Chang

Chang, Head of the House of Chang, is a renowned General in the Klingon Defence Force and a famed military tactician. He is perhaps most well known for his role in founding and leading the Klingon Defence Force Elite Command Academy, as well as his longest held position serving as Military Advisor to the late Chancellor Lorak and the High Council.

## Early Life

Little is known of Chang's early life. It is believed he rose from low-born roots, born in 2203, serving as an enlisted Warrior in the Klingon Defence Force around 2220. Through exemplary performance, he rose to become First Officer of the IKS naQjej, a D6A Kl'ar (Leader) Class Heavy Cruiser in 2236. Held back by his lack of noble birth and outspoken views on command, Chang was at first angered when he was passed over for Command of the naQjej for a less experienced but better politically connected Officer, Lorak, Son of B’kol. However, he soon learned that his new Captain shared his unorthodox views, and far from pulling rank, consulted his more experienced First Officer. Lorak, some years the senior of Chang, tempered the young warrior, and helped the low born man navigate the corridors of power. Chang, in return, proved to be a tactical and strategic genius, and an invaluable asset to Lorak, as well as becoming close friends.

## Captain Chang

In 2248, after the failure of the attacks on the Federation at the Battle of Bernard, the KDF forces along the Federation frontier were reorganised, and Lorak promoted to Brigadier and reassigned from his previous post on the Romulan border to take command of the Hegh yan Strike Fleet. He brought Chang with him, promoted to Captain and finally given command of the naQjej. The Treaty of Korvat was signed soon after, and the stabilisation of the Federation frontier and the new Klingo-Romulan Alliance meant that opportunities for further honour and promotion were few. For ten years, both Lorak and Chang languished on the Federation frontier. As with many KDF Officers who had political connections, Lorak sought political office as a way to move upwards in Klingon society during this "vile peace". Chang, however, had no such political ambitions or connections (outside of his friendship with Lorak), and remained a staunch military man. Promotions were still few on the ground, and despite Lorak being granted a seat on the High Council in 2254, Chang remained at the rank of Captain, although he was granted command of the Hegh yan Strike Fleet.

In 2258, Chancellor Durak died in suspicious circumstances, leading to the Ormong of 2258. Lorak, by now head of the House of LoS, led one of the major factions in this Ormong, and called upon his old friend Chang to lead his fleets. Although unwilling to get involved in politics, Chang considered supporting the other major house (the traditionalist House of Mur'Eq) to be distasteful, and could not sit idly by on the Federation frontier whilst the Empire crumbled from within.

### Chang meets Gorkon

It was during the Ormong of 2258 that Chang first met Gorkon, Son of Toq. Gorkon was a diplomat who had first met Lorak shortly after his appointment to the High Council. Although not a natural match, Gorkon, like Chang, was not a "typical Klingon", wielding words as his weapon rather than a bat'Leth. Ordinarily this would have put him beneath the view of a military man like Chang, but, instead Chang viewed this as an "alternative form of warfare", something he built upon in his strategies for war. During the conflict, the working relationship between the two grew into a steady friendship, although more as equals rather than the mentor and student relationship that Chang had with Lorak.

## Victory and Promotion

The Ormong of 2258 was a long, bitter conflict, and despite Chang's formidable strategic and tactical prowess, it was not until 2260 that the matter of ascension was finally resolved. Chang would also later admit that despite his skills, the war taught him much that he would later put to use. Lorak ascended to become Chancellor of the High Council, and appointed Gorkon as his Chief of Staff with Chang as his Chief Military Advisor, as well as promotion, finally, to Brigadier. The new Lorak Doctrine was marked by two extraordinary acts, each with the hallmarks of his two advisers. The first was reconciliation with the Houses of Mur'Eq and Duras, the two main challengers for the chancellorship in the Ormong, a clear piece of guidance from the diplomatic Gorkon to mend the wounds in the Empire. The second was an enormous re-armament programme to challenge the Federation and the loathed Treaty of Korvat although without officially breaking it. This was quite clearly the work of Chang, who had in their years along the border and his study of the Federation, come to view them as the largest threat to the continued survival of the both the Klingon Empire as a political entity and the Klingon people themselves.

As part of the new Lorak Doctrine, no single system, no single world on the Federation border was to be given up without quarrel or conflict. Whilst not always resorting to armed conflict, as full-scale war was not entirely desirable at that point, no respite could be given. Klingon forces could not be seen to back down from any conflict, no matter how minor. There would be no quarter given to the Federation and Starfleet, and none taken. The border grew wider, as Klingon and Federation colonist alike spread to new worlds in the area, each assured by their governments that they would be protected by any aggression from the other. This gunboat diplomacy led to a number of minor skirmishes over the next six years, until finally tensions rose to the point that war was unavoidable.

