The Raptor’s Wings: [Week 3] Kobayashi Maru

There is no test of a captain’s abilities more iconic than the Kobayashi Maru scenario. It is not a test of a captain’s technical, diplomatic or tactical acumen, but rather one of their capacity to face a no-win scenario. Each person faces this test in a different way, and the premise of this competition is to see how your character would react when faced with certain death and the loss of their starship.

The parameters:

The year is 2399 and you are reflecting back on your character’s time at Starfleet Academy when they undertook the Kobayashi Maru scenario as the final test of your command training. What did your character learn from that experience? How has it shaped them as a commanding officer?

Your character was engaged in a training simulation on the holodeck with either a holographic crew or their classmates, where they are in command of the USS Reliant, a light cruiser. Your orders were to patrol along the former Romulan Neutral Zone near the Romulan Free State and the chaotic area of space that separates it from the Federation. Approximately 20 minutes into your patrol, you received a distress call from the ECS Kobayashi Maru, a class-III neutronic fuel carrier with 300 passengers aboard. They had been caught in an ion storm which left them damaged and caused them to stray accidentally into Romulan space. You are the only ship within range. If you entered Romulan space, you would certainly be attacked by a superior enemy vessel; it was impossible to rescue the Kobyashi Maru, respect treaty stipulations, and leave with your vessel intact.

What did you do? Describe in no more than 3,000 words how your character reacted to this situation. Did they attempt to rescue the freighter? Did they attempt to negotiate with the Romulans? Did they respect the treaty?

Criteria

• Entries will be graded based on spelling/grammar, adherence to canon, perspective, characterization, originality, and adherence to the prompt.
• Entries should not exceed 3,000 words.
• All entries should be submitted through the Enter Competition form.