Star Trek: The Klingon Empire

by Insight Editions

  SIGHTS AND ACTIVITIES

  * * *

  The monastery is obviously the big draw here. After more than one thousand years, the clerics who’ve watched over this shrine have amassed a number of mementos, letters, gifts, and other artifacts given to them by Klingons throughout the Empire as a way of showing devotion to Kahless. Upon receipt, the clerics catalog each item and take steps to ensure its preservation until such time as the first emperor chooses to return. As a result, this repository of offerings has become something of a museum in its own right. Even following the creation of Kahless’s clone in 2369, the monastery’s caretakers continue to receive a steady stream of donations, which they painstakingly safeguard. Visitors can quickly find themselves lost among the archives, essentially taking a walk through centuries of accumulated history as they discover how Klingons throughout the ages have paid respect to the founder of their civilization.

  LulIgh

  Translated as “refuge” or “sanctuary,” the monastery’s primary shrine is located at the top of the temple’s tallest tower. A shaft in the center of the ceiling draws sunlight into the room and illuminates the raised dais, with its array of ornamental candles and a large portrait of Kahless serving as a backdrop. Before the painting is a throne, constructed centuries ago, which now sits empty—waiting for Kahless, the one warrior deemed worthy enough to occupy it. Aside from the clerics themselves, many Klingons of deep faith come here to meditate and draw strength and courage from the essence of the First Emperor that many believe permeates the shrine.

  Boreth Botanical Gardens

  In addition to the fruits and vegetables grown by the clerics and a small cadre of Jinvana farmers on the monastery grounds, a great deal of time and effort is devoted to nurturing a truly spectacular assemblage of flora from around Boreth as well as from Qo’noS and other Klingon-occupied worlds. Walking paths and rivers winding through the trees serve as buffers between incompatible species, including one genus of predatory plant that can actually launch small stingers from its stigma, each teeming with a nerve toxin that is quickly fatal to many humanoids. In true Klingon fashion, the plants are not segregated or enclosed, meaning the clerics take their lives into their own hands when it’s time to tend the gardens. Warning signs are posted and medical treatment is available in case of emergency, of course, and visitors are advised to exercise extreme caution when venturing to this area of the grounds.

  Spires of Boreth

  A natural rock formation that’s visible from the observation deck on the monastery’s uppermost level, the spires are so named because of how they seem to rise up from the mountain beneath them and claw for the sky. On clear days, the crystalline deposits sparkle in each of the spires, reflecting the brilliant sunlight. Some legends say that the spires are actually a hand that is ready to catch Kahless should he fall from Sto-Vo-Kor back to the dominion of the living.

  lay’bogh DISmey

  These “Caves which promise,” located deep beneath the mountain on which the monastery is built, are a complex network of tunnels carved by lava through the rock. According to The Story of the Promise, it’s within these caves specifically that Kahless decreed he would one day be resurrected, a statement he apparently made after identifying Boreth as the planet of his return. In 2369, the monastery clerics who created the Kahless clone saw to it that his first appearance was here, in accordance with the legends, but they and many others still believe that the “true” first emperor will one day return. The largest cave, situated almost directly below the monastery itself, contains an ornamental fire pit that the clerics ensure burns continuously, as they believe it’s by this light that Kahless will find his way from Sto-Vo-Kor back to the world of the living. Many of the clerics and other Klingons come here to meditate, perhaps hoping they will be the ones who will first behold Kahless’s return.

  SHOPPING AND ENTERTAINMENT

  * * *

  Aside from guided tours of the monastery and the surrounding grounds, the clerics don’t spend a lot of time seeking ways to entertain tourists. The sole exception to this is a reading of The Story of the Promise, held each night at dusk in the monastery’s main courtyard. As darkness encroaches, clerics take turns recounting by firelight the epic tale of how Kahless selected Boreth as the location of his inevitable return. Breaking with tradition and the formality that often surrounds readings of the Story, the performers here have adapted several passages to music and have even found ways to weave popular Klingon folk songs into the narrative, during which they invite the audience to sing along with the performers. At the conclusion of the recital, the performers make themselves available for questions regarding the Story and anything else visitors wish to ask about the monastery. Given their lives of isolation and solemn observance of protocol, the ministers and their staff seem to relish these opportunities to “come out of their shells” and interact with the audience. The nightly presentation usually makes for a pleasant way to round out a day’s excursion before tourists return to their transport vessels.

  Hergh ngevwI’

  This general store began as a small medical clinic and pharmacy and has since grown to become the monastery’s primary source for sundries and souvenirs. The actual clinic relocated to a larger chamber in the monastery decades ago, but many longtime residents still prefer to call the room by its original name, “the apothecary.” Shoppers will find texts and other items pertaining to the monastery and its history, as well as different editions of The Story of the Promise and other historical and fictional tales featuring Kahless. It’s also the only place where you’ll find a selection of oven-baked Jlnjoq bread and freshly brewed raktajino coffee.

