USS Penumbra Sim Narrative, SD 202004.10 Bridge & Main Engineering: . The Penumbra was parked in interstellar space next to a "friendly" Kyrathian Colony Ship, with its shields extended to cover both ships. An Away Team has just beamed over to the "friendly" Kyrathian ship. . On the Bridge were Capt. Zak Taylor, sitting in the Command Chair; Lt. Tabeshk Tibris, reviewing various status reports on the Operations Console; Lt. Denovan Hawke, manning the Tactical Station; and LtJG Katarina Hawke (formerly known as Nine of Twelve but now accepting her original Human name), sitting at the auxiliary Medical Station. . Lt. Cmdr. Jason Carter was still in the Hangar Bay inspecting the Delta Flyers to clear them for duty after repairs, and Lt. Col. Travis Patterson was there as well, sitting in the Cerberus to monitor the shielded incubator pod full of Kyrathian eggs. Lt. Cmdr. Bevin MacArdry was also in the Hangar Bay, supervising the repair work. . The Captain glanced at his Tactical Officer, "Hawke, let's see if we can't slowly move towards that firefight so we can get them in our sensor range. Only, we need to keep the friendly with us and inside the shields." . Hawke answered, "Not exactly my thing with the flying, Captain. Though, we can use sensor shadows to get closer." As he said this, he went ahead and launched a few micro probes to do just that, even without the Captain's order. . Zak glanced over at him, "Sounds good. And, Lt, let's find out who's fighting who before we get involved, OK? Last I knew, the Kyrathians didn't use beam weapons we could detect from this far away." Then he turned with a smirk to the half-Klingon Operations Officer, "Tabby, ever fly a starship?"

. "Uhh," Tabby started. "Well, I'm sure it isn't that hard. I did help build this ship as a project for graduation." Tabby often claimed he "helped build" the Penumbra, but what his senior project actually consisted of was some review and commentary on the design specifications for some of the components. Still ... he did help in the building process. . Zak continued smirking. "First time for everything, right, Tabby? Oh, and don't forget, she'll be sluggish dragging the Kyrathians behind us." He gestured to the Helm station. . As Tabby switched seats, a call came from Lt. Cmdr. Relok in the Transporter Room, "Bridge, Away Team ready for transport, Captain." . Zak tapped his commbadge and responded, "Acknowledged, Commander. Good luck. Keep those suits tight, can't have any spores dissolving my senior officers!" Relok acknowledged and the team transported over to be the first non-Kyrathians to set foot aboard a Kyrathian Colony ship. . Tabby cracked his knuckles as he settled in at the Helm station. "All righty, then," he said, "Ready when you are." Then he added in a soft mutter, "Please don't be hurky-jerky." . Katarina watched Tabby from her console. "How hard can flying be?" she asked. Then she wondered if she ought to take some flight lessons, it could be fun. . Hawke smirked at his sister and asked, "Do you know how to work a zillion tons of metal and the Y to Z and X axis in a three-dimensional plane, Kat?" . Kat shook her head, "Not that I know of, but give me a chance to learn and I might surprise you." She laughed softly. . "Ehh ...," Tabby mumbled as he studied the Helm station. "I think Carter used this thingy. Or, what is that thingy?" He pressed some buttons and slid some sliders and suddenly the Penumbra lurched forward, tugging at the Kyrathian ship. "Eeek!" Tabby squeaked, "Sorry! Student driver, everyone! Ah plucker plucky pluck, okay, easy Tabby, easy dangit."

