USS Penumbra Sim Narrative, SD 202010.09 Bridge Part1: . The Penumbra was under the command of Acting Captain Travis Patterson and Acting First Officer Relok since Captain Zak Taylor chose to lead the Away Team on the warp-capable runabout Australis to go down to the tiny Kyrathian Homeworld. . The Penumbra had launched the Australis and then returned to the vicinity of the Spacial Rift that had deposited them all in some alternate universe. They deployed a Tholian-Web-like network of graviton emitters linked with plasma beams to help create sort of a "patch" to prevent the tear from spreading, and to help regulate its spasms, and deployed four strong electromagnetic "Magneto Warhead" torpedoes which they used to spin the Rift into what appeared to be a reasonably stable "wormhole". With their "four-hour window" about three-quarters through, they returned to the Kyrathian Homeworld for the Away Team. . Lt. Cmdr. Bevin MacArdry had come up to the Bridge (finally) to replace the strange paisley-patterned seat cover she'd put on the Captain's Chair, only ... she was replacing it with some strange pattern resembling crawling cockroaches! . Lt. Col. Travis Patterson watched Bevin working, but his eyes kept flicking back to the main viewer. . Eventually, Bevin grinned at Patterson and said in her thick Brogue, "Daesnae luik baid fer ye nae trayin tae sew air knait ait back taegitther." Those that could understand her accent knew she'd commented that the new cover didn't look that bad, for not having to sew or knit it back together. . Lt. Cmdr. Relok had moved back to the Executive Officer's seat from where he'd been working at the Master Systems Display. He asked their Helmsman, Ens. Filler, "Filler, how long until we arrive at the Kyrathian Homeworld?" . Filler studied the nav chart a moment and answered, "Um, about 10 minutes, I think, um, sir."

. Relok nodded and said, "Mr. Filler, bring us into a standard orbit over the Away Team. Tabby, see if you can reach the Captain on comms." . Patterson nodded at Relok and said, "Time's up." He noticed Bevin had finished with the seat-cover, as strange as it was, and he moved to take a seat in the newly upgraded Command Chair. . Tabby grunted back at Relok, "Understood, trying now." Away Team Part 1: . The Australis, escorted by Delta One, had landed on one of the huge branches of what they had been calling the Wild Growth. While there had been some initial fear and hostility (several Kyrathians thew spears at the craft), they had managed to make telepathic contact through LtCmdr. Jason Carter, and exchanged some written words through Lt. T'Lin's Kyrathian Glyph translation algorithm. But, LtCmdr. Denovan Hawke retrieved a hand-held Universal Translator that he decided just might work. . In fact, though Hawke might not have known this, back on SD 200205.11, Captain Hardin Davik of the USS Maverick did use a Universal Translator to communicate with the Kyrathian natives on this very planet (albeit that was in the Prime Universe). The members of the Penumbra crew had not tried it simply because all other interaction with the Kyrathian Swarm (and with the Independents of the Ivorez) had been done telepathically or with the Glyph Algorithm. They had simply been working on the presumption the Kyrathians did not communicate with spoken language at all! . So now, Capt. Zak Taylor was standing at the foot of the ramp from the Australis facing a dozen or so Kyrathians, with one of them, apparently their leader, a Noble-class who'd introduced himself as Bztoktunk, hoping that Den's idea of using the Universal Translator would work. He glanced at his Tactical Officer who shrugged and said, "It's turned on, so ...."

. Lt. Cmdr. Jason Carter, whose burgeoning psionic abilities had provided their primary means of communication thus far, gave a nod and sent a telepathic message to Bztoktunk. He said the words out loud so the others could follow along, ~Try to speak in your native tongue. We have a device that may let us communicate.~ . The Noble, Bztoktunk, made a few clicks and buzzes and the Universal Translator kicked in. The Kyrathian's words were broken at first, "Language ... speak ... try ... noises?" His multi-faceted eyes flicked towards Carter and the telepathic message that came through was ~Your device makes noises? Is this normal?~ . Zak grinned at Den, "It works! Well, sorta. Great idea, Den!" . Carter smirked at Den and Zak and muttered, "It works to some degree, at least." He sent the telepathic message to Bztoktunk while saying out loud, "Can you hear us?" . Den smiled, "At least it's something. Thank you. At least I didn't decide to go with a Spirit Box." . Lt. Katarina Hawke, Den's sister and now the Assistant Chief Medical Officer of the Penumbra, had been hanging back slightly, unsure whether these Kyrathians might be uncomfortable with an ex-Borg in their midst. Now she gave Den a puzzled look and asked, "Spirit Box?" . Den grinned at her, "Yeah, so you can communicate with spirits and ... other things." . Kat smiled back at him, "Oh, OK. I did not know you spoke with spirits, brother." . Den shrugged, "Yeah, why not?" He turned his attention back to the Kyrathian. . Bztoktunk clicked and buzzed and the UT said, "You ... say ... learn Glyphs? You ... question ... old city?" . But no-one responded to Bztoktunk's questions since Zak's commbadge chirped. He tapped it and said, "Yeah, Tabby, this is Zak. I guess our time has run out, huh? What's the status of the Rift?" Bridge Part 2: . Patterson had just planted himself in the Command Seat when he asked, "What's the status of the Rift?"