In 2266, a dispute over the world of Organia, the fourth planet in the Organia System led to a diplomatic crisis between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Whilst outwardly the diplomats of both powers attempted to find a resolution, both governments deployed their forces for war, the Klingon Defence Force dispatching two fleets for an invasion of the sector. Chang and his second-in-command, Captain DrahK'kor took command of the main strike force, comprised of elements of several 'peacetime' strike fleets, and arrayed his fleet for a decisive battle over Organia itself. The actions of the meddlesome Organians denied Chang his long-awaited battle against the Federation, and the 4-Day War, as it came to be known, ended indecisively with a peace treaty even more hated than that of Korvat, the Organian Peace Treaty.

## The Elite Command Academy

The 4-Day War, although proclaimed as a victory by both sides, had helped to reveal serious shortcomings in the organisation, tactics and equipment of both opposing forces. In the Klingon Defence Force, further fleet reforms were enacted, and in 2268, following the captured of a Romulan Cloaking Device by the Federation, Chang (newly promoted to General following his performance in the 4-Day War) used the opportunity for reforms to finally show Chancellor Lorak and the High Council what he had believed to be a major problem in the Klingon Defence Force for many decades.

Under the influence of powerful Houses such as the House of Mur'Eq and the House of Moltak, warship Commanders were often not the best suited for the task, but those with the best connections, those born to the right families and with the best opportunities presented to them by birth and blood. Those with brilliance but not birthright often floundered in the ranks, and if raised to command positions, suffered from discrimination and classism. This had long been the case throughout Klingon history, and as a rule had functioned without great problems, but the issues of commanding increasingly complex warships against now even more varied foes in even more complex tactical situations was beyond mere family tutelage. A professional Officer Corps was required if the Empire was to continue to succeed in military matters.

Lorak was initially sceptical, keen not to stir up tensions with the House of Kor and other traditionalists further. However, after Chief of Staff Gorkon also saw the advantages of a new, merit based Officer Corps, Lorak agreed, and in 2270, the Klingon Defence Force Elite Command Academy was founded on Qo'noS, with Chang serving as Dean and the sole Instructor for the inaugural term.

The Academy immediately proved an enormous success, and Chang recruited his instructors from the first few terms. The attitudes of the "Old Guard" still remained entrenched however, and promotions in the fleet still remained based more on the name of your father and your family's lineage than of merit. Chang's Academy however could at least give qualified and able warship Commanders the Captaincy of the KDF's warships. Change would have to come from the top. Eventually, if the majority of Captains were graduates of the Elite Command Academy, they would promote the Officers under them merit also.

Chang believed this would be the case, and convinced that another war, total war, with the Federation was inevitable. He was proven correct.

## The Organian Conflict and the War of Pacification

In 2285, the Organians disappeared and war broke out between two superblocs, the Alliance, formed from the Federation, the Gorn Confederacy and the newly resurgent Hydran Kingdoms and the Coalition, comprising the Klingon Empire and her allies, the Romulan Star Empire and the Lyran Star Kingdom. Chang's merit-based Academy, plus the fleet reforms of the 2260s and 2270s, did much to ensure supremacy of the Klingon Defence Force early in the conflict, and indeed the Federation looked close to collapse in early 2286. The war soon bogged down however, and by the time the Klingon Defence Force was able to mount a new offensive, Starfleet was preparing to mount a counter-offensive into Klingon territory. A final outcome was once again interrupted by the Organians, returning in 2289 and bringing with them the forces of the Interstellar Concordium. This new power waged war against all the forces of the galaxy, ostensibly to force peace upon all powers.

Against such overwhelming odds, Chang formulated a new strategy, one which he planned to use against the Federation in a future offensive once the ISC had been repelled. Rather than decisive battle, which had so often been denied to him, Chang's new doctrine relied upon lightning strikes, hitting at lightly defended targets, especially those of particular economic value. A war of confusion, of deception, and only once overwhelming force and preparation has been achieved, is the decisive battle undertaken. These tactics proved incredibly successful against the rigidly organised Interstellar Pacification Force, and with the Klingon contribution to the war brought abruptly to an end by the Ormong of 2291, Chang began testing his theories of the new "lightning war" against the Federation in the Elite Command Academy.

