Lieutenant Aenar Torek
Name Aenar Torek
Position Chief Science Officer
Rank Lieutenant
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Bajoran | |
| Planet of Origin | Valo III | |
| Age | 30 | |
| Birth Date | 2364 | |
| Location of Quarters | ||
| Player (for PNPCs) |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5' 8" | |
| Weight | 210lbs | |
| Hair Color | Darkbrown | |
| Eye Color | Hazel | |
| Skin Color | Pale | |
| Physical Description | Torek Aenar is of average height for a Bajoran. Compact and well-built he is testament to a Bajoran who believes that his body is as important as his mind to train. With the pale skin, nose ridges and dark hair of his people he is fairly indistinguishable from others of his species. | |
| Accent |
Family
| Spouse | N/A | |
| Wedding Date | N/A | |
| Children | N/A | |
| Father | Torek Gerdan | |
| Mother | Torek Aeria | |
| Brother(s) | N/A | |
| Sister(s) | N/A | |
| Other Family | Various aunts and uncles |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Aenar is best described as a compact, passionate Bajoran. With deep emotions and a deeper connection to the Prophets, he is a rational scientist first and foremost with an interest in his people’s history. | |
| Strengths & Weaknesses | Aenar is adaptable and quick on his feet, and able to bring his analytical skills to bear in most situations. As a Bajoran who enjoys sports and shooting, he can hold his own in a physical confrontation. As with many Bajorans, his emotions run close to the surface and he occasionally suffers from flashes of bad humour towards his superiors. Though he is too young to remember the occupation, he is inclined to distrust Cardassians. Piloting is beyond his abilities. On occasions an unbidden, uncontrollable anxiety can paralyse Aenar, causing trouble breathing and heart palpitations. These episodes are usually associated with a change of post. |
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| Ambitions | Perhaps to captain of his own exploration vessel – maybe an Aurora class ship. Otherwise an archaeological dig on a remote planet. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | Enjoys baseball and boxing, hiking in countryside whenever possible, reading and cooking. | |
| Languages | Bajoran, English, smattering of Klingon and Cardassian |
| Personal History | Torek Aenar was born to refugee parents on Valo III. His parents, Gerdan and Aeria had fled the Cardassian occupation at the earliest possibility. Lacking any substantial funds, they were shipped to the Bajoran refugee camps in the Valo system. With Aeria heavily pregnant, Gerdan felt they could go no further. Although he has few memories of his early life, Aenar has been left with strong impressions of hunger, uncertainty and fear of his family’s time on Valo III. Although the USS Enterprise did arrange for humanitarian supplies for the Bajoran refugees, it was barely enough. Stranded and wretched, it seemed there was little hope for the young family. With the Cardassian withdrawal from Bajor in 2369, it was possible for the family to return home. By 2370, the Torek family had established a homestead for themselves on one of Bajor’s colonies, Bajor VIII. Here the family could be self-sufficient. As farmers, Gerdan and Aeria felt their family would never again lack for food. Having been torn between his duty to his young family and to aid Bajor in the resistance, Aenar learnt that his farmer would occasionally supply the Maquis with food parcels in order to aid their struggle against his peoples’ enemies. Although Bajor had been exploited to ruination by the Cardassian, Bajor VIII had been spared. Due to the persistent resistance on the homeworld, the Cardassian administrative and military footprint on the colony had been sparse. Relatively unpopulated, the colony had developed a strong agricultural flavour, and the arrival of Starfleet improved their industry tenfold. Aenar could well recall from his early childhood visiting the Federation outreach programs with his parents. He could recall the wonder of these diverse peoples coming together to help his family, where none had before. The young Bajoran was particularly fascinated by the game of baseball the human members of Starfleet showcased to the local town. For his father, although he was sceptical of the Federation and its Starfleet, he was grateful for their practical assistance with his irrigation system, and the time their science officers took to embed new crops on his farm. They allowed him to grow what he had and become a pillar of the local community and ensured that no matter the circumstances, his family would always have enough to eat. As a colony, Bajor VIII was relatively isolated from the political ructions at home – municipal government had a greater impact on their lives. Life in the early years after the occupation was quiet for the community, mostly revolving around their farmwork, schoolwork and of the Prophets and their feast days. The Federation had left a parting gift in the form of communal holosuites, run for the benefit of the community. Aenar would ensure that every chance he got he would run a baseball