The Naked Stars
By
Qaw'Hoch sutai-Let
The First Keeper of the Warrior Flame

Terrans Discover Site of Qo'noS?
Part 3

It has long been known that Klingon warriors sing songs of their mighty
deeds as they travel from one end of the galaxy to the other and so when
the first Klingons came to Earth, they made up songs to fit the
occasion.  One of the things that impressed the the first visitors from
the Empire when they arrived on this planet was the extent of the view
of the naked stars that could be seen at night from almost anywhere on
the surface.  The warriors were also curious that the Terrians had taken
the time to name the figures (or constellations) that appeared in the
night sky.  These Klingons sang songs of their journey to Earth,
together with what they had seen of the naked stars in the night sky.
A few of these songs have been translated by word of mouth and one in
particular has caught the attention of Terran scientist and even more
importantly, of officials at Star Fleet.  It is believed that the
location of the Klingon Homeworld is disclosed within this song,
something which thus far has remained a closely guarded secret.  The
original translation  of the song in question was somewhat inaccurate,
as can be seen by the lines of the song that are of special interest:
"As the hunters pray,
It will show them the way
with honor to bear,
Back to the Homeworld,
With all sails unfurled."

It was sometime before the great minds at Star Fleet realized that the
first line of the stanza must have been translated incorrectly, since
the Klingons do not 'pray' to anyone or anything. However, if the
spelling of that word was changed, it would make quite a bit of
difference in the message of the song.
"As the hunter's prey,
It will show them the way..."

That spelling makes more sense, especially if you examine the origin of
the song.  Klingons, after all, are hunters by nature and they respect
anything that is likewise a skillful hunter and when Star Fleet
Intelligence (an oxymoron, if ever there was one) discovered that the
song was a tribute to the naked stars, as seen from Earth, the meaning
of the song began to fall in place.               

Looking into the night sky during the fall and winter months in the
Northern Hemisphere, the most recognisable constellation visable is
Orion, which is also called "The Hunter". Orion, as he moves across the
darkened plain of the night sky, appears to be chasing yet another
constellation, Taurus, also known as "The Bull", which under the
circumstances could be considered the "prey" that Orion is hunting. 
Granted, that may be stretching coincidence a bit thin, but it gets even
better.  The head of Taurus is shaped like a huge triangle, which points
off to a relatively empty section of space, wherein a single, bright
star is located.  This is a large, blue star that is unnamed on most
Terran star charts.
If the words of the song are taken literally and  
quite a bit of imagination is also used, it could
be construed to be a verbal map, acutally showing where the Homeworld is
located.  If Orion is viewed as the hunter of the song and Taurus as the
prey mentioned therein, then the head of Taurus could be pointing
directly at the star that the Homeworld  revolves around. 
Is this unnamed star really Qo'noS, the bithplace of the mighty Klingon
Empire? I'll never tell, but speculation around Star Fleet Intelligence
is that this is the best lead they gave as to the location of the
Klingon Homeworld.  You decide for yourself.  Tonight, go out side and
gaze up at the naked stars. Follow Orion as he moves across the night
sky and see if his prey does indeed point the way to tlhIngan juHqo'. 
And, for the curious, the last line of the stanza in question, "...With
all sails unfurled", refers to the ancient Klingon Tradition of sailing
ships returning to port from a victorious raid or battle with their
sails exposed to the wind, so residents of the village or town would be
aware of their success.  If by chance the fleet had not been successful,
the ships would often slink into port without the aid of the wind,
their sails tied  down as a sign of defeat.

Qapla'

The Naked Stars

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