USS Penumbra Sim Narrative, SD 202101.22 Promotions! . Ensign Jackson Carshel was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade! Congratulations, Lieutenant! . And Lt. T'Lin was promoted by Vice Admiral Sulyk to Lieutenant Commander! Congratulations to you too, Commander! Announcement: . While the sim plot introduced by T'Lin continues (somewhat), the portion of it relating to retrieving the Heart of the Ancients has concluded. Introduction: . The Penumbra was in orbit above the Mirror Universe version of the Kyrathian Homeworld. Damage Control Teams have managed to complete their repairs of the nacelle in spite of the loss of four of their coworkers when the Evil Vine attacked with the Lightning Plasma. Engines are now accessible. . The Away Team returned from their mission, bloody and battered perhaps but whole. And they returned with the powerful antimatter fusion core apparently known by the local Kyrathians as "the Heart of the Ancients"! The Team is recuperating in Sickbay awaiting their release to return to duty. Sickbay: . In Sickbay, Lt. Katarina Hawke moved from patient to patient making sure everyone was read to return to duty. . LtCmdr. Tabeshk Tibris was growing used to Sickbay by now. "Ow!" he complained as Kat adjusted a bandage. "Hey, be careful, the ears pointing are natural!" Kat just smiled at him without comment. . Even Dr. Shadow K'Trevala, who'd been with the Away Team and had been an integral part of the psionic team that had eventually defeated the Ivorez, the Evil Vine, was a patient in his own Sickbay. He sat on one of the biobeds reviewing a PADD with the reports on the Away Team members, a large bottle of painkillers beside him.
. The newly promoted LtCmdr. T'Lin sat across from him on another biobed. Her eyes held a far-away, blank stare as she struggled with the memories of all the pain and grief the psionic team members had shared in their battle with the Ivorez. But, unlike them, her eidetic memory would not allow her to bury those memories. She would have to process them and deal with them. And that would not be easy. . The newly promoted LtJG. Jackson Carshel was playing with his new hearing aids, making adjustments. "Ah! Too sharp." Adjust. "No, too low." Adjust. "Too ... robotic." Adjust. "Owie! Too screechy!" He finally figured it out. "Ah, I hear again!" Then he flinched and asked, "Sorry, am I too loud?" . Gny. Khal'Gon, the Nausicaan-Klingon hybrid, was refusing to cooperate. A nurse was trying to get him to sit still and let her clean his "battle scars" and he was having none of it. . LtCol. Travis Patterson groaned a bit as he sat up on the biobed. "Well," he grumbled, "My back isn't broken. Guess my armor is pretty wrecked though." . MstGny. Derek Hines stood at a replicator where a fresh bowl of clam chowder had just materialized. He lifted the steaming bowl and turned to face Patterson. "You had almost half a ton of debris fall on ya, Pat ... but you kept two crewmembers from being crushed beneath it, so I'd say it pays off." . Across the room on another table, LtCmdr. Denovan Hawke sat up. "Hey, Kat!" he called to his sister, "Can I go now? I'd like to get to Engineering and see about my arm." He was referring to his right arm, which was a Borg cybernetic rather than his natural biological arm. It had taken some shrapnel in the fighting on the planet and was still a little twitchy. . Kat scowled at Patterson and shook her hed, then turned to her brother. "Yeah, most everyone here is good to go."
. Next to Tabby, LtCmdr. Bevin MacArdry sat on a biobed with several PADDs in front of her. She worked furiously on one of them, sketching out components and repairs intended for Den's prosthesis. ==/== . Just then the doors slid open and Capt. Zak Taylor entered. He paused and glanced around. "So, how's my favorite Away Team, Kat?" . Tabby answered first, "Well, sir, we look like dung!" . LCpl. Homer Kyle, leaning on one elbow on his own biobed, called back, "Speak fer yer ownself, Tabby. I's lookin' good!" . Tabby gave an eye-roll, "Yeah, you would, wouldn't you." . Kat smiled at the Captain. "Back in working order. They should be fine to return to duty. Den's arm needs repairs from Engineering, but ... he's good otherwise." . Zak smiled. "That's good news, Kat. I know Relok is itching to get to analyzing that Core. And I'm sure Bevin is too." . She smiled back. "I'm sure they are captain, and they are free to go whenever they are ready." . Suddenly, across Sickbay, Khal'Gon finally growled, "Nurse, if you poke me what that damn thing again, I'll rip your fingers off!" . Shadow tried to ease him. "Khal'Gon, let us clean it out, or else I will tell the Klingon Empire that you were too chicken to allow wounds to be cleaned!" He moved over and took the cleaning tool from the nurse. . Khal'Gon turned to Shadow and growled, "My wounds do not need cleansing. They need cauterization. I'd like to retain the pride of carrying my scars!" . Tabby rolled his eyes. "Oh, would you knock it off, Khal'Gon! Just let him freaking treat your stubborn arse! Besides," he said, "if they aren't treated, an infection will develop and then how would you fight when you're too sick to stand? Think about that." . T'Lin groaned and added, "And if you die from an infection, your pride will be shunned. Let him clean it." . Shadow tried a compromise. "All right, I'll make a deal with you. We will clean them out ... and then I'll cauterize them for you."
