Maru To You Too

Posted on Sat May 16th, 2020 @ 10:09pm by Lieutenant Bianca Lee

Mission: Around The World in 8 Days
Location: Starfleet Academy
Timeline: 10 Years Ago

Cadet Fourth Class Bianca Lee marched through the quadrangle at the Academy in San Francisco. Saturdays were a great day to be a Cadet, with only a half day of classes (which were now over) before having the rest of the sunny Californian day free. Today was slated to be a beach day, fly a couple hundred kilometers down the coast and just sit back and relax. All that changed in the span of a few steps.

"Cadet Bianca Lee, this is Lieutenant Commander Marshall Dersham, you have an unscheduled tactical exercise in forty-five minutes, collect two bridge crew and report to Tactical Simulator Seven. You will be briefed upon arrival. Acknowledge."

"Acknowledged." Bianca said quietly and the comm clicked off as she stopped dead center of the Quad. "Sheeit." She tapped her badge even as she thought quickly, "Cadets McKenzie and Harmon, report to Tactical Simulator Seven in forty minutes if you're free, I have need of you." She smiled as she got both comm clicks of acknowledgement from her impromptu 'crew'. One of the best cadets from the Helm section and an aspiring engineer who knew their way around anything electronic.

She set off at a fast walk, mind clearing as if for battle, it would take her precisely twenty minutes to get to the simulator requested, but she waited outside the entrance only for another ten minutes before her two friends came along. One was almost obscenely taller than the short redhead, towering a foot and a half over Bianca while the other was only a handful of inches, "What's up B?" He asked in a solid bass voice.

"Don't know, Marty, let's find out." The other cadet was quiet, always really quiet, but Lola McKenzie was just always that way, but a helluva engineer. Bianca took the lead and walked into the simulator where Commander Dersham sat in the Captain's chair of an old starship's bridge and he stood up, glancing over the three cadets.

"Congratulations, Cadet Lee, you're one of the top three of your tactical class and this is your chance to show us if you have what it takes to potentially take command of a starship. This is the Kobayashi Maru test, one for those that aspire to command. At any time, you just have to say End Simulation and walk out if you don't feel up to the task."

He waved a hand at the main viewscreen and an image showed up, "Captain Lee, we have received a distress call from the freighter Kobayashi Maru. They have engine damage and are currently stuck in the Klingon Neutral Zone. We have received a Priority One distress call and have reason to believe that the Klingon Empire has picked up the call. Your mission is to effect a rescue without causing a diplomatic incident with the Empire. Begin." He stepped out of the way of the seat and over to where comm officer would sit.

Bianca took a deep breath. The Kobayashi Maru test was a legend, a myth even, never confirmed but always rumored about. And of course, it always changed with each rumor. She took four slow steps towards the Captain's chair and slowly sat herself down, mind blurring with what she knew about the scenario and what she knew about the Klingons. "McKenzie, take Ops, Harmon take the Helm. Course and speed?"

"Course is dead on the beacon, Sixty-Two mark fourteen, speed is warp seven, ETA ten minutes." Marty responded.

"Time to sensor range of the Neutral Zone?"

Lola spoke very very quietly, "Six minutes." The minimum number of words needed.

Two minutes of thought later, "Helm, drop out of warp at five minutes to the Zone. I want to drop two shuttles, then proceed at their maximum warp to the Zone. Have the pilots and engineers have them radiate Miranda-class starships, Einstein and Magellan. What's their endurance at maximum warp and EW?"

"Two and a half hours." Lola responded again.

"Execute." Bianca commanded. The orders were input, "After we leave warp at the Neutral Zone, I want the third shuttle prepared with a maintenance crew. If we have the chance, I want to send it to the Maru if we're required to stand off the Klingons."

*****Twelve minutes later******

"Entering the Neutral Zone."

"Drop out of warp and do a sensor scan, maximum range." Bianca leaned forward in the chair.

"Kobayashi Maru on sensors, she's fully in Klingon territory." Lola responded, "No other ships on screen."

Bianca exhaled deeply and nodded, "Comm, Commander Dersham, open a channel to the standard Klingon frequencies."

The officer tapped a few buttons and tested it, "Comm is live, Captain." Professional as ever.

"This is Saratoga, Captain Bianca Lee commanding. I am responding to a distress signal from a Federation starship and am moving to render assistance. If any Klingon vessel is present, respond." Confidence, direct intention. But there was no response, "Helm, make our course indirectly towards the Kobayashi Maru." She thought for another moment, "Drop the shuttle, best speed while remaining undetected. Signal the Magellan and Einstein to remain on this side of the Neutral Zone, Electronic Warfare up to max. Comm, any response?"

"No response, Captain."

"Repeat the message, Helm, quarter impulse, take us in."

It was only about thirty seconds before a rough voice came over the commlink, "Saratoga, this is Captain Raz'Kalan, leave now. We will handle the intruder."

"Captain Raz'Kalan, I acknowledge your presence. We are here to retrieve our starship. She is disabled and drifted into the Neutral Zone. I have no quarrel with the Empire, but I am going to go to the assistance of our starship." Her voice dropped slightly, "I have overwhelming firepower at my side. In the interests of Federation-Klingon relations, I am coming alone. Do not force me to take my ship back by force."

The look of Commander Dersham bored into the back of her head and Bianca felt it.

"Captain, three ships decloaking. Two K'Tingas and a K'vort-class Bird of Prey." Lola said in clipped tones, "Their shields are up and powering weapons. All three are altering course towards us."