practice program to better understand and play the sport. He became a firm supporter of the Oakland Athletics, for reasons beyond his parents’ comprehension. In 2373, the youth was astonished to find the holosuites shutdown – the Bajoran Provisional Government had ‘invited’ the Dominion in as part of their non-aggression pact, and their Cardassian partners had seen fit to remove any possibility of dissent. As an older child, he could see that his parents were unhappy that the Cardassians had returned, but they seldom explained why. As he became a teen, he challenged his parents as to why they did nothing to counter their occupiers. His parents would patiently explain that the Emissary had engineered their situation so that they would be safe from war. Who were they to question him? Aenar was, in truth, well-sheltered from most of the effects of the war. There were curfews, and occasional shortages, but the family farm, his studies and the Prophets occupied his time. Once, he saw a Vorta and its Jem’Hadar escort from afar, but that was as close as he got to his oppressors. By 2378 the fourteen-year-old had begun thinking of the future by looking to the past. The isolation the Bajorans had endured before the Emissary and Starfleet had returned to liberate them had meant a lot of internal focus for Aenar. The boy enjoyed tales of Bajor’s past, her connection to the prophets and her archaeological heritage. The rediscovery of B’hala by the Emissary had only fed into this fascination. His parents encouraged his interest in their heritage and history but cautioned his future may not always be found in the soil – they had noticed his strong inclination towards helping others within the community. The return of Starfleet and the Federation in his teens exposed him to a new, sweeter science – boxing. He already took part in Bajoran team sports, and some martial arts classes, but Terran boxing became a firm favourite as he matured. That, and his undying love for baseball and the A’s. Growing up in a rural community at the edge of civilisation, he increasingly became accustomed to having to protect the family flocks from predators, becoming quite a shot in the local area. As a senior pupil, he was well-rounded, with a strong understanding of biology, given his farming background, and had more than a passing interest in chemical science. By 2381 he had been encouraged to apply to the newly established University of Shakaar to study history and archaeology, a path he barely had to think twice about. Leaving Bajor VIII after living there for almost as long as he would remember was a big step for the young adult and brought about the first anxiety episode he would experience when facing upheaval in his life. Still, Bajor was a revelation. As a stopping point on the route to the Gamma Quadrant, and his species’ homeworld, Aenar was captivated by it. His parents had always described the Bajor as a poor, dirty, exploited place, but the Federation, Starfleet and the fractious Bajoran government had worked miracles since his parents’ youth. His parents acknowledged as much when they visited him during his studies. During his time on Bajor, he was able to visit the main Bajoran temple and receive his d'ja pagh as a symbol of his devotion to the Prophets. This followed his studies at the B’hala digs as part of his final dissertation at the University. It had had a profound effect on him. During his final year at university, speculation had grown that the Bajoran Government would re-apply for Starfleet membership. With the strong Starfleet presence around him on the planet, Aenar found himself drawn to the possibility of a science career within Starfleet. Although this would take him away from his beloved B’hala, Bajor and his family, his parents strongly encouraged this. Though Gerdan and Aeria were sceptical of the Federation and Starfleet, they recognised that they had actively helped the Bajoran people when the galaxy had turned their backs on them, and that a debt existed to be repaid. The day after the Federation approved the Bajoran application, Aenar transmitted his to Starfleet. Though Bajor was by now an old ally of the Federation, a signatory of the peace treaty at the end of the Dominion War, and an applicant, Aenar was still accepted into Starfleet under the Foreign Officer Exchange Program following his passing of the initial examinations. Assigned to the Academy on Earth was an eye-opening experience for the young Bajoran. At only twenty he was thrust into the heart of Federation civilisation. For the first few months, the young man was utterly disorientated. Bajor had been a big step for him, but this was nearly insurmountable. It was only the understanding of his tutors, and his discovery of a surprisingly large expatriate community of Bajorans, that allowed him to overcome the mental dislocation of his move. Apparently, there was more to Earth culture than just baseball and boxing. He soon threw himself into his studies and social life at the academy, playing some baseball for the Academy team – though nowhere near varsity – and joining the boxing team. The Bajoran particularly enjoyed his studies, knowing