Commander Zhaan D'Sai
Name Zhaan D'Sai
Position Executive Officer
Rank Commander
Character Information
| Gender | Female | |
| Species | Nicati (Freecloud) | |
| Age | 33 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5'7" | |
| Weight | 120 lbs. | |
| Hair Color | White-Blonde | |
| Eye Color | Gray | |
| Physical Description | She is lean, has trouble maintaining minimum body weight, owing to a high energy level and a fast metabolism. Her hair falls nearly to her slim waist and is impossibly straight. She's something of a chameleon in that she can adapt language/mannerisms to her environment. For example, back on Freecloud, she never wore bright colors or anything remotely form-fitting; always wore knit caps and walked with a slouch. She did that because going unnoticed was how she survived. And while she may appear delicate, almost fragile, she is anything but. So what you see isn't necessarily who she really is. |
Family
| Spouse | None | |
| Children | None | |
| Father | Caliban | |
| Mother | Elodie | |
| Brother(s) | None | |
| Sister(s) | None | |
| Other Family | None blood-related |
Personality & Traits
| Personality Overview | Beneath the defense mechanisms she learned growing up among the criminal element of Stardust City, on Freecloud, he holds something akin to a 'kid in the candy shop' wonder at the Federation and a natural, almost relentless curiosity about its worlds and its technology. Growing up in poverty, bartering for her survival, she learned early on to enjoy the small moments when they come. Even in the worst situations, her gift is that she is able to protect that which makes her unique, her core, without letting the experiences warp her or change her fundamentally. She adapts and when its safe, she opens up again, reaching for the positives, for new experiences, for a chance at life. |
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| Ambitions | Growing up on Freecloud, she knows that Utopia is an ideal, not a reality, and that crime and bad intent exists everywhere. She'd like to experience what's out there, see it all for herself, and come to her own decisions about the societies that makeup the Federation. | |
| Strengths & Weaknesses | + Resourceful + Adaptable + Observant + Loyal - Risk Taker/bit of an adrenaline junkie - Her motto is parity not charity. Gifts arouse suspicion as do things that look too good to be true - Independent, sometimes to a fault, and strong-willed ++ Trained in martial arts, starting at the Academy to present day ++ Computer forensics (from her time on Freecloud) ++ Speaks Freecloud Patois, Federation Standard, some Cardassian ++ Excellent marksman (almost a requirement for someone in Security) |
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| Hobbies & Interests | > Designing mysteries for the holodeck and/or troubleshooting her friends' programs > Ziplining, horseback riding, swimming, surfing, freediving, running, long walks in nature > Reading - she's working his way through literature from Federation worlds including history, philosophy, fables, religions, and biographies of important individuals. Tends to do rabbit holes -- if she's reading history and discovers an individual that she thinks is interesting, she'll read their biography. If in the biography, it mentions a particular philosophy, she'll read about that as well. > Loves live performances -- especially plays and music. |
Medical History
| Past Injuries | The usual assortment of burns and broken bones that come with away team assignments | |
| Known Allergies | None | |
| Preexisting Medical Conditions | Tends to be slightly underweight but otherwise, in good medical condition > 2 Maturation Cycles: First awakened her telepathic abilities and the second, was puberty > Average lifespan is 250 years Telepathy: > Can receive thoughts passively or actively > When probing thoughts intentionally, her eyes turn completely black > Thoughts can be perceived in a number of ways -- images, remembered conversations, intentional thoughts > Someone focused on wrongdoing will often transmit images of what they are doing unintentionally. She is receptive to that as she would be to surface thoughts projected by a non-telepath > Surface thoughts can be picked up as long as the person is in 'hearing' distance > A disciplined person would require active listening and could become a contest of wills requiring several sessions > An undisciplined person or someone in distress/pain would be easier to read though more fragmented (if in distress) > Trained in telepathy. Capable of fighting contact and ejecting someone from her mind > Practices meditation as a way of processing contacts. Will go deep, similar to catatonia, to process something particularly traumatic > Communal sharing - can enter the mind of a non-telepath and while there, both sides can communicate. Becomes a shared bond while he maintains the contact. Requires a willing participant and is done in the confines of a more intimate relationship |
