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A Test of Character
ryan218
Member Posts: 36,106 Arc User
Author's Note: I can't even remember what prompted this, but I was inspired to write this earlier today and, as they say, strike while the iron is hot.
Starfleet Academy, November 2254, Earth Calendar.
“Main Circuit One, all decks. General Quarters. I say again, General Quarters. Set Condition Red, all stations. This is not a drill. Responding to a starship in distress. General Quarters, General Quarters.” Cadet Lionel Mackee turned from the Communications station as the shrill wail of the Reed Alarm filled the bridge, running his fingers to flip off the Main Infra-ship Communication Circuit. He looked to the young, auburn-haired man pacing the conn. “Kobayashi Maru signal repeats, Captain.”
“Any response to our hails?” The young ‘captain’, wearing the blue uniform of a fellow cadet, queried over his shoulder.
“No sir. They may be unable to receive our transmissions.”
“Corrigan, any life signs aboard the freighter?” The ‘captain’ turned to a cadet manning the science station.
“I can’t get a clear reading from this distance. There’s too much radiation,” Corrigan replied, still looking through the sensor scope, turning the resolution dial on the side.
“Alright, that tears it.” The ‘captain’ cadet marched to the helm and looked over the first-year cadet at the station’s shoulder. “Take us in, Mr. Teller.”
“Jim…” Teller glanced over apprehensively, “the Kobayashi Maru is on the Klingon side of the border.”
“I’m aware of that. Take us in. Mackee, notify Starfleet of our situation, and open a channel towards Klingon space, all known subspace wavelengths.”
Mackee pressed his earpiece to his eardrum, pushing a few buttons on the gloss black control console before flipping open the subspace transceiver circuit. “Channel open.”
“This is Captain James T. Kirk, commanding the Federation starship currently at a position approximately 24 light years beyond your border, coreward of the star mutually recognised as ‘Donatu’. We are engaged in rescue operations which necessitate our incursion into your space. We mean you no harm and will depart immediately upon completion of our rescue efforts. That is, unless you have any objections?”
Kirk looked back at Mackee as he strolled to the Command Chair in the centre of the Bridge, the Communications ‘officer’ shaking his head. “No response.”
“Crossing the border now.” Teller remarked, plugging a quick course correction into the helm. “We are now in violation of Klingon territory.”
“Captain.” Mackee snapped around from his console. “All transmissions from the Kobayashi Maru have ceased. I can’t raise them.”
“Sensor contact, long range!” Corrigan called from the science station. “Klingon Battlecruiser, Classification D5!” He adjusted his scope one more time. “Correction! Three ships, all D5!”
“Inform them we’re on a rescue mission. Maintain course.” Kirk settled in his seat and watched as the stars streaked past on the viewscreen.
Mackee shook his head. “No response, and I’ve lost contact with Starfleet! They’re jamming—”
“Raise shields, charge plasma banks.”
The cadet on the Operations position punched in the energy commands to bring the weapons and shields to power. “Plasma cannons charging! Deflectors on, full intensity!”
“Alter course, Teller. Come to 085 mark 63. Accelerate to Warp Factor Four.”
“Aye sir, 085 mark 63, warp four!”
“They’re staying with us!” Corrigan informed. “Energy emissions increasing. They’re preparing to fire!”
“Now! 30 degrees starboard, full ahead flank!” Kirk calls.
The bridge lurched to the right as the pitch of the engine tone grew higher and higher. Corrigan watched as the lead Klingon battlecruiser fired a photon torpedo, the weapon immediately losing its target track as the Starfleet vessel suddenly changed course and speed, passing astern. “Torpedo evaded! Second ship now firing!”
“90 degrees port, 20 degrees down! Engines all stop!”
Again, the abrupt manoeuvre threw off the incoming torpedo, but each time the Klingons get increasingly closer. Corrigan’s eyes widened and he turned back to Kirk. “Two more Klingon vessels, coming into range now! I don’t think we can keep this up, Jim!”
