I read on the Star Trek Memory Alpha wiki that the thoughts of Picard, who'd ascended Gowron into the chancellorship, on Gowron's death were unknown, so I wrote this up.
Please tell me what you think, oh and I don't own Star Trek. Never have, never will. Pity, though.
Gowron was dead.
Jean Luc Picard sighed as read through the news of the communique to learn what had happened to the Klingon Chancellor. When the news had first come through he had been surprised because it was so unexpected, even in a time when there was nothing but death and destruction going on all around them. As his eyes read the communique he started to make sense of what had happened, why it had happened, and what would happen now.
For sometime now the Klingons had been launching suicidal attacks inside Dominion held space, something Picard knew even their Generals would balk at doing; Klingons may have been a warrior culture driven by honor, but even they blanched at the idea of throwing away so many ships and troops against the Dominion and their allies. No, they had more common sense than that.
And all because of Gowron, who had stopped sitting behind the sidelines where he'd belonged and had travelled to Deep Space Nine, probably one of the most strategic locations in the galaxy because it was so close to the wormhole, to give General Martok the Star of Kahless. Picard had heard from reliable sources that Gowron had taken command of Martok's position under the guise of doing the general the favor of sending him back into battle, but Picard had the impression the general had enjoyed being in command since he could control much of the war effort, and direct soldiers and resources to a particular place and use his experience and judgement whenever and wherever he'd seen fit. It had worked.
Picard had heard a great deal about Martok over the years, and he knew he wasn't a soldier swayed by politics. He simply did as he was told, and he would often do what he felt was best. Under his command and firm leadership, the Klingon Defence Forces had managed to cause untold amounts of damage to the Dominion in front and behind the lines. But Gowron had just been content to remain on Qo'nos until recently. Picard hadn't really paid the chancellor much thought since the war had begun, and why should he when he had his own concerns to think about?
The news Gowron had suddenly decided to take Martok's position had rippled through the quadrant like wildfire, and like many who knew Gowron, knew what the Chancellor and the leader of the Klingon Empire was like at the best of times, Picard had been worried and rightfully so. Gowron was a politician, not a fighter. He might be a Klingon, and proficient with the Bat'leth like all modern Klingons, but he wasn't a combat professional, and if he were then his knowledge and experience would be rusty.
It wasn't until the first disastrous missions Gowron had Martok and his generals go on that Picard started to understand the nature of what was happening. It was well known Martok was a popular and fairly reasonable Klingon officer, and he maintained a council of other officers who, like him, had contributed a great deal to the war effort. Picard had been pleased to hear his old chief of security was part of Martok's staff, in fact his right hand man. Picard had worried a great deal about Worf over the years, seeing as like Data he was unique in being the only Klingon in Starfleet. He could remember the amazing tale Will had told about being in the illusion of an alien, and Klingons were serving in Starfleet, and it made him hopeful that in the future, perhaps when he was about to retire if things went well, he would see another Klingon becoming a Starfleet officer.
But it seemed Worf would, for now, be unique. But he was doing well, though Picard had been sorry he hadn't returned to duty on the Enterprise following that mess with the Duras sisters and Soran, though he couldn't blame the Klingon for being depressed. It had been so obvious, the way he held himself and spoke to others, he missed the Enterprise D as much as anyone; she had been Worf's home, his posting, where he had gleaned much of his experience from.
It hadn't taken Picard long to realise what Gowron was doing. He had spent more time around the Klingon leader more than anyone outside the Empire, and he knew Gowron was an opportunist. Memories of how Gowron had tried to rewrite Klingon history as the Enterprise had tried to hail him to ask permission to borrow a ship during that business with Spock in the Romulan empire, how he had been reluctant to accept the clone of Kahless and how he'd acted afterwards as though he had done it all himself came to him, and Picard knew Gowron was doing everything he could to discredit Martok or have him killed in disgrace, and he didn't care who suffered so long as he got what he wanted. Picard had been on a mission with the Eighth taskforce, so he hadn't had anything to do with the latest mess Gowron had gotten into because his mind was so narrow to think his image was more important than the greater good, but even the taskforce had heard the news of General Martok being injured critically during a botched raid on Avenal VII.
The battle was a disaster - it had been an enormous waste of men, equipment, and it had been Gowron who'd created the strategy. Avenal had been one of a number of notable disasters, but now it wouldn't happen again. The Federation needed the Klingons more than ever whilst Starfleet worked with the Romulans into devising a defence against the Breen energy dampening weapon. Picard grimaced at the thought of the Breen joining the war on top of everything else, the devastating news of them launching an attack against Earth and Starfleet Headquarters had launched a terrible wave of fear.
With the Breen the Dominion would be virtually unstoppable, and it wasn't until they'd launched their energy dampening weapon that that fear had become overwhelming. Whispers from the survivors lucky enough to get away after their ships had been reduced to fiery and powerless hulks battered by disruptors and torpedoes had reached everywhere. Picard didn't blame them for their fear. The Klingons were the only ones to have managed to find a way around it, making the weapon useless against them. Picard had asked Data and Geordi about it, but they had only theories and nothing concrete since they had never even seen the weapon. Even with their fleet depleted, the Klingons had wasted no time in attacking the Dominion to remind them there was still opposition. It was then Gowron had made his move. Picard rubbed his eyes as he processed the information in front of him on his monitor, particularly the part where Worf challenged Gowron to a duel, and barely managed to win. The surprise move had been when Worf had turned down the position of Chancellor, a position he'd taken personally after killing Gowron, and instead handed it over to Martok.
Getting up from his desk, Picard walked to the window and looked at the stars speeding by the ship as the Enterprise travelled at warp, and thought about Gowron. Personally he wasn't really sorry the man was dead; he'd caused the Federation enough trouble as it was, the war before the Dominion came into the Alpha Quadrant to takeover, and now this debacle. Really Picard didn't know Gowron personally, what he was like in his spare time if the Klingon had even taken some time off, just the man he'd met on those rare occasions and then parting just as quickly. He hadn't really taken to Gowron when they'd first met either, those usual racial slurs some Klingons used against humans who they believed were beneath them being pushed aside in favor of having Gowron made chancellor rather than Duras. But he had been arrogant, demanding, and in some areas un-Klingon in that he preferred to talk and compromise rather than fight. Picard smiled wryly, thinking on what Gowron's expression would be if he knew where his thoughts were. It didn't matter. A good chancellor in peace time, happy to keep the peace but not frightened of making the big decisions to do what every Klingon was born to do, to fight and conquer. But arrogant, quick to judge and stupidly be political about matters he had no real hand in. Picard snorted as he finalised the basics of Gowron's epitaph, remembering how K'mpec had said something similar before his own death. Hopefully the new Chancellor would have a brain in his head.