Star Trek Duty, Honor, Redemption

Prologue Captain's Log: Stardate 8130.5Starship Enterprise on training mission to Gamma Hydra. Sector14, coordinates 22/87/4. Approaching Neutral Zone, all systemsfunctioning. Mister Spock, in his old place at the science officer's station, gazed around at the familiar bridge of the Enterprise. The trainees, one per station and each under the direction of an experienced crew member, were so far comporting themselves well.It was a good group, and the most able of them was the young officer in the captain's seat. Spock expected considerable accomplishments from Saavik. She was young for her rank, and she enhanced her natural aptitude with an apparently inexhaustible capacity for hard work.Spock listened with approval to the cool narration of the captain's log. Saavik, in command of theEnterprise,completed the report and filed it. If she was nervous -- and he knew she must be -- she concealed her feelings well. Her first command was a test, but, even more, every moment of her life was a test. Few people could understand that better than Mister Spock, for they were similar in many ways. Like Spock, Saavik was half Vulcan. But while Spock's other parent was a human being, Saavik's had been Romulan.Mister Sulu and Ensign Croy had the helm."Sector fourteen to sector fifteen," the ensign said. "Transition: mark." He was a moment behind-time, but the information was not critical to their progress."Thank you, Helm Officer," Saavik said. "Set us a course along the perimeter of the Neutral Zone, if you please.""Aye, Captain."Sulu watched without comment, letting Croy do his own work and make his own mistakes. The data streamed past on Spock's console.Spock had not failed to notice Saavik's progress in the use of conventional social pleasantries. Trivial as they may have seemed, learning to use them was one of the most difficult tasks Spock had ever tried to master. Even now, he too frequently neglected them, they were so illogical, but they were important to humans. They made dealing with humans easier.Spock doubted that Saavik would ever use the phrases with warmth, any more than he would, but she had modified her original icy disinterest, which had come dangerously close to contempt.Saavik gazed calmly at the viewscreen. She was aesthetically elegant in the spare, understated, esoterically powerful manner of a Japanese brush-painting."Captain," Uhura said suddenly, "I'm receiving a signal on the distress channel. It's very faint..."Saavik touched controls. "Communications now has priority on computer access for signal enhancement."Uhura's trainee worked quickly for several seconds."It's definitely an emergency call, Captain.""Patch it through to the speakers."Communications complied."Mayday, mayday.Kobayashi Maru,twelve parsecs out of Altair VI..." The voice broke up into static. The trainee frowned and stabbed at the controls on the communications console.Spock listened carefully. Even computer-enhanced, the message was only intermittently comprehensible."...gravitic mine, lost all power. Environmental controls...""Gravitic mine!" Saavik said."...hull breached, many casualties." The signal-to-noise ratio decreased until the message slid over into incomprehensibility."This isU.S.S. Enterprise,"Uhura's trainee said. "Your message is breaking up. Give your coordinates. Repeat: Give your coordinates. Do you copy?""Copy,Enterprise.Sector ten...""The Neutral Zone," Saavik said.Mister Sulu immediately turned his attention from the speakers to his console."Mayday,Enterprise,we're losing our air, can you help? Sector ten -- " The forced calm of the voice began to shatter."We copy,Kobayashi Maru -- "The communications trainee and Uhura both glanced at Saavik, waiting for instructions."Tactical data,Kobayashi Maru.Helm, what does a long-raMcIntyre, Vonda N. is the author of 'Star Trek Duty, Honor, Redemption ', published 2004 under ISBN 9780743496605 and ISBN 0743496604.