“Teller…” Kirk rose from his seat and marched to Teller, leaning down at the astrogation readout. “On my signal, execute a full-power warp jump, first to here,” he points at a nearby nebula near the Kobayashi Maru, “then here, next to the freighter. Kyle, I’ll need you to fire a spread of photon torpedoes to detonate just ahead of the main Klingon division. The energy burst should mask their sensors for just a moment.”
“They’re firing again!”
“Lasers fire! Evasive action!”
Kyle, at the Operations station, quickly fired the ‘laser’ plasma cannons, the red bolts lashing out at the incoming torpedo as the ship once again lurched violently.
“Course plotted sir.” Teller reported, taking a brief moment to collect himself as the Klingon torpedo was shot down just before impact.
“Engage!” Kirk commanded, gritting his teeth as his eyes fixated on the viewscreen. Five violet-red orbs blasted from the ship towards the closing Klingons before a scene disappeared in a flash as the ship dashed through the light barrier. “Come on…come on…”
Moments later, the damaged form of the Kobayashi Maru emerged on the screen, venting drive plasma. In the distance, Kirk made out the two new Klingon cruisers turning on them. Kirk grins with satisfaction, clapping the back of Teller’s seat and marching back to his command chair. “Drop shields, beam the Kobayashi Maru survivors aboard! Polarise hull plating!”
There was a frenzy of tones and whines as the crew raced to comply with Kirk’s orders, the ship shaking violently as one of the Klingon ships hammered Kirk’s with disruptor fire. “Return fire, all weapons!”
A stream of plasma bolts hammered the Klingon ship, followed by a photon torpedo which breached the shield and blasted straight through the starboard wing, sending it out of control. The second ship veered away, taking a few pot shots at the Starfleet ship as it passed. After a moment, Corrigan called from his post, “The survivors are aboard, sir!”
“Let us get out of here, helm!”
Almost as quickly as the engine drone picked up to respond to the warp command, they were silenced, the crackles and smoke of battle damage disappearing as the room fills with light, the computer displays shutting down. From the turbolift, a Starfleet Captain stepped in with a PADD. “Cadets, report to the briefing room.” As the cadets all exchanged congratulatory glances, smiling as they left the simulator, the Captain holds his arm out in front of Kirk. “Not you, Kirk.”
_____
Several hours later…
Kirk straightened his uniform, clearing his throat as he was summoned into a conference room. Around the central table were several officers, some of whom he recognised, Captain Garrovick of the Starship Farragut, flanked on his right by a Commander whom Kirk presumed was his First Officer; then Commander Janet Marlow, in charge of the simulator wing; and at the head of the table was Commodore Robert April, one of the most decorated officers in Starfleet’s history and former Captain of the Starship Enterprise. The young Kirk felt his pulse rise in mild terror as all eyes fixed on him.
“Cadet Kirk, how did you complete the Kobayashi Maru test?” April starts.
“Sir?”
“Maybe this will help your memory. Jan?”
Marlow activated the central viewer, showing a series of code blocks, several sections highlighted in red. “Someone reprogrammed the simulator, changing no fewer than five reference lines in the Kobayashi Maru programme. You.”
Kirk cleared his throat before answering. “Yes, sir.” After a moment’s silence, indicating he was supposed to elaborate, he continued, “I reprogrammed the simulator to replace the statistical capabilities of the Klingon warships with their known factual capabilities. They were originally…exaggerated.”
“You changed the conditions of the test, Cadet.”
“Yes sir.”
April straightened in his seat, drumming his fingers on the table pointedly. “Kirk, you cheated.”
“Permission to speak freely?” After April motioned permissively, Kirk responded, “I substituted an unrealistically superior opponent with their factual abilities. I did not alter the odds and I did not change the capabilities of the simulator-ship or the real D5 cruiser. You could argue that I stopped the computer from cheating.”
Garrovick raised his hand to his face to conceal a smirk, before April glowers at him and then Kirk. “Cadet, you missed the point of the test.”
“The test is designed to be unbeatable, correct? Then since it can’t be intended to gauge our tactical capabilities, it must be intended to see how we respond to failure. A test of character?”