. Khal'Gon glared at Shadow a moment then grunted and lifted his arm. "Just get it over with." . Hines stifled a laugh. "Big ol' warrior ... and he's deathly afraid of needles!" . "Tch!" Khal'Gon made a noise deep in his throat. "How does a warrior fight off an adversary that is invisible within their own bodies? Those ... things ...," he gestured towards the tray of medical tools lying nearby, "are the instruments of cowards!" . Patterson blinked a couple of times, staring at Khal'Gon, then turned to Hines. "Y'know, Derek ... he has a point." . Shadow proceeded to clean the wound, then cauterized it, leaving a nice, visible scar, just as he promised. "Okay, you spend another night here, just to make sure that the cautery worked like it was supposed to." Khal'Gon groaned and lay back on the biobed. ==/== . Patterson got to his feet and retrieved four isolinear data chips from MAX's pedestal in Sickbay. He turned and presented them to Zak. "Captain, I had MAX compile all the footage from our feeds for you whilst I was ... detained." He glanced at Kat with a smirk. . Zak accepted the chips and responded, "Yeah. That was a hell of a mess. Glad it turned out OK for all of you!" He stepped over to T'Lin. "I've heard you and the other psionics were instrumental in our success. Are you all ... okay?" He studied her intently. . T'Lin just stared forward blankly then slowly shook her head, no. . Zak's eyes softened and he spoke softly, just above a whisper. "It's going to be hard on you, isn't it?" . She answered, her voice also just above a whisper. "Everyone else will forget. I ... do not have that luxury." . Zak responded, "We don't have an official Counselor, and Shadow was part of the group. Maybe you could do some kind of Vulcan meditation with Relok or something?"
. She lifted her chin slightly and her voice was a bit firmer. "This is one of those things where I MUST feel it in its entirety." Her chin drooped again as she admitted, "But I am afraid, because I know it will hurt." She took a breath, steeling herself, and then said, "Everyone will know it happened, and everyone else's memories, but I will feel their pain like it is my own for the rest of my life. Meditation does not help with everything." . Den slid off his biobed and stepped over to the Captain. His step was still a bit off since one of his legs was also damaged by shrapnel, but it would heal quick enough. He said, "Sir, permission to head to Engineering? Unless," he turned towards Bevin, "you want me to bring stuff up here to work on it?" . Bevin looked up from her PADDs and answered in her thick Scottish Brogue, "Den, I naid ye hair fer ainpit an wha ye naid an tha airm." . Kat stared at her a moment, blinking as she tried to decipher the thick accent. Finally, it unraveled itself as Bevin telling Den she needed him to remain there to give her input on what he'd need for his arm. . Den responded, "Not so much input, more as work on. I can do it myself, but that's not my Engineering department. So ... I don't think I should just go taking tools and parts without permission. Unless you have some ideas and want something to do. I'd like to get it back to full working order." ==/== . Carshel hopped off his bed and approached the Captain. "Sir, permission to head to Sciences to get back to work? I have little time to sit here and waste, I must get back to work. And, it doesn't look like T'Lin will be okay for awhile, anyway." He glanced over at T'Lin. . Zak turned to Carshel and answered, "So long as Kat and Shadow give you the green light, I'm sure Relok could use your help." . Carshel turned to Shadow and then to Kat. "Well?" he asked. . Shadow smiled and just waved at him, sort of one of those "Get out of here" waves.
