USS Penumbra Sim Narrative, SD 202009.04 Bridge & Main Engineering: . The Penumbra had rebooted its warp core and restored the massive power drain caused by passage through the Spacial Rift. The structural damage taken by the upper- and lower-most decks (including the Main Bridge) was repaired and things were getting back to normal. But, they found themselves many light years from their previous location, only a dozen light-years or so from the Kyrathian Homeworld. They set a course and started towards it. . During the recalibration of the quantum singularity that powered the Cerberus, Lt. Col. Travis Patterson had exposed himself to high levels of radiation and had been rushed to Sickbay, but other than two crew-members who had suffered concussions from the fall brought about by the unconsciousness caused by the Rift passage, Sickbay was nearly empty. . Lt. Cmdr. Jason Carter had been the first to return to the Main Bridge, securing their navigation system. He sat at his usual place at the Helm. Lt. Cmdr. Tabeshk Tibris joined him a few minutes later, ensuring that Operations were back to near normal and trying to tweak power distribution up from the 75% it showed to its full capacity. . Capt. Zak Taylor, Lt. Cmdr. Relok, and Ens. Jackson Carshel stepped out of the Turbolift onto the repaired Bridge and the Captain stepped over to his Command Seat, only to find it covered with some neon green and pink paisley-patterned seat cover. He cried out, "What the -? Bevin!" . But the mischievous Scottish Chief Engineer, Lt. Cmdr. Bevin MacArdry was safely down in Main Engineering, coordinating the last of the Damage Control Teams in repairing any other systems needing attention. As usual, though, she kept an open comm channel to the Bridge on one of her monitors and chuckled to herself as she saw the Captain's reaction.

. Grumbling, the Captain settled into his newly-decorated seat. Relok tried to conceal a smirk as he took the XO seat beside him. Carshel settled into the Primary Science Station and began shuffling papers around. It was apparent he was distracted, worried about his friend, the Colonel, down in Sickbay (and what might happen when he woke up). . As they settled in, Carter rubbed his forehead and said, "I don't get it, sir. There's nothing that shows any ship activity in the area recently. This isn't anything like our reports suggested from the Ivorez." . Relok said, "Right, Carter, the Ivorez said there should have been hundreds of Swarm Ships out there. Where is everybody?" . Carter shook his head, "There's nothing out here, sir." . Hawke arrived about that time, after passing by Sickbay to check on his sister, and stepped over to the Tactical Console to log in. . The Captain, still grumbling under his breath, barked out, "Hawke, where the hell is the Swarm?" . Hawke had only just logged in and took a moment to check the board before answering, "I have no idea. There is literally no ship on sensors, not even long range." . Relok commented, "I would not have thought the Ivorez's intel would be that far off." . Zak considered a moment and then said, "Tabby, see if you can raise the Ambassador on the comm." . Tabby nodded, "Uh, sure, I can try." He knew it often took some time to get through to the Android due to the long distances between the Penumbra's location and the nearest Aslan communication station, and the Ambassador's usually busy schedule. . Carter turned to face the Captain. He was an expert in advanced warp theory and spacial navigation and cartography. He said, "Sir, I have about a dozen theories as to what our situation is, but ... I don't think any of them will be more than paranoid speculation at the moment."