. Kat grinned at Tabby and said, "Tabby do you want me to take over? You seem to be struggling." . "Nah," he answered, "I need to learn. Besides, I'm constantly next to Carter I'm next best man when he's away." . Kat's smile faded. "Wait, you don't know how to fly!? I'd rather live to see tomorrow you know!" . Tabby turned and grinned back at her, "No, I don't know a damn thing about flying anything. Have fun!" . Zak smiled too and said, "Hey, it's like learning to drive in an empty parking lot, not backing out of a driveway like pulling out of spacedock." . Kat laughed at the two of them, even though she was hanging on to her console for dear life. . Tabby giggled and said, "Look, Dad, I'm driving a ship!" . Hawke shook his head, "Wow," he said. He left the Tactical console and moved down by the Helm station. "Okay, look," he pointed, "You see the grid? These two lines that make a plus and the circle around them? One is 360 degrees around like a clock. The other is 360 degrees around like a flat clock. Hence, if we want to go towards the battle it's 246 mark 97. Intersecting those two points on a three-dimensional plane." . Kat also moved to look over Tabby's shoulder. She listened to Hawke's instructions too. "Riiight," Tabby nodded. He took a closer look at the "clock" thing Hawke had pointed out. . The Captain sat musing in his chair as the three of them flew the ship. Finally, he said, "Hawke, we just need to go far enough to bring the distant ship into long-range scans so they stop flickering at the edge. Tabby, you can do this. Relax." Then he muttered, "Huh, who would have believed I'd be trusting Tabby to fly my ship?" . Tabby suddenly got it. He exclaimed, "Oh! It's like a ball, the map detector thingy I have to follow." . Hawke patted Tabby's shoulder. "Yes, and like I said, those two points, any numbers within 360 degrees intersect at a certain point you want to go to." . Tabby asked, "Like a graph, Den?"

. Hawke nodded, "Yup." . Tabby continued, "But a graph ... on a ball." . Hawke nodded as he started back to the Tactical station. As he did he said to the Captain, "I know, but now Tabby knows how to look at it, which a little know how never hurt anyone, sir." . Kat also patted Tabby's shoulder, "Yep, you got this." She returned to her station as well. . Tabby smiled up at Kat, "Thank you." . With the ship now repositioned, Hawke reported, "Sensor net in place, Captain." . Zak nodded, "OK, then, this is far enough. Tabby, put her in park right here. And don't forget to set the parking brake." . Tabby momentarily fumbled searching for the parking brake. Kat moved back over and reached over Tabby's shoulder to hit the "All stop" button. Tabby sighed, "Wait ... he was messing with me!" Then he mumbled to himself, "Just slow down, dingus." . Zak smirked at the teasing as Tabby stood from the Helm and proclaimed, "Look, Captain, I flew!" He triumphantly thumped his chest and announced, "Tabby flew a ship!" . Zak grinned at Tabby's gesturing and said, "What do you want, a medal? Get back to your chair." He pointed at the Operations console. . Tabby groaned, "Riight." Kat giggled as the half-Klingon returned to his seat. . Hawke scanned his readings and said, "We're picking up phaser fire and ... what looks like photon torpedoes." . Zak turned to his Tactical Officer, "So, Hawke, who's doing the fighting out there?" . Hawke replied, "Still trying to figure that out with the weapon signatures. Give me a moment, sir." He frowned at the readings and then finally said with a groan, "It's the Aslans again. Two battlecruisers and 2 Kyrathians." . Zak groaned too. "Well, they are at war. I just hope they're fighting Swarm ship and not independents like our friend. Now that we know there's a difference, well ...," he trailed off. . Hawke grumbled half under his breath, "Hmm ... I could 'explain' it to both of them."

. Tabby cursed, "Ah, damn it, it's those damned roaches again, and Kyrathians too. Fudge nuggets!" He moved to slide into his chair, but in the process banged his knee on the console. . Zak shook his head, "He spends so much time bragging about HIS station and he can't even fit under it without smacking his knee." . Tabby struggled to contain a curse as he rubbed his knee and glared at the Captain, "Yeah, but I can kick your behind with ease." . Both Hawke and the Captain ignored Tabby's idle threat. Hawke then said, "Four low-yield quantum torpedoes loaded and ready to fire to detonate on each of those four ships." . Zak glanced at Hawke and then shook his head, "Hawke, until the Android says we're no longer allies of the Aslans, we can't shoot at them. And if those Kyrathians are NOT Swarm ships, we don't want to endanger any friendly relations we might develop with them. No, we need to just sit tight and observe. Do stealthy recon, that's supposed to be what we're out here for, right?" . Hawke raised an eyebrow then tried to restate his point, "It's not ... exactly ... firing on them. It's making a point saying 'knock it off, go to your corners in time out'." . Zak smiled at Hawke, "Yeah, but we could end up pissing off both of them. No, let's just watch for now." . Then Hawke grumbled, "Or I could just inject a probe with programmed nanites to disperse and disable all their systems except life support." He grinned. . Zak grinned back, "Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you! But, better not." He paused and then added, "Let's let Relok and Shadow communicate with our friendly and let the Android smooth it out with the Aslans. We're laying low, Lt." The Away Team: . Lt. Cmdr. Relok, Dr. Shadow K'Trevala, Lt. T'Lin, and 3 Marines stood in Transporter Room One. Relok checked over the team and then stepped up on the pad. "Places everyone."

