Colonies Inside Klingon Space
The Klingons made first contact with the Orions at Alaris, Stardate 4031.91. The Orion vessels in orbit were destroyed by the 281st Cruiser Squadron, consisting of 8 D-4 Class Heavy Cruisers, commanded by Captain Krell sutai-Rustazh. Alaris, and the neighboring Colonies have been under unquestioned Klingon rule ever since.
The fate of these Colonies, and the Orions on them were tied inextricably to the prevailing relationship between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. The Klingon Colonies, much like the Federation Colonies were always caught in the middle between the two greatest powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. This proved to be the case during the Four Years War, fought between the Klingons and the Federation from Stardate 4892.1 to Stardate 5211.46, which left nearly all Orion space occupied by the Klingon military. During this 'Cold War', occasionally the Orions would manage to play their quarrelsome neighbors against each other, much to Federation and Klingon consternation. This 'playing both ends against the middle' often took the form of deliberately sabotaging Federation and Klingon intelligence gathering operations inside Orion space, one of the few things Orion Colonial Intelligence did effectively.
The sad fact is that prior to normalization of relations with the Federation, Orions in Klingon space were regarded with suspicion reserved for lesser beings. Klingons typically regard the average Orion as a member of a declining race, a condition Klingons consider contemptible. However, Orions proved uniquely useful in one aspect for the Empire: they always brought in revenue, something the relatively weak Klingon economy always profited from. Klingon vessels may be far superior to any Orion Space Navy warship or pirate vessel, but the few Orion merchants operating under Imperial Merchantile Writ were priceless beyond estimation.
Nevertheless, occasionally it became fashionable for Klingon families (or Chancellors), more interested in their personal power than actual service to the Empire, to promote pogroms against all non-Klingon races residing inside Klingon domains as a way of building credibility among their fellow Klingons. It has been just over a century since the last pogrom, something for which the Orions are grateful for, but the Orions often found themselves the primary recipient of racial violence by virtue of their being the largest such racial group. Over the two centuries of Orion/Klingon interaction, the loss of Orion lives due to such activities are estimated in the low tens of thousands.
Despite this, trade between Orions and Klingons slackened only once, and that was during the Four Years War when Rigel was occupied. Currently, both the Orions and Klingons find trade quite profitable, and its importance to the Klingon economy has grown with the recent hostilities with the Federation and the Dominion. In recognition of their importance to the Empire, Chancellor Gow'ron permitted the Qialt Corporation to open a starship construction facility in orbit of Alaris. Qialt Corporation is local to Alaris, and operates several small civilian merchant hull construction facilities in the Federation. However, Alaris will produce both merchant and military hulls for the Klingon Defence Forces. It is hoped by the Orions that this signals a new trend in Klingon/Orion relations.