S&S&ST Chapter Ten: A Test of Faith
Outline
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
“Come to the simulation room,” he whispered, “There is to be an announcement on a matter of some importance to you.” Jim agreed to this and the next day made a silly excuse to bow out of an all night bar-hopping session which he had been looking forward to all week. Spock, who concluded that his real purpose had something to do with Kobayashi Maru, did not press him and proceeded to enjoy a delightfully drunken evening.
Kirke arrived ten minutes early and waited outside with the other members of his simulation crew. From inside the test room came the sounds of an argument. “This is most illogical. You’re nothing but a machine. How should it even by physically possible?” A thud and a grumble let them know that someone had just kicked something and gotten a stubbed toe for his efforts. By and by, the door opened and a really old Vulcan wearing a really pissed off expression emerged.
“I regret to inform you that the Kobayashi Maru test has been cancelled. It will not be reintroduced into the curriculum any time in the foreseeable future.”
“Oh, but sir,” protested Jim, “You can’t do this to me. I’ve been waiting for weeks to take this test! I know I’m ready!”
The old Vulcan considered his request not unsympathetically. “Very well, Jim. You and your team will be the very last people to take the test. Good luck.”
As they entered the simulation room, Kirk turned to the nearest person to him - who just happened to be Bones - and asked, “Who was that pointy-eared bastard?”
“I don’t know,” was the response, “But I like him.”
It started out well, but the news of the cancellation so unsettled Jim that he was unable to concentrate on the task at hand. He missed two Klingon warbirds that he should have known would be there. They had uncloaked in that exact position for more than half the simulations and he should have expected them. But he hadn’t been paying attention and they’d caught him by surprise. Of course, things went downhill from there and it was only a matter of minutes before Kirke’s rescue ship was shot out of the metaphorical sky.
Jim would have thought himself inexcusable if he had been able to sleep at all that first night after failing the test he had been so confident he would pass. The Kobayashi Maru was intended to be a test of character as a leader, but, for Jim at least, a far better indicator of his personality was how he acted afterwards.
He began his period of mourning by putting his fist through a window. The next hour and a half were spent picking bits of transparent aluminum out of his hand. After that, he dragged himself dejectedly through the streets of San Francisco. The mist and fog did not bother him because they mirrored his mood perfectly.
He’d done everything right, and yet he still had to deal with defeat now. But no matter what everyone else said, he simply could not believe that the programmers would be such bastards as to make the test unbeatable. There had to be a way to make it work, there just had to! But now it was cancelled and he would never be able to prove to himself that he had what it took. Ooh, it made him so mad he could just punch something. He looked again at his bandaged hand. Hmm … best not.
Turning an unfamiliar corner, he saw a familiar female figure wearing a familiar slinky red dress. “Uhura!” he called with delight. “I completely forgot that you would be here! But this is wonderful. You must come over to our dorm straight away. Spock will be gleeful to see you.” He stopped as he remembered who he was talking about and began again, “Well, he’ll be relieved to see that you haven’t disappeared off the face of the planet.”
“Oh yes,” she said rather distantly, “I’ll be happy to see him too. But tell me about yourself. How are you liking life at the Academy?”
“It’s great,” he enthused, trying to keep up a show of bravado, “Never have I been so intellectually challenged. And the teachers are fantastic too! Have you met Mr. Scott? I think he’s one of the best teachers…” And so on. Throughout their entire conversation he gave no indication that he had boldly gone and done what every man, woman, and non-humanoid at Starfleet Academy had done - which was to fail the Kobayashi Maru.
Chapter Eleven
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
“Come to the simulation room,” he whispered, “There is to be an announcement on a matter of some importance to you.” Jim agreed to this and the next day made a silly excuse to bow out of an all night bar-hopping session which he had been looking forward to all week. Spock, who concluded that his real purpose had something to do with Kobayashi Maru, did not press him and proceeded to enjoy a delightfully drunken evening.
Kirke arrived ten minutes early and waited outside with the other members of his simulation crew. From inside the test room came the sounds of an argument. “This is most illogical. You’re nothing but a machine. How should it even by physically possible?” A thud and a grumble let them know that someone had just kicked something and gotten a stubbed toe for his efforts. By and by, the door opened and a really old Vulcan wearing a really pissed off expression emerged.
“I regret to inform you that the Kobayashi Maru test has been cancelled. It will not be reintroduced into the curriculum any time in the foreseeable future.”
“Oh, but sir,” protested Jim, “You can’t do this to me. I’ve been waiting for weeks to take this test! I know I’m ready!”
The old Vulcan considered his request not unsympathetically. “Very well, Jim. You and your team will be the very last people to take the test. Good luck.”
As they entered the simulation room, Kirk turned to the nearest person to him - who just happened to be Bones - and asked, “Who was that pointy-eared bastard?”
“I don’t know,” was the response, “But I like him.”
It started out well, but the news of the cancellation so unsettled Jim that he was unable to concentrate on the task at hand. He missed two Klingon warbirds that he should have known would be there. They had uncloaked in that exact position for more than half the simulations and he should have expected them. But he hadn’t been paying attention and they’d caught him by surprise. Of course, things went downhill from there and it was only a matter of minutes before Kirke’s rescue ship was shot out of the metaphorical sky.
Jim would have thought himself inexcusable if he had been able to sleep at all that first night after failing the test he had been so confident he would pass. The Kobayashi Maru was intended to be a test of character as a leader, but, for Jim at least, a far better indicator of his personality was how he acted afterwards.
He began his period of mourning by putting his fist through a window. The next hour and a half were spent picking bits of transparent aluminum out of his hand. After that, he dragged himself dejectedly through the streets of San Francisco. The mist and fog did not bother him because they mirrored his mood perfectly.
He’d done everything right, and yet he still had to deal with defeat now. But no matter what everyone else said, he simply could not believe that the programmers would be such bastards as to make the test unbeatable. There had to be a way to make it work, there just had to! But now it was cancelled and he would never be able to prove to himself that he had what it took. Ooh, it made him so mad he could just punch something. He looked again at his bandaged hand. Hmm … best not.
Turning an unfamiliar corner, he saw a familiar female figure wearing a familiar slinky red dress. “Uhura!” he called with delight. “I completely forgot that you would be here! But this is wonderful. You must come over to our dorm straight away. Spock will be gleeful to see you.” He stopped as he remembered who he was talking about and began again, “Well, he’ll be relieved to see that you haven’t disappeared off the face of the planet.”
“Oh yes,” she said rather distantly, “I’ll be happy to see him too. But tell me about yourself. How are you liking life at the Academy?”
“It’s great,” he enthused, trying to keep up a show of bravado, “Never have I been so intellectually challenged. And the teachers are fantastic too! Have you met Mr. Scott? I think he’s one of the best teachers…” And so on. Throughout their entire conversation he gave no indication that he had boldly gone and done what every man, woman, and non-humanoid at Starfleet Academy had done - which was to fail the Kobayashi Maru.
Chapter Eleven