. Ens. Jackson Carshel consulted their sensor feed and answered, "It is stable, but we don't know how long that'll be the case." . Tabby added, "So, let's haul our arses." . The comm system kicked in with the voice of Capt. Zak Taylor, "Yeah, Tabby, this is Zak. I guess our time has run out, huh? What's the status of the Rift?" . But it was Patterson who answered. He stood, straightened his uniform and said, "Taylor, this is Patterson. We've managed to stabilize the Rift, for now ... but there's no telling how long it'll stay that way." . Zak responded, "Understood. Give us a few minutes, Colonel." . Tabby interjected, "We may not have that time. Carshel is keeping an eye on it, but even he is unsure." . Carshel was watching the Rift on one of his monitors. He muttered, "I must admit, that does look stunning." . Patterson glanced at Filler. "Get a lock on the Away Team's runabout and relay the coordinates." He turned to Carshel at the Primary Science Console. "I want more thorough scans of the area." . Relok turned to Patterson, "How long do we wait, Colonel? That Rift may not stay stable long." . Then a call came from Zak, "Zak to Penumbra, can you do us a favor? Scan the planet for any sign of ... well, the Ivorez plant amongst the other plant." . Patterson gave Relok a look and mouthed silently, "What is he up to?" . Relok called Zak, "Captain ... we have little time, sir. What is it you're trying to accomplish?" . Then T'Lin's voice came over the comm. "Bevin, do we have any samples of our Plant Suits? I need to make sure the growth is not different here than our home. Preferably without risking a life in the process." Then, after overhearing Relok's question, she added, "Relok, we are testing a hypothesis." . But before anyone could respond to T'Lin's request, Lt. Standin, manning the Tactical Station while Lt. Cmdr. Denovan Hawke was on the Away Team, called, "Sirs! There's a ship! On long-range scans!"

. Patterson glanced up to look at Standin. "On screen!" He turned to face the forward viewscreen. A slightly blurry image appeared on the main viewer, due to its being at the far extent of their long-range sensors, but it was clearly a Romulan d'Deridex-class ship! It was hovering near the Rift. . Tabby was first to respond. "That's a Romulan ship! What the hell is a Romulan ship doing here?" . Relok was also shocked. He looked at the main viewer and then turned to Patterson, "A Romulan ship?" . Patterson crossed his arms. "This far out of Romulan space ...," he trailed off a moment and then asked, "Can we magnify and clean that image up?" . Carshel responded, "On it. Pretty-fying the pixels." Away Team Part 2: . Zak's commbadge chirped. He tapped it and said, "Yeah, Tabby, this is Zak. I guess our time has run out, huh? What's the status of the Rift?" . Bztoktunk clicked again and the UT said, "Tabby? Time out? Rift?" . Carter smiled at the Kyrathian and explained, "Our time here was limited. There is a Rift we came through that is unstable, and as such our way home is time-sensitive." . Patterson's voice came over the commlink. "Taylor, this is Patterson. We've managed to stabilize the Rift, for now... but there's no telling how long it'll stay that way." . Zak responded, "Understood. Give us a few minutes, Colonel." . Tabby's voice came back, "We may not have that time. Carshel is keeping an eye on it, but even he is unsure." . Zak turned back to the Kyrathian. "Sorry, I was speaking to my friends elsewhere. We would like to know what happened to your cities? You said something about an Evil Vine?" . Bztoktunk answered, "Yes, Evil Vine come from void! Poison Wise Growth ... parasite? Stole the Heart of the Ancients, no more strength. Can you help us?" . Zak's eyebrows went up and he turned to Carter and then to Den. "Was that ... a distress call?"

