Battle of the Houses

The Battle of the Houses was the final and largest battle of the brief Klingon civil war of 2381. Chancellor Martok faced a rebellion, led by his rival, Councilor J'mpok, with the renegade Federation dreadnought Theurgy heavily involved in the conflict. The conclusion of the war would have long-lasting ramifications throughout the Alpha and Beta quadrants, particularly in the clandestine war against the Infested.

The Battle of the Houses serves as the central focus of Episode 01 of Season 02 of the Theurgy story.

Prelude

The Battle of the Apertures, while a major victory for the combined Federation/Klingon forces, sent political shockwaves throughout the Klingon Empire. Dozens of Klingon vessels were destroyed in the struggle against the Borg, with several thousand Klingon warriors losing their lives. Though Chancellor Martok survived the battle, the heavy losses, notably including the celebrated flagship IKC Negh’var, severely weakened the Klingon military, which had barely begun to recover from catastrophic losses and economic ruin during the Dominion War.

Though in itself, this was not a problem for a warrior culture, Martok's radical actions following the battle stoked suspicion and alarm. He suspended the hunt for the renegade dreadnought Theurgy, despite that vessel destroying the IKS Hakkarl over a week prior, slaying Martok's own son. More, Martok ordered strict secrecy among the few survivors of the battle, flatly refusing to give even the High Council details about what had occurred. This unusual act greatly perturbed many of the fallen's families, who were unable to properly celebrate the deeds of the glorious dead, and outraged more conservative elements of the Empire. Even more bizarre, though remaining outwardly friendly, Martok suspended joint operations with Starfleet and began refortifying the Empire's border with the United Federation of Planets.

As time passed, discontent with Martok's secrecy grew, building on concerns about the Empire's slow economic recovery. Martok's absence from Qo'nos further weakened his political standing, as did odd rumours spread: that the Theurgy had been present at the battle, had escaped, that it was being secretly refitted in a distant Klingon dock, that Martok had gone mad and aligned himself with the psychotic terrorist Captain Jien Ives. Nothing made sense, and the Klingon populace grew ever more disturbed.

Though the rumors were partially true, Martok had excellent reasons for his secrecy. At the Battle of the Apertures, he had learned the horrible truth about the Infested, their control of Starfleet Command, and the Theurgy crew's struggle to stop them. The Theurgy was indeed being secretly refitted at Aldea, a distant vassal world of the Empire, as Martok made his own plans to fight The Infested and save the Empire. However, fast-moving events derailed those plans before he could act.