Cha'ouw Empire

The Cha'ouw Empire is a political, economic, military and social enity set somewhere between the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Empire. It is closely allied with the Federation and the Klingon Empire but appears to be closer to the Federation with the presence of a Federation Starbase on the exact boarder between Cha'ouw and Federation called Starbase Rockford.

The Cha'ouw are split between primarily an agrerian society to one that are called some of the best engineers in the galaxy. They are a race of hybird Klingon/Romulan, with some being hybird Klingon/Romulan/Human (the Imperial House KiRk has the latter hybird misture). However despite their close relation to the Federation, the Cha'ouw Military patterns their military culture after the Klingon Empire, maybe slight tone down. Cha'ouw can be just a fearce warrion as any Klingon warrior (perhaps even more so). (This brings up the addage - "More Klingon than Klingons..." to describe some of the members of the Cha'ouwian Star Fleet and Marine Corps.) However they patterned their starship registration and names after the Federation Starfleet, interchanging "CIV" (Cha'ouw Imperial Vessel) with "USS" and assigning "NCC" numbers to each vessel belong to Cha'ouw, eather of Federation, Klingon Romulan or some other design (Example - USS Cha'ouw (NCC-1777), a Klingon Battle Cruiser, is sometime refered to as "CIV Cha'ouw") with all dedication plaques having the USS sufix.  It is also not unusual to see member of the Cha'ouw Imperial Star Fleet wearing a standard Starfleet duty or dress uniforms of the particular times in place of their Klingon Warrior uniforms.

Early history
The Cha'ouw Homeworld, Chal, was an uninhabited planet that was first colonized by the Klingons in 2264. However during the short-lived Klingon-Romulan Alliance it was decided that the colony would host a cross breeding program and a hidden military storage facility of both Romulan and Klingon weapons and vessels to be used in a surprise invasion of the Federation. The invasion never materialized however the colony was abandoned by both the Romulans and Klingons in 2289 and left with the hidden base for possible future use.

A Federation Starship found the location in 2289 and openned dialog with the inhabitance of Chal. In 2392 the Federation, in a good will gesture, gives the Chal a stripped down starship, the recently decommissioned USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) with retired Captain James T. Kirk in command. There he meets Teni, whom he falls in love. However their time together is short lived as a rival and conspiritor from the Khitomer Conference, now Commander, Starfleet, Admiral Andor Drake who is attempting to ignite a war between the Klingons and Federation, destroying the recently conculded peace conference, after the hidden base is revealed. Using the Enterprise-A and himself as bait, Kirk lures Drake into a nebula where the proud starship is destroyed but not before rescue by Captain Sulu and the Excelsior and the death of Admiral Drake. (ST Novel: Ashes of Eden).

Here is where the Black Hawk universe seperates from the the Shatnerverse. After Kirk leaves Chal, Teni discovers she is pregnant with his child but by the time word was to reach him, Kirk had already died aboard the Enterprise-B. Teni has a normal son, which she names James Kirk and becomes K'Jam'S of the Cha'ouwian House KiRk. James becomes a leader of the Chal, attending Starfleet Academy (starting a tradition of Cha'ouw princes altering their appearance and going to the academy), become a starship captain in his own right and then leaving Starfleet to become a military leader of his own people's Star Fleet.

Battle of the Illinois Sector and declaration of the Empire
In 2324, the Klingons decided to reclaim Chal, but the Federation opposes this. The Romulans had withdrawn any claims to Chal. However the Chal had been preparing for such an even when the Klingon, attempting to assert their claim by send a fleet of vessels to Chal were met by a equilly strong fleet manned by the newly established Chal Star Fleet.

The Klingon and Chal fleets met the one and only battle of their brief conflict, the Battle of the Illinois Sector which actually happened with Federation space. To their credit, the Federation and Starfleet kept their distance and allowed the battle to proceed, only intending to intervene if the Chal appeared to be loosing (per mutual defense treaty signed in 2292). The Chal was thoguht by the Klingons to be a weak race as most were half-Romulan. However, lead by Admiral K'Jam'S, the Chal prevailed, decisivly defeating the Klingon fleet. Shortly after this the Klingon Empire recognized the Chal government and pledged to assist their former colony. Then the Chal government, lead by the new Leader of the Chal, K'Jam'S, declared the beginning of the Cha'ouw Empire with K'Jam'S it's first Emperor and House of Ki'Rk become the primary Imperial House of the empire.

Cha'ouw Today
In 2367, diplomatic tension between the Federation and the Cha'ouw Empire increased when agents for the empire stole secret plans of the pase cloak technology that was in violation of the Treaty of Algeron between the Federation and the Klingons. The Cha'ouw had been experementing with this technology and had failed. They learned of the Federation attempt and stole the plans to help them understand the technology better. It was moot as weeks latere the technology was revealed when the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) (TNG: The Pegasus). Because of this Starfleet and Cha'ouw Imperial Star Fleet agreed to work together on this project, within the Cha'ouw Empire.

Despite this, plans were forged to build a new space station on the boarder between the Federation and Cha'ouw, to serve as a stratigic outpost, complete with one of the most modern construction facilities in the galaxy. This would later become Starbase Rockford, commissioned in 2375. However the partially completed station was used by the Federation Alliance, which the Cha'ouw was a member, as a repair and supply station during the Dominion War.