. Carter raised an eyebrow and asked, "We ... have to get home, don't we, sir?" . But Den agreed, "Pretty sure that was a distress call. After all ... that means we are obligated to help." . But T'Lin asked, "From void? And what is the 'Heart of the Ancients'?" . Bztoktunk answered, "Yes ... from Void, beyond Wise Growth, beyond Fiery Orb, darkness forever. Evil Vine fell from Void." . T'Lin said, "Void, like ...," she pointed straight up. . The Kyrathian bobbed excitedly, "Yes! Evil Vine fell from Void, stole Ancient's Heart, source of their strength." . T'Lin then asked, "Can you show us where the Ancient's Heart was?" . But before Bztoktunk answered, Zak turned to T'Lin. "Evil Vine? You think that could be ... the mirror Ivorez?" . She turned to Zak and said, "That is my hypothesis. Shall we see if an experiment will prove it?" . But Bztoktunk became agitated. He answered T'Lin, "Oh, no! None of the People can go into the heart of the Evil Vine! It steals our souls! Makes us slaves!" . T'Lin said, "Which way is it? We may be able to get through." . Den agreed, "I think we should be okay." He slipped out a tricorder, taking a wide scan. As he reviewed the readings he said, "Though, the runabout's sensors would be a much more in-depth reading." . Zak said, "The Penumbra's sensors should be even better." . T'Lin commented, "Could have Nodes in there. It would give me the information I need." . Zak tapped his commbadge. "Zak to Penumbra, can you do us a favor? Scan the planet for any sign of ... well, the Ivorez plant amongst the other plant." . Relok's voice came back, "Captain ... we have little time, sir. What is it you're trying to accomplish?"

. T'Lin tapped her own commbadge and called, "Bevin, do we have any samples of our Plant Suits? I need to make sure the growth is not different here than our home. Preferably without risking a life in the process." Then, after overhearing Relok's question, she added, "Relok, we are testing a hypothesis." Bridge Part 3: . The image of the huge Romulan d'Deridex ship slowly sharpened on the main viewer. Tabby turned his chair and asked, "Shall I attempt contact? I do speak Romulan, in case the common tongue is not viable." . Standin, normally a quiet person, commented, "It's huge, sir, d'Deridex class. We could fly the Penumbra through the hole in the middle and not worry about scratching the paint." . Tabby muttered, "But ... why is it here?" He paused and then said, "Regardless, we need to go." He re-opened the commlink with the Away Team and said, "Tabby to Zak, we need to go! It's been 20 minutes past the deadline. Let's go!" . Patterson turned back to Relok. "You think we should hail that ship, or stay hidden?" . Tabby added, "If we hail them, I can communicate with them, but it is your call. I would rather not have my kinsmen stuck here." . Relok pondered a moment and then said, "If this is the Mirror Universe, and that's a big IF still, the Romulan star might not have supernovaed, and they could be quite powerful. But ... this far out in the Gamma Quadrant? I don't know." . Down on the planet, the Away Team had taken off in the Australis and Delta One and were quickly climbing up out of the canopy. . Tabby agreed, "True. After my star exploded, Romulan crafts almost stopped existing, everything is Vulcan."

. Patterson rubbed his chin a moment, thinking. Then he muttered, "I've got a bad feeling." He paused and then continued, "Captain Taylor made contact with the Aslans. Official Empire business ... and with speculation and theorizing with MAX ... the only Empire that would make sense and fit the memo would've been the Terran Empire encountered by Kirk and his crew." . Tabby asked, "Hey, MAX, does the Romulan Empire exist in this universe?" . MAX's face appeared in a corner of Tabby's Operations console as he answered, "Under what speculation would you like to refine your request, Tabby? I'm an artificial intelligence, not a multiverse encyclopedia!" . Tabby sighed, "How do I phrase it ... is there a Romulan Empire?" . MAX sighed back, "Yes, there is a Romulan Empire. Whether that Empire exists in other theoretical senses and universes, I do not know." . Then Relok looked up at Patterson with a stunned look on his face. "Terran Empire! d'Deridex in the Gamma Quadrant ... Aslans! Could it be the Reciprocity? The Android?" Away Team Part 3: . Den suggested, "I got another idea, might help. What if we offer them a field ration? We're working on communication, show of peaceful gestures." . Zak turned to the Kyrathian Noble and said, "Bztoktunk, we'd like to help, but we're going to need to find the Ivorez, er, the Evil Vine. And run some tests. And that is likely to mean returning to our, um ... base." . His commbadge chirped with the voice of CfWrnt Sandoval, "Delta 1 to Away Team. We're 20 minutes past our deadline ... and I have my orders from the Colonel. We're running low on reserves and need to RTB with the Penumbra." . Zak tapped his commbadge, "Acknowledged. Prep for departure, Chief." . T'Lin addressed Bztoktunk, "We need to meet with our team. We will come back; we just need more information."

