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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 16, 2009 18:15:27 GMT -5
((I thought it was, as you are you and very smart. I like. Also, I'm making that face again.))
Kirk realized he was catching Spock off balance again, but he didn't think it was a negative thing; he thought, indeed, that his ability to surprise the man was, perhaps a good thing. It didn't say anything terribly flattering about his younger self, but since he'd yet to hear anything concrete about their differences, he decided to assume this Spock hadn't given him a chance yet.
And was giving him one now. The thrill of the opportunity to win over another Spock was not conscious, but undoubtedly was a factor in Kirk's interest; it was not a conquest, but he could not help but enjoy the give and take of an old interaction made new. He really, really wondered who this other-him was, that he could so confound the man's first officer.
He inclined his head, accepting the correction but not concerning himself too much about it. "It would be an honor, Mr. Spock, to be able to teach you anything of the kind. Now. Should we see if they have a set here? Paris is an enlightened city." He looked around. "It's likely to be the antiquated, two-dimensional kind, but that's what my father taught me first."
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 16, 2009 18:34:11 GMT -5
Oh.
Of course.
A moment passed, and Spock fluidly stood. "I will inquire. I am of course well versed in two-dimensional."
Spock went to find one of the shop people, collecting his thoughts. He had had the previous thought he would not ask the young Kirk to play chess when he was returned to his own universe. He had thought the young Kirk might not even know how to play. Now Spock knew his guess was likely correct, as the young Kirk had not had a father.
Spock thought about the differences between the two Kirks. The one here seemed more patient, more willing to listen, more wise, more thoughtful. Spock had assumed it was due to age, but there was also something indefinable that had made this Kirk not only seem older but--simply a more stabilized personality. But of course there were other differences between their universes besides their ages.
Amanda Grayson was not the only human's death Nero had wrought.
Spock wondered whether besides seeming younger, he, too, seemed less stable to this Kirk. With this in mind, he accepted the chess set the hostess gave to him, and gravely returned to the table.
He would ask the Kirk from his own time to play, after all, Spock decided.
"Do you have a preferred method of determining which will play white?"
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 16, 2009 20:53:36 GMT -5
Kirk did not notice the pause. He had no reason to suspect the revelation that had just occurred to Spock, but rather admired the man's apparent enthusiasm. Granted, they should have been looking for a way back where they belonged. But Kirk didn't think they were going to find it right away, and while he'd never consciously delay the resumption of his responsibilities he was intrigued by this development and was extremely interested in what it had offered. He wondered if he could learn more about this Spock, and the one from his own time, by observing further. No doubt, no doubt. But there was a pleasure in his company, too, that was undeniable. Not the same pleasure as his Spock, but the similarities were striking. As were the differences.
He wondered if the other him was as unformed-seeming as this Spock. Not that there was anything lacking. He was just different. Kirk knew he couldn't wait around to find out if it was age or experience, and anyway now experience had been altered yet again. But he was determined to find out what he could.
"I don't," he said with a smile. "I've been known to employ the rock-paper-scissors method, but Mr. Spock is of the opinion that the additional contest is needless and a random number generator or a pattern of switching back and forth is more efficient."
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 16, 2009 21:28:49 GMT -5
Spock's eyes showed amusement, even though the rest of him did not.
"Although we have not been playing with each other, Captain, the other Spock's perspicacity regarding rock-paper-scissors has impressed upon me that we do share certain qualities, at least. Therefore, if you remember who played white last time you played him, I suggest we employ the alternating method."
Spock began placing the pieces on the board with his usual precision.
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 16, 2009 23:30:29 GMT -5
Kirk was faced with a decision.
He could tell the truth, or he could lie. He could give Spock white, or black, and Spock would not know the difference. If it was white, and Spock suspected he was being generous, it might seem offensive. If black, that Kirk was taking advantage. The truth was that, in their last game, Spock had been white. This Spock's fingers moved efficiently and with a grace Kirk remembered over the board.
