USS Penumbra Sim Narrative, SD 202001.10 Bridge & Astrometrics: . The Penumbra had returned to the tiny frozen world where they'd encountered the Omega Particle. But this time, when they'd attempted the "Mind-The-Gap" procedure to open a hole in the containment field, the intensity of the waves of radiation was much higher than before and the density of space had been so bad they'd barely escaped. . They had withdrawn for a while to recover but would soon need to return to assess the status of the two Away Teams they'd left behind, one working to transfer the Omega Particles to the Borg Sphere (used as an enormous Resonance Chamber), and one working to install a shield generator that could reinforce the failing containment field (in case the neutralization of the Omega failed). . On the Bridge of the Penumbra were Capt. Zak Taylor, sitting in the Command Chair; Lt. Cmdr. Jason Carter at the Helm; Lt. Tabeshk Tibris at Ops; Lt. T'Lin was at the Primary Science Station monitoring the radiation levels throughout the ship; MstGny Derek Hines manning the Secondary Tactical Console, since the Primary Console was shorted out due to LtJG Denovan Hawke attempting to access it with Borg nanotubules; and, of course, the Artificial Intelligence known as MAX, who could manifest himself on virtually any computer console or display device connected to the ship's network. . Carter was icing his hands again after the rough flight at the moon. He tapped his commbadge, calling Sickbay, "Carter to Shadow ..." . Tabeshk turned to look at him, "How's the hands?" . Carter didn't respond but instead the voice of Dr. Shadow K'Trevala came through the commlink, "Yes, Commander, what's up?" . Carter said, "I'm gonna need you up to the Bridge with your medical kit. I think my wrist is locked." . Shadow responded, "All right, on my way. Want me to bring coffee, too?"

. Carter smiled to himself, "No coffee, thank you." . The Captain stood from the Command Chair and stretched. The cracks and pops were audible across the Bridge. He groaned, "I'm getting too old for bumpy rides like that." . Tabeshk turned to stare open-mouthed at the Captain before saying sarcastically, "What? No!" before bursting into laughter. Zak just scowled at him silently. . About that time, LtJG Denovan Hawke stepped from the Turbolift onto the Bridge. Reflexively, Hines turned to look at him, his face turning stern. . The Captain turned to face Hawke, "Learned a lesson, Lieutenant? Take your station then." . Hawke nodded, "Yes, sir, though ...," he glanced at the only working Tactical station, where the big Marine, Hines, still stood glowering at him, "... and Hines is at it." . Hines finally spoke, "With all due respect ... sir ... your station is Primary Tactical. I do suggest getting it fixed because ... I'm not standing down." . Zak gave Hawke a smirk and gave Hines a sort of sideways nod. "Hawke, how about you work at the Engineering console and get our shields and structural integrity back up?" . Hawke simply nodded, "All right." He moved over to the Engineering console and set to work. . The Captain gave a sigh and strolled over to the replicator. "This silent waiting is killing me!" He ordered, "Coffee, hot, black, sweetened." . As he did, Tabby asked, "Hey, Captain, what's the plan now?" . But before Zak could answer, Shadow arrived on the Bridge carrying his medkit. He stepped over towards Carter as the Helmsman turned his chair to address the doctor, "I definitely tore something in my right wrist ... can't move it at all without severe pain." . Rather than the advanced scientific gear in his medkit, the empathic healer gently took Carter's wrist in his hands and began messaging it. After a few seconds he asked, "How's that?"

