[Tlhingan-hol] nuq bop bom: 'ay' loSmaH

[Qov]

yIlaD, yItIv, HIqarmoH.

Recap: The spacewalking first officer had just reported spotting 
ghutar's remains.

40

meHDaq jatlhbe' HoD DeghwI' joq, yaS wa'DIch lu'IjtaHvIS. Som HurDaq 
nuv tu'lu'mo', cholbogh Dujmey tu'meH noch puj lISta' 'ej jIHqu' 
Hota'ro'. QobchoHchugh vay' vangrup. SomDaq ghu' DeltaH 'ungya.

Som 'uchqu' chuch ngoghmey tIn 'ej wa' ngogh retlhDaq loghSut DeSDu' 
mIv je qat chuch SuD. tlhab ro 'uSDu' je. lom tlhabmoHmeH, Dechbogh 
chuch tunmoHmeH pu' lo' yaS wa'DIch 'ej loQ tetmoH. tlhabDI' lom 
nuDchoH 'ach mIvDaq leghlaHbe' 'ungya. SIghbe' Sut. Dujvo' yuvqu'. 
mejtaHvIS DIng lom. logh Sut qoghDaq tlhegh baghlu'. chuchDaq taDmo' 
tlhegh, cheghchoH lom 'e' Del 'ungya.

"yIpol. lI' logh Sut," jatlh HoD.

tlhegh pe' 'ej lom qengchoH, tlhegh luH. Duj 'elqa'meH tlheghDaj'e' 
tlha'. chob'a'Daq ghutar lom lan, ghIq Som tI'meH chob baS pe'choH. 
tlhoy'mey 'utbe' pe'chu' ghIq DujDaq lan 'ej Som muvmoHmeH pu'HIch 
tuj lo'. qoDDaq chuch 'ay'mey mach tu'lu'. SIp SuQ tlhuD taS 'a 
cherghlaH Duj pat. tar puS teqlaH muD pat, bIQ pat je. Hoch QIH 
tI'meH vagh tlhoy'mey lo'pu'DI' yap 'e' luwuq HoD yaS wa'DIch je. 
QaQqu'be' 'ach Som HoSmoH 'e' lutul. Qarghmey mev. tlheghDaj baghHa' 
yaS wa'DIch. ghutar lom luHchoH 'ej meHvaD ra'. "jImejrup."

poSchoH lojmIt wej. meHDaq lojmIt wej veghlI' 'ungya yInroH 'e' 
lubej. ghIq pay' lojmIt wej vegh yInroH cha'DIch. "'ungya!" jatlh HoD 
ghogh pav. jatlh "yInlaw'taH ghutar!" SoQqa'pu'DI' lojmIt wej "mIch 
wejvaD muD yIchu'!" ra' HoD. "nom tebmeH, mIch vaghvo' muD yIQay."

qabDaj tlhopDaq DeSDu' taD tu'lu'mo' ghutar mIv qoD leghlaHbe' yaS 
wa'DIch. vIHbe'taH ghutar.

tlhaq laD HoD 'ej toghmeH nItlhDu'Daj lo'. yaplaH'a' yInSIp? 
SovlaHbe'. tInmo' ghutar 'ej roD logh SutDaq vumbe'mo' ghaytan yInSIp 
law' natlh. yaS wa'DIchvaD Qum HoD, "ghutar mIv yIteq." DeghwI' vaD 
jatlh "lojmIt cha' yIpoSmoH." ghIq Qel Hoqra' tlhap 'ej meHvo' mej.
---
SKI: Looks like he's not dead after all.
---
I know, it probably would have been more surprising had I actually 
killed him.  )ghunchu'wI' is right, I should have used lomHey 
yesterday, and have changed that in the online version at 
http://nuqbopbom.blogspot.com). But a few obvious plot twists are 
required for this sort of story. And I'm kind of fond of him. The 
question you have to ask about ghutar, is: is he too stupid to 
realize, or too brave and honourable to care? Of Hota'ro' the 
question is simply, "Bitch, what is your deal?" I will eventually 
answer both. But it will take a while. Any more questions, let me know.

I was thinking about the evolutionary function of physiological and 
psychological mourning. Obviously it's useful for us to care about 
people we know, because in a small group they probably all either 
carry our genes or are boinking someone who does, and they contribute 
to the group welfare through food gathering and the like. So having 
autonomous systems that pretty much force us to go to some effort to 
make sure they don't die is a good thing. But is the system broken 
that it temporarily almost incapacitates us if they do die?  The 
first officer's initial actions vis-a-vis the lomHey are going to 
strike people as weird, but I seem to be postulating that the system 
actually works differently in Klingons and once someone is dead, 
determined by their mourning ritual, the emotional thread is severed.

I guess this all is cultural, not linguistic, so doesn't belong here, 
but you're all off playing EuroTalk games in Klingon and not reading 
this anyway, right?

- Qov