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Writer's pictureAnnCarise

The Klingon Civil War of 2420

Fighting on the streets of Qo'noS during the final days of the civil war.

PRELUDE TO WAR

Despite having a culture which revolves heavily around combat, the Klingons initially benefited from the peace which followed the end of the Iconian War, as they were hit especially hard by both the Iconians and the preceding smaller conflicts caused by Iconian meddling. However, as time went on, cracks quickly began to show in Klingon peacetime society.


Chancellor J'mpok, who rose to prominence promising glory by way of conquering Federation territory, found himself losing favour as the Federation was now an ally. Breaking the accord was unwise as the Empire was still recovering from the Iconian War and did not have the strength to challenge a galactic superpower. Instead, J'mpok attempted to bolster his support by way of campaigns against much smaller civilizations and gradually expanding the Empire's borders one system at a time.


This plan worked until the former chancellor Martok, thought slain by J'mpok, resurfaced after being rescued from a Son'a prison. Though Martok stated that he had no plans to reclaim his position, many began to question the legitimacy of J'mpok's chancellorship as he did not kill his predecessor in the duel which earned him the position. Chancellor J'mpok's support plunged to an all-time low despite Martok pledging that he would follow the current leader of the Empire.


THE SCOURING OF RASTI

In order to solidify his power, J'mpok sought to remove Martok from the equation, but Martok deftly maneuvered around several attempts to goad him into another duel. J'mpok next attempted assassination, though his operatives failed spectacularly and were defeated by Martok. As the House of Martok began an investigation into who sent the assassins, J'mpok's hand was forced into getting rid of Martok as quickly as possible.


During a diplomatic meeting with a newly conquered species known as the Bando, J'mpok betrayed Martok. Unbeknownst to J'mpok, Martok had an ace up his sleeve- the House of Mo'Kai, long thought destroyed, was alive and operating from the shadows as his allies. Agents of the secrecy-focused House learned of the plot and managed to shepherd Martok away to safety as J'mpok's warriors slaughtered the rest of the Klingon delegation.


Realizing that Martok was not among the dead, J'mpok blockaded the Bando homeworld of Rasti. After weeks of failing to find his rival, J'mpok snapped and ordered the complete bombardment of Rasti. Martok and the Mo'Kai agents managed to escape this as well, though they found themselves wanted criminals throughout the quadrant as J'mpok blamed the bombardment of the planet and the near-genocide of the Bando species on Martok.


Martok witnesses the initial stages of the orbital bombardment.

Martok spent two months on the run while House Mo'Kai gathered intelligence. When they finally had evidence that J'mpok was the one who was behind Rasti, they broadcast it across the Empire and shared it with multiple news agencies. The Federation rescinded its allegations of war crimes against Martok and instead declared J'mpok the one responsible, though Starfleet was unwilling to get into another war in order to apprehend him.


THE CIVIL WAR

The reaction to this revelation was far more pronounced among the Klingons. Several other Houses had lost members in the betrayal at Rasti and brought the matter before the High Council. J'mpok refused to accept responsibility and dismissed the High Council when they pressured him, proclaiming himself 'Emperor' as the Kahless clone who served as figurehead Emperor had been killed in the Iconian War.


The Houses who had suffered losses at Rasti rose up in rebellion with House Martok and their allies. J'mpok's political opponents quickly seized the opportunity as well and the Empire was engulfed in civil war.


Various designs of Klingon and Imperial vassal starships stand off in the Gorath System.

There was no singular front for the conflict as it occurred all across Klingon space and consisted of numerous battles of varying scale. Many smaller Houses used the chaos to strike back at long-term rivals or seize additional power. Vassal civilizations fought back against against all Klingon factions, or amongst one another over feuds which predated integration into the Empire. Some Houses even had infighting among themselves, such as the House of Kator, which saw its leader deposed and its allegiance changed from J'mpok to Martok.


As the war went on, it became evident that J'mpok was mad with power. More and more Houses started to switch allegiances, resulting in the tide turning against the self-appointed Emperor which only made him more unstable. When he realized that his defeat was assured, J'mpok launched an attempted invasion of the monastery of Boreth in order to seize their time crystals and rewrite history. This attack was repelled by Commander B'Atar, the new regent of House Kator, now once again known as House K'Van.


The Siege of the First City, the final battle of the war.

All in all, the war lasted only a little over three months. In the final days, J'mpok found himself surrounded in the First City. The rebel forces would not bombard the city given its cultural and historical significance to the Klingon people and instead laid a siege. Ultimately, J'mpok was slain inside the Great Hall by one of the very agents who saved Martok's life on Rasti.


AFTERMATH

The Mo'Kai agent who defeated J'mpok immediately abdicated the position of chancellor. Deciding that he has had enough of politics, Martok refused to accept the role and the chancellorship was passed to the matriarch of House Mo'Kai, Jahleyr. Chancellor Jahleyr spent the next few years restoring order in the Empire and consolidating power.


Most of the anti-Federation Houses sided with J'mpok in the war. A few were destroyed utterly, others exiled or greatly reduced in power. This resulted in a major shift in Klingon attitude towards the Federation. In addition, the civil war also undid any work in recovering the Empire's strength following the Iconian invasion, putting the Klingons in a weaker position than ever.


Both these factors have led to a movement advocating for the alliance with the Federation to become something more. The High Council is now seriously considering the notion of joining the United Federation of Planets, and early plans for talks with Federation diplomats are being drawn up.


Many Houses which supported Martok also found themselves gaining in power, prestige and influence. The Great House of K'Lek and their allied minor Houses took control of all Klingon territory in the Mempa Sector after House Konjah, who sided with J'mpok, was ousted from the region. For B'Atar's defense of the monastery, Chancellor Jahleyr awarded House K'Van governance over the entire Boreth Sector and a seat on the High Council.


The Orion Space Navy took the opportunity of the civil war to eradicate the weakened Orion Syndicate, which sided with J'mpok. Though several former Syndicate cells went into hiding and are known to have survived, they no longer possess any form of cohesion with each another and operate as independent crime syndicates. These splinter groups are not recognized as legal entities by either the Federation or Klingon Empire.

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