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Variously erupting disagreements with new neighbors aside, the Federation preserved the half-century's fairly calm atmosphere with a minimum of conflict thanks to the amity engendered by the Khitomer Accords. The treaty had ended the greatest threat to galactic peace since the days of the Romulan War, and both governments had benefitted from it, each flourishing in their own right. But the end of the compact's fifty-year term drew near as the 2340s approached, giving many in both governments anxiety about what might follow. K'mpec, Chancellor of the Klingon High Council, had kept the term limit firmly in mind since his ascension to power in the mid-2320s, working with various Federation envoys and diplomats to discern what lay beyond that day. The talks were given great importance in the Federation Council and the Diplomatic Corps, and many current and former powerful negotiators labored with their staffs in the effort, among them the father-and-son team of Ambassadors Sarek and Spock, and Trill mediator Curzon Dax, who had brokered both the Korvat and Khitomer treaties.

K'mpec led the Empire's pro-Federation faction which held majority power on the Council and in daily Klingon political life, promoting their goals backed by fifty years of generally cordial relations and the mutual benefits gained from intergovernmental cooperation. By the end of the 2330s, that majority had become slimmer as the result of an opposition faction that had slowly risen to power over the prior two decades. They felt cooperation with their former enemies had led to the Federation taming the savage Klingon heart, claiming the Empire had been weakened to a point where the warrior mindset now served as mere socioreligious ethos rather than an actual practicality as Federation aid all but removed the Klingon need to conquer to survive. True, Klingons still fought many battles against the Romulans and others but without a major enemy to sustain conquering efforts or a great war to fight, there were fewer corresponding opportunities for glory and honor to be won. The opposition slowly gained the support of several minor Houses along with a few Great Houses, and by the final state-of-treaty summit in 2339 had managed to accrue enough leverage and sway to be included at the talks, making them among the tensest since the early days of the peace.

The movement had by this point had gained further legitimacy having organized into a political party, the 'etlh Boch, or "Shining Sword". Its members found placement at local and regional levels of government, with its patrons on the High Council including Gharif, Ja'rod, and Mozak. Shining Sword pushed anti-UFP propaganda, called for the abrogation of all mutual cooperation treaties, and the resumption of interstellar ravagery. They rallied people with a philosophy driven by an across-the-board return to conservatism, including reaffirmation of the old social stratification. There was an acute irony in this, as many of Shining Sword's leaders came from families with lower-class backgrounds and histories, and would not have achieved their power or station if not for the social mobility they now looked to undo. That conservatism blended with a resurgent nationalism which placed the blame for the Empire's loss of way on the undue influence of aliens (especially those in the Federation) and denial of Kahless' path. Proponents labelled their foes as kuve—slaves to be conquered, used, or slaughtered. The only true Klingon, they claimed, was one who fought with blood and weapons, not words and platitudes. The party continued its growth, pushing its agenda hard, leading K'mpec to face five separate challenges either led or instigated by 'etlh Boch members during the mid-2340s, just before and soon after the expiration of the Accords.

For his part, K'mpec worked tirelessly to maintain and strengthen ties with the Federation, building upon the original foundations instilled in him by his father, Korrd, and his predecessors as Chancellor, Gorkon and Azetbur. He campaigned for a new treaty with the Federation on matters that concerned both governments including growing Cardassian imperialism (Klingon forces had won a hard-fought pitched battle with Cardassians in 2342, later known as the Betreka Nebula Incident, which soured relations between the two for the next eighteen years) and a continued Romulan quiescence which seemed heavily predicated upon the Accords' mutual defense provisions. Domestic benefits were selling points as Korrd's faction reminded people that Federation assistance had been invaluable in reversing environmental effects on Qo'noS, saving the entire 2.92 billion-person population, and the end of open warfare helped make the Empire a more potent player in galactic politics and trade. To sever ties now, he said, would be to cut the Empire's own throat. Some of K'mpec's words later proved prophetic: upon expiry in 2344, Romulan attacks and raids along their mutual border increased to a murderous frequency as they tested how an unallied Empire might react. Soon after, Klingon intelligence operations learned of elevated asset production and deployment within Romulan space toward the Klingon frontier. Ships and troops were being placed within striking distance, a dangerous move that could have no good end.

