The dark hall was lit by the fires of torches carefully placed on each side to make it possible that everything is visible. The dark red banner flags are rolled out on each side between those torches, with a slick dark blue stripe in the middle. On that banner high is the symbol seen of a half moon from horizontal downwards, painted in white as a sword is going through it. The floor of solid rock, the walkway had red carpet, worn but with character of its age. Warriors of different branches, different jobs, stood there with their focus to the front.

An elder man in a warrior uniform, his hair braided to the back of his head, showing his scars from battle. He took a deep breath, “Today we stand here to grieve, we stand here to guide our lord to the glorious halls of StoVoKor where he will sit and feast with Kahless!” The crowd of Klingons cheer once as they hit the ground with their feet in unity.

While the man spoke, Vor’aq stood there firm and focus on the crowd at the front with his hands behind his back, just as his father had taught him. He noticed Tohnrach stepping to his side, but didn’t turn to look at her, “Speak” he said in an undertone as he had no intention to interrupt the ceremony that honors his father’s passing.

Baro didn’t look at him either, but straight forward as she stood beside him “Rival scouts probed the system edge, during our rite preparation. Hor’Cha is monitoring their movements” She murmurs quietly to him and took a step back in line behind her HoD.

“But we stand here also to hail our new lord, a warrior that has sought out to restore our house honor and bring us back to the favors of House Koloth. This honor comes to his son, HoD Vor’aq Qabhi the new jaw (lord) of House Qabhi!” The older man raised the ancestral blade as everyone cheers as he looked at Vor’aq to step forward.

Taking a deep breath, he walks forward and looked at the man, taking over the blade that was a custom in his family for so long. A relic of the old times, he nods to the man and looked at his members of his house. “I hoped this ceremony would provide with a closure, a beginning to something new. But it seems that our rivals are testing the waters already.” He lowers the blade and looked at them all, “We received news of the audacity rivals scouting and preying in our system. Not anymore, today we do not inherit honor; we buy it back with the blood of action” His tone was cold, filled with fury as he saw his members getting excited as he raised the blade “tlhIngan hol (The spine of our rebirth)!”

The member’s fury is heard in their cheer as they raise their hands shouting “Qabhi! Qabhi! Qabhi!”

“My lord, Hor’Cha has confirmed contact” the old man said.

Vor’aq lowers the blade with a small grin on his face, “Let us welcome our guest of honor, battle stations!” The ceremony might be ended early, but there was energy with them all “Walk with me Soghla’ K’tadh and Sogh Tohnrach”.

In unity, they both responded “Yes, my lord”

Bridge – IKS Hor’Cha

Vor’aq and the rest of the bridge crew enters the dimmed red bridge, with most senior staff already there, ready for it. “Lagh Sicxi, begin launch procedure. We hunt today!” Sitting down in the chair in the middle, feeling the leather crack under him as he sits back.

Tapping on the console, a Ohash smiles, “Already in process, HoD. The IKS Hor’Cha will be on route within acceptable timeframe” He looked back at the console, but before he could, he felt a firm hand on his shoulder looking at it seeing W’ekras.

“It’s lord to you now, Lord Qabhi has now the weight of House Qabhi on his shoulders and as of such, he holds this title with pride”  W’ekras looked at Vor’aq “But we hunt, we do not pounce. I do praise these worms to have the bravery to challenge us” Walking back to her station.

Vor’aq looked at his First Officer and smiles softly, “On this ship I am the HoD. For formality, I will be addressed as Lord.” To clarify the need for this title, it was not much of concern to him. He required his crew to focus on the things that would matter, rather than little traditions “We shall bleed their nerve, then take their hull” He looked at the screen seeing the Hor’Cha moving and starting its intercept course.

The large Vor’cha moves closer to its target destination “It seems these worms are clever, HoD” Baro spoke as she was listening in on the chatter in space “The raider is a bait, their goal is to lure us away from the moon outpost”

So that was their play, Vor’aq shrugs “Let’s deal with this bird quickly, the outpost shall hold” Only minutes later as the staggered volleys makes the shields bloom after impact. Vor’aq saw the young boy Sicxi maneuver the large ship through these attacks as a sharp knife cutting through paper. “Deal with it Venjarv” He didn’t need to look at his weapons officer to see the joy of handling the weapons in his eyes, his voice did that for him.

“Yes, HoD” Omik locks the weapons and fires on the Bird of Prey with little to no mercy. The shields broke fast, before they knew it they saw the fireworks of their labor on the screen. The ship exploded as Hor’Cha pushes through the debris and towards their outpost.

It didn’t take long for the ship to arrive at the outpost “I set up a low-yield disruptor lattice to peel these raiders off our outpost umbilicals” Omik stated “Then they be easy target” He grins widely, already grabbing a lock of its first prey.

“Good, Thash get two squads onto the outpost. Get that control node back” Vor’aq orders as W’ekras nodded leaving the bridge. The cleanup of this failed attempt didn’t take long. Raider ships were peeled off and destroyed by Omik as W’ekras made short work of those that had entered the base. The raiders were forced to retreat, “Let them go, they know what it means to deal with House Qabhi”.

A communicator goes off as the voice of Akl’ih is heard, “We got seven injured, Hod. No warrior has perished in this battle”.

“Good, thank you Sogh Klodhi” The communication closes off as Vor’aq saw Baro looking at him “Speak”

Baro snaps to attention, “Raiders have left the systems, only to mock us that we had no backup received from House Koloth. We are the forgotten house and one day we shall be merely dust in the wind”.

A laugh comes from Vor’aq hearing this, “These worms think they can challenge us with such demeanor words. Yet they run with their tails between their legs” Some crew laugh softly at that “We shall make our comeback, mark my word” He bolds his fist, yet Vor’aq facial expression stays the same. “We shall resume to seize the K’Matra belt platform so that material flow will be restored”

“HoD” Baro continues, “I have captured keys trace to Boreth-Kayvok black-market routes”

Narrowing his eyes, “We shall deal with this dishonor later” Vor’aq stated as his eyes focuses on the screen when hearing the alert of an incoming ship “Report”

Akludi shrugs, “Incoming vessel, it’s larger than these raiders”