USS Penumbra Sim Narrative, SD 202106.04 Introduction: . The Penumbra was docked at K-7 Station after declining to continue the request to retrieve the supposedly kidnapped Gorn "Ambassador". After deliberation it was decided this was most likely a ruse to draw the Federation into the Klingon-Gorn War. Commodore Taylor and Colonel Patterson had decided that this ruse didn't seem like it came from the mind of the Gorn, rather, they suspected the Breen were behind it. . At the suggestion of Patterson, the Commodore contacted Vice Admiral Sulyk of Starfleet Command, whom Patterson claimed had a history with Starfleet Intelligence. During this communication, the Commodore mentioned their suspicions and asked whether it might be advantageous to check on the Breen. . While the Admiral carefully avoided making such investigation any "official mission" by Starfleet or the Federation, it certainly seemed that he condoned "someone" looking into it, and the Commodore informed the Admiral that the Penumbra might be "out of communication" for a while. . Now ready to depart from K-7 and head beyond the boundaries of the Federation, the Penumbra was ready to see if they could determine what the Breen and the Typhon Pact might be up to. On this "unauthorized trip", they would have no authority, no jurisdiction, and no support from any allies. They will be deep behind "enemy lines" on a fully covert reconnaissance mission. In fact, should they be discovered, the Federation and Starfleet Command would disavow any knowledge of their mission, and the crew would likely be deemed outlaws and renegades!
. As for the status of the Penumbra herself, they had replaced the missing emitters and restored the MIRAGE system to full effectiveness. They'd replaced the damaged and missing Point Defense Turrets. They'd also managed to incorporate a few of the ideas of LtCmdr. Bevin MacArdry on powerful rotating shielding in spite of their massive power demands deemed the Ballistic Evasion Vortex Inertial Nullifier (the BEVIN system). . As for the assignment by the Commodore to come up with a method to track the Cerberus when in stealth mode, that did not result with any success. What they did come up with was a plan to utilize microbursts of binary data between the two Artificial Intelligences, AEGIS on the Cerberus and MAX on the Penumbra, to send encrypted codes on a pre-arranged schedule whenever the Cerberus was on a mission. Bridge: . Col. Travis Patterson made his way onto the Bridge and moved to the Executive Officer's seat. As he did, he asked, "We signaled the station yet?" . Cdre. Zak Taylor entered from the other Turbolift and stepped out onto the Bridge. He stood there a moment and took a look around. . At the Helm, LtCmdr. Jason Carter was going over the final disembarking procedures. He answered Patterson, "Just waiting to release the umbilical now." . Cmdr. Relok had been sitting in the Command Seat with both the Commodore and the Colonel off the Bridge. He stood and said, "They have signaled ready, sirs." . Many decks below, on the Flight Deck, SgtMaj. Derek Hines, CfWrnt. Sandy Sandoval, and LtCmdr. Denovan Hawke were giving the final approval to their replacement Delta Flyers, bringing the ship's complement back up to their full eight (they'd lost a few during their fights with the Kyrathians in the Gamma Quadrant).
. The Turbolift doors slid open again and LtCmdr. T'Lin stepped onto the Bridge. She held a PADD in one hand and she mumbled quietly to herself as she walked down the slight ramp to her station. . Down in Main Engineering, LtCmdr. Bevin MacArdry was reviewing the installation of the BEVIN system, blushing furiously that the Commodore had decided to name the advanced shielding system after her. . Zak descended the ramp and stepped in front of the Command Chair. He tapped his commbadge and called, "Bridge to Engineering. Are we ship-shape and ready to depart, Commander?" . Bevin's thick Scottish Brogue came back, "Aye, sair, fait as a faiddle, sair!" Then she sent a telepathic caress to her fiancée, LtCmdr. Tabeshk Tibris, as if she'd kissed his ear from eight decks below! . Tabby flinched and rubbed his ear, calling back telepathically, ~Bevin! Stop it! I'm working here!~ . She sent him another mental kiss, just to let him know she was thinking about him, then withdrew to go back to her next project. . Tabby rubbed his cheek again and responded, ~I get it, you miss me and love me, but ... stop!~ But his mental voice, and his facial expression, showed no anger at his beloved. ==/\== . Patterson gave Relok a nod as the Vulcan moved away from the Command Chairs. As he settled into his seat he said, "Tabby, signal K-7 for final departure. Prepare to disengage the umbilical. Carter, once we're disconnected, take us away from the station, maneuvering thrusters only." . Tabby grunted back, "Understood. Signaling now." . Zak took his seat then, turning it towards the Tactical Station over his right shoulder. "Mr. Standin, once we're clear and gone to warp, engage the MIRAGE system. We don't want anyone knowing where we're heading."