. Zak frowned, thinking, and then said, "Yeah, that Rift thing could have changed things for us. That crap is scary. So, first thing. We are where we think we are, right?" . Lt. T'Lin arrived on the Bridge about that time, her arms full of the archaic paper notebooks she preferred, as well as several more modern PADDs. Some of the notebooks looked as if they might fall apart if you looked at them the wrong way! . She dumped the stuff on the floor near the Primary Science Station as Carshel moved to the Secondary Station and said, "I have spent this whole time researching and THIS," she gestured at the pile at her feet, "is all we have on Black holes, space anomalies and unknown alloys." She paused, looking at the small pile. "Sad, really." . Relok glanced at the pile of books and devices T'Lin had just dumped on the floor. "You know ... we have computer databases for that sort of thing." . T'Lin answered, "Yes, but these," she gestured again at the pile, more specifically to the paper notebooks, "were not in the computer's systems." . Then Relok remembered something T'Lin had said earlier. He stood and walked over to the Primary Science Station. "Wait," he said, "You said something about odd alloys, or something being ... 'off'?" . T'Lin replied, "Yes. I ... cannot explain it ... yet." She pulled up some data on one of her monitors. "These three alloys here in this debris field have never been seen before." . Hawke asked, "What three? Maybe Kat and I have." . Carshel had moved over to the Secondary Science Station, but was still distracted. He was concerned about the possible pain-in-the-butt Patterson might be when he recovered consciousness and decided to check in with Sickbay. Carshel's family was connected to Patterson, and he was aware of the Colonel's nanites, and his personality.

. Afraid to disturb the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shadow K'Trevala, Carshel instead called the Head Nurse, LtJG. Katarina Hawke. "Carshel to Kat, hey, uh ... need any, uh ... help there with, um ... you know?" . Kat's voice came back, sounding somewhat surprised, "Kat here, how can I help you?" . Carshel mumbled, "I thought you guys might need help, if a ... certain person needed to be ... restrained." . Kat's voice came back, and you could hear her amusement in it, "All good down here. Patterson is purring like a kitten down here." . Carshel replied, a trace of nervousness remaining in his voice, "He might be right now, but ... um ... are you sure? Like, really, really sure?" . Kat responded, "All good. He's awake and sitting up, no need to worry." . Meanwhile, T'Lin had continued her exposition into the strange alloys she'd detected. "These," she gestured again to specific data sources, "are similar to a vein of copper that we have not seen in hundreds of years." She switched the display to show two other sources. "But these two? No inner compounds have even been found to make this alloy." . Hawke had been watching from the Tactical Station, the Primary Science Station being just to his right and clearly visible. He said, "Though, not going to be able to really tell without a metallurgical analysis." . Relok glanced at Hawke and then back to T'Lin, "Then let's do one. You and Carshel review our sensors and pick out what you can. It's the best we can do without going back for samples." . Carter nodded, "Navigation shows we're about an hour from the Kyrathian Homeworld. Sensor analysis confirms that." . The two Science Officers each nodded and answered simultaneously, "Understood." . About that time, Tabby announced, "Hey, I got ahold of someone. It's an Aslan, but ... they seem to have no idea who the heck we are sir."

. Zak stood and adjusted his shirt, apparently forgetting about the odd seat cover behind him. "OK," he said, "let's have them on the main viewer." . Tabby nodded, "Okay, sir, pulling up now." . One of the giant cockroach-like Aslans appeared on the main viewscreen. He buzzed and clicked and the Universal Translator followed. "This is Sublieutenant Ugly, can I help you?" . Zak glanced at his Acting First Officer, Relok, and silently mouthed, "Ugly?" . Tabby managed to hold back his laughter, for a change. . Zak returned his attention to the Aslan on the main viewscreen. "Lieutenant, I am Captain Taylor of the Penumbra. I'm trying to get through to the Ambassador ...," he trailed off. . The Aslan thunked and buzzed, "Captain who? And what Ambassador? I'm sorry, sir, but this channel is for official Empire business only." . Tabby muttered softly, "I told you he didn't know us." . Zak was a bit flustered. He said, "Captain Zak Taylor? USS Penumbra? Ambassador Adam Android! And ... what do you mean 'Empire'?" . Suddenly, Carter turned towards the Captain and mouthed the words "Temporal Distortion". . Tabby turned to Carter and grumbled, "The heck you mean? Speak English!" . Relok moved over to stand beside the Captain, nonchalantly turning his back to the viewer and mouths "Close channel." . Zak gave the smallest of nods and then said, "Tabby, it looks like we're having communication issues. I think we're losing the signal. See if you can clean that up for us." Surreptitiously he gave a silent hand signal to close the channel, while smiling stupidly at the Aslan communications officer on the screen. . Carter didn't wait for Tabby to respond. He reached over to Tabby's console and immediately cut the comm signal. . As the Aslan disappeared and the view screen reverted to the standard star field Carter muttered, "This is bad." . Hawke agreed, "Well, that's a mess."

