Karvan was born into a fairly minor family, in the more far flung reaches of the Empire. He was the youngest of three sons, and he soon became aware that he would inherit little of his father's wealth and lands, such that they were.

Seeking his own path he joined the Imperial Navy; soon after he'd passed through the Nentay - the Rite of Ascension.

He soon found that his Hinterland upbringing would cost him dearly in the promotion stakes. His prowess as a warrior was unquestioned, but his political allegiances were often suspect. He did not speak the Emperor's dialect well. (The dialect tended to change every time the ruling house changed). Politics was never of much interest to him. Out in the Hinterlands, few cared for the curious fashions of speech adopted by members of the High Council. Indeed, few were really aware that for a very long period there was no actual Emperor.

Now, in the Navy, politics was all important. He began to pay more attention to his speech and to making appropriate remarks about political maneuvering. By the age of thirty, he was Second Officer on the battle cruiser IKC Ka'ar. All was going well. Karvan was fiercely loyal to his ship and it's captain, Torl.

Sadly, this loyalty proved his undoing. When civil war broke out, Torl supported the House of Duras. He had little choice, his House was aligned with the House of Duras, had been for countless years. Karvan saw no immediate problem with supporting Duras. Indeed, Torl did not exactly invite a debate on the subject. As far as Karvan was concerned, Duras represented order, the opposition represented spineless traitors whose followers were deceived.

After the war was over, the crew of the Ka'ar were scattered about the Empire. - The Klingon Empire did not waste valuable resources even if they were potentially dangerous.

Karvan was stripped of his rank. He was reassigned. He became a member of the Klingon Strike Force. He got the assignment he requested - it suited his superiors. He went back to the Hinterlands - to help police the border territories. Many worlds were beginning to suspect weakness in the Klingons who ruled over them. The repercussions of the Praxis disaster were threatening the very fabric of the Empire. Uprisings were becoming common. They had to be ruthlessly crushed lest the rumours of weakness be believed. Karvan was good at crushing uprisings- and he was well away from the homeworld.

Though he now served as a Warrior 2nd Class, he was well respected by his commanding officer - who also cared little for politics. His home world became Kum-Ri'. Not the most hospitable of worlds, but it was in a key geographic location. The Klingons had a hard time putting down the indigenous population - until Karvan arrived. Now things were becoming quite peaceful. Karvan hated it. He toyed with the idea of stirring the natives up a little. No, that would be getting political.

Karvan's old captain, Torl, sent for him and Korvan set out at once for the Burwilla Sector of space. There, his old captain - now an Ambassador, had a special job for him...to act as Weapons Officer for a new class of ship; one that would exist from outside the influence of the Council, one that actually didn't exist to anyone aside from the small crew who manned her... The time had finally come for Korvan to live as he always dreamed - as a Pirate on a vessel that no known technology could master.