| Personal History | 2336: Born in Starlight City, Freecloud 2346: In return for cleaning his house, began studying mathematics with a retired Math Professor 2347: Recommended to a reclusive engineer. In returning for cleaning his house, began studying computers both hardware and software 2354: Sponsored by the Math Professor, entered Starfleet Academy She was born in 2336 in Starlight City on Freecloud and lived among other Nicati who had been ejected from the home world, Nicati Prime where selective breeding is practiced as a means of eliminating the telepathic population. Telepaths are forced off-world and settle on planets where they can live unmolested. She was given extensive telepathic training and life on Freecloud only served to further enhance that training. At the age of nine, her parents were murdered. She was young enough that the shock of those events led to trauma-induced amnesia which she has done nothing, to this point, to change. Not knowing, not remembering, was enough to save her life. Instead, she became a street rat, sleeping in doorways, under bridges, in abandoned houses and doing whatever odd jobs she could find. She learned the rules quickly. Don't get noticed. Mind your own business. And whatever you do, don't let anyone know you're telepathic. But the two most important ones were these: > Birth is nothing but death begun > Parity not charity When you expect to die young, when you don't think you have any real hope of living a long life, you tend to live in the moment and she did that. She took chances that sometimes paid off, sometimes got her into hot water. Her attempt at stealing an apple in a local grocery store led to her meeting with a retired Professor of Mathematics. He paid for the apple and she insisted, in accordance with her philosophy, that she do some work for the Professor in return. He said that she could do his dishes. From there, in small increments, a relationship formed. In exchange for cleaning his house once a week, she received lessons in mathematics. Mathematics is logic and reason and it was something that she could understand. She never slept in his house or stayed any longer that was necessary to do the work or her lessons. The Professor, who may have pretended to be somewhat less capable than he really was, bartered fiercely with her for additional work (with rewards that would further her education). For example, in return for use of his library, she had to wash clothes or fetch groceries from the local markets.In time, he introduced her to an engineer friend of his, and a similar arrangement was established. She was seldom idle and used what she learned, to create a small revenue stream. She helped fix an old man's computer and while doing so, mostly because she was curious and numerical patterns jumped out at her, discovered that the night clerk in her hotel was skimming the profits. For her help, she was given a pod at reduced rent with the stipulation that she would make regular checks. Using what she knew to track down and stop a crime, however minor, gave her a tremendous sense of pride. But the pod, well, that was the real prize. Roughly the size of a single bed with sufficient height for her to crawl in and sit up in bed, the pod had a door that locked from the inside. It was heated in the winter and air conditioned in the summer and, best of all, had a vid screen. The back wall, behind the bed had a small space for storage. She went to sleep buried under a comforter someone had thrown away to the sound of other people in the hotel, snoring, crying, arguing, and sometimes, just thumping on the walls. It was hers. A place of safety and comfort. By the time she was eighteen, she knew that his time on Freecloud was ending. Her skills had developed to the point where she could figure out problems with security systems and reconstruct data wiped from computer networks and it hadn't gone unnoticed. She was being hunted which was probably why, when the Professor and the Engineer double-teamed her about going to the Academy, she let them talk him into it. If it didn't work out, at least she would be out of reach. And so, in 2354, she entered Starfleet Academy where she began a new chapter in her life. Over the next fifteen years, she served in Starfleet, first as a cadet, and then, in Security. She worked hard and without complaint. Why would she complain? In return for her hard work, she was safe, she had a room to herself, and all the food she could eat. There was time to learn and have an adventure or two. And because it felt as though she was getting much more than she gave, she worked as hard as she could. |
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| Service Record | 2369 to Present: USS Thunderbird, First Officer 2365-2369: Posted to the USS Steadfast as First Officer Promoted to First Officer and assigned a position on the USS Steadfast. When she realized her captain was a Maquis sympathizer and was actively working against Federation interests, she contacted Starfleet Intelligence and was instrumental in resolving the issue but at the cost of her position on the ship. Rather than continue on, where sentiment against her was high, Starfleet elected to move her to another ship. 2358-2365: Posted to USS Standing Bear, Asst. Chief of Security She proved to be an able security officer who put the safety of the away team, the ship's crew, above her own. After action reports indicated someone who worked well under pressure and had a knack for out-of-the-box thinking that saved lives more than once. After two years, she was promoted to Asst. Chief of Security after showing strong leadership skills (that surprised her as much as anyone to discover). When the ship's long time Chief of Security retired, she took over the position along with Bridge Duties as Second Officer. 2354-2358: Starfleet Academy, Security Major with a Minor in Computers The Academy was an eye-opener. For the first time in her life, people didn't pose an immediate threat. It was safe to sleep in an open room (and she had a lot of trouble with that) and there was always food to eat. Beyond that, there was so much to learn. |