Unofficial Literary Challenge #39: "Back to Basics"

starswordc · September 2017

Welcome to Unofficial Literary Challenge #39: "Back to Basics"!

"First Command" by @brian334

Did your Academy Flight Team appoint you captain of your Midshipman Training Flight?
Were you presented with a challenging away mission?
Were you assigned as a Department Head or Project Team Leader?

Every potential captain is faced with command responsibilities long before she takes the center seat on a starship. Otherwise how would Starfleet know in whom to place the responsibility for the lives of a highly trained crew? Oh, and a very expensive starship.

What event tested your captain's potential as a command officer before his first command posting?

"Even Roses Smell Like..." by @patrickngo

A shipboard romance goes wrong. Seriously wrong, and now you have two important, even critical, members of your staff ready to kill each other, even to the point of risking the ship. You can't get back to starbase, and you can't let this nonsense continue. How do you deal with it when Love turns to Hate?

"Forerunners' Legacy" by @starswordc

The Federation, the Romulans, and the Klingons were far from the first cultures to build realms to span the stars: warp travel in the Milky Way Galaxy goes back hundreds of thousands if not millions of years. Those who came before, such as the Preservers, the Tkon, the Iconians, and the Inshai Compact, have left many secrets behind. What happens when your crew encounters their leavings? What new discoveries are there that those long before you discovered first?

And what became of these long-gone civilizations? Did they decline quietly over centuries? Fall to a great cataclysm? Ascend to a higher plane of existence? Or do remnants yet survive somewhere in the dark reaches of unexplored space? And what could their fall foretell of our own fates?

As usual, no NSFW content.

The discussion thread is here.

The LC Submission thread is here

Index of previous ULCs (click ULC 31 for earlier entries):

31. There Are 31!
32. New Year, New Changes
33. What Happens on Drozana...
34. Moreau
35. Rhyme Directive
36. Past, Present, and Future
37. Witchcraft and Spycraft

Index of previous ULC Annuals:

/paperweight

starswordc · September 2017

/paperweight

hawku001x · September 2017

The Birok-class I.K.S. Dragunov blew two orbital defense satellites to pieces, over the small colony city of Hokan that was domed on a rogue asteroid in space.

"Ha! We have effectively forced our hand upon these weaklings," celebrated Captain Kronen, a Ferasan and the Klingon Defense Force commanding officer of the ship, on the Bridge. "As is the way of our kind."

Linng, the Tactical Officer and a female Ferasan, nodded. "Conquering people is much easier than negotiating peace. I simply do not understand what the Federation's obsession is with first contact dinner parties?"

"They get to make Data-like small talk," offered Norren, the Chief Engineer and another male Ferasan. "It was cute at first, but now it's borderline Android-appropriation."

Kronen immediately took notice of the two and sat up at them. "Whoa, whoa! You know we don't have very many of our kind in this Klingon/Gorn-infested fleet, let alone this ship, so why don't the two of you go out on a date together? Huh?"

"Captain," interrupted Red, a Klingon and the First Officer. "You can't influence the personal lives of your subordinates? It's unprofessional."

Waving it away, Kronen replied, "Oh, please. Just by being on a ship that could be infested with slime-quenching Bluegill at any moment is a secession of life-based personal legacy to begin with."

"We don't mind, Captain," said Linng, in support.

Norren agreed. "Anything to give the continuation of our species a chance, as well as maintaining a well-oiled command-obey structure on the ship feeds into our obsessive compulsive disorders."

"You could also click a pen a hundred times!" Red called out to them by way of suggestion as the two Ferasans were already walking off the Bridge together.

Kronen looked at Red. "Hope you like loud cat noises above your quarters."

---

The next day, Kronen and Red were aboard the domed colony of Hokan, shooting down stray Kentari rebels with disruptor rifles.

"Ah; just took out two civilians with one blow," Kronen said. "Curious. Are we having too much fun? Is that a thing?"

Red rolled his eyes. "The only 'too much' of anything we've got going on here is your forced-influence on your crew."

"You mean Linng and Norren? Oh, they're having the time of their lives, at the expense of my match-making abilities, which akins one to a god if you think about it."

Just then, both officers in question beamed in, right as expected for the mission, and began assisting in taking over the dome. Only, this time, they appeared to be vexed with each other. "Hope you like your blood all over the carpets, Captain," Linng said, aggressively channeling a separate discourse with Norren, as she began shooting her pistol at Kentari.

"Whoa, whoa? I thought you two were a couple now? I even had the wedding cake toppers dipped in Armus oil and Tribble fur?" Kronen asked, visibly saddened.

Norren engineered an explosive device and set it to go off upon enemy triggering. "That was before I learned Linng hates water. I mean, water? Aquatic-Xindi used to mate in that."