. Shadow and the Marines stepped up on the pad but Relok had to prompt T'Lin, who was lost in thought, "Ahem, T'Lin, coming?" . T'Lin shook off her distraction and said, "The Captain could not keep me from going." She recognized this was the first time any non-Kyrathians had ever seen the inside of a Kyrathian Colony Ship. She stepped onto the pad. . Relok nodded and tapped his commbadge, "Bridge, Away Team ready for transport, Captain." . The Captain's voice came back, "Acknowledged, Commander. Good luck. Keep those suits tight, can't have any spores dissolving my senior officers!" . Relok acknowledged the Captain and then nodded to the Transporter Chief, "Energize." Seconds later they materialized on the Kyrathians' Bridge. . It was a hexagonal chamber (like a giant beehive cell) deep inside the ship with the walls, floor, and ceiling composed mostly of the concrete-like secretions of Kyrathian Builders, interspersed with panels of various metals and minerals collected by Gatherers from previous raids. . Along the walls and across the ceiling were vines of the Kyrathian Plant ranging in size from tiny fibrils to trunks the size of a man's thigh. There were no "leaves" but at varying locations where fibers came together were Nodes that served as switches and buttons, with larger Nodes serving as computer consoles and a few of these had transparent bulbs that acted like display screens. Nodes along the roof emitted a pale-yellow glow that served as lighting. . There were several of the moth-like Tenders crawling or flitting around the room. They ranged in size from four inches to a foot in length. There were also six of the large centaur-like, eight-legged Soldiers serving as the "Bridge Crew" manning various stations around the Bridge, as well as four more somewhat larger Solders serving as guards, bearing rifles of some kind.

. There were three Nobles on the Bridge as well. One was larger, and it was this one that seemed to be the female in command. . As they materialized, Shadow swooned and nearly fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the press of so many minds at once. But he applied a few mental disciplines to filter out the hundred or more minds and was able to steady himself. . T'Lin also, a gifted empath, felt a rush of dizziness at the sudden rush of emotions, but her Vulcan training allowed her to suppress the emotion and she too steadied herself. . Relok wasn't as sensitive as the other two and didn't show any effect from the mental onslaught. . Their three Marine escorts took guard positions but had been ordered to remain passive and keep their weapons down. Relok took note of the number of Kyrathians in their immediate surroundings and said, "They have a significant numerical advantage." . T'Lin noticed it too. She replied, "Indeed they do, but they are as concerned as we are. Move slowly, and do not alarm them." . The large female Noble spoke telepathically, but only Shadow could hear her. ~ You have come. Where are my seed? What have you done with them? Where are my sisters? ~ . Shadow replied telepathically, ~ The eggs are safe and unharmed they are aboard our ship in a safe place. ~ . Relok gestured towards one of the transparent bulbs that displayed glyphs. He moved towards it but one of the Soldier guards stepped in front of him, brandishing his rifle. T'Lin quickly put an arm in front of Relok and he quickly raised both hands and took a step back. T'Lin sent a wave of calm emotion towards the surrounding Kyrathians. She also opened her hands, showing her palms and tilted her head sideways. She was giving him the gesture meaning "See, no weapons." . Shadow tried to speak telepathically to the Soldier, ~ We mean no harm to you or yours, and your Lady Mother promised we would be safe. ~

