History - T'Kuvma's War

Starting with the Battle of the Binary Stars on May 12, 2256 and continuing until the Armistice of September 8, 2257, the Klingon-Federation War, also known colloquially as T'Kuvma's War or, inaccurately, Burnham's War, is one of the defining events of recent history. At its peak, over a quarter of Federation space was controlled - although not necessarily occupied - by Klingon forces, and over a third of Starfleet's active forces were destroyed.

Following the events of the QuchHa' Crisis of the late 22nd century, where a genetic augmentation virus spread uncontrolled through the Empire and forcibly changed the biology of a large portion of the Klingon population, the central Klingon government fell into turmoil. Much of their society blamed the High Council for the event, who in turn directed that towards the bureaucracy and military. After the Year of Five Chancellors, the state effectively ceased to be except for a small set of caretaker organs. The Great Houses warred as much amongst themselves as with their neighbors. This was the state of affairs until the mid-23rd century, when a revitalization movement grew, half-cult and half-revolutionary. The most prominent leader of this movement was T'Kuvma, heir to a minor house.

During this period, there was little contact between the Federation and the Klingons. Raids by individual houses occurred, including the low-intensity conflict sometimes called the Four Years War, but aside from the small fleet engagement over Donatu V this was a matter of two or three ships at a time and rarely any joint effort between houses. All the while, the Federation expanded, adding members inside space that, while not officially Klingon, had traditionally been full of client states. T'Kuvma saw this as encroachment bound to envelope and eventually suffocate the Empire. After careful preparation, he lured a Federation starship to a traditional pilgrimage site at the edge of both nations. The resulting encounter between the USS Shenzhou and the Sarcophagus ship brought two fleets into one place. Once both sides were present, T'Kuvma opened fire. Less than an hour later, the Klingons were triumphant. Seven Starfleet ships were destroyed outright, a half-dozen more crippled, and eight thousand people killed.

Starfleet was caught completely unprepared, having no reason to believe war was imminent, and the loss of so many border fleet ships let Klingon ships swept into Federation space. Only the Empire's own disorganization prevented a complete collapse. The tide only turned six months later, after a series of fast defensive actions by USS Discovery and a daring raid on Ty'ko'gor by Captain Decker and USS Constellation bought breathing room. As Starfleet regrouped, so too did the Klingons, with Kol of House Kor rapidly forcing other houses to acknowledge his leadership. He used an invisibility screen, believed to be derived from either Hurq' or Sulliban technology, as leverage. The spread of this technology made it difficult for Starfleet to operate in anything but large formations, as single ships were too easily cornered and caught by surprise. Even after Kol was engaged and killed over Pahvo by Discovery in January 2257, the Klingons used sneak attacks to destroy several key starbases.

By September, almost a third of Starfleet had been destroyed and much of what remained was forced into the orbitals of heavily-defended worlds. Earth itself was under threat, with Starbase One taken by House D'ghor. The fight was not entirely one-sided; the Klingons had once more dissolved into competing factions, allowing more coordinated Federation forces to pick off some isolated squadrons. Post-war analysis now suggests that the Klingons were on the verge of logistical collapse and much of their fleet was barely operational. Attempting to take Earth in the face of its formidable defense network may well have resulted in a devastating loss. This may explain what came next: a coup on Qo'nos by L'Rell of House Mokai, who somehow managed to blackmail the Great Houses into electing her to chancellor. In short order, commands were sent to halt the advance on Earth, and L'Rell directly communicated with the President and Federation Council to arrange an armistice.

The post-war recovery was difficult, with many planets devastated by Klingon raids, and a number of outlying colonies had to be evacuated as they were now in Klingon space, although no member homeworlds were lost. Starfleet began a rapid modernization program, replacing old 'Next Step' starships from the early 2200s like the Walker and Nimitz with mid-century designs based on the Constitution project. Planetary defenses were expanded and border outposts hardened. By 2262 Starfleet had recovered much of its strength in terms of capability, if not hull numbers, but the loss of experienced crews remained a traumatic blow.

The question now on everyone's mind is "what next"? The Klingon state had greatly centralized, with the chancellor's authority expanded thanks to a new internal surveillance force that watched even the great houses. The old fleet of ships from the 22nd century and Great House forces full of baroque Hurq-inspired vessels was replaced with a new generation of sleek warships, including the fearsome D-7 Klolode, and most of those were under the chancellor's direct control. This central authority is not entirely unquestioned, though, and warriors chafe for a new fight. A short, victorious war might be exactly what the Klingon government needs to cement its control over the Empire. Already, skirmishes between Federation and Klingon ships in the disputed regions along the border are common, although outright destruction of entire vessels is rare so far.

The Federation Diplomatic Service continues efforts to turn the armistice into a permanent peace treaty. However, many in the Federation government think this is unlikely to succeed. Members of the Federation Council, particularly from border worlds, now openly demand increased military spending and shipbuilding, even at the expense of other projects. Starfleet's own intelligence and strategic analysis makes it clear that unless something dramatic happens - the Klingons deciding the Romulans or Tholians are better targets, for example - war is likely within the next three years. It is essential that the Federation be given as much time as possible to prepare.