"He did," he said, lifting his eyebrows slightly and watching Spock.
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 17, 2009 1:45:34 GMT -5
((Pawn to King 4! Kidding. Although I totally did research about stars twinkling for this. But I assume we just write about how they play? Which is fine. But maybe it would be better if we were on the same page. The page of Kirk TROUNCING Spock. Hard. And Spock not knowing how it happened. Yes? But I can just write 'Kirk moved and they played', right, without it being godmodding?))
It did not occur to Spock Kirk might consider deceiving him.
"Then it is your move." Finished setting up the pieces, Spock turned the board so that the white was on Kirk's side.
Spock usually aimed to play slow games with strangers. He opened his side, taking away his opponent's pieces one by one, even making the occasional exchange or sacrifice to feel out his opponent. More often than not Spock learned early on he was not well matched, and it became a teaching game. Occasionally, his opponent possessed comparable skill, and then Spock had to work a little for the victory. But only in tournament situations did Spock open with a hard line when he played with a stranger.
Tournament situations and now.
Kirk had claimed he had the advantage. If he was incorrect, he would lose, but logic would win. It was only appropriate logic should win.
"I have been programming the computer aboard the Enterprise to play me," Spock said. "There already exist a multitude of programs of course, but the ship's computer will play to my exact level. Furthermore it should adapt to my style of play. It will be a challenge to have an unbeatable opponent."
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 17, 2009 9:23:48 GMT -5
((That is a good page, I approve. And no, we don't need to play out the chess and stuff. You're in the clear, because in cases like this I can always reflect on Kirk's move. Should it be important. Also I don't really notice godmodding when writers are good. I just think, "ooh, that's interesting."))
Kirk had played a lot of chess. Mostly, in the past few years, against Spock; Bones agreed sometimes, but he grumbled a lot about being a doctor and Kirk had grown used to the easy, natural flow of the game with Spock. An equal partner, who both complemented and challenged him. He'd become better through the association, as his own strengths and weaknesses became more apparent and he was able to refine his strategy.
Which wasn't to say it had changed in essentials. Kirk knew lots of plays, had studied strategy and was not unfamiliar with an analytical approach to chess. It was a lot like military history, which he'd studied voraciously. But as with the conquests of the past, he wasn't the type to stick to previous patterns. It was neither interesting nor, he thought, prudent. It was important to know, and be informed, and then strike out on your own. No two situations were the same. The rigidity of strictly logical play didn't appeal to him, and his instincts had rewarded him in the past.
"I don't believe in an unbeatable opponent," Kirk said with a smile in his voice, glancing up as he claimed the first of Spock's men. He wasn't playing with a great deal of finesse, which wasn't to say he had no plans. His moves were not random, but they did look impulsive, and it was difficult to find an established pattern. But if anything, he was determined to play as Kirk-like as possible, for the sake of contrast. It was fun, and it would give Mr. Spock something to think about, and whether he won or lost it would be interesting.
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 17, 2009 12:45:27 GMT -5
"Would you resort to hacking the system, then, if the computer persisted in defeating you?"
Spock moved a piece. He was beginning to think he had started out too aggressively. The captain's moves were far more impulsive than Spock had been given to expect, considering Kirk's warning. Spock estimated he would defeat the captain easily, and it would be over too soon.
"I submit to you," Spock continued, "that doing so would not be to your advantage. You might triumph over the computer itself, but you would have learned no more than you already knew. At times it is necessary to accept the parameters of a situation, and work within them. Defeat can be a powerful--" Spock barely paused as the captain made his next move, but he did pause--"teacher."
In two moves, Spock was going to lose his knight.
Spock had been honing in on checkmate assiduously, with Kirk doing seemingly little to prevent it. His moves had seemed irrational. But now Spock was forced to cease his assault in order to prevent check, which gave Kirk the opportunity to steal the knight.
