***Sim Log Narrative, SD 201911.15***

ANNOUNCEMENT:

There were two promotions this week! Tabeshk Tibris was promoted to full Lieutenant and given the post of Chief of Operations. Qapla', Tabby!

Also promoted to full Lieutenant was T'Lin, who was given the title of Assistant Chief of Sciences. Live long and prosper, T'Lin! \\//

Bridge:

The Penumbra was holding position just outside the heliosphere of the star system where the Kyrathians had their Nursery on a moon of a gas giant and where they'd detected "unusual energy frequencies" from the most distant tiny planet/moon.

They had beamed an Away Team through a "hole" in a containment field to investigate further, but the containment field prevented communications or even monitoring of life signs. They'd told the Team they'd have half an hour before the Penumbra would return and try to reopen the hole to make contact or effect a rescue.

In the meantime, they waited.

In Sickbay, Dr. Shadow K'Trevala was cleaning up and restocking supplies. He'd just released Lt. Cmdr. Dean Spearhorse to "restricted duty" under the care and supervision of 2ndLt Arrin ch'Tijaat, an Andorian Marine Combat Medic, and had no other patients in Sickbay (for the moment), so thought it a good time to assess their needs, in case they were needed in a hurry once again.

Down in Main Engineering, Lt. Cmdr. Bevin MacArdry was working on maintaining the shields around the ship and warp core, as well as working on augmenting the "Grabby Hands" for the newly promoted full Lieutenant and Chief of Operations, Tabeshk Tibris.

On the Bridge, Capt. Zak Taylor was standing at the replicator; LtCmdr. Jason Carter was fidgeting with the flight control sticks at the Helm; the newly promoted full Lieutenant and Assistant Chief of Sciences, T'Lin, was at the Primary Science Station, having taken over when LtCmdr. Relok went on the Away Team; Lt. Tibris was sitting at the Operations Console, working on a way to improve his "Grabby Hands" dual tractor beams; MstGny Derek Hines was manning the Tactical Console while LtJG Denovan Hawke was on the Away Team; and the Artificial Intelligence known as MAX flitted between display panels as the need arose.

The Captain ordered his refreshment, "Coffee, black, sweetened." When the mug appeared, he took it, blew on it softly and took a sip, turning back to his Bridge.

Carter reported, "We've cleared the density field."

Hines reported, "Shields at 57%. Integrity overall at 81%. That shook us."

Zak commented, "Yeah, we need to charge up while we're out here."

MAX said, "It's quite possible that when we opened the hole wider for our transporter beam to work, we effectively stretched out the density of the radiation that rocked the ship."

Carter nodded and then said, "And I doubt a warp bubble would do much good, even if we were able to sustain it."

Tabeshk was muttering to himself, fiddling with some settings on his console, "Hmm . I wonder .," he trailed off.

The Captain leaned over Tabeshk's shoulder and spoke softly, "Good work, you and Lea, with the Grabby Hands. Now, let's find a way to give them more grip."

Tabeshk responded, "Yeah, I agree, Captain." He opened a comm channel, "Tabby to Bevin, hello, my dearest. Is there a way to make the 'Grabby Hands' last longer? Do get back to me once you have any ideas, love."

Bevin's Scottish Brogue came back, "I'm werkin an ait naw, Tabby, me dearlin."

The Captain pointed at a specific reading on the Ops board. "We can probably divert some power from waste processing for a while, it'll keep. And dimming lights in the recreational areas ...," he trailed off.

Tabeshk turned his head and gave the Captain a glare and said in a sarcastic, but friendly, tone, "I've got it .. Daaad."

A moment later Bevin called back, "Tabby, twainty pairsaint mair ain strainght an aindewrince, alang wi fairty five graitir daixtirity, Haw's tha?"

The Captain suddenly realized he needed to leave Tabeshk to do his job, "But, you can see all that, right? I'll just go ... over there." He stepped off towards the Command Chair.

Bevin switched her focus from the now stronger 'Grabby Hands' to finding a way to augment the structural integrity fields for when the ship had to deal with greater waves of force. Tabeshk called to her, "Don't work too hard, sweetheart."

Bevin replied, "I dinna aintaind tae, bit iffin I hae tae, I'll wraip tha shaip ain dack taip tae try tae kaip ait taegaithir."