  DINING

  * * *

  Aside from the dining facility on your chartered transport vessel, the only food options for travelers visiting Boreth are within the monastery itself. The clerics are known to hunt the indigenous wildlife for meat, in particular a large boar-like creature they have named the Ho’tIq, or simply, “long tooth.” The meat from this beast is similar in flavor to saber bear or targ—especially when prepared by cooks as talented as those on staff here—and its long, sharp incisors are dense enough that the clerics and Jinvana groundskeepers are able to fashion them into serviceable bladed tools for maintaining the monastery grounds. Aside from the occasional Ho’tIq or other game hunt, the bulk of the meals here consist of fruits and vegetables grown on the monastery grounds. Some Klingon delicacies from Qo’noS are also imported weekly on a dedicated cargo vessel, but don’t expect any of that fare if you opt to share a meal with the clerics. They like to save the limited portions of gagh and pipius claw for themselves.

  TONG VEY

  * * *

  MAP OF TONG VEY

  GETTING AROUND

  SIGHTS AND ACTIVITIES

  Tong Vey Historical Museum

  qul waw’

  Peace Park and Waters of Reflection

  SHOPPING AND ENTERTAINMENT

  DINING AND NIGHTLIFE

  POSSESSING A HISTORY THAT’S PERHAPS even more colorful than that of the First City, Tong Vey carries an unrivaled legacy of war and violence. Indeed, this ruined city was all but born from the fires of battle, and its death came in much the same fashion. Though once a hub of commerce and trade, it benefited from its favorable location on the continent’s southern shores and proximity to the deepwater port that allowed access to and from the BIQ’a’blng Ocean. Later, as factions rose up to resist the efforts of the Empire to unite the Klingon people, Tong Vey became a sanctuary for these rebels.

  After decades of resistance and numerous failed attempts to take the city, Tong Vey and its leader, the despot Kajahl, ultimately fell to the forces of Emperor Sompek, in the early years of his reign during the Second Dynasty. As punishment for generations of insolence and brazen attacks against the Empire, Sompek ordered every last person in the city put to death and the city itself reduced to rubble and ashes. To this day, it is unclear if the people of Tong Vey were united behind Kajah
l against the Empire or if they were unwilling casualties of the dictator’s unquenchable thirst for power.

  Today, Tong Vey exists only as a vast landscape of crumbling ruins, along with a scattered collection of markers and small monuments, a museum, and the Dah poH (meaning “time of reckoning”) battlefield, which has been designated a historical site. Scholars, historians, and curiosity seekers travel here to learn the full, stark truth of the city’s history and the price it and its citizens paid for daring to stand against the Empire. Although destroying Tong Vey took a heavy toll on imperial forces, the message Sompek sent to other would-be rebels was unmistakable: Defy the Empire at your peril.

  GETTING AROUND

  * * *

  The city itself has been walled off to keep out the curious and prevent treasure hunters and looters from plundering the site. Security forces patrol the area in airborne skiffs. Visitors arrive via transport shuttles, which depart from most of the major cities on Qo’noS and come and go at sixty-minute intervals. Ground traffic in and around the historical areas is limited to pedestrian paths and mag-rail shuttles to and from the landing area as well as other outlying points of interest along the guided tour. The peace park and museum areas close at dusk, and the last transports depart thirty minutes after that.

  WAR AND REGRETS

  * * *

  [First published in the 2268 Edition]

  As I stand among what little remains of Tong Vey, I am reminded of its place as a dark chapter of history known to every Klingon warrior. I am referring not simply to the war itself, which was one of the bloodiest ground campaigns ever waged on the soil of Qo’noS, but also the events leading up to that final day of reckoning and the

  aftermath of the entire sordid affair. Generations of warrior candidates at the veS DuSaQ academy have studied and debated the battle, and the topic never fails to provoke passionate discussion, even when broached among elder soldiers such as myself. There are those who would prefer we not dwell on the past and instead focus our attention and energy on the future, but as anyone who has ever fought a war can tell you, it is of paramount importance to not just study and celebrate your victories, but also examine and learn from your failures so that you might apply harsh lessons to future engagements.

  While the confrontation at Tong Vey was ultimately judged a success, it was still a loss—for Emperor Sompek, the Klingon people, and especially those who perished on the battlefield. However, Sompek could not permit such open insolence from Kajahl. I have heard it said, mostly in stories passed down between generations, that Sompek regretted the decree he made to annihilate the defeated city, and that he felt forced into his decision by a need to demonstrate to others that such willful disobedience and revolt could not be tolerated. Those same accounts say that the events of that day weighed upon Sompek for the remainder of his years.

  There has not since been a campaign fought on Klingon soil as destructive as the Battle of Tong Vey, but the true cost of that conflict can only be appreciated by seeing it with your own eyes. Walking the Dah poH battlefield, which, even after all these generations, still bears the scars of prolonged fighting to which it bore witness, allows one to place the Empire’s victory in its proper context. Though we triumphed, it is not a feat worthy of celebration. It was a battle that should never have been fought, provoked by a tyrant unworthy to be known as a Klingon, and ended by a warrior who would have preferred another path. We can only hope that future generations continue to heed the lessons of Tong Vey.

