Throughout much of the 24th century, the Klingon Empire was led by K’mpec, the longest serving
Chancellor in their history.
Respected and feared, K’mpec kept their Houses at peace and the empire prosperous,
but as he grew older new political factions emerged, positioning themselves to challenge
for leadership when he passed.
Representing the Old Houses, and establishment powers was Duras son of Ja’rod, descended
from an ancient bloodline, with influence across the Empire.
Opposing him was Gowron, an outsider who challenged the High Council, drawing support from lesser
Houses and portions of the military.
In 2367 when the Empire learned the Chancellor was dying, the rival factions sent their representatives,
Gowron and Duras to perform the right of succession, which determined the next leader through a
duel to the death.
Yet this would not be a typical Klingon ritual, as Captain Jean Luc Picard of the Starship
Enterprise served as Arbitor of Succession, charged with overseeing the preceding.
Known as a famous diplomat and mediator, Captain Picard was summoned by K’mpec before his
passing, who revealed he was poisoned and could not trust those on the council with
the investigation.
A warrior society, the use of poison was considered craven and dishonerable, therefore K’Mpec
felt his finally duty was to ensure the man responsible did not become the new chancellor.
Though he was reluctant to accept this grave responsibility, Picard knew that the Klingon
Empire must remain politically stable or else risk a war which might spread outside their
borders.
Taking the role as Arbitor, Picard met with Duras and Gowron but problems emerged almost
immediately, when a bomb went off during the Sonchi ceremony honouring the fallen chancellor,
killing one man from each faction.
Upon reconvening the right of succession began, however Picard delayed the ritual by insisting
on honouring old traditions no longer practiced, giving his crew time to launch an investigation
into the assassination and bombing.
Their analysis concluded that the explosive was Romulan in origin, a people known to employ
poison as a matter of statecraft.
The bomb was also implanted into the arm of a warrior from the House of Duras, a family
with a history of betrayal and cooperation with the Romulans, dating back to the treason
of Ja’rod, father of Duras whose actions allowed the Star Empire to destroy a Klingon
Colony in the Khitomer Massacre of 2346.
Yet the betrayal was instead blamed on the warrior Mogh until an investigation by his
son Worf, the only Klingon in Starfleet, revealed that truth.
Yet the House of Duras was so old and powerful, that disgracing them almost certainly meant
civil war and so K’mpec and the High Council covered up the crime and continued to blame
Mogh.
Reluctantly, Worf agreed with their decision and willingly bore the stigma of being a traitor’s
son, as his personal code of honor meant he must act in the best interest of the Empire.
Yet with the loyalty of the House of Duras once in doubt, questions were raised about
what really happened at Khitomer, primarily by Worf’s mate K’Ehleyr who was
then killed by Duras to ensure she did not learn the truth.
When Worf found her body he claimed the right of vengeance, and killed Duras in single combat,
yet these actions were in accordance with the laws and traditions of the Klingon Empire,
and so the High Council considered the matter closed, leaving Gowron uncontested in his
pursuit of the Chancellorship.
Yet the conflict was only beginning, as Duras had 2 sisters, Lursa and B’Etor who now
led the House of Duras and were gathering their allies to raise an army.
Not only did they have more support than Gowron within the Empire, but they were also secretly
allied with the Romulan Star Empire, working towards the goal of shattering the balance
of power in the region.
Though Gowron wanted to maintain the alliance with the Federation which ensured the Empire’s
dominance as a superpower, it came at a cost to their culture.
Klingon warriors, who for generations expanded their borders aggressively, had to abandon
the old ways of war and conquest to embrace peaceful relations with their neighbors, in
order to maintain the alliance with the federation and their position of power.
But now, the House of Duras believed they could return to the Old Ways by making a new
alliance with the Star Empire who shared their desire for aggressive conquest.
Yet this partnership had to be kept secret as the Romulans were considered blood enemies
of the Empire, and allowing them to directly influence Klingon politics was treason.
With their support growing, Lursa and B’Etor interrupted the ceremony to name Gowron the
new Chancellor, and presented Toral, the illegitimate son of Duras who came to challenge for the
position in his father’s place.
Knowing that the House of Duras could not be allowed to take power, Picard denied the
request, as Toral was young and had no victories in battle or qualifications to be chancellor.
The House of Duras then claimed this was a Federation plot to deny their legal rights,
and withdrew from the Council.
Civil war then erupted when Gowron’s ship was attacked by enemy forces, only to be repelled
by Captain Kurn, the brother of Worf who was convinced to side with the Chancellor, bringing
with him 4 squadrons of loyal warriors.
Though he too was a son of Mogh, Kurn’s ancestry was kept hidden so he could continue
to serve in the Empire, but he continued to love and respect his brother, abandoning his
own plans to lead a third faction into the war, in order to obey worf’s wishes and
support Gowron as the rightful Chancellor.
Though his army was growing, Gowron remained badly outnumbered by enemy forces and so reached
out to the Federation for aid, but they refused to get involved as it was by definition an
internal klingon conflict.
With the honor of the House of Mogh now restored, Worf felt a duty to the Empire and so resigned
his commission in Starfleet to fight at the side of the Chancellor.
Yet despite their best efforts, Gowron’s warriors lost 3 engagements in a row, including
a hard fought defeat in the battle of Mempa, which might have been far worse, if not for
the heroism of General Martok who led the retreat.
Unwilling to get directly involved in the conflict, Picard nevertheless wanted to help
Gowron’s faction in some way and so convinced the federation to set up a blockade, preventing
the romulans from sending reinforcements to support their secret allies.
A trap was then set, when Picard convinced Gowron to launch a full scale assault on the
Duras fleet.
This unexpected aggression led the House of Duras to panic and send for assistance from
the romulans who did their best to slip past the Federation blockade.
But their effort were soon discovered by Lt Data, serving as acting captain aboard the
USS Sutherland, and so the alliance between the House of Duras and the Romulan Star Empire
was finally exposed for all to see.
Now recognized as traitors top their people the Duras family quickly lost support and
Gowron’s forces claimed victory.
Although the Duras sisters escaped and tried to raise another army, they were killed in
2371, engaged in battle with the starship Enterprise.
Young Toral was abandoned by his aunts and captured by government forces who named him
a traitor.
His fate was then left to Worf son of Mogh, whose family was most affected by the dishonour
of the House Duras.
Yet Worf, having adopted many Federation values during his life, chose to spare the boy, believing
him a pawn of Lursa and B’Etor.
But this proved to be a mistake as Toral once again plotted to seize power when he attempted
to steal the sword of Khaless in 2372, but his efforts were thwarted by Worf and several
companions.
With the civil war ended, Chancellor Gowron remained the uncontested ruler, reaffirming
their alliance with the Federation and restoring the balance of power in the region.
To reward those who stood by his side, Kurn was given a position on the new High Council,
while Worf might have been similarly honored but he instead returned to Starfleet and his
service under Captain Picard.