. The Noble noticed the actions and sent a telepathic command to the guard, ~ Allow him to use the bulb. I see his mind, but he is weak. ~ The Soldier relented and lowered his rifle. . Relok spoke to Shadow, "Shadow, tell her we want to ... type messages? T'Lin, can you text with her?" . T'Lin agreed, "I would be the most qualified, yes." . Shadow nodded and turned to the Noble, sending, ~ We want to try using your symbols to better communicate with our PADD, will that be alright with you? ~ . Her mandibles clicked and her multi-faceted eyes flickered in amusement. She thought back to him, ~ Yes, let's see what you can do. ~ . Shadow nodded to T'Lin to go ahead. T'Lin gestured with her PADD at a nearby "computer" Node, then moved to step past the guard to plug in the auxiliary cord. . But the guard moved menacingly toward her, towering over her with his rifle ready. T'Lin turned and gave him a glare that clearly said "Back off, man." . The Soldier glanced at the Noble who flicked her wings once almost imperceptibly and the Soldier took a step back, even as Shadow spoke to the guard telepathically, ~ We are trying to communicate with you better than this clumsy way of my mind to your mind. ~ . The Noble turned to the display bulb and suddenly glyphs appeared. T'Lin quickly accessed her database and read the translation. It read, [Can you read this? How much do you understand?] . Shadow responded telepathically, ~ We understand you easily, great Mother. ~ . T'Lin typed out a reply, rapidly expanding her understanding of the Kyrathians' written language, [I understand the basics. Large words? No. Basic sentences such as these? Yes.]

. The Noble's mandibles clicked again, perhaps showing excitement. The bulb displayed a new message, apparently received telepathically by the plant and displayed in glyphs for T'Lin to read, [You have learned much very quickly. I am impressed! Now, you say my seed is safe. I want them back. Now.] . T'Lin quickly typed out a response, saying the words as she selected the appropriate glyphs, [And you will have them back, we just need to figure out why the others did not like your eggs.] She gestured for the others to step closer to read the translation of the glyphs as they appeared on her PADD. . T'Lin typed a question, again saying the words aloud as she typed the glyhps, [Is it because your ship did not have their symbol? Are there inner groups within the Kyrathian race?] . The display showed the glyphs of the Noble's response automatically, [The Swarm consumes everything. They would take my ... eggs ... and they would Swarm. They are ruled by the Wild Growth and they grow wildly.] T'Lin read the translation on her PADD. . Relok was leaning over T'Lin's shoulder but he said, "I can't keep up. I don't know the language as well. What are you saying to each other? Shadow?" . T'Lin typed another question, again saying the words as she selected the glyphs, [Can you tell me why they Swarm? I found some words, but I am not entirely sure what they mean together. I recognize Wild Growth, but do not know what it is, can you help me learn?] . Shadow added telepathically, ~ Is there any way to stop the Wild Growth you know of? ~ He turned to Relok with a smile and opened his mental connection with his Shayana so that Relok might hear the telepathic communication as well. . But as the voices came into his mind, Relok staggered, nearly overwhelmed. "Wow!" he exclaimed. But Shadow quickly filtered the mental voices and they quieted. Relok glanced at his Shayana and said, "I'm fine, Oath Brother, it just caught me unprepared. Thank you."

. Shadow smiled back at him, "You're welcome, my brother." . The Noble turned to Shadow and thought to him, ~ You have a strong mind. You can hear us. These others ... they are ... mute? They cannot hear or speak? Only with ... pictures? ~ . T'Lin felt the confusion of the Noble. She glanced at Shadow and raised an eyebrow. But Shadow didn't address her, but instead answered the Noble's question telepathically, ~ They are limited in the distance they can speak, usually by needing to touch the person they are communicating with. I was raised in a different school, where I can sing to the galaxy with my mind, but will not intrude on another without their agreement to do so. Others aboard our ship are mute to the mind-voice, but we think none the less of them because their talents lay in another direction. ~ . Then the display showed more glyphs from the Noble, [The Swarm is from the Wild Growth. We who are not still have the Pure Plant. We know a Colony can only survive independently. A Swarm can only destroy.] . T'Lin typed back, [So they are...corrupted? The Plant is corrupted? Can we help it? Help them?] . Suddenly Relok flinched, "Wait ... did she say 'we' who are not? There's more of them? Independents?"

@everyone Another exciting Sim Log Narrative is posted! Enjoy!