that there was a potential danger. And even though the klaxon had stopped blaring and the lights had gone to a steady dull red accent, Emily was still nervous. She'd heard some scuttlebutt about Borg and it worried her.

Spearhorse continued muttering to no one in particular, "You know how they used to have patches and gum to wean people off stuff? There were even injections that would make you sick if you tried to go back to the substance you were abusing ... and then they developed the stimulus blockers that backfired during WWIII ...," he trailed off.

Arrin replied as he recorded Dean's current status on his chart, "On Andor, we'd just toss you into a cold lake."

Dean grunted and replied, "We threw witches in the lake ... most of that was mentally ill people, in the hindsight."

Emily shook her head in amazement but remained silent.

Dean continued, "God knows those were the dark ages for our society. Superstition, rumor, all that could get you killed."

Emily didn't like the dark tone and said with a slight shrug, "You should be fine soon if you continue to rest."

Suddenly the ship bucked, harder than it had been doing earlier. Arrin clutched the rail of the biobed. Emily stumbled against the bed behind her but kept her feet and stepped back up to stabilize Dean on his bed. Dean blanched, feeling a little seasick.

Arrin continued their discussion as if the ship wasn't bucking under their feet, "That's Earth for you, though." As the bouncing smoothed out, he moved over to the medicine cabinet for something that could soothe Dean's seasickness.

"Leeches!" Dean cried out, "Now maybe they could be used to clean up my blood chemistry. I need to get back to work as soon as possible ... lot to do ... heck of a mess to clean up."

A call came over the comm system from Lt. Col. Patterson, "Bridge to Sickbay."

Arrin hit the wall comm, "Can I help you?"

Patterson asked, "I need the status of Mr. Spearhorse."

Arrin replied matter-of-factly, "Not fit for duty yet. Though ...," he paused and turned to Emily, "Leeches might be a good idea."

Unsure but out-ranked in authority, Emily replied, "Yes, doctor," and went in search of leeches.

Patterson's voice gave a breathy sigh and then he said, "Get him fit for duty. Five minutes. Patterson out."

Strangely enough, Emily found a container of live leeches in a storage compartment along with several other "non-traditional" medicinal items (both Dr. Thibodeaux and Dr. K'Trevala practiced "non-traditional" medicine from time to time). She brought the container to Arrin and said, "Here you go."

Dean caught sight of the squirming leeches and asked, "Where do you propose using that? If the Colonel needs me it should be someplace protected ... inside the upper arm maybe?" He raised one arm in preparation.

Arrin took the container, raising an eyebrow and pointing his antennae at her, "You don't understand sarcasm, do you?"

Errin lifted an eyebrow, "I'm sorry, I guess I am a little nervous about the thought of Borg being nearby, I thought you seriously wanted leeches." She blushed.

Arrin's antennae relaxed as he said, "It's fine. But, we can use a hypospray for the same kind of extraction without all the ... mess."

"Of course, doctor," Emily responded, handing over an empty hypo.

Patterson's voice came over the comm again, "On your feet, Dean. Meet me in Transporter Room One with your ready-bag."

Arrin quickly stepped to the comm and pressed the button, "Sir . he's not ready." He paused and before Patterson could respond he added, "I'll do my best."

Arrin stepped back to Dean and pressed the hypospray to his neck without warning, drawing a significant quantity of blood.

Emily had started loosening the restraints that held Dean to the bed, mostly against his convulsions earlier. Dean wriggled his wrists free and slid off the bed. "I can't say it was fun, but thanks are in order."

He went to take a step and wobbled noticeably. Arrin quickly grabbed his arm to hold him steady as Dean smiled weakly, "Gotta get my sea legs. Equilibrium is a bit off."

Arrin grabbed another hypospray ready nearby and again, without warning, pressed it to Dean's neck, "This should help."

Finally, Dean managed to get his feet under him on the shifting floor. And with Arrin at his elbow, they exited Sickbay headed for Transporter Room One.

Just outside Sickbay stood Marine Security Corporal Lord Longshanks and a Security Department Crewman. They were standing guard on Sickbay and Spearhorse (who'd been sent back to the Penumbra effectively under arrest for insubordination and perhaps even dereliction of duty). Longshanks snapped to attention and gave Dean a salute and then said, "Good to see you on your feet, sir."

Dean returned the salute with a smile and the four of them headed to a turbolift.

Away Team:

As Patterson, Relok, and Hawke exited the turbolift on Deck 4 headed to Transporter Room One, Patterson spoke softly to Relok, "This is a risk I'd rather not take ... but with the Directive in place ... I don't have a choice, do I?"

Relok answered, "I am also alarmed at the possibility of being trapped beneath the containment field, but ... logic dictates we must pursue this course, for the good of the many."

Hawke half-joked, "If something does go wrong we're going to have a long time to debate about it."

As they approached the Transporter Room they saw Spearhorse with Arrin walking alongside him coming from the other direction. Together they entered the Transporter Room just as another wave of radiation caused the ship to buck and heave.