“Correct.”
“This was my third attempt, sir. You have already seen my response to failure, twice. But, with all respect, I didn’t feel the test conditions adequately presented my character, sir.”
“How so?”
Kirk smiles a little. “I don’t believe in a ‘No-Win Scenario’.”
_____
Author's Note, Supplemental: Everytime I revisit TOS I come away with a new appreciation for Kirk. I did a bit of trawling through Memory Alpha to double-check timeline issues, so to address a few obvious points:
Starfleet Academy, November 2254, Earth Calendar.
“Main Circuit One, all decks. General Quarters. I say again, General Quarters. Set Condition Red, all stations. This is not a drill. Responding to a starship in distress. General Quarters, General Quarters.” Cadet Lionel Mackee turned from the Communications station as the shrill wail of the Reed Alarm filled the bridge, running his fingers to flip off the Main Infra-ship Communication Circuit. He looked to the young, auburn-haired man pacing the conn. “Kobayashi Maru signal repeats, Captain.”
“Any response to our hails?” The young ‘captain’, wearing the blue uniform of a fellow cadet, queried over his shoulder.
“No sir. They may be unable to receive our transmissions.”
“Corrigan, any life signs aboard the freighter?” The ‘captain’ turned to a cadet manning the science station.
“I can’t get a clear reading from this distance. There’s too much radiation,” Corrigan replied, still looking through the sensor scope, turning the resolution dial on the side.
“Alright, that tears it.” The ‘captain’ cadet marched to the helm and looked over the first-year cadet at the station’s shoulder. “Take us in, Mr. Teller.”
“Jim…” Teller glanced over apprehensively, “the Kobayashi Maru is on the Klingon side of the border.”
“I’m aware of that. Take us in. Mackee, notify Starfleet of our situation, and open a channel towards Klingon space, all known subspace wavelengths.”
Mackee pressed his earpiece to his eardrum, pushing a few buttons on the gloss black control console before flipping open the subspace transceiver circuit. “Channel open.”
“This is Captain James T. Kirk, commanding the Federation starship currently at a position approximately 24 light years beyond your border, coreward of the star mutually recognised as ‘Donatu’. We are engaged in rescue operations which necessitate our incursion into your space. We mean you no harm and will depart immediately upon completion of our rescue efforts. That is, unless you have any objections?”
Kirk looked back at Mackee as he strolled to the Command Chair in the centre of the Bridge, the Communications ‘officer’ shaking his head. “No response.”
“Crossing the border now.” Teller remarked, plugging a quick course correction into the helm. “We are now in violation of Klingon territory.”
“Captain.” Mackee snapped around from his console. “All transmissions from the Kobayashi Maru have ceased. I can’t raise them.”
“Sensor contact, long range!” Corrigan called from the science station. “Klingon Battlecruiser, Classification D5!” He adjusted his scope one more time. “Correction! Three ships, all D5!”
“Inform them we’re on a rescue mission. Maintain course.” Kirk settled in his seat and watched as the stars streaked past on the viewscreen.
Mackee shook his head. “No response, and I’ve lost contact with Starfleet! They’re jamming—”
“Raise shields, charge plasma banks.”
The cadet on the Operations position punched in the energy commands to bring the weapons and shields to power. “Plasma cannons charging! Deflectors on, full intensity!”
“Alter course, Teller. Come to 085 mark 63. Accelerate to Warp Factor Four.”
“Aye sir, 085 mark 63, warp four!”
“They’re staying with us!” Corrigan informed. “Energy emissions increasing. They’re preparing to fire!”
“Now! 30 degrees starboard, full ahead flank!” Kirk calls.
The bridge lurched to the right as the pitch of the engine tone grew higher and higher. Corrigan watched as the lead Klingon battlecruiser fired a photon torpedo, the weapon immediately losing its target track as the Starfleet vessel suddenly changed course and speed, passing astern. “Torpedo evaded! Second ship now firing!”
“90 degrees port, 20 degrees down! Engines all stop!”
