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Message: <blockquote data-quote="wingsandsword" data-source="post: 8040112" data-attributes="member: 14159">The novel is Sarek by A. C. Crispin .The curveball there is that Peter Kirk is substantially more experienced than a typical Cadet, and has a lot more detailed knowledge of Romulan culture than any normal cadet (or officer) would, and manages to throw a curveball into the simulation to the point that the instructors cancel the simulation in progress when he confuses them to the point they don't know what he's doing. . .then he explains what he was doing and they realize he was strictly speaking, meeting the victory conditions for the scenario.In one sense, he doesn't "win", he works out a solution that would cost him his life, but ONLY his life, but in exchange the Kobayashi Maru and his ship would win.  In that sense, he fulffills the spirit of the test, there was no way out with him living, but the rules of the test didn't specify he had to survive, just his ship and the crew of the Kobayashi Maru, so the Academy calls that beating the scenario.[SPOILER="How Peter Kirk beat the Kobayashi Maru Test"]The main plot of the novel features Romulans and Vulcans heavily, and Peter Kirk learns a LOT about their culture, including some very archaic Romulan laws dating back to before the schism with Vulcan.That's what he uses to win.  In this version of the Kobayashi Maru test, the ship is being guarded by several Romulan warbirds.  Peter Kirk hails them, and issues, in proper Romulan, a formal challenge to an honor duel to the Commander of the lead warbird.  He orders Engineering to fabricate appropriate ancient Vulcan/Romulan weapons, and orders the transporter room to stand by to beam him to the Romulan warbird (while wondering how they were going to simulate THAT, would they make him fight someone?)  At that point, the instructors pulled the plug on the whole thing and asked what the heck was going on.He explained that it's an archaic, but valid, Romulan law allowing for a duel of honor, and while the duel was proceeding, neither side could attack the other.  All he'd have to do is last long enough for his ship to get close enough to the Kobayashi Maru to beam out the crew, then warp out of there.   He acknowledged that he'd probably lose to a Romulan Commander in a duel and die. . .but he'd save both ships at the cost of his own life.The instructors decided to call that a win, since that was the established victory condition.  Nothing in the rules said HE had to personally live through it, just his ship.[/SPOILER]</blockquote>

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