Bianca swallowed hard. Two battlecruisers and a Bird of Prey? The Saratoga, a Constitution-class starship in the simulation, was outmatched. Einstein was masquerading as a Miranda-class and Magellan was impersonating another Constitution, even the three of them together couldn't match the firepower coming after just her Saratoga. But the die was cast already and if she backed off now, there was no doubt that this would flare up as a major diplomatic incident. But she also couldn't bring in the shuttles, they were just that, a distraction.

"Shields up, Marty, I want a maneuver that will bring us into a position that is dorsal of them, get some separation between us and the shuttle."

"Captain Lee, incoming transmission."

"On screen." Bianca settled back into the chair, trying to give a confident and unworried appearance, hands on the arms of the chair.

A Klingon face, backgrounded by a Klingon warship's bridge, fierce face scowling, "A GIRL?" Captain Raz'Kalan (presumably) roared, "They sent a girl? Well, Girl, you cannot face me. Your three ships are outmatched and you've left them behind. Bring them if you feel you must, or LEAVE!" He bellowed the last word as an order with his suggestion, then gestured and the screen cut off.

Arrogance. That was obvious to Bianca as she couldn't even respond before the screen went blank. But she didn't kid herself, there was no way to win this fight unless she got lucky. "Lola, whisker laser to the shuttle, I need an ETA on them."

The range closed and Bianca decided to wait while it did, she was only going to get one good shot, "They're less than five minutes out. They've communicated with the Maru and estimate under ten minutes to effect enough repairs to get her moving."

"Inform them to get the Maru moving ASAP, direct away from the conflict to the border. Tell them not to expect company from us." She paused for a moment, "Order Einstein and Magellan to cross into the Zone at one tenth Impulse to support us, increase our speed, Marty, I want more dorsal separation to be apparent."

"Yes, ma'am." Three more minutes passed before more was spoken, "We're in range, ma'am, extreme range."

"Open fire, on all ships." Bianca said quietly, "Weapons at fifty percent, maximum fire rate on phasers, no torpedoes yet." It was basically a light show, little to no damage and nothing would penetrate the shields, "Evasive maneuver Echo One." It was a basic move in a single plane of movement, limiting.

"Incoming fire!" Lola finally showed some emotion and the bridge shook hard, "Shields down twenty percent." The control in Lola's voice was back once more, "All three ships are closing in, three different angles."

"Target a K'Tinga with a whisker laser, follow it up with a maximum torpedo barrage and max out the phasers, one-twenty percent power." Bianca's eyes narrowed as the concentrated fire lanced out.

"Heavy damage to their shields, one of the torpedoes got through, minor damage to one wing."

"Reduce power again." The Bridge shook again and Lola's panel flashed a blood red, which in the simulation meant that it had exploded, taking the person there out of the action and Lola glanced back quickly and shook her head, "Transferring Operations to my chair." Bianca announced, "Shields at forty percent." A gleam filled her eyes, "Commander Dersham, I want an open channel to Einstein and Magellan." She glanced back and a confused look came to the Commander's expression, but he nodded, her voice turned panicked, "Einstein, Magellan, execute maneuver Omega Three on Target Delta. Get in here!" She motioned her hand to cut the comm.

Another dot flashed from yellow to green on her plot and began to move, even as the two shuttles masquerading as starships made a synchronized move and boosted their power as if to increase speed, then their course altered nearly ninety degrees towards the Maru.

"Evasive pattern Gamma, target the second K'Tinga, full weapons. Unrestricted fire." The ship shuddered and bucked again, red flashing all around, "Shields are down. Damage to engineering section." She self-reported aloud, "Minor damage to second K'Tinga. Helm, alter course to Two-One-Six mark Eight, maximum impulse. Kobayashi Maru is increasing speed, estimated time to Federation Territory is three minutes." The simulation flashed brightly once, them went black. After ten seconds, the lights came back up, the main screen showing the words 'Simulation Over'.

"Not too bad, Cadet Lee." Lieutenant Commander Dersham said from behind her, "I'd give you a B Plus for creativity, but tactically? C. What were you thinking when you started off with power reduced weapons?" He came around the front, "Cadets McKenzie and Harmon, you're dismissed, thank you."

"Ah was thinkin' that I needed to distract them from the rescue operation, suh." Bianca watched longingly as her friends left the simulator, knowing they'd wait for her on the outside, "The entire situation called for me to buy my shuttle team enough time to help the crew of the Maru time, suh."

"You knowingly sacrificed four hundred officers and crew to save perhaps twelve merchant crewmen?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Yessuh, it was our duty to protect civilians, especially since they reported engine troubles as their reason for violatin' the Neutral Zone. Ah attempted to go to their aid without trouble, but the Klingons pushed the issue and Ah responded as best I could think." She was confident in her choices, having had it thrown at her on the go.

"Well, Cadet, your choices are definitely your own. You made some mistakes, but overall, B, B Minus. We'll have a debrief tomorrow afternoon, you'll have access to the entire simulation rerun until then." He paused for a moment, "Make it Monday, Oh Seven Hundred, go relax, buy your fellows a drink. We'll go over it minute by minute, you and me."

"Yes, suh, thank you, suh." Bianca smiled, some relief in her sigh, at least she had tomorrow to get some relaxation and sun in before she had to be her own worst critic. She threw a salute at the Commander before fleeing the scene. Whiskey and sun, whiskey and sun.

OFF:

Cadet Fourth Class Bianca Lee
Starfleet Academy: Tactical

10 Years ago