. Zak addressed his team, "Folks, we're going to have to leave." He turned back to the Kyrathian. "Bztoktunk, we'll look into this Evil Vine and let you know what we find. It's been very nice meeting you." . Zak's commbadge chirped again with Tabby's insistent voice, "Tabby to Zak, we need to go! It's been 20 minutes past the deadline. Let's go!" . Bztoktunk dipped his body several times and the UT brought the translation of the sounds he made, "May the Wise Growth shelter you, new friends. And be careful with the Evil Vine, it is insidious!" . Zak bowed to the Noble, then turned to the others, "T'Lin, let's go. Carter, prep for flight ops. Den ... watch our backs until we're safe on board, will ya?" . T'Lin also bowed to Bztoktunk, "May the Wise Growth shelter us all, my friend." Then she picked up her Glyph cube and quickly returned to the Australis. Kat matched her step as they reboarded. . Den flinched. "Leave? What's going on?" But he gave a quick bow and started backing up towards the runabout. . Carter entered the runabout and quickly moved to the Helm. "Computer, bypass pre-flight checklist and engage full power to helm control, manual flight layout." . T'Lin updated Den, "We need to meet with the Penumbra. We have gone past our time limit, but I am quite curious about this 'Evil Vine'." . As they all returned to the Australis and took their seats, Zak explained, "We need to use the Penumbra to find the Ivorez vine. And these Kyrathians here have nothing more to offer us other than their own mythology." . But Den said, "What if their mythology has truth to it? There usually is." He settled into his seat and the runabout lifted off and quickly climbed above the canopy headed back to the Penumbra. . T'Lin agreed, "Hidden behind the stories. All of our myths were true, along with most of our stories."

. But Zak pointed out, "But we'd need to unravel mythology to find the kernel of truth, and we don't have time for it. If that Rift collapses, we're stuck here, maybe for good. I hate that they asked for help and we may not be able to help them." . Kat frowned, "Is there nothing we can do at all, Captain?" . T'Lin scowled. "Let me back down here for an hour or so. I can explore our options and decide the most logical course of action." . Zak sighed. "Let's get back to the ship, scan for the Ivorez, go and check on the Rift, and if it's stable, we can come back and work on their problem." . As they talked, Carter closed the distance to the Penumbra and soon they were pulling into the Hangar Bay, where they quickly disembarked and hurried to a Turbolift, all of them heading for the Bridge. Bridge Part 4: . As they were pondering the presence of the Romulan ship, and whether they should try to make contact, the Away Team set down in the Hangar Deck. Patterson let out a deep breath and said, "Filler, set a course for the Rift and prepare the slipstream drive. Standin, bring weapons and shields to standby status. Tabby, ready the MIRAGE." . They each acknowledged with an "Aye, sir," and set about their tasks. . About that time the Turbolift doors slid open. Lt. Cmdr. Denovan Hawke stepped out without a word and moved to the Tactical Station, planning to relieve Lt. Standin. His sister, Lt. Katarina Hawke, followed behind him and logged into the Auxiliary Medical Station. Lt. Cmdr. Jason Carter moved around the Bridge and stood next to the Helm station to relieve Ens. Filler. . But, Capt. Zak Taylor delayed stepping out of the turbolift. His delay caused T'Lin to be delayed a moment as well since she stood slightly behind him. Zak asked formally, "Permission to come aboard, sir." He had surrendered command of the Penumbra to Patterson and so had no official authority on the Bridge of the starship at that moment.

. Patterson glanced at Zak in the Turbolift and nodded, "Granted." Zak stepped calmly out of the Turbolift, followed by T'Lin. . Suddenly, Standin, still at the Tactical Station with his superior standing just behind him, called, "Wait! Sir, I'm detecting weapons fire!" . Patterson turned to Standin and gave a curt nod. "Red Alert! All hands to Battlestations." He turned, "Filler, engage!"