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The following is the Offical transcrip of the U.J.M.Con for InterGalixic Understandings.

 

Subject:: The Question over the brow ridges of the Klingon race.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Brow Ridge Mystique

 

 a DaQo'tah narrative,

as translated by the Office of  Issues for Understanding

 

 

As we all know, there has been a controversy involving the disappearance / reappearance of the characteristic Klingon brow ridges since the first contact with members of the Klingon race.

 

For a time, this occurrence of a lack of the traditional brow ridges was attributed to the fact that there are within the Klingon Empire several different planets that have lent themselves to the work of the Empire.

 

This explanation was assumed to be legitimate until individuals who had been known to lack brow ridges, suddenly appeared at Klingon/Federation delegation meetings with brow ridges.  When questioned, there was never an adequate explanation given for this change in appearance.

 

Until now

 

Recently more information has come forward to U.J.M.Con due to several members of a Trade Guild who had been "Bonded" to a well known Klingon house, as such, they were informed by their "Bonded" Klingon family of the true history of the disappearances of the brow ridges of many Klingons within their House.

 

This new information must necessary be treated with the utmost respect and secrecy.

As far as any search of all Federation records has shown, this now is the first solution to this mystery that has ever been recorded for use by outside researchers.

 ____________________________________________________

 

                  +++ujmc/sd 56890.2klingon/bridgesinfo+++

 

 The Brow Ridges of many Klingons disappeared over the last 100+ years, then reappeared due to a cultural "Fashion" that swept throughout  the entire Klingon Empire, causing a civil war which nearly extinguished the  Empire'*

 

* taken from upcoming book by Dr. Simpolt ReJaenk, The Klingon Body page 151b

 

 

 

To supply you with a greater understanding of what we are discussing, we must back up a bit, and understand the basis of Klingon culture. 

 

 

 

Klingon History

 

Klingons evolved on a very harsh world, filled with many more meat eating animals than are normally found on a Type M planet.  This was reinforced over millions of years as asteroids continually bombarded the Klingon home planet causing dramatic climate changes. 

 

 The ability of non-predatory plants and animals to survive was diminished, and evolution favored the stronger more aggressive species.

 

As the Klingon race entered what for humans would have been called the Neanderthal step in their evolution, they were suddenly visited by an alien race of explorers known as the "Persides" from a nearby star system. 

 

 Almost right away there was conflict between the visiting Persides and the primitive Klingons. (In other words, they ended up in a war.)  As you may have guessed, this  explains why the Klingons were able to achieve Warp travel, having not yet mastered the principles of simple winged aircraft.

 They were able to acquire the needed technology via Conquest!

 

"Conquest was,is now, and will always be, part of the Klingon nature. When the first aliens visited the Klingon home world, they were evidently seen as potential targets and fell victim to the superior strength of the Klingons."*

* Taken from the text of Jason Robert's address to the Federation council on the dismantling of Neutral zone outposts in section 38.5

 

 

The Klingons who defeated and commandeered many of the Perside's spacecraft, used this acquired technology to travel to the alien home world.  It was there where a great war took place over  a millennium ago.

 

Thus, this natural tendency to achive gains via conquest and in battle, also determined to a great extent the underlining philosophy of the Klingon world culture.

 

 Basically we are talking- "Might makes Right" that victory in battle over an enemy provided to the winner with all necessary Justifications

 

Because conflict was such dominating factor in everyday life of Klingons, there arose a great need to acquire intelligence on all potential enemies, thus the use of spies was common thoughout Klingon history.

 

Spies on earth have historically been a source of embarrassment to governments.  The Frances Gary Powers U2 shoot down led to much hand wringing in the 1950s.  But spies are seen in a very different light among Klingons. 

 

On the Klingon home world, spies are held in high esteem.  Spies are common, and necessary to each Klingon House to maintain its power and influence over other houses.  Spies are highly honored and have statues in the great halls made in their likeness.

 

Because each Klingon House needs to have better spies in its employment than its competition, the use of medical techniques to alter the appearance of spies was introduced as soon as the technology became available.

 

Klingon spies with surgically altered appearances were seen throughout the Empire, and were also used as a matter of good policy by the Empire to acquire information on all of  the off-world competition it faced,

 

Almost every family on Kronos has members who have served as spies during their lives.  In addition; the most sought after Klingon Blade among weapon collectors is called the Qutluch, (known as the assassins Blade) was designed by a surgically altered Klingon spy.  The highest award given to Klingon warriors in service to the Empire is called the Order of the Batleth. This Honor was first awarded to a Surgically altered spy who was able to bring to the Empire the secret of the Cloaking Device.  This Now Famous spy was  named Gunth TlorH, and his statue stands as an inspiration to all such spies in the Great Hall Of Warriors.

 

As songs detailing the heroic deeds of Gunth TlorH spread throughout the Klingon home world, an entire new generation of Klingons became inspired to follow in his footsteps.   Each working hard to become a spy with the hope of likewise one day being so honored.

 

 

The rise of Patak

 

One such follower was named Patak* son of Wo Chua , who became , (for a time) the perfect example of a true Klingon warrior/ spy.

 

  * For the full life story of the spy Patak, search in the Klingon Records- Kronos, Official Gov Study of the Great Names in Klingon History. edt 3 pare 4298.5b

 

 

Patak was not in the service of any Klingon House, nor was in the military officially.  But Patak decided on his own to alter his appearance to pass into Federation Territory unrestrained as a  spy for the Klingon Empire.