. The Vulcan Tactical Officer, Lt. Re'Libel Standin, holding the station while Den was elsewhere, responded, "Aye, sir. MIRAGE standing by." . About that time the Turbolift slid open again and Hines stepped out. "Sorry I'm late," he began, "Someone decided that the starboard Turbolift needed to sound like a leaky faucet ... drip, drip, drip." . T'Lin turned to him and said, "So ... you had to use the restroom? And, for some reason, you need an excuse for it?" She couldn't suppress a giggle. . Hines smirked sheepishly at her as he stepped over to his Recon Station. "You've been around my Marines a bit too much lately. You're starting to become a smartass like the rest of us!" . T'Lin raised an eyebrow. "When did you get the idea that I have not been one my whole life? You think it is new? HA!" . Zak hid a smirk behind a hand as he heard Hines' and T'Lin's exchange. When he'd controlled himself he gave a nod. "Well, Mr. Carter, take us out. Let's get this show on the road." . Relok gave T'Lin a raised eyebrow as he moved past her to take up the Secondary Science Station (T'Lin had taken the Primary). T'Lin just bowed her head to her notebook as she transferred data from her PADD to her archaic paper notebook. ==/\== . After a moment, when the ship still had not moved, Zak quipped, "Um ... Mr. Carter ... did you forget how to drive a starship?" . Carter smirked even though he had his back to the Commodore. "I think K-7 forgot how to disconnect the umbilical power connection, sir. I just got the signal that the cables were clear. Maneuvering thrusters engaged." . Relok commented, "Well, the station is nearly a half-century old. Some of the moving parts might have seized up."
. MAX, the Artificial Intelligence, manifested a face on several monitors around the Bridge. He said, "That bears a striking similarity to several members of the crew, Relok." . Zak cut in, "It's not that old, Relok! This isn't the same K-7 where Kirk had the tribbles incident. That one was totally rebuilt ages ago! Heck, even that one has been rebuilt over the years. Still," he paused and then said, "it is getting pretty old." . Hines agreed. "Only good thing going for K-7 is their sensor array, in all honesty. Even its defensive systems are out-of-date." . Zak said, "Well, we've had peace with the Klingons for decades. I'm guessing they may be upgrading K-7 yet again soon, what with the tensions and the Klingon-Gorn war and all." . Hines nodded, "They oughta look at Deep Space Nine for some inspiration. Now THAT is a station that's been through hell in a hand basket!" . Carter interrupted, "Accelerating to impulse power. Warp factor, Commodore?" he turned slightly to glance over his shoulder at him. . Zak answered, "Carter, take us straight away towards Earth at Warp 4 for thirty seconds. Then, Standin, engage MIRAGE and once we're hidden, alter course for the Breen Confederacy at Warp 7." . Carter gave a nod and turned back to the Helm. "Aye, sir. Setting a course for home, Warp 4." . Standin also acknowledged, "MIRAGE standing by ... still ... sirs." Thirty seconds later he announed, "MIRAGE engaged!" . Carter gave a nod, "All right, altering course to 140 mark 218, Warp 7." ==/\== . Zak turned his head to his Executive Officer. "Colonel, I think we need to get folks up to speed. I don't think we need to gather in the lounge, most are right here. Tabby, get Main Engineering and Sickbay on an open comm line, please."