Again, the abrupt manoeuvre threw off the incoming torpedo, but each time the Klingons get increasingly closer. Corrigan’s eyes widened and he turned back to Kirk. “Two more Klingon vessels, coming into range now! I don’t think we can keep this up, Jim!”
“Teller…” Kirk rose from his seat and marched to Teller, leaning down at the astrogation readout. “On my signal, execute a full-power warp jump, first to here,” he points at a nearby nebula near the Kobayashi Maru, “then here, next to the freighter. Kyle, I’ll need you to fire a spread of photon torpedoes to detonate just ahead of the main Klingon division. The energy burst should mask their sensors for just a moment.”
“They’re firing again!”
“Lasers fire! Evasive action!”
Kyle, at the Operations station, quickly fired the ‘laser’ plasma cannons, the red bolts lashing out at the incoming torpedo as the ship once again lurched violently.
“Course plotted sir.” Teller reported, taking a brief moment to collect himself as the Klingon torpedo was shot down just before impact.
“Engage!” Kirk commanded, gritting his teeth as his eyes fixated on the viewscreen. Five violet-red orbs blasted from the ship towards the closing Klingons before a scene disappeared in a flash as the ship dashed through the light barrier. “Come on…come on…”
Moments later, the damaged form of the Kobayashi Maru emerged on the screen, venting drive plasma. In the distance, Kirk made out the two new Klingon cruisers turning on them. Kirk grins with satisfaction, clapping the back of Teller’s seat and marching back to his command chair. “Drop shields, beam the Kobayashi Maru survivors aboard! Polarise hull plating!”
There was a frenzy of tones and whines as the crew raced to comply with Kirk’s orders, the ship shaking violently as one of the Klingon ships hammered Kirk’s with disruptor fire. “Return fire, all weapons!”
A stream of plasma bolts hammered the Klingon ship, followed by a photon torpedo which breached the shield and blasted straight through the starboard wing, sending it out of control. The second ship veered away, taking a few pot shots at the Starfleet ship as it passed. After a moment, Corrigan called from his post, “The survivors are aboard, sir!”
“Let us get out of here, helm!”
Almost as quickly as the engine drone picked up to respond to the warp command, they were silenced, the crackles and smoke of battle damage disappearing as the room fills with light, the computer displays shutting down. From the turbolift, a Starfleet Captain stepped in with a PADD. “Cadets, report to the briefing room.” As the cadets all exchanged congratulatory glances, smiling as they left the simulator, the Captain holds his arm out in front of Kirk. “Not you, Kirk.”
_____
Several hours later…
Kirk straightened his uniform, clearing his throat as he was summoned into a conference room. Around the central table were several officers, some of whom he recognised, Captain Garrovick of the Starship Farragut, flanked on his right by a Commander whom Kirk presumed was his First Officer; then Commander Janet Marlow, in charge of the simulator wing; and at the head of the table was Commodore Robert April, one of the most decorated officers in Starfleet’s history and former Captain of the Starship Enterprise. The young Kirk felt his pulse rise in mild terror as all eyes fixed on him.
“Cadet Kirk, how did you complete the Kobayashi Maru test?” April starts.
“Sir?”
“Maybe this will help your memory. Jan?”
Marlow activated the central viewer, showing a series of code blocks, several sections highlighted in red. “Someone reprogrammed the simulator, changing no fewer than five reference lines in the Kobayashi Maru programme. You.”
Kirk cleared his throat before answering. “Yes, sir.” After a moment’s silence, indicating he was supposed to elaborate, he continued, “I reprogrammed the simulator to replace the statistical capabilities of the Klingon warships with their known factual capabilities. They were originally…exaggerated.”
“You changed the conditions of the test, Cadet.”
“Yes sir.”
April straightened in his seat, drumming his fingers on the table pointedly. “Kirk, you cheated.”
“Permission to speak freely?” After April motioned permissively, Kirk responded, “I substituted an unrealistically superior opponent with their factual abilities. I did not alter the odds and I did not change the capabilities of the simulator-ship or the real D5 cruiser. You could argue that I stopped the computer from cheating.”
