Debriefing

The simulation faded and the dark walls of the holodeck reappeared around Captain Vincent and Cadet Decatur. Having gone through hundreds of these exams, Josh had learned the proper way to brace himself against the impact of a cadet ramming their ship into an enemy, so he was still standing when it was over. He moved forward to help the cadet to her feet, then took a step back and pulled up his PADD to finish his notes.

"Well done cadet. When you were faced with an unexpected situation, you took time to gather intelligence and formulate an informed plan," Josh stated. "But even the best laid plans can't account for every possibility. When the situation deteriorated, you tried to save your ship. In the end, you faced death bravely in order to save your crew, but you did not do so without attempting other alternatives."

He paused to let those points sink in, then smiled slightly and said the words that every cadet waited to hear.

"Congratulations Cadet Decatur, you have completed the Kobayashi Maru simulation. Unless you have any further questions, you are dismissed."

Stephanie sighed as he helped her to her feet. She was uninjured but very shaken up. She clasped her hands behind her before he started the debriefing. She listened carefully as he critiqued her performance and she felt he was giving her far too much credit. She had failed, not only had she lost the ship, she lost almost a third of her crew. She couldn’t help but feel guilty for that, if it had been real, a third of the crew she would have been responsible to would have died. She’d have let down fifty sets or parents, siblings, spouses, and children who had little choice but to trust her with the lives of their loved ones. Everyone told her that the Kobayashi Maru was a no-win situation. A problem with no solution. She didn't accept it. There was, to her, no such thing as a problem that couldn't be solved.

When he finished and looked up, he’d notice that her eyes were a bit moist. Clearly the ordeal had hit somewhat close to home for her. “The test was…harder than I had expected…and…” she paused for a moment and took a breath before continuing. “I don’t believe my performance was acceptable, sir.” She said calmly, “I lost too many people.” Her tone may have been calm, but her voice wavered a little.

"Of course you failed, that is the purpose of this simulation," Josh replied. "It puts you in an impossible situation, a situation that you may face some day in Starfleet, and you must do your best to save as many lives as possible. You will lose crewmates and you will lose officers under your command. The best that you can do is try to limit the losses. Today your actions saved the lives of over 100 people; 100 families will welcome home their loved ones because of you, because you kept your wits about you and took proper action. But it's over now, go celebrate with your friends and I'll send you a more detailed review this evening."

She nodded as if she wasn't very convinced she had performed adequately and snapped to attention, "Yes, sir.Thank you, sir." Stephanie briskly walked out past him and out of the Holodeck. She stopped in the hallway after the doors sealed behind her and pressed her back up against a bulkhead. Taking a few deep breaths she wiped her eyes dry and shook the feeling of failure from her mind. She would endeavor to perform better in the future. She may not have accepted the possibility of a no-win scenario, but she had faced her own mortality and the mortality of her crew. That was the purpose of the test, she assumed. Suddenly she let out a soft giggle as she remembered reading the words of Admiral Kirk: "How we face death is at least as important as how we face life."

Stephanie took another breath and pushed off the wall, heading back to the mess hall. She had left in such a hurry that she forgot her PADD with the study material for her Temporal Mechanics final. When she entered she couldn't help but grin at the sight of her friends still sitting there, her Vulcan room-mate was still trying to explain some of the finer points of a temporal causality loop to their Bolian friend.