Duras (mirror)

For the primary universe counterpart, see Duras, son of Ja'rod.

In the mirror universe, Duras was a prominent Klingon warrior and politician who lived during the 24th century. He was the son of Ja'rod, the brother of Lursa and B'Etor and a descendant of his namesake Councillor Duras.

Due to his family's decades long enmity with the House of Mogh, Duras had to call in a favor which was owed to him in order to retain his command after Mogh's son, Worf, became the Regent of the Klingon Empire in the early 2370s. (TNG - Mirror Universe novel: Rise Like Lions)

By 2375, he was a general in the Klingon Defense Force of the Alliance. Although Regent Worf was taken prisoner when his flagship the IKS Negh'Var was captured by the Terran Rebellion in 2375, the vessel itself was returned or recaptured by the Alliance at some point later in the year, when command was transferred to Duras. Ro Laren, the Intendant of Bajor, used the Negh'Var as her flagship, though she repeatedly asked her lover and ally Legate Skrain Dukat for a Cardassian vessel to which she could transfer her flag.

Following the victory of Worf's younger brother Captain Kurn of the IKS Ya'Vang over the Terran Rebellion when he destroyed their shipyard at Empok Nor, Kira Nerys returned to favor within the Alliance and was re-appointed Intendant of Bajor while Ro was convicted of treason by the Bajoran Parliament and turned over to the Klingons to face a war crimes tribunal. Kira's first act as Intendant was to promote Kurn to general and place him in command of the Negh'Var, which became her flagship. (DS9 - Mirror Universe novel: Saturn's Children)

Regent Martok, whom Kira had cultivated as an ally in spite of being his slave for several months following Worf's capture, subsequently appointed Duras as the commander of an Alliance military base on a backwater planet. Martok's longtime foe Colonel Gowron was his executive officer, the "very thought of [which] made [Gowron] spit sour bile."

In 2377, Duras was revealed to be an ally of Memory Omega, and assisted K'Ehleyr in killing the traitor Alynna Nechayev. Although his family had been prominent in the Klingon Empire for several generations, they had never been in favor of the Alliance. In order to undermine the Alliance, Duras' father Ja'rod had attempted to forge a pact with the Romulan Star Empire. However, he was assassinated by Worf and Kurn's father Mogh on Khitomer before he could meet with the Romulan envoy. Although he had failed to create the pact, his sacrifice drew the House of Duras to the attention of Memory Omega, who allied themselves with his son Duras. (TNG - Mirror Universe short story: "For Want of a Nail")

After these events, Duras managed to avoid being either executed or sent to Rura Penthe by using his connections with the upper echelons of the Klingon Empire. He retained his position as the commander of Gamma Pavonis III. The assignment was considered a dead end job that no one else wanted. The major advantage to this posting was that its lax discipline and ad hoc security measures made it considerably easier for him to send clandestine communications to Memory Omega than it had been while he was serving as the captain of the Negh'Var. On a personal level, another benefit of the position was that Duras could indulge his desire to go hunting as the planet had numerous wild animals living on it. Using this position, Duras was able to keep Memory Omega informed about fleet movements and other events. At this time, he did not have direct contact with Memory Omega and had to communicate via other means.

With the help of Memory Omega, Duras became Regent by killing Klag in honorable combat after Klag had used a trilithium explosive to destroy Ferenginar's sun. Once he was in power, Duras maneuvered the Klingons into accepting a peace treaty with the Terran Rebellion. (TNG - Mirror Universe novel: Rise Like Lions)

In contrast to their brother, Lursa and B'Etor were ignorant of the existence of Memory Omega, remaining loyal to the Alliance until they were killed by Deanna Troi on Betazed in 2371. (TNG - Mirror Universe short story: "The Sacred Chalice")

Personality

Duras in this permutation of the mirror universe seemed to be closer in personality to Worf from the primary universe than his own counterpart.

Dark Passions continuity

In one permutation of the mirror universe, he was Worf's strongest political ally, and frequently backed him against the senseless demands of the Klingon Chancellor K'mpec.

In 2369, he proposed to the Klingon High Council the creation of a position to oversee trade in territories belonging to the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. Shortly thereafter, he prepared the planet Khitomer for an Alliance summit to discuss the matter further. He took command of an empty building at the edge of a city, and had his family's standard painted on the roof, a blatant move that could have been a potential target of Romulan kamikaze attacks. He employed a security ground shield to keep people from entering or leaving his estate on foot.

Duras spent much of this visit to Khitomer engaging in celebration and carnal pleasures. Each night, he sent his sisters to a communal house that was a favorite of his, to fetch a woman for him to spend the night with. He was badly cut up during an encounter with one of these women; the next night, the woman brought to him, Melka (really Annika Hansen), was scanned and disarmed upon entering the building. Despite that, she snapped his neck and stole his d'k tahg. (ST novel: Dark Passions, Book One)