Spock suppressed his surprise; they played out the two moves; Spock watched as Kirk swept up the knight.
Spock began to adjust his play accordingly.
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 17, 2009 13:18:44 GMT -5
Kirk was enjoying himself. He found Spock's question--and the condemnation behind it--extremely amusing. And entirely expected. He could suddenly imagine the two of them--himself and his own Spock--strangers but for the interaction Mr. Spock had described at the Academy. The disbelief Mr. Spock would not have admitted to at his scenario being beaten.
He was also enjoying the game, though he knew that if he won, the triumph would be mixed with a little sympathy. At the same time, he didn't think it was an entirely bad thing, to confound this Spock's obviously poor expectations.
Kirk examined the knight for a moment; the set was fairly standard, if primitive, and consisted of wooden pieces. Kirk thought maple and walnut, stained dark. "I would," he said, "and did." He looked up at Spock again, a gentle smile on his face. "The Kobayashi Maru. Does that really shock you, Mr. Spock?"
He moved again, closing in now and leaving his queen exposed; it was no matter, the net was in place and Kirk had calculated that checkmate would be his before Spock had a chance at him. Just barely.
"But I don't think I'd hack a program I myself had set up for the purpose of honing my own skills. I submit, however, that knowing one's foe is unbeatable makes the game... illogical. Testing the parameters of a situation is often my first course of action."
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 17, 2009 13:57:47 GMT -5
"Obviously, it does not shock me. It merely strikes me as illogical."
It was very hard not to take the queen. It was extremely good bait, but Spock thought he had learned better than to take it. The captain must have some other, far more subtle plan. After several long moments of studying the board with far more intensity than the game usually required of him, Spock thought he saw Kirk's intent. It was extremely complex and long term, with a great deal of foresight.
Spock was impressed--but now he knew the captain's plan, he could work against it. He moved accordingly, and did not take the queen.
"It is not illogical, however, to accept an unbeatable scenario," Spock went on. "The point is not victory; it is experience. Learning one's own reactions, how to improve them. Certainly in a simulation, the parameters can be tested, and defeated. Reality does not always have surmountable parameters. It cannot be hacked to alter the circumstances. It merely is, and therefore, simulating reality by acting as though the parameters are not surmountable is useful and logical."
And then Spock saw that the captain's plan was not complex or long term at all. It was immediate, and upon him.
The queen had not been cleverly devised bait; it had been the casualty the captain risked in achieving his goal. If Spock had taken the piece, he might have stood a chance.
Had the captain known? He had begun by playing brazenly, disguising a subtlety Spock only discovered when he'd lost the knight. Spock had adjusted, reading his opponent as subtle and devious, reading into every brash action a thousand complications. Had the captain noted this adjustment, and accordingly switched back to his brazenness, using that unexpectedly straightforward means to defeat Spock's expectations yet again? Or had Spock simply read too much into his opponent?
Spock stared at the board. There was little to be salvaged in the end game. Kirk would have to blunder for Spock to win. Spock resolutely moved his rook.
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 17, 2009 14:18:11 GMT -5
((Thank you for writing the chess better than I could. I write the way Kirk plays.))
"I will concede that the purpose of a simulation is, indeed, experience," Kirk said. He had him, and he knew it, and Spock knew it. Kirk wouldn't condescend by calling the game. "In the Kobayashi Maru, for example, I'd already experienced defeat twice. I didn't accept it."
He took Spock's rook with his own. This strategy wouldn't work next time, when he didn't have the advantage of surprise, of confounding Spock as the other man tried to find a pattern in his play. But that was the thing; the game wasn't only on the board.
"Reality, in my experience, rarely conforms to rules. Or logic. I can't think of a time when believing there was no way to succeed aided me in doing so. You aren't given a playbook, and if you were, the things you find out in the universe aren't likely to have the same one. But I'm willing to concede that the difference may be in how you approach it. What you call 'hacking,' I might call 'examining all available options'--even the ones I haven't thought of yet. If it assists you to operate in the way you describe, then it is, indeed, useful and logical."
