This is the Kobayashi Maru....

Posted on Wed Nov 1st, 2023 @ 8:17am by Lieutenant Commander P’rel M.D

Mission: Character Development
Location: Holodeck
Timeline: Whenever...
874 words - 1.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Grudgingly, the new Lieutenant Commander entered the holodeck to commence another one of the unnecessary yet mandatory command training packages. This is what Kane meant by 'penance' she fumed internally, setting the holodeck controls to run a version of the infamous Kobayashi Maru simulation. She could certainly understand the point of it, at least for relatively young officers with a command ambition, but for her it was just yet another useless, pointless distraction from her main job.

"Computer. Begin simulation" she stated.

Please state parameters

If looks could overload a computer.... "Assign random crew, random vessel. Commence".

The computer chirped and within a second or two, the room had morphed into an Intrepid Class bridge with an unfamiliar crew manning the stations. She walked around took a seat in the command chair, noting there was no First Officer to her left. It was doubtlessly a trick by the examiners built into the design, and she wasn't falling for it; 'teamwork makes the dream work...' she muttered as she recalled another human idiom. "Computer, add a competent first officer, with commensurate skills and experience as would be expected in this position".

The computer again chirped and Commander Zora appeared in the XO chair. "Computer. I said a competent first officer..."

Please restate query

"Delete the First Officer" P'rel replied, aware that a slight annoyance had crept into her voice. Doubtlessly yet another examiners trick, she mused, with the computer compiling logs, records and psychometric profiles to generate someone she could barely stand to be in the same room as...yet would have to work with for survival. "Not today..." she muttered.

"Captain" a young Bolian man said from the helm console as he slid across from left to right to read the full display. "There's a vessel dead ahead, civilian...they are transmitting a distress signal."

'Of course they are...' P'rel rolled her eyes inwardly. "Let's hear it".

treme distress...I say again, this is the Kobayashi Maru...we have hit a cloaked mine and have sustained heavy damage. Extreme distress....I say again - " P'rel motioned for the audio to cut.

"Ensign" P'rel began, speaking to the Bolian. "Time to intercept at full impulse?".

"Fifty Seven seconds Captain" he responded.

P'rel looked over her right shoulder to the tactical console, noting a greying female Vulcan ready to offer an input. "Captain. The vessel has drifted across the border and are in space claimed by the Tal Shiar. We cannot attempt a rescue without violating treaty".

"We can't just leave them to die..." a human ensign piped up from the Operations console. "Captain..."

"Oh isn't this all convenient..." P'rel muttered. "Ensign move us in. Red alert, ready all weapons".

The viewscreen changed to a view of the stricken ship with overlays on it's condition, distance and the surrounding background readings. It didn't look like it had hit a mine. There was too much damage on both sides of the vessel as it slowly rolled in space; too much for what one would expect with a single point of impact. The readouts soon showed they were within transporter range.

"Captain..." the Vulcan at tactical stated with an urgency so subtle that only another Vulcan would have picked up on it.

Cutting the officer off, P'rel almost sighed as she stole the words from her fellow Vulcan "...three warbirds decloaking directly ahead...". The computer took a moment to catch up with unexpected input as the hologram froze for just a fraction of a second before returning to do 'something' on the console.

"Open hailing frequencies...wideband audio" P'rel ordered as she stood and made her way to the centre of the command platform. "This is the Federation Starship..." she cursed as she turned around, looking over to the Master System Display to see what the ship was even called "...Expedition". The readouts on the viewscreen had switched to a tactical overlay, showing the weapons on the warbirds were powered and targeting them. Clearly this was a Tal Shiar ruse; a way to draw a Federation starship across the border and engage in combat, gaining some leverage in the interstellar diplomatic realms and most likely capturing a vessel at the same time. "Your tactic is flawed".

She turned around and faced Tactical again. "Destroy the Kobayashi Maru. Quantum torpedoes, full spread". The computer didn't generate a character objection and four blue torpedoes streaked across space as she watched on the viewscreen. Disappearing inside the stricken freighter, they detonated with a resounding force from within, the antimatter shockwave giving them a small window. "Ensign, escape course, maximum warp". The helm officer complied and the 'Expedition' jumped to warp.

Simulation Complete

The bridge and it's officers disappeared and turned back into the familar holodeck. Though unorthodox, she was looking forward to explaining to Commander Zora that the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, and that sacrificing one ship to prevent further attacks and further loss of life was an entirely proper and logical solution.

Results filed with Commander Zora. See Commander Zora for evaluation.

"This really is a punishment..." P'rel muttered as she walked out of the holodeck and back to the intelligence suite.