. Carter winced, then sighed, "Hurts like hell, as expected, but ... I can feel the muscles working." . Shadow gave a slight nod, then used his empathic powers to draw more of the pain out from his patient, and into him. . Tabby commented, "Don't strain yourself, Carter. We gotta get that 'Slip Drag' thing working. If only Bev ...," he trailed off. "Never mind. So, what's the plan on that?" . The Captain stood near the replicator, sipping his coffee. "Tabby has a point, Carter. We're just buying a few minutes before we have to do it all over again. We have ... uh, 5 minutes left? Better be getting back." . Carter snapped, "If I don't get my wrist healed up, Captain, we won't MAKE it back!" . Shadow continued drawing the pain and inflammation out of Carter through his empathic link. In moments the wrist was almost fully healed. The doctor then handed Carter a pair of wrist braces and said, "Here, these might help protect your wrists next time." . Tabby said, glaring at Carter, "Carter, please be careful with yourself." . Unbeknownst to anyone, Shadow heard a voice in his head, a telepathic call from Lt. Cmdr. Relok, back on the moon. The two men had formed a strong mental bond after a mind-meld a while back and now called one another "Shayana", a word from Shadow's native language that meant something like "Oath Brother". Relok had felt a twinge in his wrist and called, ^Shayana? Are you OK?^ . Shadow responded mentally, ^I'm fine, just healing Carter's wrist.^ . Relok responded, ^Glad to hear ... wait! I can hear you!^ He wasn't supposed to be able to receive any communication links over this distance and through the containment field around the facility on the moon. . Meanwhile, Carter was securing the braces on his wrist. He moved them around tentatively and then said, "Feels weird, but ... doesn't hinder me."

. The Captain said, "Carter, we can put your wrist on ice and in splints tomorrow, today, we need to ride the wave one more time. Let's head back." . Shadow gestured, "Captain, the braces are for extra protection, like an exoskeleton on a high grav planet. He should be fine now." . Hawke asked, "You good now, Carter?" . Carter creaked his neck from side to side, popping it a bit and said, "Alright, Hines, let's get the Slip-Drag up and running. Begin tachyon emissions. Hawke, secure all outer hatches and adjust nacelle frequency to 141.28 mH. Tabby, remodulate Deflectors 2 and 4 by +15, and polarize the ventral hull." . Tabby blinked at him, "Can you explain that in a language I can understand? Geez, Bevin is easier, I swear." . Shadow, who'd moved off to sit at one of the auxiliary consoles, chuckled at Tabby's comment as Carter turned and slid sideways to the Ops console, punching a few buttons, "That, that, and ... that." . Tabby watched and said, "Oh. Okay." . The Captain carried his coffee back to his seat, smiling to himself as he watched his crew get back to work. As he sat he said, "Let's not spill the coffee, shall we?" as he placed the cup in the cup holder on the arm of his chair. . Tabby muttered under his breath, a trace of the Klingon in him surfacing, "'Let's not spill the coffee,' huh? How about let's get our crew back safe and not screw this up?" . Zak turned slightly towards the Marine at the Tactical station, "Hines, stand by with the Torp-E-Probe." He turned back to the front, "Tabby, get your Grabby Hands ready. I'd like to do this quick rather than ride the wave too long." . Hawke had started working as quickly as Carter gave the instruction. He reported, "Ready here." . Tabby grumbled, "You know, I'm not liking that thing out there. Anybody else agree with me, or is it just me?"

. Carter said, "I've got one more idea to try to make things a little less ... bumpy. Hines, target a central location in front of the ship at 0.22 kilometers with the forward phased plasma banks, and use emitters 13, 22, 130, and 122, dorsal and ventral, on my command." Without waiting, he fired a quick burst from the nacelles to shape the Slip-Drag. . Hines blinked, "A ... Carter, you're gonna drill through it? Genius!" He locked weapons on the coordinate and then reported, "Angle locked." . Tabby tensed and said, "Easy does it, guys!" . Carter gave a nod and began a countdown, "Three ... two ... one ... Now!" . Hines pressed buttons and announced, "Firing forward phased plasma emitters on angle 14.21!" . And then the Penumbra encountered the dense space. There was some rattling and rumbling, but not the severe bucking they'd experienced before. Carter began a port spiral, using the emitters to constantly "drill" through the dense space, along with the Slip-Drag effect ahead of them. . Tabby commented, "That's interesting." . The Captain muttered, "Huh, looks like whatever you guys are doing is working, it's smoother this time. Practice makes perfect, huh? We do this another dozen times and we'll have it down pat!" . "Screw the practice," Carter barked, "Spare my damn wrists!" . Tabby said, "I'll get Grabby Hands ready for our crewmates. Just say the word, Captain." . In moments, Carter announced, "Approaching launch coordinates. Hines, you're gonna have to fire between those beams, or we're gonna stall in the mud." . Hines said, "Yeah, I see that, Carter. Loading Torp-E-Probe." . Carter reported, "In range! Hines, you're up!" . Hines nodded, "Telemetry adjusted. Firing Torp-E-Probe ... impact in 5." . The Captain secured his coffee cup and strapped on his seatbelt, "Buckle up everyone, here we ...," he didn't get to finish.