. But Tabby glared at Carter, "Okay, rude much? You wanna explain that?" . The Captain turned and addressed everyone, "What the hell was that about?" . Hawke said, "I'd say we could scan for temporal discrepancies, but ... we'd have to actually be near them." . Relok, still standing next to the Captain in the center of the Bridge, said, "And the Aslans call their government a 'Heirate'. What Empire? And he didn't know the Ambassador? They all know him, he's their Revered Hero!" . Carter stood up from the Helm station and asked, "Computer, how many affairs are recorded in Starfleet databases regarding the keyword 'Empire.' Exclude all results for Romulans, Cardassians, and Klingons." . The computer trilled, "Working ...." . Tabby was trying very hard to remain patient. He spoke carefully, "Would somebody ... please explain ... in simple terms ... what the HELL that was about!" . Hawke tried to calm the half-Klingon, "We don't know, Tabby. That is what we're trying to figure out." . "Temporal distortion?" Tabby asked. "What is that?" . T'Lin said, "I told you this was wrong." Suddenly, she brightened and blurted out, "Hold on! I need a book from my quarters!" Without waiting for a response, she darted for the Turbolift and was gone. . Finally, the computer answered Carter's query. "There are, in total, seventeen references to governing bodies in Starfleet databases regarding the keyword 'Empire.'" It began citing a list, "The Andorian Empire, the Alsuran Empire, the Annari Empire, the Terran Empire, the Romulan Star Empire, the Klingon Empire ...," it continued but at this point it was ignored. . Hawke muttered, "Oh ... crap. I know where we are." . Tabby still looked around, utterly confused. Carshel also glanced around, confused. . Relok asked, "Wait, the Terran Empire was in the Mirror Universe, it couldn't ... could it?" . Hawke responded, "That's why I just said 'oh, crap.'"

. Carter addressed the computer once again. "Computer, extrapolate and theorize. If the Aslan Heirate no longer recognizes Adam Android as Ambassador, and are referencing an Empire ... based on all known theories, can you provide a reasonable hypothesis?" . The computer again trilled and said, "Working ...." . But before the computer provided an answer, Zak muttered, "Oh ... crap. Relok, how do we confirm or deny this hypothesis?" . Since Carter had stood from his station, he didn't see the alert flashing on the navigational screen, but Hawke saw it on his Tactical overlay. He reported, "We're entering the Kyrathian system, and I think we're about to get how we confirm or deny it, Captain." . Carter quickly resumed his seat at the Helm and announced, "Disengaging warp." . As Zak returned to his oddly-decorated Command Seat, he looked to his Chief Tactical Officer, "Hawke, still nothing on sensors? No Kyrathian ships?" . Hawke checked his board to be sure, then shook his head in the negative. . About that time, T'Lin came bursting out of the Turbolift, her face slightly flushed from her rush, and nearly ran over an Ensign on a coffee run. "Sorry!" she mumbled as she stepped past the young woman and reached to hand the Captain a rather large, and frayed, printed book. "Here, Captain. It is a textbook about temporal displacement and dimensions." . Zak smiled up at T'Lin with a weak smile, "Summarize it for me, Lieutenant." . T'Lin hardly missed a beat. "Ready for the bad news? Everything we know is now wrong. Our allies are now our enemies, and we know nothing about them." . Tabby still looked confused, but now his face was showing signs of growing irritation.

