Author's Note(s): Alright, I must give credit here. Kobayashi Maru dialogue taken strait from the ST 2009 novel by Kurtzman, Orci and Foster.

This chapter is mandatory- as I have to get these people to the Enterprise.


The Prince: Absolution

Chapter 11

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"Captain James T. Kirk. It has a nice ring to it, don't 'cha think Bones?"

The doctor rolled his eyes at his best friend's arrogance, as he turned to the science station in the simulator.

For the thousandth- time he wondered how the hell he'd ever wound up with Kirk as a friend.

Oh yea, that traitorous half-wench who stole my kid and my money- that's how I got stuck with Kirk, Bones grimaced as the unfortunate saga of the last few years jumped to the forefront of his mind.

"Really Jim. Do you have to take this damn thing a third time? Why embarrass yourself again? Bones grumbled, running his hands across the controls.

He was the appointed first officer, and as such he'd arrived first with Kirk ahead of the other "crew"

He sighed as his friend settled back in the Captain's chair, propping his feet up on the arm rests.

"Really Bones, oh ye of little faith," the man replied, staring at him in mock- innocence.

"I am merely showing unwavering bravery in the face of certain death- the trademark of a good captain," Kirk replied sarcastically, and Bones just shook his head.

Sometimes, he really wondered if Jim had a sadistic streak in him. Did the man truly enjoy subjecting himself and others to suck abuse?

The Kobayashi Maru was the most feared simulation in the fleet. Even real starship captains couldn't beat the damn thing. It simulated death- from the firings of the enemy vessels, to the hits, the explosions- everything. It was psychological torture.

Bones swore its creator was Satan himself.

And here they were again, for the third fucking time. He swore under his breath as the simulator doors swooshed open and the command staff began to arrive.

He looked up and noticed a friendly face among the other bridge members Kirk had selected for the simulation.

"Hey Uhura!" Bones moved towards his friend, not having seen her since she came to him in the clinic.

He noticed she looked a little tired, but to anyone else, she was perfectly fine. As a doctor he was trained to see the signs.

He pulled her aside to have a word before the simulation got under way.

"Hey love, ya doin' alright?"

She smiled at him, a genuine smile, not forced and he relaxed a little.

"Yes Leonard, I'm well. How are you? I haven't seen you in a minute."

"Well, I've been better. Been keeping Big Jim and little Jim out of trouble," he said, casting a sidelong glance at Kirk, who had been watching them the whole time.

Suddenly the blond jumped down from the chair and swaggered over, draping an arm casually around Uhura's shoulder.

"Good morning Natalie," he said with a wide smile, wagging his eyebrows at her.

She rolled her eyes at him, shrugging off his arm.

"Alright Kirk. Let's get this over with. I can't believe you've corralled us all here to watch you fail. Again."

She knew her tone was a little harsh, but she was stressed as it was. She didn't need Kirk's flirts. Not today.

He gave her his best mock- hurt pout.

"Why doesn't anyone believe I can beat this thing?" he said looking up at the ceiling, speaking to no one in particular.

"Because it's un-winnable." Both Spock and Uhura retorted in flat, monotone voices.

They looked at each other and laughed.

"Jinx!" Uhura called first and Bones laughed while Jim looked at the both of them with a raised eyebrow.

"Just you two wait and see," he said mischievously. "I got this."

II

"We are receiving a distress signal from the U.S.S. Kobayashi Maru. The ship has lost power and is stranded. Starfleet Command has ordered us to rescue them," Uhura whipped around in her chair to address the "captain."

Next was Bones' turn: "Klingon vessels entered the Neutral Zone and they are firing on us."

Captain Pike peered down the one way mirror at the cadets in the simulator below. He felt himself growing irritated at Kirk's behavior.

"That's okay," the man replied nonchalantly.

His fellow cadets looked at him incredulously, but he ignored the stares, slouching in the chair. McCoy voiced the majority sentiment.

"It's okay?"

Kirk waved his hand indifferently.

"Yeah- don't worry about it."

From the viewing room overhead the test crew looked at each other in puzzlement. What the heck was this cadet doing?

Now McCoy was sarcastic. "Three more Klingon warbirds decloaking and targeting our ship," He paused, turning to face his friend, and right now, arch nemesis.

"I don't suppose that's a problem either?"

Kirk slid lower in the chair.

"Nah."

Both McCoy and Uhura rolled their eyes.

"They're firing on us sir, all of them," came the voice from tactical.

Kirk nodded.

"Alert medical bay to prepare to receive all crew members from the damaged ship."

Now it was Uhura's turn to look irritated.

"And just how do you expect us to rescue them when were surrounded and under attack by Klingons…Captain?" she folded her arms across her chest, looking at him hotly.

"Alert Medical," he shot back, briefly sounding like someone in command.

"We're being hit." McCoy responded. "Shields at sixty-percent."

From his vantage point above the simulator, Pike's irritation had manifested itself in a full-blown scowl.

Across the room the green Orion worked the computer console. As she keyed in the commands a message popped up on her screen.

To Gaila

Curious, she moved her finger over the screen, clicking on the link.

I'M SORRY

The message flashed across the console and suddenly the command center went black, the screens that had been previously monitoring the scenario flicking on and off rapidly.

The test administers scurried quickly to revive the settings, the previous calm now erupting into a frantic scramble as specialists punched and keyed the consoles.

Down below the cadets watched as the view screen flickered, and died and instruments powered down. It was quiet. Then just as suddenly everything came back to life.

Kirk continued relaxing in the command chair, waiting. The news wasn't long in coming.

"The Kobayashi Maru is still in distress" Uhura said. "But they're no longer firing…in fact…they're dropping shields, Captain!" her voice grew excited."They're powering down weapons!"

"Imagine that," Kirk replied with a hint of a smile in his voice.

"Fire on all enemy ships."

Unable to resist a peek all the cadets turned to face the viewer as each warbird was hit by a torpedo- the explosions like that of fireworks on the fourth of July.

The crew stared in surprise and awe. It was Kirk who interrupted the moment.

"So, we've eliminated all enemy ships. No one on board was injured, and the successful rescue of the Kobayashi Maru crew is underway.

He turned around, his eyes traveling upwards to the simulator control room.

"Anything else?" That comment was clearly directed at the simulator controllers, as they stared down at him from behind the glass viewers.

Kirk pulled an apple out from under his shit, and bit it triumphantly.

Above his head, Pike spun on his heel, heading to the tall dark-haired man in the dark, slate-gray uniform behind one of the consoles.

"How the hell did he beat your test?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

The Vulcan looked up, his eyes narrowing at the figure under them.

Kirk, James T.

In a tone that revealed nothing about his current frame of mine he responded in a monotone.

"I do not know…"

III

The ship languished in space, its vast tentacles stretching into the nothingness surrounding it. Its crew had been waiting a long time-an eternity to its captain.

There was silence all around them, and after what seemed like hours of waiting the first officer stepped forward to venture a comment. He chose his words carefully; well aware his captain would not hesitate to kill him if he felt his second in command had faltered in their shared purpose.

"Perhaps Captain, our calculations were incomplete."

"No," the superior officer replied, rising from where he had been previously lost in thought in his chair.

"The time is now."

The ship trembled as the space surrounding it began to flex and roll, the impact of highly charged electrons colliding with one another, casting sparks of lightening, ripping the previously empty void apart. From the chaos surrounding it, a small blip appeared on a monitor.

It was a ship- in one piece and moving fast, the uniqueness of its shape making it instantly recognizable.

The engineer forwarded the image onto the viewer.

Gazing upon it, the captain let out three words with a calm that was instantly chilling.

"Welcome back….Spock."