. Because suddenly the otherwise quiet T'Lin spoke softly, "The reinforced containment field will make this operation much harder." She'd detected that the Secondary Team had activated the shield generator, reinforcing the containment field. . The Captain turned to his Science Officer, "What?" . But before she could answer, the forward viewscreen showed the Torp-E-Probe hit an invisible wall and ... bounce off! Hines announced, "Torp-E-Probe ineffective!" . This time the Captain turned to Hines, "What? What the hell is happening?" . Hawke mumbled, "Ummm ...." . Hines answered, "The reinforced shielding, sir. I've got one solution, but ... it's gonna suck for everyone, and it might just kill the Away Teams if they're still alive." . Tabby spun his chair to look at him, "That's ... not good." . The Captain was struggling to catch up. "Reinforced ...?" Suddenly he realized what had happened. "Oh, crap! The other team! Tabby, get that team on the line, tell them to turn the damn thing off!" . "I can try!" he barked back, opening a commlink and calling, "Ops to Team 2, turn the damn thing off! We can't get through!" . Hines said to Tabby, "You've got 30 seconds." He then turned his attention to Zak, "Captain, locking all weapons platforms on coordinate 141.25 mark 183.30." He paused as his fingers did what his mouth had said before he raised his eyes again. "Carter, we're gonna lose the 'drill'. Hold her steady as you can!" . Carter tightened his grip on the sticks and with a short nod said, "Shut 'em off, Hines, I've got her." . At that point the voice of the leader of the Secondary Away Team came back over the comm, "Penumbra, what was that? You're breaking up. Turn it off? We just got the damn thing on!" . Tabby nearly shouted back at him, "Turn off the reinforcement shield! We can't get through it!" . Hines remarked, "Five seconds ...." . Tabby turned and said, "Captain, I'm having a hard time getting through clearly to team two!"

. Then they heard Team Two respond, "But ... right, shutting down. Gonna be a minute, it's feeding off its own radiation you know!" . Tabby answered, "I know!" Then he turned and snapped at Hines, "Hines, I swear to God, whatever you're about to do ... don't you dare!" Then he turned to Zak, "Captain, I think I got through. Time will tell." . Carter clenched his teeth but otherwise managed to hold the Penumbra steady, since they hadn't actually opened the containment field to release the waves of radiation. He said, "Captain ... remind me next time we're at drydock that YOU'RE washing the whole ship this time!" . The Captain turned to Hines and said, "Hines, I'm not ready to walk from here, let's not make things worse by shooting blind." He turned back to his Helmsman, "Carter, back us off a bit until they get that shield generator shut down, we can always try again." . Carter grunted back, "I can hold her." . At his auxiliary station, Shadow's face took on that far-away look that signaled telepathic communication. Relok had called him, ^Shadow, what's going on, you're late! We need to get out of here!^ . Shadow replied, ^I know, Shayana. Bevin's generator is too good and we're needing to shut it off to get you out before we turn it back on.^ . Tabby noticed Shadow and remembered their bond and asked, "Shadow, you can talk to Relok, right?" . Shadow nodded, "Yes, I am, telepathically." . Tabby then said, "I need you to relay a message. I'm not sure how well I got through to Team Two. Whatever they turned on needs to be shut off, because we can't get through the reinforced shields." . Zak keyed in on it then too. "Shadow, if you can talk to Relok, tell them to bide for another ... five minutes." . Shadow smiled at him, "Already told him." . Tabby muttered, "If it isn't turned off, Hines might do something I find VERY stupid." He glared at the big man. Away Teams:

. Down on the surface of the tiny moon were two Away Teams. The Primary Team consisted of Lt. Col. Travis Patterson, Lt. Cmdrs. Relok and Bevin MacArdry, and Nine of Twelve (also known as Katarina Hawke, the long-lost sister of Denovan Hawke). They were inside the containment field near the centuries-old facility and the Borg Sphere and tasked with transferring the Omega from the facility to the Sphere to a resonance chamber to be neutralized. The Team inside the containment field was cut off from the Penumbra due to the field preventing all comm signals and scans without going through the complex "Mind-The-Gap" procedure. . The Secondary Team consisted of a couple of Engineers and Science Officers outside the containment field setting up a shield generator designed by Bevin that would reinforce the containment field using the very radiation that was leaking from it to recharge the generator's battery. This was intended as a failsafe in case the Primary Team was unable to neutralize the Omega. This team was not cut off from the Penumbra (except by distance) since they were outside the containment field. . The Primary Team had been working for some time doing the transfer of the Omega Particles. Patterson approached Nine and said, "Running out of time, Nine." . Nine moved to the console she'd put outside the Sphere so she could monitor the transfer of the Omega particles into the Sphere-turned-resonance-chamber. As much as she would love to see the Omega turn into Perfection, and become stronger, she knew lives were at stake if it failed. With a frown, she used the harmonic calculations she had come up with to safely destroy Omega.

. Relok stood not far away, using the built-in sensors of the Combat Armor to perform scans, rather than using a standard tricorder or other scanning device as he usually had to do. He watched as Bevin confirmed they'd sealed the facility's blast doors with their come-along and then turned and said, "Closing the door bought us some more time, but ... I don't like these readings." The radiation levels were still dangerously high and even the resistance of the Marine-issue Combat Armor wouldn't keep them safe for long. . Nine nodded and said, "If my calculations are correct, and they should be since I've studied these particles for a year now, this should safely destroy them once they're inside." . Relok asked, "Do we have any way of knowing how much Omega was in that facility?" . Nine answered, "More than I have seen before, and I've seen Omega only once before and it was a small particle. Enough to devastate subspace for most of the quadrant for sure." She sighed. . Patterson squatted near the Sphere wall and pinched some of the now radioactive dust between two fingers, musing. "Only gonna get one chance. Nine, begin transfer sequence." . Nine blinked at him, "I ... already did." . Patterson stood and stepped over to the monitor Nine had installed outside the Sphere and watched the display a moment. "If this works, we're in good shape. If it doesn't? We'll all be dead before we realize. Nine," he turned to look at her, "in case of catastrophic failure, we're gonna need that SOS back up." He was referring to the repeating distress signal Nine had had running for nearly a year before the Penumbra had detected the faintest blip of it leaking through the failing containment field.

. Relok reminded him, "Colonel, the SOS won't get out through the containment field, and the other team is closing the leaks ... if they're doing their job." He paused and then added, "We're dependent on the Penumbra returning for us in ...," he consulted the clock in his suit, "Ten minutes?" . Nine was concentrating on fine-tuning the harmonics of the resonance chamber. She looked up at Patterson, "I've been working on this for a year, Patterson. I'm not about to let anyone die. I had originally planned to stabilize Omega. That was when I was alone. Now, there are too many lives to risk on trying to stabilize it. I plan to destroy it safely and that's what this sequence will do." . Relok had to point out, "If we can't neutralize the entire quantity ... and we have to destroy it ... we'll strand the Penumbra out here without a way to create a warp field. Just ... reminding everyone." . Nine turned to the Vulcan, "That's what I meant by destroy it. I plan to neutralize it so we can leave here safely." She lowered her voice slightly but her tone remained firm, "One way or another, I'll get you back to your ship." . As Nine was talking, Patterson had turned back to the display. Something caught his eye and he said, "MacArdry, boost the power to Deflector number 3... I see a fluctuation in the power conduits." . Bevin moved to make the adjustment and Nine returned to the harmonics, but seconds later the Sphere began to ... sing! Patterson scanned the readings and barked out, "MacArdry, diagnostic!" He turned his head, "Nine?" . Nine frowned as she concentrated on the harmonics, blocking out everything because she knew ... the Sphere should not be doing that! . Bevin scanned the system and seemingly subconsciously she began humming a counter-note to the Sphere, as if her voice alone might counteract its resonance. Patterson raised an eyebrow and called to the ex-Borg again, "Nine!"