. Hawke read the look on Tabby's face and tried to clarify their situation. "Tabby, this is what it means: somehow, because of that black hole or some other variable, we're in what has been called the Mirror Universe - or that's what we're trying to establish - which Kirk, Sisko, and others have been to. It's essentially a complete inverse of the Universe we know. We're good, they're bad, etc., etc." . Tabby grunted, "Okay, so Mirror Universe, bad guys are now good guys, and good guys are now bad guys." . Hawke tilted his head slightly. "Not ... always," he said, then added, "And I've never been here, but ... that's kind of the gist of it." . Then, Relok returned to his seat as well. He said, "I guess, put us in a standard orbit, Mr. Carter. Mr. Carshel, let's get some scans of that planet." . Zak sighed, "Sheesh!" Then he tapped his commbadge to call Sickbay, "Shadow, is the Colonel all right? I could use him up here." . The doctor's voice came back, "He'll need a few minutes to get dressed, but I have no problem with it if Kat attends him." . Then T'Lin dropped the other shoe. "Even worse. We do not have enough time to figure this dimension out and find a way back home." . Relok turned to her, "What do you mean, T'Lin, not enough time?" . T'Lin gazed at him, her face impassive. "That hole, our door, will close. And when it does, we will be stuck here forever. If it opens wider, we will die trying to get back, if it does not stabilize, we will die trying to get back." Sickbay: . Dr. Shadow K'Trevala and LtJG Katarina Hawke, the Head Nurse, were in Sickbay. Before Patterson's emergency call from the Cerberus, they'd had only two people in Sickbay, both merely undergoing observation after suffering concussions when they fell after the Rift had caused widespread loss of consciousness.

. But Kat had quickly responded to the Hangar Bay, assessed Patterson's condition, and had him beamed to Sickbay. They'd removed most of his Combat Armor in order to get access to his body and placed him on Biobed Three. . Kat stood beside the bed, checking once again on the Colonel, and worried that he had not yet regained consciousness. . Shadow, though his telepathy had been quieted by a dose of Merasha to hide them from the Kyrathians, still had his empathic healing abilities. He was working on the Marine to help absorb some of the radiation from his system without overpowering his own. . Shadow, being the Chief Medical Officer, had access to Patterson's medical file, though many parts of it were redacted for "security" reasons, and was aware of the presence of customized (and highly modified) nanites, originally based on the ones found in the Borg, but modified by Starfleet Intelligence in highly classified experiments. . Kat, too, could sense the nanites in Patterson's bloodstream with her own Borg nanites, but didn't understand exactly how they worked. And, being a junior officer, had no access to Patterson's highly classified history. . Suddenly, the biobed alarms sounded. Kat glanced up and read off the alert to the attending physician, "His heart rate is spiking, and so is his blood pressure." . Shadow gestured, "Kat, get that anti-rad hypo for him. I can't stop what I'm doing right now." He was doing all he could to stabilize the blood pressure and pulse rate with his empathic abilities. . Kat reached for the hypo and moved to inject Patterson with it, but suddenly the Marine jerked awake, aware of a hand with a hypospray moving towards his neck, and immediately moved to grab it. . In one fluid motion, he pulled Kat downwards as he slid off the biobed, and pinned Kat face-up on the bed where he once lay! Instinctively, Patterson reached for his sidearm, but found it missing.

. Reflex had him instantly shift to where his combat knife should have been, and found it too wasn't there. . Kat let out a startled gasp, but didn't struggle against Patterson. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, and instead just waited for him to calm down and realize where he was. . Shadow barked out, "At ease!" and then followed it more calmly, "You're among friends here." . Patterson blinked a moment, glancing around, "Sickbay ...." He looked down at the woman pinned beneath him and suddenly released his grip on her wrist. "Oh ... right ... the radiation." He turned to Shadow, "Where are my things?" . Kat had been staring at Patterson's eyes. At first she saw the fiery red glow, presumably from his nanites flaring hotly, but then they faded to his natural deep blue color. She knew, instinctively, he was now safe. She moved to get off the biobed, rubbing her wrist. . Shadow gestured as he answered, "In the locker in my office. We figured it might be needed." He gently urged Patterson back onto the biobed as Kat got to her feet. . Kat said, "Your heart rate and blood pressure spiked just before you woke up. Is that normal, Lieutenant Colonel?" She acted as if she hadn't been pacing back and forth, worried about him lying there just moments before. . Patterson eased back onto the biobed, trying to relax. He glanced down at his hands and saw that his veins still bore a faint luminescence from his nanites. He answered Kat, "I'd say, for me, yes." . Shadow continued to rest one hand on Patterson's arm, trying to help steady his systems and bring them closer to normal. . Kat frowned, but before she could respond she heard her name called on the comm system. It was Ens. Jackson Carshel calling for Kat. "Carshel to Kat, hey, uh ... need any, uh ... help there with, um ... you know?" . Kat tapped her commbadge somewhat surprised, "Kat here, how can I help you?"

