The Taking of the Enterprise part one
The simulation room is dimly lit, filled with the hum of advanced machinery. The simulated bridge of a starship surrounds the cadets, with Jamie in the captain's chair, looking confident. The holographic viewscreen shows the Kobayashi Maru scenario in progress.
COMPUTER VOICE: "Warning: Incoming Klingon vessels detected."
"Steady, everyone. Shields up, prepare to fire photon torpedoes." Jamie said.
The cadets on the bridge look nervous but follow orders. The Klingon ships on the viewscreen appear, but instead of attacking, they inexplicably malfunction and drift harmlessly.
COMPUTER VOICE: "Klingon vessels disabled. Simulation complete. You have successfully rescued the Kobayashi Maru."
The cadets cheer, and even Jamie is smiling. The door to the simulation room slides open, and Captain Pike steps in, his expression a mix of stern authority and disappointment.
"Kirk a word."
Pike's office is austere, with commendations and models of starships adorning the walls. Pike sits behind his desk, hands clasped. Kirk stands in front of him, maintaining a relaxed demeanor. "Take a seat, Jamie."
Jamie sits as asked.
"I've reviewed your simulation. Quite the performance."
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't thank me just yet. Let's talk about how you did it."
Jamie shifts slightly, sensing the change in tone.
"You reprogrammed the test. The Kobayashi Maru is designed to be a no-win scenario. A test of character and decision-making in the face of certain defeat."
"And I found a way to win. Isn't that the point?"
"No, The point is to learn how to face loss and still do your duty. To show that you can handle the toughest decisions without a clear path to victory."
"With all due respect, sir, I don't believe in no-win scenarios."
Pike sighs, rubbing his temples as he gathers his thoughts. "That's the point. You're a talented young lady, but you have no discipline and no humility. You think that you can survive by being clever, and you've got a lot to learn. Today's reprogramming of the Kobayashi Maru told me that. You don't respect the chair because you're not ready for it."
Jamie frowns a hint of defiance in her eyes.
"I'm not promoting you to First Officer."
Jamie's eyes widen, taken aback. "What? But—"
"I'm giving that responsibility to Matthew Garrett. He's shown the qualities we're looking for leadership, integrity, and the ability to face difficult truths."
Jamie's expression hardens at the mention of Garrett, "Garrett? He's—"
Pike stands, "Ready for the role. And frankly, Jamie, you're not."
Jamie stands as well, her frustration barely contained. "I don't trust him."
"And I think your emotions are getting the best of you, clouding your judgment of a well-respected officer. I do not want to hear another word against him, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Sir."
Jamie, dressed in her casual Starfleet attire, stands in the center of the room, tossing a small, rubber ball against the wall and catching it on the rebound. Her movements are fluid, yet there's an underlying tension in her demeanor.
The door swishes open, and Bones steps in, hands in his pockets, his eyes scanning the room before settling on Jamie. She continues throwing and catching the ball, her eyes fixed on it.
"Alright, spill it. What's eating you?"
Jamie finally stops, holding the ball in her hand, and turns to face Bones. Her expression is a mix of frustration and disappointment. "Pike. He has made his decision about the new First Officer."
"And let me guess, it wasn't you."
Jamie nods, tossing the ball onto a nearby table where it lands with a soft thud. "I don't understand why he won't give me the chance."
"So Garrett then? I'm not sure what you don't like about him. He's a good officer, J. But I know how much this meant to you. You've been after the role even before Number One was medically discharged for the year."
"I don't know if I want to stay on his ship anymore. Every time a promotion comes up I get looked over. Junior Lieutenant Kirk stuck on security detail. I thought Pike believed in me."
"He does believe in you, J. Pike sees potential in you, probably more than you see in yourself sometimes. You're amazing at security detail you know more about coding than I can keep up with. Maybe he thinks you need more time, more experience. You've got nothing to prove to anyone but yourself. Trust Pike's judgment. Your time will come. And when it does, you'll be ready. But don't make any rash decisions about transferring ships just yet."
Jamie takes a deep breath, nodding slowly, letting Bones' words sink in. Bones gives her a supportive smile and a pat on the back.
"Now, how about a drink in the lounge? Might take your mind off things for a while.
"And put up with seeing Garrett's smug face. No thanks."
Jamie sits at a terminal, staring at a code scrolling down the screen. Her brows furrow as she identifies a sequence of lines. She stops the scroll and highlights a particular block of code.
"That's odd... this shouldn't be here."
She zooms in on a section of the code, her eyes narrowing as she recognizes a pattern.
"No way... that's a manual override."
Jamie's fingers dance over the console, pulling up additional logs and system checks. She takes a deep breath, grabs a data pad, and heads towards the bridge. Normally she would just go to her head of department Leuitentent Nhan. He had unfortunately contracted a virus in the last coming weeks and access was completely restricted to the nurses and doctors in charge of his care. She hadn't seen Bones in weeks due to it. So she has one option.
Jamie steps onto the bridge, her expression resolute. She makes her way to First Officer Garrett who is focused on the main viewscreen.
"First Officer Garrett, I need to speak with you."
"What is it, Lieutenant?"
Jamie hands Garrett the data pad, pointing to the highlighted section of code.
"I found a manual override in the ship's navigation system code. This kind of coding can only be done manually, and it's not part of the original programming."
Garrett examines the datapad, a slight frown forming on his face. "Probably just a malfunction in the coding. The system could be glitching."
Jamie bit her tongue. She wanted to punch him. There was nothing wrong with the coding she had written it herself. "There's no way this is a glitch. Someone intentionally placed it there."
Garrett sighs and hands the datapad back. "Junior Lieutenant, I appreciate your diligence, but our systems are complex. Sometimes anomalies occur. I'll have the tech team look into it, but there's no need for concern."
She was part of the tech team. "Sir, this isn't just an anomaly. If someone has access to manually override our navigation, they could control the ship. We need to investigate this thoroughly."
Garrett remains unconvinced. "I understand your concern, Kirk, but we have protocols for these situations. I'll make sure the tech team prioritizes it. In the meantime, carry on with your duties."
Jamie's jaw tightens, but she nods, accepting the dismissal. She turns and leaves the bridge, her mind racing with possibilities. She turns to her console, determination etched on her face. She starts running deeper diagnostics, unwilling to let the issue go unchecked. "I'm not letting this slide. If someone's tampering with our systems, I'll find out who."
She dives back into the code, her focus unbreakable, ready to uncover the truth behind the mysterious override.