Tabby grinned, "And that's why I love you!"

She replied, "Tapadh leibh, Tabby. Thaink ye, dairlin."

Carter turned his chair to face the Captain, "Sir, how do we reinforce the ship to sustain another impact like the last one if we intend to try holding the gap longer?"

Tabeshk was first to comment, "Good question, Carter. 'Cause I am ready to pry that son of a .," he coughed a couple of times, "apart, sir."

Taylor sat in his chair as he answered, "The shields hold well enough against the radiation, it's that weird density in space. I think we both know what's causing that, and I don't know a way around it."

Hines chimed in, "What about a dispersal pattern? Utilize endophasic resonance emitters with a magnetronic concussive charge to meet the shockwave with opposing force?"

Carter looked at Hines, a confused expression on his face, "Um . what?"

Zak turned his head to ask the big Marine, "Um, plow the road, Hines?"

MAX chimed in, "Not a phrase I would tell to a Marine unless you know EXACTLY what he's gonna be plowing, Captain."

Zak chuckled, "No, MAX, I was asking if that was what he meant!"

Hines smiled and explained, "Not exactly, sir ... more like setting a trap with mines."

Carter blinked a few times, then said, "Wait a minute .." He stood from the Helm and walked over to the Secondary Science Station. "Computer, display energy readouts for hull integrity decreases below 90% capacity within the last hour. Prioritize readouts and pair with shield fluctuations." His old days as a Science Officer were kicking in as he began to consider possibilities.

While Carter reviewed the results, Tabeshk asked, "Captain, would you like me to have the 'Grabby Hands' do their thing?"

Zak responded, "Actually, Tabby, you're right, I think it's time we head back and punch through and check on our people. Carter, take us back."

Tabeshk grinned, "Aye, sir, give the word and I'll use by 'Grabby Hands'."

Carter moved back to the Helm as he said, "Aye, sir. Hines, adjust shield harmonics to adapt to Polaric Radiation, and begin emitting Tetryon Particles from the Main Deflector on my mark." He pressed a few buttons on his console and then gripped the sticks, "Engaging max impulse."

Hines raised an eyebrow at the unusual request but nodded, "Gotcha, boss. Standing by."

A second or two later, Carter said, "Hines . begin Tetryon emissions."

Hines answered, "Aye, aye. Tetryon emissions generating at 1.4 Terrahertz per second at a range of 100 meters across the forward hull."

Carter nodded, "Captain, we're approaching the density field."

Zak placed his mug in the cup holder in the arm of his chair, "All right, Carter, let's make it as smooth as you can, my coffee is hot this time."

Carter smirked but nodded, "Got my ace in the hole this time, sir. Hines, increase tetryon particle output by 0.1 Terrahertz per second at 15 second intervals, starting . now."

Noticing the results, MAX said, "Incredible spark of intelligence, Carter. Using the tetryon particles to stick to the polaric harmonics of the shields to effectively drag a nebula into fluidic space. I haven't seen that trick before."

Away Team:

Lt. Col. Travis Patterson, LtCmdr. Relok, LtCmdr. Dean Spearhorse, LtJG Denovan Hawke, and 2ndLt Arrin ch'Tijaat had beamed through a hole in the containment field and now stood outside of some kind of industrial facility on the surface of a tiny, frozen moon.

Patterson and Arrin, as Marines, were wearing Combat Armor, while the rest were wearing standard-issue EVA suits. They had known there would be high levels of radiation, and had expected exceedingly low temperatures and lack of breathable atmosphere, not to mention the slight gravity of the tiny moon. In their suits they would be protected from the radiation, safe from the elements, able to breathe from stored air, and provided with artificial gravity to allow them to move and act normally.

Fortunately, inside the containment field there was a breathable atmosphere, and while the ambient temperature was way below freezing, it wasn't immediately life threatening.

They had already taken stock of their location and deemed it free of any obvious threats. Relok, as the Science Officer on the Away Mission, was waving a tricorder in all directions to build a "baseline" to which he could compare any anomalies.

Patterson made another quick assessment of the area and then turned to Hawke. "Hawke, you know Borg technology better than anyone else here. Take Spearhorse and Arrin with you, and see if you can get that thing," he waved at the damaged Borg Sphere, "working. It may be our only alternative for escaping the radiation levels." He turned back to the Vulcan, "Relok, you're with me."