. Carshel mumbled, "I thought you guys might need help, if a ... certain person needed to be ... restrained." . Patterson shook his head, then glanced up, left, right, and back towards Kat. Kat turned away from him to speak with Carshel and Patterson turned to Shadow. "Did I ... hurt anyone?" . Shadow answered, "I'm OK, but ... you best see if Kat is." . Kat shook her head, then answered Carshel, "All good down here. Patterson is purring like a kitten down here." She turned back to Patterson with a teasing look in her eye. . Patterson stared back at Kat, but spoke to Shadow, "She seems to be in good spirits at least." . Shadow smiled back, "She does, indeed." . Kat turned to Patterson. "I'm Borg, I'm a bit more durable than having my wrist grabbed and pushed down onto a bio-bed. Next time, take a girl to dinner first Patterson!" She smirked at him. . Carshel continued, a trace of nervousness remaining in his voice, "He might be right now, but ... um ... are you sure? Like, really, really sure?" . Kat shook her head, then responded to Carshel, "All good. He's awake and sitting up, no need to worry." . Patterson then decided to stand back up, stretching and cracking his joints. "Where's my shirt?" . Shadow answered Patterson's question, "Also in the locker, along with your pants and boots." . Kat arched a brow, giving Patterson a once over, head to foot. "You haven't been cleared for duty yet," she turned her head slightly and asked, "Has he, Shadow?" . Shadow smirked, "Nope, you're stuck here for the time being." . Patterson rolled his eyes, "I'm fine! Nanites are incredibly efficient when maintained properly."

. Kat rolled her eyes, "Don't give me that! I'm a former Borg too, and you took in a lot of radiation, so sit down until you've been cleared, sir." Then she added in her best authoritarian voice, "That's an order Lt. Col. Patterson!" . A slow grin spread across Patterson's face as he sat back down on the biobed. "You ... gonna restrain me, Nurse?" . Kat blushed slightly, but a smile spread across her face, too. "If I have to." . Shadow muttered, "If she doesn't, I will." . Patterson shook his head, still grinning, "Hopefully it won't come to that." . Kat smirked. "Pity," she said with a smile and a wink. . Patterson chuckled. "Do I get a sucker for being a good patient?" . Kat walked over to a nearby replicator to get a sucker for him. At the same time, Shadow produced one from some hidden drawer somewhere. The one Shadow pulled out was nearly half a meter in diameter! He waved it in front of Patterson, "How's this?" . Kat returned with her sucker, and not noticing the huge one Shadow had produced, said, "Only good patients get one." She smiled sweetly, then ripped off the plastic and stuck the sucker in her own mouth! . "Okay," Patterson blinked, "that was a joke. And, Shadow, that thing looks like a damn paddle! I'm not gonna ask why you have that!" . Shadow chuckled, "To deal with some people with a BIG sweet tooth!" He grinned and returned the huge sucker to its secret drawer. . Then a call came from the Captain on the Bridge, "Shadow, is the Colonel all right? I could use him up here." . Shadow tapped his commbadge and answered, "He'll need a few minutes to get dressed, but I have no problem with it if Kat attends him." . Patterson glanced at Shadow, hearing the call. "I'm gonna need my things. Kat, mind helping me get dressed?" . Kat moved to get Patterson's things from the locker without hesitation. After all, he was needed, and, well, she was a nurse after all. But ... it didn't stop her from blushing.