. "Yeah, yeah," Tabby groaned. "You know, I can do that with my eyes closed by now, right, sir? Getting the comm line." . "Sir," Relok asked, "What about Den?" . Zak smirked back at Relok, "I think that's why we don't see him here, Commander. Our Chief of Security and Tactical Operations is probably reviewing the data file even now." . A few seconds later, Tabby nodded that the commline was open and Zak said, "Okay, everyone online?" . In Sickbay, Dr. Shadow K'Trevala adjusted the comm system's volume so that both he and Lt. Katarina Hawke, the Head Nurse and Assistant Chief Medical Officer, could easily hear everything. . In Main Engineering, Bevin also adjusted the volume so she and her team could also clearly hear. . Zak continued, "Let's make sure everyone knows what we're up against. We're headed off into the Breen Confederacy to see what the heck they're up to out there." . Shadow asked, "Whose bright idea was this?" But no-one directly answered that question. . Instead, Patterson said, "Starfleet has not sanctioned this operation in any way. We are effectively on our own, and operating independently. Starfleet Command has even notified us that if we are compromised in any way, our objectives in Breen space will be disavowed, and we will be listed as defectors." He paused and then added, "I want to make this VERY clear to everyone ... this is a Black Ops mission." . Zak's gaze passed around the Bridge, making eye contact with each person there. "Does everyone completely understand?" ==/\== . Relok was first to respond to the Commodore's question. "Acknowledged, Commodore." . T'Lin answered, "Nobody shall know of this mission, sir."
. Tabby spun his chair, his face unusually grim. "Aye, sir." . At the Tertiary Science Station, LtJG. Jackson Carshel, who'd remained quiet until now, gave a curt nod. "Aye," he said. . In Sickbay, Kat blinked and looked at shadow with a confused expression on her face. Shadow raised an eyebrow and said, "I think I was right about getting the antiquated equipment after all." . In Engineering, Bevin asked in her thick Brogue, "Sae, we're gaein ain an thaim lak pirates o' auld?" . Zak smirked at Bevin's response and answered, "Well ... not exactly, Bevin. We're not going in to raid and pillage ... fun as that might be ...," he trailed off. . "Awww, dairn! Waish we caeld!" she said. . Patterson also smirked and said, "Doing some super-secret squirrel stuff. Now, depending on what we find, cloak-and-dagger might come into play ... but mostly just the cloak for now." . Relok asked, "Would it be ... cloak and goggles for now, then?" . Zak rolled his eyes at Relok's comment. . "No," T'Lin said, "the phrase is ... cape and knife, right?" She looked at the nearest Human for confirmation. Though T'Lin had an eidetic memory that forgot nothing, and though she'd traveled all across the galaxy and studied under a wide variety of alien cultures, and though she was fluent in at least ten languages, for some reason, basic Federation Standard English idioms often tripped her up. . That nearest Human happened to be Carshel, who corrected her, "It's cloak and dagger, T'Lin." . Then Bevin interrupted. "Sae ye waint me tae werk an same mair torps an prawbs tae daisript thaim?"
. In Sickbay, Kat began to giggle a bit but then the Commodore said, "So, Shadow, Kat, Bevin ... I'd like verbal recognition of our Black Ops status. You're either with us on our 'defector' status ... or we'll have to maybe restrict you to quarters to ensure our mutiny is successful." Though they couldn't see his face, he gave them a smirk. ==/\== . Kat swallowed her giggle at first, but when Zak mentioned "mutiny" the giggles came right back. She managed to answer through the giggles, "I'm with you, Captain." . Bevin responded, "Weel, thairs pribibly samethin o' a daifict staitis ain me awready." She paused then clearly announced, "I'm ain." . Shadow stalled a moment longer, then said, "Under duress ... but, someone has to heal the damage that gets inflicted, so count me in as well." . Zak smiled. "Well, now that that formality is out of the way ... let's talk a little about what we might expect." He took a breath and began, "We know the Breen had some kind of energy-dampening weapon, kind of like the Kyrathians' energy-siphoning pods. They used them on us during the Dominion War." . Relok said, "But, we countered that weapon during the war, right?" . Zak answered, "Well, yeah, Relok, we did, but ... there's been decades since then, right? They probably made improvements on the weapon, and ... we don't know what those are yet." . Patterson said, "It's actually not too hard to believe that Starfleet Intelligence designed their Integrity Field Siphon based on the information that Kira Nerys got for us during the Dominion War." . Bevin asked, "D'we hae tha data an thair saifin waipin? We mait cambaine ait wi tha Kyraithian's tae use baik an tha Breen."
