In 2267, Commander Kagh was the CO of the Klingon scout vessel IKS Vortha. That year, the Vortha was assigned to patrol the Klingon Empire's more distant territories along the disputed Federation border. During its patrol the Vortha detected the USS Enterprise on its way to Organia. Assuming Starfleet intended to establish a beachhead within Klingon territory, Kagh immediately had the ship's logs transmitted to the High Council and set an intercept course. The Vortha achieved direct hits in its opening attack on the Enterprise, but was outgunned by forty percent and could not survive when the Enterprise fired back. As his officers warned of their impending doom, Kagh simply intoned that "Today is a good day to die".