98328.8 Federation News Service
TIDES TURN IN KLINGON CIVIL WAR
The civil war that has ravaged the Klingon Empire for the past eight months has been a bloody struggle as Great and minor houses alike vie for power in the wake of self-proclaimed Emperor J’mpok’s dissolution of the High Council. While some number of houses remained loyal to either J’mpok or the civil war’s catalyst House Mo’Kai, the vast majority of Klingon forces fractured into smaller alliances.
Because of the nature of the conflict and the effect it’s had on the KDF, reliable information from within the Empire has been difficult to come by. In recent weeks, however, FNS correspondents have reported a startling shift in loyalties.
Aakar, Son of Aakam. Captain, KDF.
Despite suffering some early defeats and the loss of their flagship, the IKS Lukara, House Mo’Kai has made strong inroads. Operating now from a well-secured base in the Boreth System, Matriarch J’Ula has embarked on a campaign focused as much on perception as on actual strategic value. Day by day it seems that more citizens of the Empire are hearing her story: that it was not J’Ula orchestrating Mo’Kai’s earlier crimes, but one called Aakar, himself an agent of J’mpok. Though the truth of the situation may be impossible to determine, J’Ula’s version of events has steadily gained traction - and with it, supporters.
In the Forcas System, House Korath managed to break a months-long siege by J’mpok loyalists after receiving assistance from a Mo’Kai battlegroup led by the IKS Kor. Korath controls one of the largest intact factions of the KDF and several star systems. Having overcome the loyalists’ advantage in Forcas, experts predict it is only a matter of time before Korath’s sizable fleet becomes available to reinforce Mo’Kai’s efforts.
At Rura Penthe, the influential General Martok led a strike force in a daring rescue of General K’nal and a sizable force of imprisoned warriors of House Kang, collectively imprisoned for opposing J’mpok. After the raid, Martok and K’nal rallied to the banner of House Mo’Kai, standing in strong opposition to the Emperor. Though House Kang no longer wields the influence it once did, its large contingent of warriors has provided Mo’Kai with a distinct numerical advantage over J’mpok’s forces.
High Chancellor L'Rell, circa 2257.
Matriarch J’Ula, herself, led the bulk of the Mo’Kai fleet back to Qu’Vat in order to close rifts and aid the area so devastated by the mycelial superweapon. Her efforts are being seen by many as further evidence that she speaks the truth about Aakar’s treachery.
Among the big names flocking to the Mo’Kai cause, none has been more surprising than the apparent reappearance of High Chancellor L’Rell of House T’Kuvma. This warrior of legend led the Klingon Empire in the mid-23rd Century, and was notable for bringing an end to a period of open warfare with the Federation.
Without any hard evidence or explanation provided, speculation as to L’Rell’s existence and origin is rampant. Though it isn’t clear whether the fabled Mother of the Empire has traveled through time, been resurrected, or cloned, it has been confirmed that Mo’Kai forces are presently being led by L’Rell’s former flagship, the IKS K’t’inga.
A great many houses remain undecided or unaffiliated, though it has become clear that as Mo’Kai is gaining allies, J’mpok’s forces are dwindling. Even with loyalist territory shrinking steadily towards Qo’noS, the Emperor gives no sign that he is open to surrender or compromise.
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((Events of Knowledge is Power, Leap of Faith, and Warriors of the Empire are now fleet canon.))