The Klingon warrior toyed with his younger opponent, staring menacingly into his eyes while swaying his bat'leth and skirting side to side.   His opponent stepped towards him, jabbing with his weapon.   But the Klingon gracefully stepped aside, and taking advantage of his opponent's imbalance, knocked him on his face using a back-swing with the blunt edge of his bat'leth.   The felled opponent scrambled to roll and rise, as their instructor had just taught them, but the Klingon was too quick, and too good.   Though his back was to his rising opponent, in a singular motion he moved his two hands to grip the bat'leth at one end, and with a gleam of malice, turned into his opponent as he swung the blade upward...

     "Toral!", Pa'qal shouted, causing the rest of the class to turn from their exercises.   "Enough!"
     The blade stopped centimeters from his opponent's chin.
     "Civilist," Toral snarled under his breath to his adversary.
     The rest of the young Klingon men began murmuring among themselves.
     "Bakra, Toral, stand down.   The rest of you, back to your routines!"
     With a prideful smile, Toral turned and began walking to a bench near the gymnasium's wall.   From somewhere in the class, a voice yelled out, "For the Empire!"
     Toral turned with fist in the air, "For the Empire!"
     "Silence!", Pa'qal bellowed.

     The room grew very still.   Pa'qal strode to where Toral stood, and looking up into his eyes, began softly, "I run this classroom with the honor of Klingon tradition."   Toral stiffened at the perceived insult.   Pa'qal looked around at the others, and spoke a little more forcefully, "Something few of you know anything about."   Returning his glare to Toral, he continued in a harsh voice, "I will not tolerate your playing out your petty aggressions in my class," and turning sharply on the class, "Nor will I allow this to be a forum for trite, political sloganing!"

     Most of the young men dropped their gazes, subconsciously acknowledging and bearing the transgression of their associates.   A few, however, defiantly locked stares with their instructor.
     "Which of you dared shout out such drivel in my classroom?", Pa'qal challenged.
     No one moved.
     "And you claim to uphold Klingon ideals!", he mocked.
     One of the defiant stepped forward.
     Pa'qal stared him down and hissed, "The rest of you are dismissed."

-----

     "Bakra!   Wait up!"
     Bakra slowed as Teqrel, one of the more popular students in their class, caught up to him.   "Hey, don't let what happened in there get to you.   Toral resents having to be schooled with us younger guys.   You know he carries a chip on his shoulder."
     Bakra asked, "I wonder -- if I was the last surviving member of a dishonored House, would I be as bitter as he is?"
     "Probably would, especially if you had to put up the fight he did just to get admitted into school in the first place.   But remember, his is not just any dishonored House.   The House of Duras is the Betrayer of Khitomer!", Teqrel replied.
     "I know, I know:   'The dishonor of the father dishonors his sons and their sons for three generations.'"   Bakra grabbed Teqrel's shoulder.   "I just have to say it.   To me it's just another example of how wrong our Klingon ways can be."
     Teqrel resigned, "Your concept of a child not having to suffer for the sins of his parent is quite revolutionary, but somewhat appealing."
     "Unique, at least," another student chimed in.   A small gathering began to form in the hallway outside the gymnasium.
     Teqrel continued, "But what happened in there today spoke louder than any of your Civilist propaganda so far.   That was pretty ugly.   In that sense, our culture does have certain -- shortcomings.   But whose doesn't?"
     "Shortcomings!", Bakra challenged.   "Did you ever consider, really consider, the first phrase Klingon children are taught before they can even comprehend what they're saying?"
     "'Klingons are born to fight and to conquer'?"
     "Exactly!"   Bakra continued, "And just look at what we're taught here in school.   It's all aggression-based education.   Our history, our literature, our sciences -- everything we learn here emphasizes that brute conquest is the highest way to earn honor and integrity in our society."
     "Half our day is taken up with combat training, or Military Science," another student complained.
     Bakra continued, "Let me ask you this:   How many of you were guilted by your elders into learning the Ways of the Warrior?"
     "Well, I sure was.   I tried to say no -- once," one Klingon replied.   Another spoke up, "My father just presumed it for me.   I didn't resist, but inside I had my doubts."   There were grunts of assent all around.
     Teqrel spoke up, "Now wait a minute.   I wanted to pursue the Warrior's way.   I had no doubts."
     Bakra countered, "OK, but did you ever really have a choice if you didn't want to follow it?"
     Teqrel nodded in acknowledgment, "I know what you're saying.   To not pursue Warrior status is to become a second-class citizen."
     "At best!", Bakra added.
     Teqrel began walking, the others followed.   "Come on, we'll be late for Battle Strategies class.   Did you say earlier that there's a Civilist meeting tonight?"
     "Yes, at The Blood and Guts Pubhouse, just outside the east wall," Bakra answered.
     "OK, maybe I'll see you there."
     "Hey, do you guys really sleep on padded bed slabs?", one of the other's asked.
     Bakra shook his head laughing, "Don't believe everything you hear, Chaq!"

     Their laughter was interrupted as the gymnasium door slammed open.   The Klingon who had yelled out to Toral in class came through first, holding the door for Toral.   But when Toral saw the onlookers, he snarled, pushing him aside.   Toral walked slowly over to the gathering with a limp in his stride that he did not have before.   The Klingons made way for him as he approached.
     Toral came face to face with Bakra.
     "You had better hope I don't catch you alone, Civilist."
     As he limped away, Bakra wiped the spit from his face.