J'Gal was an inhabited moon in the D'Ryb J system, located at coordinates 3367.7041. The moon had a rotation period of 1.88005 days and an escape velocity of 2.624 kilometers per second. (SNW: "Under the Cloak of War") The position of this moon was included on 23rd century Federation star charts. (SNW: "Subspace Rhapsody")
History[]
In the mid-23rd century, J'Gal hosted Athos, a Federation colony. At the outbreak of the Klingon War in 2256, the moon lay in disputed territory with the Klingon Empire. Due to the presence of the colony, Starfleet elected to establish a mobile Starfleet base and mobile armament Starfleet hospital on the surface. Overall command was given to Lieutenant Va'Al Trask; Doctor Joseph M'Benga and Nurse Christine Chapel were both assigned to the Mobile Combat Surgical Unit under CMO Commander Buck Martinez.
J'Gal and the surrounding space became a hotly contested war zone as the Klingons attempted to conquer every colony in the sector. Their forces on the moon were commanded by General Dak'Rah. (SNW: "Under the Cloak of War") J'Gal saw brutal fighting, including the Battle of ChaKana, after which there was so much blood in the air that the rain turned red. (SNW: "The Broken Circle")
Eventually, Dak'Rah commanded that everyone on J'Gal, other than Klingon warriors, were to be treated as enemies. His soldiers began torturing and killing civilians, Federation and Klingon alike. Starfleet ordered Trask's special forces team to assassinate Dak'Rah, while the ground units mounted a massive diversionary assault near Athos. However, their attempt to decapitate the Klingon leadership failed with heavy casualties. This became the last battle on the moon, as soon after the remaining Federation population was evacuated by a Starfleet convoy.
Before the evacuation was complete, M'Benga undertook Trask's mission personally and without authorization. He managed to kill Dak'Rah's warlords General Gra'val, Commander Kiff, and Captain Ruh'lis, but Dak'Rah himself escaped. In the aftermath, Dak'Rah defected to the Federation, claiming credit for killing his subordinates in a supposed effort to stop their atrocities. (SNW: "Under the Cloak of War")
In 2259, M'Benga told Ror'Queg that his experience in treating Klingon patients came from J'Gal. (SNW: "The Broken Circle")