If a Klingon Doctor Saved Your life...

[debrahballard]

Hey there everyone.

I recently started playing a klingon character aboard an online ship and I try to abide by the klingon codes and things, but a lot of it is learning as I go.

My character has been placed in a situation where another member of the klingon empire has saved her life, and I have heard, and I am not sure, that when a klingon saves another's life a debt is owed; which I think I have heard mention of before this. I don't know exactly the term for it and would like to.

Also, the person who saved my character's life was a doctor..so, does the owed debt still apply? What do you all think? Thanx ahead.

-Kenna.

http://www.astralplainsalliance.com  

[debrahballard]

Oops.  I see I posted this in the wrong place.  Disregaurd it.  Sorry.
 
-kenna.

[qoSagh]

I agree this isn't much of a language question, however why not move it into another topic? This sounds like a great debate. I can see it falling under cultural beliefs or sciences.

[Kesvirit]

A short answer: if both parties are members of the military, the doctor is merely doing their duty to the Empire in seeing a sick or wounded comrade back to health and a state of "working order". It is an issue of duty, not one of debt. It may be that in the absence of specific orders from above one tends to members of one’s own service branch or division first.

But the question was one of debts owed, not triage. Can you tell us more of the specifics of the situation? Your link is to a home page and not to a particular scene or outline.

-=- Kesvirit

[qoSagh]

I would think there is a fine line between saving the life of a comrade and denying him a death in battle. Aside from that I think that a debt would only be owed if the life saving was above and beyond one's regular duties. Assuming that saving the life of a comrade could ever be beyond ones duties and not simply part of ones duties.

Now if the one were a research doctor who developed a new life saving tool or method, then I can see such an event being worth quite alot, as without your work the life surely would have been lost worthlessly. If the life being saved was a comrade or even a family member, then so much the better.  

[Klythe]

My character has been placed in a situation where another member of the klingon empire has saved her life, and I have heard, and I am not sure, that when a klingon saves another's life a debt is owed; which I think I have heard mention of before this. I don't know exactly the term for it and would like to.

    This comes from the novel Pawns and Symbols.  Kang used the obscure disused Klingon law to lend an air of legal technicallity air to his kidnapping of Lt. Czerny, which she promptly turn against him and took Kang's Agricultural Specialist as her bondmate by saving his life.

    Klingons hate servitude and would perfer death to being enslaved.  So it is highly unusual for a Klingon to invoke this old law(old for TOS, older by TNG), and quite likely that Kang only got away with it because he is Kang (and in the book heir to the throne and on a mission to save the Klingon Empire).   Czerny got away with it because Kang has a both a strong sense of Honor and another of Irony.  And he needed her to play along, and she wasn't likely to if he showed that he was not bound to the same rules he held her to.

    Your doctor, even if the one went far beyond the call of duty, would have to have a darn good reason to try to make such a desperate and cowardly move.   The doctor's player better have a excellent in character reason why the doc needs that level of power over your character.   If it is just to increase thier influence or play powergames, then invoking this law has no place in the game.  

    If you can't talk them out of it out-of-character, and the people who run the ship will not intervene, you have two choices.  Play Maltz "I do not deserve to live", and hang limply forcing his hand to free you or kill you.  Or play along, actively plotting to turn the tables.

     As pointed out before, it is the Doctor's job to save your life, and if it worked out the way the Doctor claims, then Doctors would control the Empire.  Doctor's do not control the Empire.  Warriors do.

[M_Sogha_KDar]

Personally, I think it would depend upon the warrior, whether or not he felt indebtted or not, The one, who's life was save could say " HaqwI, I owe you my life, whereas the Doctor could reply, " then to repay that debt, Do your upmost to serve the Empire with Honor and I'll be satisfied.

Sogha K' Dar, Ring of Fire Fleet, Imperial Marines.