  —General Korrd, Klingon Defense Force

  SIGHTS AND ACTIVITIES

  * * *

  Given the city’s status as a historical site, all activities here are aimed at educating visitors about the legacy of Tong Vey, including how it influenced future Klingon conflicts, both on Qo’noS and later as the Empire began its expansion to the stars. To that end, guided tours and marked paths allow visitors to reflect upon the costly battle waged here and the lives lost by those who paid the ultimate price for rebellion.

  Tong Vey Historical Museum

  Despite his initial decrees that all evidence of the city or its inhabitants be forever expunged from Klingon history, Emperor Sompek was convinced by advisors not to allow the significance of this battle and its impact on the Empire to be forgotten, resulting in this single repository of artifacts, documents, and other items salvaged from the city’s ruins. Thirteen exhibition galleries highlight the history of the city, beginning with its founding and early life as a trade hub, and continuing through its initial disputes with the First City and the Klingon High Council. The period in which Kajahl rises to rule the city and its neighboring regions is of course given significant space in the gallery, as are Emperor Sompek’s decisions to attack, seize, and ultimately employ scorched-earth tactics against Tong Vey. The battle is well chronicled, with exhibits featuring numerous artifacts salvaged from the battlefield. A display of documents, maps, and other items seized from the leaders of Kajahl’s armies paint a fascinating picture of the military tactics devised first to confront and later resist the Empire’s attempts at expansion. A similar exhibit contrasts this campaign with the strategy employed by the forces of Sompek to bring this protracted conflict to its devastating end. Feel free to peruse the museum at your own pace, or opt for one of the guided tours.

  qul waw’

  A “fire base,” or early warning outpost, this was one of the few structures spared by Emperor Sompek following his order to have the entire city burned to the ground. According to accounts of the battle, this small encampment served as a forward operating post, used to direct fire for long-range artillery such as cannons and catapults against approaching enemy forces. Located approximately two kilometers north of the city ruins, the base quartered a medium-sized infantry division, which could be deployed as a rapid-response and blocking force in the event of invasion from the mountain passes to the north. Records from the Battle of Tong Vey show that the army directed by General Wri’suS and under Sompek’s command made initial contact with Lord Kajahl’s forces at the qul waw’ outpost. The dictator’s forces were soon overrun as the incursion proceeded, and this loss set the tone for the rest of the campaign. Following the battle, Sompek decreed that this area, which marked the official start of the battle, be preserved. The outpost’s stone walls remain relatively intact, along with portions of the interior living and working spaces. One area of the inner courtyard and adjoining buildings has been restored for display purposes, offering visitors insight into how life was lived at the outpost. Though you can walk to the site from the transport landing area, take one of the mag-rail shuttles so you’ll have more time for sightseeing.

  DID YOU KNOW?

  THE BATTLE OF TONG VEY

  Prior to the decisive conflict between the forces of Emperor Sompek and Kajahl, the renegade dictator had cemented his control over most of the continent’s southern reaches under the counsel of seasoned warrior General Hjoh’pat. His realm included everything south of the BIng’av Mountains and north of the shores leading from the BIQ’a’blng Ocean. Those who disputed Kajahl’s self-appointed role as absolute ruler of the region were dealt with quickly and harshly.

  Kajahl might have been allowed to continue his reign for a time without fear of reprisal from the First City, but all of that changed when he began dispatching legions of Hjoh’pat’s army into the northern reaches, beyond the mountains and toward the established trade routes between Quin’lat and the First City. With supply lines cut and Kajahl seizing goods and other valuables, a confrontation was inevitable. With Emperor Kaldon, the direct successor to Kahless, focused on securing territory and alliances in the northern regions, Kajahl’s advances were left largely unchecked. It fell to Sompek, the third Klingon to assume the mantle of emperor, to deal with these increasingly audacious challenges to imperial authority. Indeed, Sompek was tested almost before he could sit on his throne, when forces loyal to Kajahl attempted to lay siege to the city of Quin’lat. Though that attack was repelled, Sompek
knew that such outright impertinence could not go unanswered.

  The new emperor dispatched ten thousand soldiers, commanded by veteran General Wri’suS, to seize Tong Vey once and for all. Though Hjoh’pat’s forces attempted to counter the advance, even his superior numbers could not deal with the enveloping stratagem employed by Wri’suS and the launching of simultaneous assaults at multiple points along the city’s perimeter. The smaller, more agile force—honed by Wri’suS through months of training and conditioning and using precepts handed down from the legendary military unit known as the Hand of Flame—was able to respond far more rapidly to the shifting situation and take advantage of the slower reaction time of Hjoh’pat’s forces. Falling back after initial contact, and with enemy troops still reeling from the assault, the attacking forces would repeat the maneuver at new points of attack, further wearing already-strained defenders. By the end of the first day of fighting, imperial forces had broken through defensive fortifications on multiple fronts. Once inside the perimeter and able to move with speed behind Hjoh’pat’s exhausted and demoralized troops, defeat came quickly to Tong Vey.