One Nation, Under Kahless
One Nation, Under Kahless
First City: Qo'nos
"Lord Kang, Valkris reports finding signs of The Albino. What appears to be a small base in the Mempa Sector. While I do not expect the Albino to be in residence, I request permission to make an attack and see if any of his... associates might be willing to... discuss... his whereabouts."
Kang nodded, a thin smile playing at his features. Kirk had been correct in his assessment of Kruge. Of course, Kruge was extremely ambitious but that was balanced by the fact that the man was also extremely capable.
"Granted, Kruge... And advice from an older warrior to a younger warrior..."
"Certainly, Lord Kang?" While Kruge trusted himself more than anyone, the Dahar Master had long earned Kruge's respect. Allying with Kang's now rising fortunes certainly seemed to have been a wise choice on Kruge's part and so he was quite happy to take the wisdom of a proven warrior.
"Great Houses require two things to be successful: A strong and capable man to lead it and an equally worthy Lady by his side. It would be a foolish Klingon who allowed the Lady Valkris to slip through his fingers." Kang withheld a smile at the expression on Kruge's face.
"But first, he must prove himself, My Lord. A Lady such as Valkris is not moved by empty poetry. Also, her aim is much too good to waste time in... traditional... courting."
"And prove yourself, you shall, Kruge. And so you shall! Qa'pla!"
Kruge returned his salute and cut the link. Kang chuckled. Kruge was a valuable asset and one that Kang was carefully cultivating. Kruge was a sharp blade and that made him potentially dangerous if one slipped in handling him.
In the game of 4-D chess that Kang found himself involved in, he now took stock of the board:
His allies: Koloth and Kor... Brothers bound by fate, blood, and battle. Even if Kang occasionally needed to temper Koloth's haughtiness or Kor's arrogance, both could be counted upon to stand at his side no matter what. Perhaps the survival of his son might keep Kor from becoming the 'Drunken Master'. I hope so. The Empire needs him.
Naturally, Kang equally trusted his own crew. They would stand with him to Gre'thor and back. He regretted that he would not be able to protect young Worf's family from some of the misfortune it would face but his grandson was a lynchpin of what was needed to be. Somehow, Kang did find it amusing that the grandson of Worf was a character perhaps more central to what was, after all, a human tale than any of the humans themselves. At the very least, Kang would look after Kurn when the time came.
Beyond his cherished comrades and his crew, Kang considered old General Korrd as a possible ally. That was if Kang could draw the old warrior out of his own lost battle with a barrel of bloodwine without a mad Vulcan mystic to do the job, as Mister Spock had solemnly sworn that no such Half-Brother actually existed. Of course, Kang would have to be careful. At present, Korrd's standing in the Empire was non-existent even though once, Korrd had been as revered as any warrior in the Empire. Under the right circumstances, both Korrd and the young Captain Klaa would be good allies.
On the other hand, Kang did not feel at all comfortable with either the future Chancellor Gorkon or the future Brigadier Kerla. True that Gorkon was a good man who would give his life to lead the Empire away from its own destruction and Kerla was honorable enough, but they were still both political animals and Kang admitted that politics always turned Kang's stomach sour. Gorkon's daughter, Azetbur, would prove to be a remarkable person in her own right but Kang wondered if Gorkon's death was one of those 'missed opportunities' of history yet to come. While it was essential that General Chang and his followers be taken out of the game, much time and political capital would be spent securing Azetbur's position as High Chancellor.
And there Kang saw it: The single most weakening factor in the Empire's future: The Noble Houses of the Empire. The struggle of various Klingon Houses for supremacy in the Empire at the expense of the Empire as a whole. The ships popularly known in the Federation as 'Birds of Prey' were symbolic of this. These ships with their smaller crews and planetary landing capability made them ideal for the various Houses to wage war with each other. The D7s, K'T'ingas, and the later Vorchas (Once Kellet unraveled how to build one) were ships of the state as a whole. United, the Empire was a force to be reckoned with. Forces divided amongst petty chieftains, the Empire's strength was dissipated. Not to mention that House fleets rarely bothered with logistics. Paperwork might be a pain but logistics were key in winning a war and armies or fleets that neglected logistics in favor of 'getting every gun possible' tended to fail. In Earth's history, the Imperial Japanese Navy neglected logistics and the resources to protect such assets. Their failure to secure a quick victory doomed them to be choked AND crushed at the same time by an opponent who did not skimp on the logistics required to keep their forces fighting. The Imperial Fleet was a force that had given the Federation pause. The Feudal divides of the Klingons sapped that strength and provided cracks for the Empire's enemies to pry at.
But even if Gorkon's survival might help stem the resurgence of feudalism, Kang had to permit Chang and his followers to conspire with Admiral Cartwright and the Romulan, Nanclus so that all their rot could be cleared out.
Of course, that didn't mean Kang had to let them succeed.