. Zak answered, "We don't have that data, yet, Bevin. I would hope that our Bug Zapper might work against them, or that our advanced shielding will be resistant, but ... until we encounter it, or observe it, we're in the dark. That's kind of why we're taking this mission." . Bevin scowled. "Hmmm, we're tha gainny paigs fer Stairflait Air ain Day." . MAX spoke up then. "The information we have in the database is based on details from the captured Jem'Hadar fighter that Kira Nerys had managed to commandeer. I will relay the data file to Console 47-G in Main Engineering for you, Commander MacArdry." . Bevin thanked the A.I. in Gaelic first, "Tapadh leibh gu dearbh," then added the Federation Standard translation, in spite of her thick Brogue, "Thaink ye sae mich." ==/\== . Zak added then, "We also don't know just how interactive their alliance with the other members of their 'Typhon Pact' is. Will there be Tholians in Breen space? Kenzekki? Kanyeeshans?" . Patterson interrupted to correct the Commodore, "Tzenkethi and Kinshayans, sir." . T'Lin just said, "It is always a possibility, but we will not know until we get there and find out." . Patterson added, "The Breen are fairly territorial. It's not likely we'll encounter any other members of the Typhon Pact ... however, it is a possibility we need to be prepared for. Carter, a Tholian Web would be a very bad thing for us." . Carter twisted his head, cracking his neck. "If we punch a single Tholian outta the way and make a hole, I can fly through it." . "Well," Shadow said, "If any of them are reptilian races, we might be able to drop the temps of their ships to the point to put them into near hibernation, and possibly crystallize the Tholians."
. Kat said, "But what if they aren't all reptilians? Then only the reptilians will go to sleep, and that would alert anyone still awake on the ships wouldn't it?" . Shadow countered by saying, "It still would inhibit ship efficiency." . "Only by half," Kat said, "If we're lucky. As long as there's still a weapons specialist on the ships, they can still attack. Though ... that may still be enough." . Zak said, "The only reptilians I know of would be the Gorn. But ... some of the Breen use refrigerated suits, so, cooling those down wouldn't help much." . Patterson said, "Starfleet's SOG," that's the Special Operations Group, "attempted to utilize a variety of aerosols against the Breen during the ending months of the Dominion War. It wasn't very effective ... probably due to their suits. I would know, I was there." . Relok then added, "Commodore ... I think I remember reading a report that the Breen Confederacy encompasses multiple species, correct? That what we call 'Breen' aren't all the same species?" . Bevin agreed, "Tha's wha I haird, ailsae!" . "Oh! That's right, Relok!" Zak said, reminded. "Yeah, there's like four distinct species that are all called Breen. I'll have to provide that to Sciences and Medical for reference." He stopped, took a breath, and looked around. "So ... let's stay sharp folks. We'll be behind enemy lines in a few hours." Sickbay: . Dr. Shadow K'Trevala and Lt. Katarina Hawke were moving around Sickbay, cataloguing and inventorying their restocked supplies and making sure everything was ready in case of emergency. . Shadow had brought out several sets of old-fashioned, non-powered, surgical equipment as well and had them placed at each of the triage stations, just in case they might have to do without power in a pinch.
. On a hunch (or maybe on some empathic sense of her subconscious thoughts), Shadow smiled at Kat and pulled out an old-style autoclave device used to sterilize the old instruments and began showing her how to set it up and use it. . Kat watched, wide-eyed, as Shadow demonstrated the autoclave. She wasn't quite sure she liked the super-hot pressurized steam device or the other old-fashioned tools. . Shadow sensed her dislike and said, "Kat, I'm not that wild about it either, but if we need to use it, then we'll know how to use it, as a backup system to all the things we have now." . Kat gave a reluctant nod. "That is true, though I am unfamiliar with a time when we would need one, unless a race were completely against modern devices that would do more good than this one." . Shadow waved at the autoclave. This sterilizes by high pressure steam that can be drained away from the cooling systems for the coolants from the Warp engines. Not quite as effective as the sonic sterilizers, but it can be used in a pinch. And if all the power is needed for keeping the ship going, then we still have a back-up system to use." . Kat admitted, "That does make sense, at least. Hopefully we won't have to use it though." In spite of her reluctance, she continued to dutifully study the device as well as the other old-style tools. . Then a call came from the Bridge that the Commodore had requested their attention. She and Shadow both turned to listen carefully. . (And the rest is told above.)