"Well, at least I don't get confused about my own tail!" countered Linng, holding her aim at the sudden appearance of a Lukari. Turning back to Norren, she continued, "It's a part of your body and not a Caitian plotting its revenge against our race for that time we kicked them off our homeworld."

The Engineer pointed at her. "You don't know that!"

"Wait. Were Lukari and Kentari living together in peace here?" Red asked, confused.

Kronen pushed him aside. "No time for irrelevant non-canon, Commander. It's clear these two Ferasans require more intervention from their aggressive-feline Captain: me." He then addressed the star-crossed-haters. "When Bashir and Ezri were trapped on that archaic Deep Space 9 lift, they realized they loved each other and were trading Human saliva with Trill Symbiont protoplasm upon immediate reach of main floor Operations-place. Hense, if we leave you two here, on this random hijacked asteroid, in isolation, you'll attain similarly liquid-trading reciprocation for the benefit of all! Whichever liquids you choose."

"Are you equating them to the romantic-Typhoid-Mary of T'Pol and Charles Tucker the Third?" Red asked, reclaiming a new standing location. "And, should we not cease the conquering of this rock considering the implications of these two races being here at once?"

The Captain clenched his cat-like claws. "They're more than the forced-failure of those pre-Federation Human/Vulcan gawkers! I'd equate them to closer to the likes of Kirk and Edith Keeler, but without the Human traffic faux pas."

"We get it, sir," offered Norren as he retracted his pointing finger, redirecting it to his remote control device after a Lukari tampered with his explosive. "You're saying that our plight supersedes the threat of an uncompleted predestination paradox."

Linng shot a Kentari attempting to save the Lukari about to be blown up. "Yeah, if conforming to your orders will make me forget this hairball-a-thon Engineer, then I do so willingly and with related hacking coughs."

"Then it is settled!" declared Kronen. "Captain to Dragunov, two to beam up, and don't spare the weird molecule phasing effect or any Klingon versions of those quasi-energy microbes."

---

Later, Linng and Norren beamed back to the ship, each side accompanied by a group of Hokan rebels: Linng with the Lukari and Norren with Kentari, both entering the Bridge from opposite sides.

"Sir, we've reignited the old division between these two peoples, as well as devoted our Ferasan lives to killing the other lover," Linng said, pointing a disruptor at Norren, with a renewed sense of discourse. "I refuse to put up with an apologist."

The Chief Engineer nodded, reciprocating and holding up his control device, ready to execute it. "Same. I do not like how she looks like a female version of me."

"What??" replied Kronen. "But I commanded you, twice? Well, this certainly cannot be a result of my tampering as a way to feed my ego. Perhaps, from now on, there should be only no-same-species match-ups on this ship? It's 'alien' or you spend the night alone!"

Red did a double-take. "Sir, that's an even worse form of meddling. We might as well tell the crew what to think and say from now on?"

"I like your initiative!" Kronen said, impressed as he stood up. "I want some kind of 'how to live' bible on my desk in four hours." He then addressed the rest of his Bridge crew in reference to the two warring groups. "Oh, and who are these people? They seem to have come out of nowhere? Strange?" And then he left the room.

cmdrscarlet · March 2018

Starfleet Academy, 2405 …

The four cadets hunched over the digital map displayed on the table. Each also had a PADD detailing the scenario: they were to portray a diplomatic effort to settle a city-wide dispute over where to construct a public transit system. Each of the twenty districts had their own interests which either supported or contrasted to an adjacent district. Paramount considerations were environmental impact and cost to the local government, yet other factors to the proposal were needed such as jobs and public safety. Ultimately, the circuit needed to satisfy the population’s many needs and interests … or at least try. The four groups in the class only had seven hours to analyze the situation and draft a proposal that revealed the most equitable solution.

+++
After the first hour …

Jebal stood straight and crossed his arms. “This is impossible! There are too many variables to consider. No one would be happy with any proposal.” His Bajoran ear loop swung vigorously as he shook his head with frustration.

“That’s the point,” replied the Bolian, Hurte. She waved a hand over the board. “We are not meant to please everyone, just most of the population. The goal is to develop a cost-effective and efficient transit plan. This is not the Kobayashi Maru, so there is a winning solution. We just need to have a better plan the rest of the class.” She looked over her shoulder to the other groups similarly hunched over tables, tapping furiously on PADDs and having muted discussions.

Kathryn watched the exchange and then continued entering calculations on her PADD.

Steve waved a hand to get the others attention while also tapping on his PADD. “Guys, we need to start somewhere. Seven hours can go by quick, so I’ll throw something at the wall first, so to speak.” After tapping a few more keys, the city image added a golden-colored line that weaved around structures or ran parallel to roads. “Obviously, we can’t use flying transportation: the safety risks are too great for transport capacity desired. Ground vehicle transportation would require maintaining a fleet and scheduling which makes it inefficient. That leaves electro-magnetic rail. It’s faster, easier to maintain and schedule. Frankly, it’s the simplest solution.”