Garrovick raised his hand to his face to conceal a smirk, before April glowers at him and then Kirk. “Cadet, you missed the point of the test.”
“The test is designed to be unbeatable, correct? Then since it can’t be intended to gauge our tactical capabilities, it must be intended to see how we respond to failure. A test of character?”
“Correct.”
“This was my third attempt, sir. You have already seen my response to failure, twice. But, with all respect, I didn’t feel the test conditions adequately presented my character, sir.”
“How so?”
Kirk smiles a little. “I don’t believe in a ‘No-Win Scenario’.”
_____
Author's Note, Supplemental: Everytime I revisit TOS I come away with a new appreciation for Kirk. I did a bit of trawling through Memory Alpha to double-check timeline issues, so to address a few obvious points:
- Firstly, the canon timeline around Kirk is so tangled, that going off Memory Alpha he would have joined Starfleet in 2252, graduated the same year, done a tour of duty aboard the USS Republic as an Ensign in the 'mid-2250s', while supposedly also doing a tenure as an academy instructor and being assigned to the USS Farragut in 2255. Since 'Republic' later was mentioned in DS9 as a training ship (and I'm sort of treating the name as similar to many RN 'stone frigates', where the name passes to each ship serving as the training establishment's training/barracks ship at the time) I'm retconning the 'Republic' cruise as being a training cruise while Kirk was a third-year cadet, since that would make him roughly-analogous to a midshipman and the dialogue discrepancy could be explained as 'Ensign Kirk' meaning 'Acting Ensign Kirk'.
- Since there is no accounting for Kirk supposedly joining the Academy in 2252 and immediately graduating, and as far as I can tell MA's evidence from that was unused dialogue, I'm writing that off as a plain simple continuity error. If Kirk started in fall 2252, he would graduate around mid-2256. Since I could see him graduating early, let's say he graduated with the class of 2255 and was assigned immediately to Farragut.
- If I recall correctly (and there's no guarantee of that), Nog did his practical duty training on DS9 in his second or third year. Since it would seem logical for the Kobayashi Maru to be used to evaluate cadets ahead of their first training cruise, and for that cruise to last roughly one semester, that would make the Kobayashi Maru test one of the last practical exams in the first semester of second or third year, with the training cruise on 'Republic' commencing the following semester. I erred on the side of caution and opted for third year, so November-December 2254.
- I liked the 'submarine warfare' style TOS went for, so I emulated that with a little knowledge of air-to-air combat thrown in.
- I'm ignoring the idea that 'Binary Stars' was the first contact between the Federation and Klingons in a century. In TUC Spock referred to the Klingon-Federation Cold War lasting seventy years, and based on that a timeline seen in the 'Defiant's' databanks in 'In a Mirror Darkly' shows the cold war as starting around 2223. On top of that, there's references on Memory Alpha to a battle of 'Donatu V' in 2245 citing 'The Trouble with Tribbles' as a source. I can believe TOS being retconned on a fairly minor detail like that - I can't believe Spock getting the length of hostilities with the Klingons wrong to the extent of three decades, especially if the hostilities supposedly began at what DSC presents as a fairly tumultuous time in his life (by Vulcan standards, anyway). On top of that, even DSC makes note of several small skirmishes or 'terrorist incidents' preceding the Battle of the Binary Stars, so I'm just going to ignore the 'lack of contact' statement as poor writing and rather an indicator that when the Klingon Empire descended into infighting ahead of T'Kuvma's rallying cry, 'official' contact stopped as the Federation lost track of who the 'official' Klingon government were, and decided to just ignore it. I know, it's so hard to believe the Federation would ignore an obvious security threat, right? /sarcasm
- No, I'm not considering DSC non-canon. I'm just also not going to retcon bits of canon which agreed largely consistently for quarter of a century in favour of minor exposition which contradicts completely established canon taking place both before and after it, especially when the exposition is stupid.
- Yes, I really did go trawling through Memory Alpha to get such specific details right instead of basing it largely off of what I knew was definitely canon. Yes, I am quite mad, why do you ask?
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