Hawke answered, "Yes, sir," then turned to get a good look around before entering the Sphere with Spearhorse and Arrin. Patterson and Relok moved off towards the large metallic doors to the facility.

Inside the Facility:

The facility where Patterson and Relok were headed had a façade made of reinforced concrete, or something similar, with large metallic doors. As they approached the metallic doors, they noticed a wide variety of signs posted in various locations, but their scanners couldn't interpret the writing. However, there were certain "universal symbols" that were readily understandable, such as "Danger: High Emissions Area" and "Hot Pipe" or "Do Not Enter" and so on. They had the distinct impression the facility was some kind of refinery, or power plant, or something of that nature.

The doors appeared to have been forced open. There were scorch marks all around the doorway area, and the burned bodies of two dead Borg. Relok paused and said, "Colonel, there are high radiation levels throughout this area. We're fine in our suits for a while, but ... wouldn't want to live here." He waved towards the dead Borg, "We can thank them for getting the doors open, but ... we should be extra careful."

Patterson gave a nod, the holographic skull on the visor plate of his combat helmet shimmering with the movement, "Agreed. Hawke, keep an open frequency. Relok, let's keep quiet until we know we're secure." He gave the "axe hand" signal to proceed through the door, and softly said, "On me," as he raised his WAR rifle to a ready position.

Relok hefted his own rifle experimentally and fell in behind the Marine. Patterson moved at a brisk pace, roll-stepping through the corridors, his head sweeping left and right. Inside his helmet, a thermal overlay would make spotting threats easier with no need for lighting, though there were pipes and conduits that radiated heat along and even within the walls.

Relok, though a Science Officer, was a highly trained and expertly skilled Sentinel of the Order of the Sehlat, an elite survival specialist of a religious order that revered the strong predator of the jungles of his tropical homeland. He was not your typical nerdy science guy. He knew how to stealthily creep through an apparently abandoned facility without making a sound or leaving a trace of his passage, ever alert for the slightest movement or disturbance in his surroundings.

Before long, they found two more dead Borg, these also burned badly. They could hear Hawke speaking softly, mostly to himself, about junctions and nodes and how small the sphere was, and then they heard, "Wait a minute . there's someone alive here." He mentioned some consoles and then muttered, "A presence I've not felt since .,"

He was interrupted by Patterson calling back in a voice just above a whisper, "Hawke, someone alive?"

Hawke responded, "Yes, but . that's the odd thing. I think I know it . or them . um .," he trailed off for a moment but then said, "They won't come out. Let's get on with what we came to do and I can deal with her after."

Just then Relok tapped Patterson's shoulder, showed him his scanner and tried to use the silent hand language the Marines often used. He held up four fingers and then gestured with them down the corridor.

Patterson glanced at the scanner, watched Relok's hand movement and then gave a thumbs-up gesture, quickly turning it to thumbs-down.

Relok waved side to side, then wriggled his fingers in an upward motion before gesturing again down the hall and making a point of showing four fingers.

Patterson nodded as if he'd understood then shook his head and turned to move forward once more. Relok was frustrated in spite of himself at the inability to communicate silently and began typing on his armPADD. ~ I am detecting the particle emission four doors down ... ~

Patterson glanced at his own armPADD as the text arrived, then shook his head, allowing himself a faint chuckle. He turned to face Relok, held up four fingers, then closed his hand to a fist and then quickly re-opening it. He flattened the hand into a vertical wall and quickly rotated it 90 degrees a couple of times, followed by forming the fingers and thumb into a large "O". Then gave another thumbs-up and tilted his head at Relok, wondering if the Science Officer could figure it out.

Relok had a confused look on his face for a moment and then it came to him: ~ Four open/close doors Omega, yes? ~ The Vulcan's face lit up and he nodded vigorously in the affirmative.

Satisfied with the hand-signal lesson, Patterson nodded and said softly, "There's our target, then. Let's get eyes on."

After the four doorways, Patterson and Relok found a set of double doors clearly displaying several warning signs regarding emissions and danger and "Do Not Enter". Two more dead Borg lay near the doors.

Patterson checked the Geiger counter on his arm and then said softly, "Five times the lethal dosage ... double the capacity of a standard EVA suit as well." He pondered for a moment and then said, "We've got 5 minutes in there. No more."