## Ormong of 2291

In 2291, Chancellor Lorak was struck by an unknown illness. There were initial thoughts that he may have been poisoned, possibly by agents of the Interstellar Concordium, but Imperial Physicians confirmed that it was a natural illness albeit unknown to them. Beyond the shock that Chang felt that his oldest friend was sudden struck by an unknown illness, the weakness of the Chancellor threw the Empire into turmoil. An upstart House, the House of G'Iogh, lead by Kalnor, led a short-lived attempt to overthrow Lorak during the first bout of his illness. Leading a fleet in battle against Kalnor over Qo'noS, Chang transported aboard the traitor's Battlecruiser, challenged him to a duel, and defeated him in hand-to-hand combat, although lost an eye in the process.

However, this did not end the threat the House of G'Iogh posed to the leadership of Chancellor Lorak. Soon after, Melkor, half-brother of Kalnor, began gathering his supporters. When the Chancellor again fell ill, and eventually died, Melkor chose not to declare his intentions for the seat as was expected, but to publicly declare himself Emperor. Chang, who had been gathering information on Melkor using his most promising Academy Student, Torlek, Son of Ro'vagh, met with Gorkon to discuss how to counter this threat. After Gorkon informed Chang of the death of Lorak, Melkor's outrageous declaration, and that as Chief of Staff and given the unusual manner of succession, the High Council was supporting his rightful claim for the seat, Chang flew into a rage and informed his old friend that he could not support his claim to be Chancellor, due to his pro-Federation leanings.

The resulting Ormong soon became a three-way war, with Chang leading the smallest but most professional faction, comprised mostly of Academy graduates and his instructors. As the war continued, Chang lost many friends, including now-Colonel DrahK'kor.

After a series of pitched battles, Chang was tricked into an ambush by Melkor, and was ultimately rescued by Torlek and a strike fleet allied to Gorkon. This turn of events, however, forced Chang into a debt of honour with his former friend. Chang was forced to accept Gorkon as Chancellor of the High Council, and begrudgingly accepted the position of his Chief of Staff. Melkor, with support from Sha'Kurian mercenaries and the Romulan Star Empire, made another attempt on Qo'noS, using false reports of a Federation invasion to distract Chang from his defence preparations. Chang took the bait, and attacked Federation Starbase 49 in the Gamma Ceti System before being alerted to the truth by his former pupil, now-Captain Torlek.

## The General War

After Melkor returned from his apparent death at the hands of loyalist forces at the end of the Ormong of 2291, he overthew Chancellor Gorkon and, in order to prevent a costly Ormong, the High Council granted him the title of Warlord. He ruled in this capacity, with Klingon forces invading the Federation, until the Empire suffed the indignity of counter-invasion at the hands of the Gorn Royal Navy and he was overthrown and finally killed. During this period in 2292, Chang was missing, not fighting for the Klingon Defence Force under Melkors leadership and not at the Elite Command Academy (which had been suspended since the outbreak of the Ormong of 2291) or his estates. His wareabouts during this time, as of the end of 2292, remain unknown. Once Chancellor Gorkon was restored to power by the General Thormasskk‏‎ and the Gorn Royal Navy Grand Fleet, he returned to his position as Chief of Staff.

## Apocrypha

In 2293, Chang was infamously involved in the Praxis Incident and was arguably it's chief architect. Using the IKS guHmoH, an E12X Experimental B'Rel Class Bird of Prey, Chang assassinated his former friend and Chancellor, Gorkon, attempting to pin the crime on Federation Captain James T. Kirk, whom Chang had first learnt of during the stand-off over Organia and had come to regard as an adversary and worthy foe. During a further attempt to assasinate the Federation President Ra-ghoratreii, his plot was uncovered. During a battle above Camp Khitomer against the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) and the USS Excelsior (NCC-2000), the cloaked IKS guHmoH was hit by a modified Photon Torpedo. Chang was killed instantly.

The destruction of the guHmoH prevented any recovery of his body, and the whole incident was covered up in the interests of the newly signed Khitomer Accords. Official records list that Chang was killed in honourable battle, and in 2318 a statue of him was placed in the Hall of Warriors in Ty'Gokor. He was entirely dedicated to his military career, never having a wife or children, although his lack of noble birth and distain for the usual Klingon focus on lineage and ancestry may also have played a part in his decision not to have a family.

With the death of Lorak in 2291, the assassination of Gorkon at the hands of Chang (or more precisely, his Federation agents) and the death of Chang himself in 2293, the three proponents of the Elite Command Academy were gone. The Academy never reopened, and Chang's ideals of merit over birth were soon forgotten, with the Klingon Defence Force returning to "the old ways", particularly under the auspices of Officers such as Kor.

## See Also

Gorkon, Son of Toq

Lorak, Son of B’kol

Praxis Incident

IKS guHmoH

Klingon Defence Force Elite Command Academy