from the moment he arrived that he would pursue the Science specialisation, eagerly absorbing what was thrown at him. Aenar quite naturally enjoyed the archaeological and historical courses he was offered and developed an interest in ancient extinct xenocultures such as the Iconians, the Golana civilisation and the Incas. During his time on Earth he also found ways to relax whilst cooking traditional Bajoran recipes, enjoying French and Latin American cuisines and wines and socialising with the people he came across. He was fortunate to find a Bajoran shrine on campus that celebrated the major and minor festivals of his religion. By early 2387 he was assigned to the USS Kentucky, a Miranda-class starship for his dissertation year. It was his delight to discover the Kentucky’s mission was to assist the Bajoran Archaeological Institute’s continuing digs at Golana. He had of course been given the now customary ‘special’ dispensation to wear his d'ja pagh as part of his uniform. His dissertation was an eye-opener as he was assigned to multiple roles and duties within the Science department on the ship. Aenar grew to love the Miranda class, despite their age, and reckoned they were the most efficient ships in Starfleet. Following his dissertation year, Aenar found himself permanently assigned to the Kentucky as the ship’s archaeologist. This allowed him to expand on a few ideas he had had whilst excavating a site on the Northern hemisphere the previous year. During his year aboard the ship, he was able to publish two papers regarding the Golana civilisation, one for the Federation Archaeological Society’s Journal, and one, classified, for Starfleet that hypothesised as to nature of the Golana time portals that had been closed by the Department of Temporal Investigations. Having served two years aboard the Kentucky and having learnt the ropes of his position, Aenar was transferred to the William Morgan and promoted to Science Officer in recognition of his more generalised abilities. The Aurora-class starship was to conduct a short-duration exploration of the Krennic Expanse. Here Aenar’s primary assignment was to study and classify the various gaseous anomalies the ship would come across in this obscure sector of space. The Bajoran officer quickly realised that not every assignment would be as glamourous or exciting as Golana. To pass the time he set up an inter-departmental boxing tournament where his overall performance was not too bad. As with any deep-space assignment, Aenar made fast friends with his fellow officers, particularly those within the Science department. With a few near-fatal incidents, and one fatal, on away mission, it was impossible not to bond. Following the conclusion of William Morgan’s exploratory expedition, Aenar was transferred once more to Starbase 118. Assigned to general research duties, Aenar assisted in the projects assigned to him, including the Aurora Project. Though Aenar found himself enjoying his assignment, he grew restless aboard the Starbase, recognising that after his previous assignments he preferred the roving nature of a starship’s duties. He put in for a transfer soon after project Aurora was deemed a success. In recognition of his previous accomplishments he was posted to an Assistant Chief Science Officer position aboard the Luna-class USS Ganymede. The two years he spent aboard ship were agreeable to the Bajoran. The two-year exploration mission at the edge of the Beta Quadrant guaranteed that Aenar would come across something that was personally interesting to himself. There were also professional opportunities to be had. During his time there he was able to distinguish himself as the head of a department when his superior was absent because of illness, for example. In the latter half of his time there, the Ganymede came across a settlement he hypothesised as Iconian, though he was unable to confirm it before the ship had to depart. It was a source of frustration, but he kept tabs on the site as time went by. At the end of 2393 Torek Aenar took a leave of absence from Starfleet to deal with the death of his mother. Although a strong person, both spiritually and physically, as with many Bajorans her age she was subject to debilitating or chronic diseases due to the Occupation. Though her death was unexpected to Aenar, it emerged she had been hiding symptoms for at least a year and had decided to forego further treatment of her wasting disease. It was a period that tested Aenar’s faith in the Prophets. In 2394 he found himself re-assigned to the USS Calypso as Chief Science Officer. |
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| Education | 2369-82 – Bajoran colonial school system, Bajor VIII 2382-84 – Shakaar University, Bajor 2384-87 – Starfleet Academy, Earth |
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| Service Record | 2387 – Archaeologist, USS Kentucky, Ensign 2388 – Science Officer, USS William Morgan, Ensign 2390 – Science Officer, general research duties, Starbase 118, Lieutenant (JG) 2392 – Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Ganymede , Lieutenant 2394 – Chief Science Officer, USS Calypso, Lieutenant |