Relok gestured at the dead Borg, "Those Borg didn't even bother with EVA suits. It's like they didn't care if they died or not. Or ... maybe it wasn't radiating when they got here? Did they cause the problem?"

Patterson grunted, "Only one way to find out, Relok ... we've gotta open it up."

In the Borg Sphere:

After scanning the area to make sure there were no immediate threats, Lt. Col. Patterson turned to Hawke, "Hawke, you know Borg technology better than anyone else here. Take Spearhorse and Arrin with you, and see if you can get that thing," he waved at the damaged Borg Sphere, "working. It may be our only alternative for escaping the radiation levels."

The Sphere wasn't much larger than a standard shuttlecraft, and appeared to have landed just outside of the original containment field boundary. There were marks on the ground where the field had originally been. For some unknown reason, the field had expanded after the Borg Sphere landed and had enveloped the Sphere. Also, the Sphere appeared to have suffered several small explosions, but the damage appeared mostly superficial.

Hawke answered, "Yes, sir," then turned to get a good look around.

Patterson turned back to the Vulcan, "Relok, you're with me." The two of them moved off towards the large metallic doors to the facility, while Hawke, Spearhorse, and Arrin entered the Sphere.

Once inside, Hawke said, "Okay, so there should be a junction down here .," he checked his tricorder and then continued, "14 meters. Those nodes on the ceiling and walls are for power and sections. Let's not mess with them yet." He moved forward and then remarked, "It's so small ... there's not much to look through in this sphere."

Suddenly he stopped, "Wait a minute .," he lifted his rifle in one hand and with the other held up a fist signaling a stop. He felt sure the Colonel would have been proud of the hand signal. He studied his tricorder and then said, "There's someone alive here."

He gestured up ahead where a single Borg stood in a regeneration alcove, one of twelve surrounding the central chamber. Then he gestured to the side, "One of those consoles there should be able to get into the system." He continued in just over a whisper, "A presence I've not felt since .," he trailed off with a smirk.

Patterson had been listening on their open commlink. He called back, "Hawke, someone alive?"

Hawke responded, "Yes, but . that's the odd thing. I think I know it . or them . um .," he trailed off for a moment but then said, "They won't come out. Let's get on with what we came to do and I can deal with her after."

Across the chamber, she awoke as she sensed the presence of another. It had been a long time since she'd lost the feeling of other minds in the collective. This new presence she felt though was unfamiliar to her. Letting her eyes open, she slipped out of her alcove and moved towards a console to start her escape options.

Hawke had turned to a console on a pillar-like support beam to try to access the Sphere's systems. He didn't notice the Borg step out of its alcove, but even if he had, he knew that any Borg should simply ignore him and his team unless they tried to access something critical. He said, "I need a power amplifier."

Spearhorse produced one from a bag he carried, and Hawke had started trying to hook it up to his console when the Borg answered him, looking up from her own independent work, but not bothering to turn to face him, "Then you should ask. Because, you're at the wrong console." She was, in fact, working on amplifying power on her own console.

When the Borg engaged them, both Arrin and Spearhorse raised their rifles as if to shoot, but Hawke waved them off. Instead he spoke to the Borg, "No, it's not the wrong console. State your designation."

The Borg turned to face Hawke and shook her head. "No, it's not the right console." She asserted. Then she said, "We are Nine Of Twelve, Primary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01. This ship is Borg, so we know which console does what on it." She might have been simply a medical drone, but she knew her ship and how it worked.

Hawke stated, "This ship is damaged. You will comply in its repair and provide access to all primary systems, and logs, as well as give us all authorization codes to the data core."

The Borg responded, "This ship is Borg, it will adapt. We will not comply." She turned away from Hawke to continue working at her own console, locking him out of the console where he was working before continuing to work on amplifying power from her own console.

In Attendance:

Capt. Z. Taylor, LtCol. T. Patterson, LtCmdr. Relok, LtCmdr. MacArdry, Dr. K'Trevala, LtCmdr. J. Carter, Lt. Tabeshk Tibris, Lt. T'Lin, Lt. (JG) Denovan Hawke, MGySgt. Hines, Nine Of Twelve (Katarina Hawke)

NPCs:

MAX (Reconnaissance AI, played by Hines)

Go Back