Kirk was not at all convinced that there was one definition of logic--or that Vulcans had a patent on it. He moved again, his finger resting on the knight that now hemmed in Spock's king.
"Just not for me. Checkmate."
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 17, 2009 14:50:49 GMT -5
((I'm glad you think it's alright. I thought it might be too controlling. But I think Spock would think about everything that is going on, while Kirk would just, you know, do it. So I think the way you write Kirk playing is awesome.))
Spock had been engrossed in the game and their conversation. Even in the final moves, which appeared inevitable, he had been considering all the possibilities on the board--no longer looking for an escape route, just wishing to play the end game optimally, as he had not the rest.
But once Kirk made the final move, there was nothing more to be sorted. He at last looked up, and met the captain's eyes as Kirk announced his victory.
Spock's examination of the game must have suppressed everything else, because that single word from the captain seemed to trigger several things simultaneously. Excitement, stimulation--this was pleasure, Spock realized. It was even acceptable pleasure; Spock had decided long ago that enthusiasm for learning was an acceptable human emotion. It was useful.
The pleasure might not have been readable in his demeanor, but there was definite intensity in Spock's eyes. He looked back to the board and quickly began to reset the pieces. "Will you play again?" he asked, his voice without inflection.
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 17, 2009 15:00:36 GMT -5
Kirk smiled, an expression that more or less went together with rubbing his hands in anticipation, though his hands merely reset the black pieces on his side of the board. He was smiling not because he'd won, but because he'd had fun, and it looked like Spock had, too. Oh, he was sure Spock had "experienced a not unacceptable amount of pleasure" or something like that, but that was all semantics, as far as he was concerned. This Mr. Spock enjoyed playing chess with him, and that made Kirk happy. Perhaps illogically so.
"I'll have to watch out," he said in answer.
((Sorry so short, was trying to get you something before going to lunch.))
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 17, 2009 15:39:52 GMT -5
((don't be sorry!))
Spock was white this time. He made the first move, angling his head in slight negative as he did so. "You will have to watch, but your implication that I will be able to adapt my play to the extent that I stand good odds of beating you is incorrect. Even if my assessment of your level of ability is only 63% accurate, you will still checkmate me this round. I have faced few opponents of your skill, and few with your technique. The combination of both will make my odds against you exceedingly low for at least seven more rounds. At that point I will have had opportunity to study your methods and should stand closer to even odds.
"I do not propose seven rounds, Captain; however, I do confess an eagerness to study your play. Perhaps the reason for that eagerness is my belief that you are, in fact, beatable. However, I have temporarily accepted the parameter that I will not win. Playing you is still beneficial to me, even if that is true."
They were playing more slowly now, Spock opening his game with far more care. "I could choose to defeat you by beating you over the head with the chessboard. I assure you, I would physically triumph. But neither of us would benefit."
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 17, 2009 15:54:47 GMT -5
((I have just died of cute. I will have to make sure Kirk does not become infected with me.))
Kirk knew that Spock was just stating facts, which he agreed with. Still, as a Vulcan, the emotional impact such glowing "facts" might have would be unintentional. Kirk's smile was, in other words, a little bit smug.
"Temporarily," he said. "With the intent, eventually upon winning. At the very least, improving your game so that in other situations, victory might be more attainable." Kirk countered, less brashly than before but with an unhurried energy. "You choose to play within the parameters traditionally set by the game of chess, to achieve particular ends. But if I was playing for my life, or the lives of my crew, and victory could be assured by such tactics, don't you think it would be beneficial to use them? I'm not talking about morality or ethics," he clarified, "but about the time and place for accepting the rules imposed on the situation. Judo gave me strength and discipline, but I don't hesitate to deviate from its pre-established forms when real combat arises."
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