He looked over each shoulder as if to make sure no one was spying on them. “The other teams are likely to have the same consideration, so we just need to have a better route than they do.”

+++
After two hours, outside the classroom …

Hurte raised the cool cup to her forehead and patted a few times. She looked to her group partner. “You’ve been pretty quiet through this project, everything okay?”

Kathryn took a sip from her own cup and shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t want to come across as disinterested. Really, I’m just listening to ideas and crunching numbers.”

“Well, Steve has grumbled about your lack of input a few times.”

“Oh, really? Why didn’t he say anything to me?”

Hurte rolled her eyes. “You know him; he’s a nest-poker.”

Kathryn looked confused, “a … what?”

The Bolian looked over Kathryn's shoulder toward the classroom. “A nest-poker. You know, he likes to cause trouble without being obvious.”

Realization came to Kathryn and she giggled. “Oh! Right, yes. I suppose so. If he says something again, please tell him to talk to me and I’ll settle it.”

“Of course, I apologize for not saying something earlier.”

Kathryn smiled and the two took sips from their drink.

+++
After three hours …

The Bajoran stood strait and stretched. Jebal spoke through clenched teeth as bones cracked from changing position. “Team, I think we are going to lose this round.”

Steve wore a frown as he rubbed weary eyes, “Only if we give up. We’re not even halfway through the time limit.”

Hurte kept staring at the map. “There are just a few districts where the simulations seem to falter.” She looked up to the other groups and saw a Rigelian cadet suddenly tap at his PADD forcefully before throwing it to the ground with a growl. It shattered, surprising everyone. He apologized before exiting the room in a huff. “At least we are not alone feeling frustrated.”

“I’ve got an idea.” Kathryn placed her PADD on the table.

“Oh, now she has idea?” Steve’s mood darkened quickly.

Kathryn sternly glanced at Steve acknowledging the barbed comment before turning to the others and calmly replied, “I know I’ve not contributed much except to support suggestions –“.

“You think?” Steve interrupted.

Hurte put a hand out as if to lower the tension.

Kathryn leaned on the table toward Steve and whispered, “We can either take it outside, or you can give me a minute. After three hours, that shouldn’t be too hard for anyone on the planet. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Jebal and Hurte looked to each other and silently agreed not to take sides.

After a few seconds without a response, Kathryn tapped a few keys on the table console and the map adjusted. The proposed transit line the team had developed shifted and symbols appeared under the line.

The group looked at the transforming image and the tension seemed to dissipate. Steve pointed at the table, “is that … do you mean to have an elevated railway?”

Kathryn smiled. “Why not? Instead of building a rail system through neighborhoods, how about over them?”

The other three looked to one another and then quickly grabbed their PADDS to key information as if to verify a new discovery.

Jebal looked up first. “But that’s not a part of the project rules.”

Grinning, Kathryn asked, “are there any restrictions to the solution?”

Hurte answered, “No. The only guide is for the districts and that we must negotiate an equitable solution to maximize benefit to the population.”

Jebal seemed to be stunned. He looked to the other groups. “So … we all assumed the mass transit system had to be built in the communities because we were given details to negotiate around them?”

Kathyn nodded. “Consider this scenario.” She tapped on her PADD, sending data to the table which started to run the simulation again. Numbers crawled along the four corner edges for each participant to see. Meanwhile, the image rotated and moved following design patterns from the data.

Steve’s eyes widened when the simulation ended. “That’s … too easy. There must be a problem with it.”

Kathryn shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not saying this is the best idea though. Let’s take a break for fifteen minutes. When we get back, let’s run some more numbers. We’ve got the time, right?”

+++
The next day …

The instructor was reviewing the class project results. Kathryn sat in a chair facing the grizzled veteran-turned-instructor and was naturally curious why she was called to his office. Again.

He nodded without further inflection and lowered the PADD to the table. “Let me get to the point, Cadet. Your team’s solution to the problem, although not innovative, was also not expected, given the parameters. I’m curious how your team came to that idea.”

Shrugging slightly, Kathryn answered, “It was a team effort, sir. We brainstormed ideas and tested them until we found a solution that best fit within the goals of the project.” She smiled demurely.

The instructor copied her smile and then countered, “According to your classmates, you were the one to propose the solution and developed the base code while also working with their ideas.”

“They give me too much credit, sir.”

“Maybe so, but when three other Cadets tell the same story, then I wouldn’t call that a coincidence.”

Kathryn sat silently, unsure how to respond or if she even should to that comment.

The instructor continued. “Regardless, it was a good idea and resulted to the highest score for this project in three years. Your leadership is a testament to that fact. Well done, Cadet. Dismissed.”

Unofficial Literary Challenge #39: "Back to Basics"

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