Just over an hour later Jason made his way to the main dining hall, grabbing himself a Lasagne and a cup of tea.  He found an empty table with four chairs around it.   The place was less than half full, so plenty of room for everyone and time for him to go over the early events.

He was a little surprised then when not long after a shape of another person cast a slight shadow across him.  “Mind if I join you?” came a soft female voice with a hint of Scottish about it.  He was even more surprised when he looked up to see who the voice belonged to.  Jason had seen only a couple of Orion’s since arriving at Mellstoxx III, but along with the accent she didn’t seem to totally fit the general appearance of her race.  Yes she was attractive as the females tended to be, though may be a touch taller and her skin was green, but a much paler green skin tone than an Orion would usually have.

“I’m Lyanna, Lyanna Stuart.” She held out a hand. “You look like you’re having a bad day, if I may say so?”

“Jason Devron, take a seat, and yes” He shook the young woman’s hand before she dropped into the seat opposite with her own tray of food.  Something that may have been stew, but not one that had originated anywhere on Earth.

“Care to share what’s bugging you?” She asked before sticking her fork into chunk of meat and bringing it to her mouth.

“That stupid satellite recovery mission on the holo-deck.  I lost the ship!”

“What do you expect with a great big D’deridex de-cloaking right on top o…” The young Orion stopped herself before she finished the sentence, and looked at the expression on Jason’s face. “You never saw the D’deridex, then how?”

“Followed the two shuttles as they made a run for it through the rings of that planet.  Led me right into a cloaked mine.  Knocked out most of the systems and left me with a couple of big holes in one side of the ship.  Not that any of that matter once we would have bounced of the nearest big rock soon enough!”

Like the Kobayashi Maru simulation of old and its various incarnations over the decades since, this seemingly simple task was meant to test the resolve and aptitude of a cadet in charge of a Federation Star Ship facing impossible odd.  And like the Kobayashi Maru, you were never meant to win.

The pair of the continued to chat as they ate for several minutes.  Before Jason heard a bleep and Lyanna fished a small medicine bottle from one of the pockets of her pants.  She opened it, tipped out a small blue capsule and swallowed it with help of a sip of water from her glass.

“Have to take one of those every twelve hours.  Orion and Human physiology are far from compatible” she let out a sigh flipped the bottle in her right hand before placing back in her pocket. “Love to know what my grandparents where thinking at the time!”

Jason was a little intrigued and his new companion was more than happy to fill him in on her somewhat unusual family history.  It was thought totally impossible that any Orion female could ever get pregnant with the help of a male from any other species. Safe to say the birth of her mother was probably a million to one, and she should really never have survived beyond those first few moments.  However thanks to some quick thinking by medical staff and a ground-breaking discovery she’d not only survived but made it into adulthood with two children of her own.

When they final finished their meal together they parted company and Jason headed back to his dorm room, where he needed to grab his personal PADD before his next scheduled lesson.

As the door to his room opened he could hear the sound of a baby elephant being tortured!  Dinari Lyambo put down his trumpet as he saw his friend and roommate enter.  The tall Namibian was only wearing the pants half of his cadets’ uniform and sat in the large padded chair at the far end of the room.  “Ah, my friend” he beamed, “what do you think?”

Jason pondered an appropriate and genuine response. “Different, I give you that.” He paused for a moment before adding, “You play like no one else I know.”

“Yes, sadly other people don’t get to see me at my best.  I tried getting into the Academies’ orchestra but I get nervous in front of strangers and don’t play as well. So I just play for myself and anyone that likes my music.” Mourned Dinari.

 ason merely smiled at his companion before retrieving the PADD he was looking for from the desk. “Just had a nice chat with that Orion girl, Stuart.  As you were hiding in here.”

“Sorry about that, I was to wrapped up in my own thoughts.”  The dark skinned cadet stretched his long arms fingers locked together above his head, before bringing them back down to his sides.  “You do realise she’s the one that made Challiner throw up?”

“In a holo-deck program?”  Jason gave his friend a stunned look. “You’re kidding me!”

“Nope.  You should see her fly. Snap rolled a Runabout in atmosphere 100 meters off the deck during simulation with Challiner acting as co-pilot. She’s a natural, can fly the pants off basically any other cadet you care to name.”

“I think I’d have thrown up too!” Jason laughed.  “Catch you later”.  He waved the PADD at the other man and exited the room.

If the Orion was as good as Dinari claimed she’d have no problem getting a helm seat on almost any ship in the fleet.  As for himself, a much better showing in his own simulations would help no end.  But he had an idea which would just need a little bit of co-operation from whoever would be monitoring his ships systems from the control room.