<snip>

Trax stared at the xo for a long time before speaking. As to let his words to sink in. “I am the same guy sir! I just can’t get through to this CMO that I am not a threat to her. or her dating rituals. Unless she knows about me sir? But you don’t know about me either sir! Unless she feel threatened about me taking you as a mate but i know your not interested in me in that way sir.” Trax said with dismay. Before the xo could respond. ” I am a gay man sir.” Trax said as he blushed a bit still not comfortable about telling others of his sexuality.

“I will retract my resignation. Sir! If we don’t get this officer straightened out and give them a better understanding of Human situations and humanity. We wont have a medical section to go to.Sir!” Trax commented carefully. “I will do what I can sir but I do wish to take up more challenging duties beyond medical.” Trax said calmly to his friend. As he waited for the xo to respond.

Ensign Trax Suder JO Doctor

Cochrane looked at Trax for a moment and then said “First. I don’t care what your sexuality is. I believe people are defined by their deeds, not who they choose to love. Second. I think you need a crash-course in Klingon psychology and custom. Fortunately for you, you happen to have a friend with extensive experience in that area. Third. We do not have to straighten out anything. This conflict, at it’s core, is between you and the CMO. It’s up to you two to work it out. I will only intervene if you can’t come to a workable solution that allows you two to work together. So there we have it. You aren’t resigning, but I am going to assist you in figuring out how to deal with your Department Head. First lesson.” and he stood up and walked to a cabinet near the replicator and opened it. He took out a holographic image in a case. It was a reprimand from a Klingon Captain to Cochrane. Cochrane set it on the desk and slid it across to Trax. In it, the Klingon derided Cochrane for being weak and soft. Apparently, Cochrane complained to the Captain about the abuse being rendered on Junior Officers on board that ship. The Captain officially wrote Cochrane up for not stopping it himself.

“You are taking the CMO’s attitude to you as an insult. It’s not. It’s a test. If she didn’t think you are ‘worthy’, she wouldn’t test you to begin with. She wants to see if she can count on you to make hard choices and to stay the course even when it means life or death. You coming here? Well, in her eyes that is at least a partial failure of that test. That’s how Klingons are. You are either strong and resilient to what they see as trivial things… or you are a waste of their time.” and he paused and let Trax digest what he was saying. “So now the question is… how do you plan on passing her test?”

Cochrane, XO

“Probably dying sir.” Trax commented flatly to him. As he looked at him again. “sorry sir. I don’t see the point that I have to prove myself to anyone my record and duties speak for themselves. two this started because she did not get her way with you sir.Now i have to fight or deal with more fighting to prove i am worthy of you? Or the job.” Trax commented quickly not noticing what he had said to the xo about him fighting for him. “And I offered to fight her to prove my worth but she refused.” Trax said quickly too. “And as for the test?? I have no clue other then take on all the duties of the nursing staff along with my own duties.” Trax commented flatly. “I am better off fighting and get the pissing contest over so she can have you to herself.” Trax at this point did not care if he hurt anyones feelings.

Ensign Trax Suder JO Doctor

Cochrane did his best to hide the slight twitch his mouth made as he grinned slightly and then composed himself. “Well, Ensign. Let’s just put this one issue to bed, shall we? And yes, I used that term on purpose.” and he leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the desk and looked directly at Suder. When he spoke, his voice was firm and unyielding. “I have no intention of sharing my bed or my affections with any subordinate officer under my command. I know that many officers do not feel that it is an issue. For me… it absolutely is. I find it to be not only an unnecessary distraction, but completely unprofessional. I come from generations of military officers. The man I am named for fought the nazis during Earth’s Second World War. And I will do nothing to tarnish that tradition. I am happy to have friends in my crew, but I will not have anything more than that. Do I make myself clear?”

Cochrane took a deep breath. “Look. You are a Junior Officer under a Klingon Department Head. That means one of two things. You can throw your hands up in the air and wail about how unfair she is being and continue to have to work under her like that until you either quit or are transferred because of poor performance reviews. Or… you can take on every menial task, every sideways remark, and every mean look and show her that you cannot be intimidated or scared into submission. She is a Klingon. They understand personal strength before anything else. You have yet to show her what you have shown me in the past. What you showed the crew of this ship when we fought the Serpents. You haven’t shown her anything yet. And that, dear Doctor, is solely upon your shoulders. No one else’s. It’s not a pissing contest. She is going to put the screws to you to see what you are made of. Why? Because we aren’t in a battle where life and death hang in the balance, and that is her standard for evaluating a colleague. So you are going to have to work your butt off trying to garner her respect. That is something I know you can do. And once you have that? Hell, you will have no greater ally than her. But you have to put in the work first. ” and he jabbed his finger into the desk top to emphasize last word. “Records mean exactly nothing to a Klingon Officer. What matters is if they can rely on you in the worst situations. And right now? She can’t. And you can’t rely on her, either. But if you want to be a better officer… a better doctor… I suggest you start looking at this as less of a living hell and more of an opportunity.” and he leaned back and added “Or you can take the easy way out and tell me now you want a transfer to another section. I will see what is available and you can leave Sickbay today. Your choice. I won’t leave you somewhere you feel you can’t perform to the best of your abilities.”

Cochrane, XO

Trax tried his best to follow the xo’s thinking. And try and understand the Klingons ways but it was still hard for him. “I will try to do what you wish sir. But I guess I won’t understand the Klingon code or the humans for that matter? Trax questioned feeling more at a loss now. “But I will try sir! But I still would like to know all my options on this ship.” Trax stood up. “as for your traditions I understand completely loyalty and your military traditions are very important to you and I know that’s no lie.sir!” Trax sighed hard. “Traditions mean a lot to me too. Arranged marriages and the chime would drive me crazy. And for your knowledge, I was not asking for a date, sir. But I doubt that the CMO will understand that you are not interested.” as he blushed hard this round noting to facts. He did not explain things any further to the xo. He hoped he understood what he meant. “Only thing I was lucky about I was not offered up for an arranged marriage. Because it would be much harder to deal with especially with my mother I rather fight the klingons.” Trax commented quickly.

Ensign Trax Suder JO Doctor

Cochrane sighed, relieved slightly. “Didn’t think you were asking me out, Ensign. Not that I wouldn’t have been flattered.” he said with a wry smile and a slightly joking tone. “Klingons are pretty easy to deal with. You just have to remember that they are always… and I mean always… looking for a fight. Hell, even when they do take a lover, that usually ends up with broken bones in both parties.” and he laughed softly. “The trick is knowing when to give them the fight they are looking for.” and he finally stretched his arms up and rolled his shoulders to loosen the tension that had suddenly built up there. In a deliberately nonchalant fashion he looked out the window and said as kind of an after-thought “If I were a Junior Officer under a Klingon Officer, and I felt that they were singling me out for ‘special attention’, I would make sure to do every little thing they asked. And do it perfectly every time. Sure, they would rant and rail about it and try to pick it apart. But I wouldn’t let it get to me… in front of them, anyway. But nothing frustrates them more than knowing that they have no control over how someone reacts to them. Drives. Them. Nuts. And after a while they just start picking on someone else.” and he turned and looked directly at Trax.

“But that’s just me.” he said with a slight grin.

Cochrane