The Federation redoubled its efforts to solidify trust in an increasingly fractured Empire. President Chan Wing Si addressed the issue of treaty expiration in her State of the Federation address in early 2344, stating there would be no changes to UFP policy and that all provisions of the Khitomer Accords would continue to be honored. Speaking of the gradual closeness built between the two governments, President Chan expressed her hope that the Klingon Empire would work past its internal differences to see the mutually beneficial aspects of continued alliance. K'mpec later sent the President his regards and thanks for her assurances, informing her that the Empire would act in kind to honor its obligations as it could, the rising internal volatility and local power struggles notwithstanding. Trade mostly continued with minimal interruption or delay in both direction across the border, and while Klingon harassment of civilian vessels and worlds increased from military commanders with ties to Shining Sword, they were often easily deterred and discouraged by timely arrival of and inquiry from Starfleet assets.

Involvement of Starfleet assistance in humanitarian events was undoubtedly the greatest key influence upon the High Council and the Klingon people to sway favor. The renewed Romulan incursions on Klingon territory did not abate after President Chan's declaration of continued Khitomer enforcement. The Romulan Senate perhaps did not believe Starfleet would be willing to defend a people in the throes of dismantling their alliance; regardless, Federation starships ran to the rescue of Klingon civilian populations on colony worlds, stations, and ships several times in the years following the treaty's end of term. USS Vaillant (NCC-13586; M'Benga class) arrived to aid survivors of an orbital bombardment campaign at Qeska Colony in 2344; when the attackers returned to finish the job after successful evasion of Klingon pursuers, Vaillant's captain engaged and held the Romulan squadron until a Klingon task force could reinforce the planet, then resumed medical care of the population and the wounded aboard the defending vessels. USS Intrepid (NCC-38907; Excelsior class) responded to a distress call at Khitomer itself in 2346, arriving too late to do much more than gather evidence and attend to a few survivors, transporting them to a starbase where they could be repatriated to the Empire. Sometimes Starfleet ships fell in their defense, as happened with USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C; Ambassador class) at Narendra III in 2344 and USS Skon (NCC-53289; Challenger class) at Or'drek IV the following year. These incidents along with continued UFP dedication to upholding non-military agreements past the formal end of obligation gave the diplomatic team enough leverage to bolster the position of K'mpec's pro-alliance majority and engage in real conversation about renewed cooperation.

The result was the Second Khitomer Accords, ratified by both governments in 2347. The groundwork already laid by the original treaty formed the structure of the new one by reaffirming the existing intergovernmental cooperation and amity compacts. New military provisions included a sharing of all minor and mid-level military technologies (with high-level and secret technologies assessed on a per-case basis), increased intelligence sharing, and a ban on the use of subspace weaponry, an article which served as its own de facto treaty, gaining several more signatories over the years. Second Khitomer's economic provisions expanded joint exploitation of resources both along the enlarged border and within areas where spheres of influence overlapped, relaxation of civilian travel permits in opposing space, and greater standardized health and safety regulations including allowances for inspection of civilian vessels and their cargoes by either government. State-of-treaty summits would continue to be held every five years at random mutually-acceptable locations to provide the opportunity for treaty terms and articles to be repealed, amended, modified, or added as current events demanded. This was most important because unlike its predecessor, Second Khitomer had no term limit or expiry date. The original unspoken intent by framers on both sides was to form the basis for the eventual merging of both Federation and Empire into a unified "Grand Alliance". So high were the hopes for this that some starships were even briefly double-badged with both the Federation seal and the Klingon trefoil; however, too much resistance toward this concept manifested and the proposed unification failed to materialize, the Klingon Empire remaining its own separate political entity.

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