. She didn't respond, ignoring everything to remain focused on the harmonics and keeping up with the changes it might need. Her fingers flew across the console as she kept watch on the readings. . About this time Relok felt a twinge of pain in his wrist. Subconsciously he projected his thoughts outward, calling upon his Oath Brother, Dr. Shadow K'Trevala, ^Shayana? Are you OK?^ . Shadow responded through their mental connection, ^I'm fine, just healing Carter's wrist.^ . Relok responded, ^Glad to hear ... wait! I can hear you!^ He knew he wasn't supposed to be able to receive any communication links over this distance and through the containment field around the facility on the moon. But his excitement over this news quickly faded as the scanner in his suit showed him the latest information. . Relok called Patterson, "Colonel, we've neutralized less than half the full quantity. We can't hang around and watch. Nine, will this thing continue on its own?" . But it was Nine who answered, "If you're going to go, go. I'm not done neutralizing these Particles so it's safe." Her fingers continued moving gracefully, if quickly, over the console. . Relok responded, "Nine ... you're not a Borg anymore. You can't just regenerate radiation damage. You're as Human as Patterson is right now. We can't stay here." . The Sphere continued to resonate, sending out a nearly subsonic vibration they could all feel deep in their bones. Nine snapped back at Relok, "I'm not finished. If this doesn't work we could be stranded here." Then she muttered, "I'd be isolated again." She knew she could keep going until they beamed her out, right? She grit her teeth, trying to find the problem causing the imbalance that was generating the resonant vibration.

. Patterson stepped over to Nine and pressed a button on her Combat Armor, activating its emergency transponder. He said, "Do what you have to do. We'll beam your body aboard in quarantine. Everyone else, fall back to the rendezvous point!" . Though it went against his own cultural distaste for physical contact, and though he feared how she might react, Relok placed a hand on Nine's arm. "We have to let it run on its own. We'll monitor it from the ship. There is no logic in a useless sacrifice." . To her credit, Nine didn't flinch at Relok's touch, or bat his hand away, but she did turn and address him. "I'm not sacrificing myself. I'm getting as much done as I can before beam out. You can beam me directly to sickbay, but if this fails we're not going anywhere for half a quadrant. Do you want to stay stuck out here? Because I sure as hell do not! Not after a year of solitude!" She shook off his hand and returned her attention to the console. . Patterson took Relok's arm, "Leave her. MacArdry, rendezvous point. Time's up!" . Relok balked a moment, "Leave her?" He scowled before his logical Vulcan upbringing reasserted itself. He gave a curt nod, "Very well then." He faced the ex-Borg and gave the Vulcan hand signal, his fingers parted in a V, "Good luck, Nine. Live long and prosper." He turned and stepped off with Patterson. . As Patterson and Relok stepped away, Bevin produced a tricorder and set it near the Sphere wall to emit the counter-note she'd been singing, in an effort to try to counter-balance the resonant vibration. It might have been like placing a Walkman next to a Stadium Speaker, but it was something she could try to contribute towards a solution. Once she'd placed it, she joined Relok and Patterson a few steps away from the Sphere.

. Nine attempted to swallow that tiny voice in the back of her mind, the one that had been her only companion for her year of isolation, that told her she was going to get left behind, again. Instead she focused her strength. She had to neutralize as many of the Omega Particles as she could before beam out. . As Bevin joined Patterson and Relok, the Colonel said, "Light 'em up. Transponders only last a few minutes in dense radiation." He pressed the button on his Combat Armor to turn on his transponder and watched as the other two did as well. . They stood there, tense, for several long seconds before Relok glanced at his chronometer and said, "Colonel, it's time, where's our evac?" . Nine continued working at her console, but was beginning to wonder why the Away Team had not yet beamed out. . Several more seconds passed and Relok said, "Colonel, they're late. What do you think is going on up there? Wait! I'll call Shadow!" He focused his mind and reached out to his Shayana, ^Shadow, what's going on, you're late! We need to get out of here!^ . Shadow replied, ^I know, Shayana. Bevin's generator is too good and we're needing to shut it off to get you out before we turn it back on.^ . The computerized voice in their Combat Armors interrupted, "Outer radiation protection breach in 45 seconds. Internal radiation lining will only prevent death for 5 minutes after breach." . Nine ignored the voice from the Armor's computer and continued working at her console for as long as she could stand. . As they waited, unable to do anything else, the Armors' computers stated, "Outer protective layer breached. Begin 5-minute silent countdown to cardiac shock."

@everyone Another exciting Sim Log Narrative is posted!