Star Trek Online/Codex/The Path to 2409/2393

The rapid rise of a new chancellor for the Klingon High Council threw the Empire's relations with the Federation and other major powers into doubt. "Whether you loved or hated Martok, he was a known quantity," said Starfleet spokesperson Commander Marie Durant. "We simply don't know enough about J'mpok." Strained relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire made gathering detailed information about the political situation on Qo'noS difficult.

The task was complicated by the fact that one of J'mpok's first acts was to bar the Federation's ambassador from the Great Hall. Ambassador Worf was a member of the House of Martok and one of Martok's staunchest supporters.

What was known is that tensions rose between Martok and J'mpok for some time. J'mpok and his followers on the council accused Martok of being a weak leader and a puppet for Federation interests. They questioned his close ties to Worf, as well as Martok's willingness to negotiate with the Gorn.

In return, Martok's supporters accused J'mpok of acting dishonorably and undermining the actions of Martok and the Klingon Defense Force during a time of war. On Stardate 70437.47, during a debate over whether to send more ships to fight the Gorn, tensions rose to a boiling point. Infuriated by J'mpok's jibes and threats, Martok expelled J'mpok from the High Council and ordered his lands seized and his titles revoked. The House of J'mpok would be dissolved.

Martok's decree only served to further divide the council between followers of Martok and J'mpok, and both sides began preparing for war. Fighting broke out between the groups in the streets of the First City, and reports of ship crews splitting into factions begin filtering back to Klingon Command.

Remembering the damage caused by the civil war after Chancellor K'mpec's death, Martok told advisers that he planned to find a resolution with J'mpok that would end the conflict. On Stardate 70669.86, he ordered J'mpok to meet with him at the Great Hall. Martok then told his bodyguards, the Yan-Isleth, to guard the doors and allow no one to disturb them. Two hours later, J'mpok opened the doors of the Council Chamber and announced that Martok was dead. J'mpok was now Chancellor of the Empire.

Drex, son of Martok, challenged J'mpok after his father's death, accusing him of murdering Martok in dishonorable combat. However, Drex was seen by most as callow and unworthy of taking up his father's mantel. B'vat, the Arbiter of Succession, quickly rejected his claim to his father's position.

Undaunted, Drex claimed the Right of Vengeance and challenged J'mpok to combat. Drex was severely injured in the ensuing battle, but J'mpok declined to kill him. Other challengers to J'mpok's claim quickly faded away, and his claim to the position of Chancellor was ratified by the High Council.

The regime change in the Klingon Empire was a major cause for concern for the Federation, and President Okeg recalled Ambassador Worf to Earth for consultations. Ultimately, the Federation decided to take a wait-and-see approach, welcoming J'mpok and inviting him to meet the Federation at his earliest convenience.

In response, J'mpok sent word through an intermediary that while he appreciated Okeg's offer, affairs on the homeworld would keep him occupied for some time.

Happier news for the Federation was the formal admission of Bajor and Tama Prime as full members. The long process of acclimating the planets' economies and populations to life in the Federation began with a few bumps, although this process was eased somewhat in Bajor's case because of the close ties between Bajor and the Federation since the end of the Cardassian occupation in 2369.

One notable exception to the financial conversion was Quark's Bar, Grill, Gaming House, Holosuite Arcade, Gift Shop and Embassy on Deep Space 9. As a formal embassy for the Ferengi Alliance, it was business as usual at Quark's. Being the best place for free trade in the Bajor Sector brought a significant increase in traffic to Quark's, and the owner was said to be in the market for a moon.

In one of their first ventures as Federation citizens, the Children of Tama worked with Starfleet to open a new linguistic research facility on El-Adrel IV. "Dathon and Picard, at El-Adrel. Picard, his heart open," said Co-director Meltha at the facility's dedication.

While doing a stellar survey near 2466 PM, the U.S.S. Stargazer-A was contacted by an entity claiming to be from the Metron Consortium.

If this being's claim was correct, it would be the first contact the Federation had with the Metrons since 2267. The being agreed to tour the ship, met with Captain Roma Giordano, and said that while the younger races were still unready for contact, they have made progress.

And the legal fight for civil rights for artificial lifeform hit a snag over the hologram known as "Moriarty." Alerted to its existence in a Starfleet computer, the Soong Foundation sued to have the program released into its custody.

Attorneys for Starfleet argued that Moriarty and his companion were a security risk, and that the program's attempt to take over the U.S.S Enterprise-D in 2369 allowed Starfleet to keep it in indefinite custody to protect the public. "That's just imprisonment without a trial," argued Alyssa Cogley-Shaw, lead attorney for the Soong Foundation. "Since when did Starfleet turn into the Obsidian Order?"

The Cardassians took a major step toward self sufficiency when Detapa Council member Natima Lang struck an agreement with Reman leader General Lorix. Lorix agreed to sell dilithium and heavy metal ores to the Cardassians, which allowed them to drastically expand their production of ships and warp drives.

By the end of the year, the Cardassians were using Ferengi brokers to sell ships including the Type V Commercial Laboratory throughout the Alpha Quadrant.

The increase in ship production led to more commercial traffic in and out of the Septimus system, where Gul Madred owned several large mining operations. Claiming that his mines were attacked by raiders and that the Cardassian Defense Force could not adequately protect Cardassian citizens, Madred contacted Lamat' Ukan, leader of the Jem'Hadar in the Alpha Quadrant.

Lamat'Ukan sent troops to protect Madred's mines over the protests of the Cardassian government, which saw the presence of the Jem'Hadar as a threat.

Madred argued that hiring private security to protect his property and employees was his right as a business owner, and that if the Jem'Hadar did not break laws or threaten Cardassian citizens it was not the Detapa Council's concern.

In Romulan space, the Romulan Colonial Organization Committee continued the work of forming a new Romulan government. Several legislative sessions were interrupted by arguments between Admiral Taris and General Tebok about what the role of the Romulan military should be in the new regime.

Tebok swayed a portion of the RCOC with his argument that far-flung areas of the Empire, particularly the areas near Klingon space, could and should be sacrificed in the short-term to strengthen the position of what are now the Romulan core worlds, but Taris countered that it was the duty of the Romulan fleet to keep fighting for every world.

The debate took up much of the later part of the year for the RCOC, but no decision was reached.