Once the bucking had settled back to near normal, Hawke accessed a weapons locker and began distributing standard-issue hand phasers, and a basic engineer's kit just in case.

Patterson glanced at the phaser Hawke was offering. He chuckled and reached in the locker to retrieve his personal WAR rifle, muttering, "Marines and their rifles, eh?"

Relok accepted his phaser without comment but Hawke gave a shrug, "I'd rather go with a compound bow, but .," he trailed off with a smirk.

The Captain's voice came over a commlink, "We're ready here, Colonel. Stand by for Go/No-Go."

Patterson responded, "Standing by." He looked over at Dean with Arrin beside him and the two Security escorts. "You sure you're ready for this, Dean?"

Dean shrugged, "I guess. I don't even know what we're facing yet."

Arrin added, "He should be." Then he asked, "Does this Away Team have a medic?" He tapped his emergency medkit he was carrying.

Patterson turned and grabbed another WAR rifle from the locker and handed it towards Arrin. "It does now."

Arrin accepted the rifle and gave it a quick inspection. "Sounds good," he said.

Quickly, they each donned EVA suits (for the Starfleet personnel) or Combat Armor (for those in the Marines). They knew the area would be heavily irradiated but they couldn't be sure of any other environmental hazards.

Once suited up, Relok was first on the transporter pad, followed by Spearhorse and Arrin. Patterson glanced up at Spearhorse on the pad, "Dean, we're taking a peek inside a concealed containment field. Picked up a Borg transponder momentarily. Might want a weapon?"

Again the Captain's voice came over the comm, "Operation 'Mind the Gap' about to commence ... stand by, Colonel."

Hawke said, "Well if everyone is taking rifles, ." he grabbed a couple more to make sure everyone was equipped with a WAR rifle with a phaser as backup.

Patterson smiled, "You get used to it, Hawke. Marines always carry rifles. Not so sure about you Naval Security guys."

Hawke said, "I can handle it just fine, sir."

Arrin asked, "Do these have the I-Mods?"

Patterson answered, "Arrin, it's a standard WAR Rifle. Top of the line, as always."

"Never mind, then," Arrin said, and then he patted the phaser at his side, "So, these are useless against the Borg. Great."

Spearhorse hefted the rifle and said, "I never liked these bulky, heavy weapons. They're good for just one thing: blunt trauma." He checked over the power supply and overall components, setting it for what he hoped would be 'heavy stun'.

Patterson said with a chuckle, "It ain't a requirement for you or Hawke, Dean. I'm just used to the damned thing after 20 years with it."

Suddenly the ship began to buck and heave more than it had been before. Patterson's face turned serious. "All right, game faces."

The call came from the Captain, "You are Go, Colonel! Godspeed and be safe! Call you in 30."

Patterson tapped a timer on the PADD built into the arm of his Combat Armor and then responded over the commlink, "Go affirmed!" He nodded at the transporter operator, "Chief, energize!"

They heard Tabeshk call out over the comm, " Have fun guys! Um . don't turn into . well, you know .... I ... am shutting up now."

Hawke called back just before the transporter engaged, "I heard that!"

Corporal Longshanks sighed as the Away Team dematerialized. He said, "You know, I am itching to do something other than watch the armory all day. If they get into trouble, send me to divide the enemy forces."

The Transporter Chief smiled back at him, "I would in a heartbeat if I still had the coordinates for the Away Team, Corporal."

The ship's bucking reached a critical level. The 'Grabby Hands' began to fluctuate, losing their hold on the edges of the hole. As the hole closed, all readings of bio-signals and commlinks for the Away Team were cut off. There was no way for the Penumbra to know if the Away Team actually arrived safely or not.

But on the tiny moon, the five members of the Away Team, Patterson, Relok, Hawke, Spearhorse, and Arrin, materialized outside some kind of installation.

Patterson quickly did a sweep, keeping his weapon at the "low ready" position. Spearhorse's Security training kicked in and he did a similar action, scanning the area for danger as he assumed a defensive posture. They saw no immediate threats and Patterson announced, "Clear!"

However, nearby they saw large doors standing open. There were burn marks ... and just beside that ... a Borg Sphere!

In Attendance:

Capt. Z. Taylor, LtCol. T. Patterson, Dr. K'Trevala, LtCmdr. Dean Spearhorse, LtCmdr. J. Carter, LtCmdr. MacArdry, LtCmdr. Relok, Lt. (JG) Denovan Hawke, Lt. (JG) Kalawai'a, Lt. (JG) Tabeshk Tibris, Lt. (JG) T'Lin, 2Lt. Arrin, MGySgt. Hines

NPCs:

MAX (Reconnaissance AI, played by Hines), Emily Rose Thompson (Nurse) (a temporary NPC while the new simmer's character awaits discovery), Longshanks (Marine Security Corporal, played by Spearhorse)

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