. Carshel smiled back and said, "I shall take my leave then." He started towards the exit. . Tabby did the same sort of thing, glancing at Shadow and Kat with a questioning look on his face. Shadow gave him the save dismissive wave and Tabby turned to Bevin. "Hon," he said, "You sure you're going to be okay here? What we experienced was rough on the both of us." . She smiled up at him. "I'll bay ailrait." The stronger telepaths of Shadow and Bevin, along with the Vulcan mind-melding technique of T'Lin, had been more strongly affected by the psychic battle with the Ivorez than Tabby, whose psionic abilities were only just recently awakening to empathic levels. She'd need a little longer to recuperate and knew it. . Tabby kissed the top of her head. "I have to go, but stay strong with me, because I need you just as much as you need me, love." He stood and turned towards Shadow. "Hey, doc, do me a favor and make sure my wife remembers to care for herself." He looked back at Bevin as he added, "Because I know she loves to work." He gave her another peck on the cheek and followed Carshel to the exit. . Shadow smiled at him. "Will do, Tabby Cat." . Hines gestured at Bevin and said, " Ain't gonna keep a woman like that tied down to a biobed, Tabz!" He gave a soft chuckle. . "I heard that!" Tabby said. "And that's because only a crazy man can love a crazy woman like that! And I'm insane in the membrane!" He grinned at Bevin and she grinned back and gave him a wink. ==/== . Patterson moved across Sickbay to check over Kyle. "Well," he began, "you don't look like that tree did any permanent damage, Homer." . Kyle gave him a wide grin. "Naw ... I's been hit upside the head often enough I hardly even remember it!" . Patterson nodded and gave Kyle a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Good work down there, Kyle."
. The Captain cleared his voice and said, "Well, I'll be on my way. Colonel, when you get done here, come chat with me in the Ready Room. We need to figure out next steps." . Patterson called back, "Aye, sir," and moved towards Kat. . Zak moved to the exit where Tabby and Carshel stood waiting, then turned back. "Good job down there, all of you!" . Den responded for all of them. "Thank you, Captain." . Hines took his bowl of clam chowder over to T'Lin and showed it to her. "New England style. I uploaded Momma's recipe so I can have it whenever I need a little pick-me-up." He gave a soft sigh as he leaned against the biobed. Then he said, "There's things I wish I could forget sometimes ... at least this helps me center myself." He lifted the bowl, offering it to T'Lin. . She gave him a weak smile and shook her head. "I am too nauseous." Then she added, "And I am vegetarian. Thank you, though." . Hines looked at the bowl, then over at the replicator and smirked, "Technically, there's no meat in it, just particles of matter, but ... I see your point." He gave a shrug and moved back to his own biobed and started eating. . Shadow approached, holding another bowl. "How about some plomeek soup?" he asked. . Again, T'Lin gave a weak smile. Plomeek soup was a native Vulcan dish that she just might be able to stomach. She accepted the bowl and muttered, "Thank you." . Shadow knew not to touch T'Lin, though he wanted to lay a hand on her arm. Instead he just said softly, "If you want to talk, I am here, and I can try to teach you techniques. Come, walk away the memories that you do not wish to deal with every day." ==/== . Den was standing next to Bevin as she worked furiously on a PADD. He watched a moment, then waved a hand in front of her face. "Did I lose you?" he asked.
. She looked up. "Ye daidnae laws me, Den, jist werkin an samethin." She returned to scribbling on the PADD a few more lines, then handed it to him. "Hair, iffin ye waint tae dae ait yersailf, thais waill awthirize ye tae werk an ait theer, an gait tha ithirs yae hailp ye." . Den studied her a moment, working through the thick accent a moment. She'd said something about if he wanted to do it himself, the PADD would authorize it. It even authorized him to get others to help him, if needed. . He glanced over the PADD, then handed it back to her. "I appreciate it, and I suppose I could, but that wasn't exactly what I asked." He paused then repeated his question, "Did you want me to bring the stuff here so we can work on it." . She shrugged, "Iffin ye waint tae." She was recovering from the psychic battle as well and was still struggling with the emotional damage and needed time to recover. . Den grinned, "It'll give ya something to do?" He patted her on the shoulder and said, "Why don't you put down what I don't think of to grab and I'll go get them and bring them up here?" He knew she'd likely be there in Sickbay a while longer and might need something to distract her, and keep her mind focused on something else. . Khal'Gon finally asked, "Shadow, if I may be inclined to return to my quarters for the next 24 hours. I would be far more comfortable there." . Shadow stared at him harshly for a moment then acquiesced with a smile, dismissing the mostly Klingon Marine to return to his quarters instead of being confined to Sickbay. . Hines swallowed a couple of bites of his chowder, then looked up and called, "So, Doc ... how long you keeping me?" Shadow just smiled and said nothing. Hines was recovering from a serious concussion and needed a bit longer for observation. ==/== . Patterson had approached Kat. "So," he began. . "So?" she asked. . He shook his head, "No reprimand this time?"