 

His free-lancing became widely known, along with his fighting skills and luck with the beautiful young ladies of the Federation*.

 *(At this time the Federation was as yet unaware for the existence of Klingons)

 

 

In time many fellow Klingons began to view Patak as being a type of James Bond , "Secret Agent 007".

We are not sure where it started, nor who started it, but somewhere along the line, a few young adolescent Klingon warriors had themselves altered to resemble the appearance of Patak.

 

 By the time this had happened, it was no longer necessary to undergo a painful medical procedure to alter your appearance, but rather a type of primitive Transporter called the dermal transformer was employed. The person was not transported to a different place, however his outer skin's molecular structure was altered slightly, allowing a painless cosmetic change to the Klingon's face, hands and feet to be easily achieved

 

 The most dramatic change to the appearance of a young Klingon who wished to resemble Patak was the loss of the distinctive Klingon Brow ridges.

 

This fascination with Patak grew into a worldwide phenomenon.  Millions of Klingon adolescent males were caught up in a type of Patak movement.  Soon Patak was seen by his generation as a symbol of rebellion against the older generation of Klingons and their old ways.

 

As physically altered Klingons ( known as the followers of Patak,or just "Patak")  matured and took positions within the Klingon Empire, the mythology surrounding the  altered Klingons had grown as well.   They were now seen as leading a movement to change the Klingon world!  To toss off the traditional Caste system in favor of a type of benevolent Military dictatorship based on MERIT.

 

Most young Klingons saw a "Merit based" system as a needed change to their world.  This is because warriors that had been  born into a less important  House saw the Patak/Merit movement as their best chance move up in military rank, ( Up to that time, your military future was decided solely on what House you were born into.)

 

Among the many traditional ideas that came to be seriously challenged at this time was the whole religion that surrounded Kahless.  The teachings of Kahless had been discredited in the minds of most young warriors because of the way the priests who promoted the teachings of Kahless were seen to have enriched themselves at the expense of others.

 

  In time open street fighting broke out between followers of Kahless and the followers of Patak.

 

The full scale revolution started when members of Patak burned to the ground the Kahless observatory on the island of Chulutchq. When news of this victory spread throughout the Empire the Patak rose up by the millions and took control of  home world District goverments.  The Inter-stellar military fleet of the Klingons Empire also overnight became a Patak-only force.

 

The person of Patak himself rose up in power at this time as well, when all of the members on the Klingon High Council became Patak.  This lead to the dermal transformer alterations of untold millions of Klingons in order to as not be seen as out of step with the new government.

 

For a while the unaltered Klingon, who had retained his brow ridges, was a rarity. Such people were seen as obstructionist and in league with the Old Priests trying return the culture to a hated Caste system. 

 

There arose a type of race segregation within the Empire, and discrimination (something unknown to Klingons up till now)  reared its ugly head as Natural looking Klingons with brow ridges were cast out of cities.

 

The Klingon Empire was expanding at this time, and at the prompting of the spy Patak (who had by now risen to supreme commander of the Klingon fleet following his election to the high council) the Klingon empire entered into a bloody war with the Federation.

 

The war cost both sides hundreds of ships and thousands of lives.

 

(Remember what you are reading  is uncertain as of yet.  We dont have any information to verify what you are about to read; again much of this is the result of Bonded family confidences.)

         

 

                                +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++

 

The return of the Brow Ridges

 

As the War with the Federation was being waged, a super secret Klingon/Federation Spec/Ops team began a deep cover mission on the Klingon home world.  Within days a covert bio-scan of the spy Patak revealed an amazing finding.

 

The mighty Klingon spy Patak, Leader of the Klingon fleet, Chancery of the Klingon High Counsel, whose image had changed the face of the Klingon Empire, was revealed to be in fact, a Romulan!

 

It is now believed that Patak was sent into Klingon space to spy for Romulus, and once here was able to work events to his advantage until he was given such power as to plunge the Klingon Empire in a costly, pointless war with the Federation.

 

What's more, Patak had been able to alter the entire mindset of a generation of Klingon warriors, and change the belief system of Klingons away from a Kahless Honor ideal, to a more Romulan-friendly military Merit system.

 

In addition to this,  Patak had managed to replace the entire High Council with other Romulan physically altered spies, one of which was actually a female*

 

  (*her name was later known as ReJinko, and she had been altered to resemble a Klingon male.  She is also widely known among Klingons as the captain of a Bird of Prey who fired upon a helpless Federation hospital ship, thus beginning the bloody war with the Federation)

 

 

When the truth about Patak came out, a civil war ensued.  Brow ridged Klingons were understandably enraged and took up their Batleths against all the altered followers of Patak.

 

Overnight, millions of altered Patak found their way into transporters and medical transformers, to have their brow ridges restored.

 

The Empire almost passed away at this time , and became a society of warlords, each out to capture enemies and repay for previous mistreatment at the hands of the Patak

 

It fell to the few remaining priests of Kahless to restore order by assuming control of the Great Hall of the High Council in one of the most bloody battles ever witnessed on Kronos.

 

After a time, peace within the Klingon Empire was restored.

 

The Patak movement was erased from all official records, and each Klingon House removed any sign that a member of their House was connected to Patak.  This was very difficult, for it was soon understood by all that each House shared in a common blame, and shame.

 

The response has evolved within the last few decades to refuse to discuss the entire affair with outsiders.

 

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