[Golden Lion 86]

The House of Qal'I'Eth was a small and proud family of loyal Klingon warriors. It had existed for many centuries, and had produced many great warriors, as well as a number of Klingon scholars. For the last three decades, it was under the rule of Qal'I'Eth, a great warrior who had fought and won many battles in the name of the empire. However, Qal'I'Eth was injured in his last battle, and had lost his sight. This was a tragedy for the house, but Qal'I'Eth would not surrender so quickly. His body was still in fighting condition, and his ears were as sharp as a Vulcan's. He trained for many months, regaining his accuracy and strength of battle, and today, that skill would be put to the test.

The House of Jar'Draq, a blood enemy of Qal'I'Eth's family, had declared open war against the house, and was preparing to strike in force and numbers. Many Klingons would remember the day when the House of Qal'I'Eth fell, but none so much as Qal'I'Eth's two-year-old son, Viq'Tarr. The house walls had already been breached when Qal'I'Eth sent his wife, Qad'Arra anb his son into the hangar. He, as any Klingon, was ready to die an honorable death in battle, but he did not want his wife, a scholar, and his son, an infant, to follow him to Sto'Vo'Kor just yet. He wanted them to live. He wanted his son to grow up, to become a man, and finally to return and crush his blood enemies.

Qad'Arra and Viq'Tarr rushed to the small ship that Qal'I'Eth had prepared, albeit reluctantly. Qad'Arra was torn between duty to her husband, and duty to her son, and knew that the former was more important. However, she also knew Qal'I'Eth's request. She knew that Viq'Tarr needed to live to fight another day. Slowly, she climbed aboard the ship and took off, leaving Qal'I'Eth at the entrance of the hangar. When they were gone, he imbibed a Klingon herbal mixture known as The Spirit of Kahless, a brew designed to amplify a Klingon's strength and lust for battle. He turned around just as the enemy soldiers rushed in. Bravely did he fight for nearly an hour, taking severe injuries, but felling the enemy by the dozen. Finally, when he felt his fingers losing their grip of his Bat'Leth, he reached for another mixture, the last remaining flask on his person. This one was fiery orange in color, and was designed to heighten his senses. He felt clear-minded again, but he knew the effect would not last, so he had to act quickly. He made his way past the soldiers, killing them if they were in his way, but ignoring them if not. Speed was of the essence. He came to the other end of the hangar, and began punching a code into a panel. Just as the last key was pressed, Qal'I'Eth collapsed onto his knees. The soldiers gave off a cry of victory, but soon, a shrieking siren sounded through the building, silencing them. The siren stopped, and the soldiers looked around, puzzled. Qal'I'Eth tightened his grip on his Bat'Leth, he smiled to himself and said:

"Today is a good day to die!"

Moments later, a nuclear explosion consumed the compound and all the lands for many kilometers. The House of Qal'I'Eth was no more, but now his enemies were crippled. From the porthole in her ship, Qad'Arra watched the explosion, which appeared to her a small but bright spot on the surface of Qo'Nos. She knew then that it was all over.