. She smiled weakly and responded, "I can't reprimand you for doing your job, Lt. Col Patterson. All I can do is tell you to be careful. I'm merely the head nurse, Shadow is the doctor here." She clearly wished he'd take better care of himself, but he was one of those guys that led by example, not order. . Pat nodded, "You worry too much, you know that?" Then, suddenly, he grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. "C'mere, I'm fine, see?" . Kat was surprised for a nano-second but then wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself close. "Yeah, I do," she said. "But, while I can't stop you rushing into danger you can't stop me worrying." . Patterson nodded, "Well," he said, "for every reprimand you give me, I'll give you a 'You worry too much' response. Deal?" He chuckled. . "Deal," she answered, holding the hug just a bit longer. . Finally, Patterson said, "I should probably get up to the Captain. Said we needed to have a chat, after all." . "Go, keep yourself safe," she said and let him go. . He released her, then turned and pointed at Hines, "Not a word, Derek." . Hines had a mouthful of chowder and simply gave Patterson the one-finger salute. Kat laughed at him and Khal'Gon just shook his head, then turned to follow Patterson out of Sickbay. Bridge: . LtCmdr. Relok sat in the Command Chair, since the Captain had gone down to Sickbay to check on the Away Team. LtCmdr. Jason Carter manned the Helm, Lt. Standin stood at the Tactical station, and Ens. Proxy Filler had the Operations console. . Carter turned his chair and reported, "Relok, I think the repairs to our nacelle are finished." . Relok replied, "That's good news, Carter. It's a shame we lost several workers out there." . Carter nodded, returning his seat to face front and they all worked quietly at their stations for some time.
. Eventually, the Turbolift doors slid open revealing Zak, along with Tabby and Carshel, within. Carshel was rubbing his chin where a new beard had started growing. "Why is my face so itchy?" . Tabby rubbed his own stubble and muttered, "Yeah, now that I think about it, mine's itchy too." . The Captain stood at the doors a moment and took a deep breath, but Carshel immediately strode towards the primary Science station, saying as he did, "Wow, it looks like hell up here." . Relok glanced at him. "You were not the only one having adventures, Lieutenant." . "Relok!" Carshel exclaimed, rushing to give the Vulcan a hug and then stopping himself short. "Right, Vulcan, no touchy." . Relok smiled at him. "I am pleased to see you are not badly injured, Lt." . Carshel touched one of his ears and said, "Oh, no, I was. My ears are fubared, beyond all recognition." He moved so Relok could see his new hearing aids. "If I didn't have these, I wouldn't hear a damn thing ... sir." . Relok looked at the hearing aids and then commented, "Well ... it's not so bad as Borg cybernetics, so ...," he trailed off with a slight shrug. . Tabby strolled down from the Turbolift. Filler stood and moved away from the Operations console, surrendering it to his Chief. Tabby flopped into the chair, visibly exhausted. "That," he sighed, "Sucked!" He quickly studied the console and muttered, "Filler, you changed my console again!" The young Ensign quickly moved to another station. . Zak started down towards his seat. "So, Mr. Carter, if we have our engines, how about we give them a short test. Out around the local sun and back?" . Carter spun around with a smirk on his face. "You wanna slingshot the star on a brand-new, scrap-built nacelle?" . Zak settled into his seat and said with a grin, "Well, Carter, I wouldn't do it at Warp 7 or anything, but ... full impulse, maybe?" The grin evaporated as he added, "I just have the need to get away from this planet for a little while."
. Relok turned to the Captain and asked, "Can Mr. Carshel and I go and take a look at our new prize, Captain?" . Carshel piped in, "Agreed!" . Zak turned to Relok, "Relok, you and Carshel can go have a peek, but by all that's holy, be careful!" . Carshel pointed to his ear, "Captain, I think I understand what careful means." He turned to Relok, "Well, Relok, I guess we oughtta get going to take a looksie at the giant thingy that I helped cut free, mind you." . Relok cut a look at Carshel. His face showed he felt the young man was ... different somehow. "Yes, let's." They started for the Turbolift.