The trick was in making certain that the Empire's potential wasn't uselessly wasted. The Empire could not drift into war with the Federation and like it or not, the Romulans too had a part in saving them all, so launching a war to remove the backstabbers permanently wasn't an option. And not a way to engender good relations with the Federation.
As for Praxis, Kang had no desire to see Qo'nos suffer from its destruction but it had been the loss of Praxis that had been the impetus for peace with the Federation and the rise of Chancellor Gorkon from relative obscurity. The Empire needed an impetus for change.
Kang had considered it carefully from every angle and he believed he had an idea of how to both stop the destruction of Praxis and present a situation where the Empire needed to make a rapprochement with the Federation. Perhaps the Empire needed to expand its horizons a bit. The Empire needs to reassess the galaxy. The Romulans are not our friends... The Breen are still out there... The Ferengi will steal from anyone... And The Cardassians await. there is an answer in this somewhere.
As for Gowron... I can only wait and see. Duras cannot lead the Empire but nor can I allow a single Klingon's jealousy and envy to waste the lives of Klingons.
One era at a time, Kang. One era at a time...
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Kang has a difficult task ahead of him, but if there's anyone who can guide the Empire, it's him!
11172437
Pretty much. And with all respects to the JJverse, This is why you don't put cadets in the center seat in a crisis. JJverse Kirk got away with it. Red Squad didn't.
Japan was more done in by overcomplicated plans and their rivialy with the army then logistics. The one tome logictica played a part as i know is not having the fifth carrier of the Kido Butai sortie with the planes of thw sixth. That additiknal force could have made miday different.
11172454
Logistics such as kept the Yamato swinging at anchor while the bloody fighting was going on around Guadalcanal. Having not enough oil to send her out when she might have been useful because they needed to conserve the fuel for the 'Decisive Battle' and already having wasted valuable fuel oil in the Midway and Aleutians operations because the battleships 'needed something to do'.
Logistics that put unrefined oil in the bunkers of Taiho that was more volatile, contributing to her loss from a single torpedo hit.
And logistics that left an overstretched merchant fleet under-protected trying to bring the necessary raw materials of war home to Japan.
Versus the logistics that allowed US Carriers to be more than the raiding force from hell that Kido Butai was. The ability to build and supply an advanced base to keep forces in combat and actually be able to simply abandon that base when the war passed it by.
Edit: Just to say that logistics were neglected... Not because the Japanese didn't care but because in needing every gun to fight on the front line, they didn't feel they could spare the resources and had to bet on winning a short war.
11172466
Not saying logistics didn't have a part but i put more blame on what i pointedout more then supplies
11172466
11172535
And all this US victory vs. the IJN DESPITE weapons systems that were anywhere from sub-par to egregiously defective. The US UNDERSTOOD logistics in ways other nations could only dream of understanding. Not to mention the US was actually Capable of pulling off the logistical miracles it did.
11172655
look up US beurea of ordinace. and the torpedeo they gave the navy.
11172760
Watched a History Guy video on the infamous MKXIV torpedo. What a dumpster fire that entire situation was.
The prophet stands on a tightrope. Change too much, too quickly, and the rest is useless. Stand idly by, and preventable disaster can consume everything you hold dear. But as has been said, if anyone can manage this balancing act, it's Kang.
11172957
For a crisper and more refreshing take on the Mk 14 torpedo, check out Drachenfel's YouTube video on onions an torpedos.
11172447
STO does it twice!
It's how you end up in command of a ship during your Cadet Cruise, whether you make a Discovery or TNG era character. Even the same script is used, although they DO have different actors read the lines.
11173408
Indulging in a minor diversion here... I long ago learned that the firing pin issue was first addressed by men in the machine shops at Pearl Harbor who manufactured new, lightweight pins using metal salvaged from Japanese propellor blades from aircraft shot down on Dec. 7.
Return to sender!
11172397
Indeed, Kang has realized that the Federation make far better allies/Frenemies than any other faction and now he faces the much harder task of convincing enough other Klingons of that to make a difference.
11173716
And part of his plan is to direct Klingon colony and survey efforts in the direction of the Cardassians, hoping to accelerate their inevitable rocky first encounter. Also send small efforts to inquire about the 'Lost Fleet' that went into Breen space. That and trying to catch the Romulans being less than faithful allies would showcase the Empire being in a more dangerous position, where having an alliance with the Federation aids the Empire's security and prosperity.
11172454
Problem with that is doing such a thing was considered unthinkable. Carriers and their air groups were considered integral to each other and trying to do it at the last moment would have resulted in pure chaos. This is also why Japanese carriers rapidly lost their ability to deliver meaningful attacks on U.S. carriers. Air groups needed time to 'work up' new pilots, time they no longer had the luxury of spending. As a result, once most of the 'old guard' prewar pilots had been expended their replacements lacked the skill and training needed to press attacks in the teeth of increasingly murderous Allied anti-air fire.