Lieutenant Commander Sotra
Name Sotra
Position U.S.S. Saratoga Executive Officer
Rank Lieutenant Commander
Character Information
| Gender | Female | |
| Species | Vulcan | |
| Age | 97 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5'7" | |
| Weight | 98lbs |
Family
| Family | Sotra has a somewhat exotic look for a Vulcan. From a young age her hair took a very human appearance with curls and of a blond hue, possibly due to genetics as her maternal grandmother was indeed Human. Due to this she has never been able to adopt the more recognised and customary styles one associates with the usual Vulcan. Add to that her green eyes and tanned skin and this does all add to the more exotic appearance. |
Personality & Traits
| Personality Overview | Her Vulcan heritage comes through strong given her stoic and collected exterior even if internally she often fights with her emotions. Her grasp of the emotional control is lacking in comparison to a full blooded Vulcan as she tends to take after her Human Maternal Grandmother. She has twice attempted the Kolinahr, to purge her emotions but has on both occasions not attained the required level of inner calm. Because of this she has devoted herself to attaining the required level to one day submit herself once again to complete her Kolinahr. Until that time she will continue her career within Starfleet, the most logical choice given the reach and number of different star systems she would encounter. + : Sharp ear for languages + : Cool headed under pressure + : Methodical in approach + : Vulcan strength - : Hot headed (By Vulcan Standards) - : Can be seen as uncaring and cold - : Reticent to try new things She plays the Vulcan Lute, amateur Archaeologist and collector of artifacts. She paints images of Stellar Phenomena |
| Personal History | Sotra was born in the city of Shi’Kahr on Vulcan in the year 2304, her Father (Sakal) a professor of Vulcan history under the employ of the Shi’Kahr Academy while her mother (T’Kyr) was an attendant at the T’Karath Sanctuary within the Vulcan’s Forge. Sakara’s younger years were spent in education, honing her intellect and her logic at the Shi’Kahr Academy but she would often follow her mother to T’Karath and get lost in the catacombs of the spiritual temple that was roughly thirty seven kellicams south of mount Seleya deep in the Vulcan’s Forge. This meant that her childhood instilled not only intelligence and a sharp mind but also a sense of spirituality and reverence for the Vulcan way. This continued well into her teenage years but with one draw back. Her Maternal Grandmother was Human meaning her own genetics were partly Human also and she found her emotional control was not as fortified as much as others of her age. She had to fight to maintain her cool and collected exterior far more than most which spurred her on to dedicate herself to the Kolinahr. At just 18 years old she set out to complete the Kolinahr and purge her emotions… She failed. It was at this time she turned to Starfleet, feeling she would need to experience the universe, understand the diversity in the cosmos to truly understand the diversity within her own blood and so she enrolled in Starfleet, focusing on the Archaeological sciences, something she had shown an aptitude for during her formative education. The Academy formed a well rounded individual and it did also help her find a more balanced approach to combating her emotional control, even if the practical application still seemed to elude her, not that anyone would notice unless they were Vulcan themselves. Non the less, she accomplished a great deal in regards to her studies and grades at Starfleet Academy, even if she was not the top of her class. Graduation was something of a complex affair for her. The people in her class that were considered friend had insisted she go out to celebrate with them but she found the social side of the Humans, Andorians and so forth far more perturbing than she thought it would be. This again highlighted not only her social short comings but served to propel her emotional control back to the forefront of her mind. |
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| Service Record | After graduation she requested a posting back on Vulcan so she could once again attempt the ritual of Kolinahr while at the same time holding down a position within the Starfleet Communications relay outpost in orbit. Once again, despite her efforts to the contrary, she failed to attain the Kolinahr. Her family had attended the ceremony, they had been polite, dignified but she could see they were disappointed… all but one person. Her Grandmother, full Human. Her Grandmother was disappointed but not at Sotra for her failure, she was disappointed that Sotra felt the need to purge her human side from her makeup. The pair had spoken for many hours in the setting sun at the base of Mount Selaya. It was something of an eye opening experience for Sakara. The next chapter of Sakara’s story took her into space, assigned to the USS Saratoga for a time then on to the USS Essex, both deep space exploration missions where she served as junior communications officer. The posting lasted one earth year and six months before she was ressigned to the USS Yorktown as a Science Officer. Again this assignment lasted a little over one earth year but during that time she has secured herself a promotion to Lieutenant JG. This is where she took some personal leave to return home to the sands of Vulcan, a brief visit before her next tour of duty was to commence but during this time a disaster fell upon the Federation and the first attempted invasion of Earth. She had immediately boarded a Starfleet vessel in orbit of Vulcan and sped towards Wolf 359 where the awaiting armada braced for the Borgs arrival. USS Endeavour (NCC-71805) was the only ship to have survived that fateful battle, barely. With her promotion to Lieutenant JG now secure she was recalled to Starfleet and given a posting on the USS Enterprise D which lasted several years. She had the honour of working under some of the best officers within Starfleet until one day three years later the ship was called to Bersallis III to help rescue the personnel from a Federation Outpost that was about to be hit by a fire storm. She was on one of the science teams tasked with keeping the thermal deflector units in place and running while the recue efforts took place. She somehow survived. Her efforts gained her a promotion to Full Lieutenant but it was at this time she decided to take a lengthy break in her Starfleet Career to once again return to Vulcan and immerse herself in the ceremony to attain the Kolinahr. This break ended up being almost twenty years, which in the lifespan of a Vulcan is merely a drop in the ocean. In 2389 she finally returned to service having finally achieved the Kolinahr. She was recommissioned at her rank of Lieutenant and immediately assigned to a second contact specialist vessel, one of the California Class fleet. She spent the next ten years forging herself a new life in Starfleet, content in the knowledge that she was a true Vulcan until one fateful day when the USS Oakland (NCC-75012) arrived at the site of a distress signal. Being the ships Chief Science Officer she was assigned to the away team and beamed down. The planet was rich with the mineral Trellium D, something they had been unable to read from Orbit due to atmospheric interference. Her exposure was breif as the XO had her beamed back aboard within moment of realising but the damage had been done. Trellium is a deadly neurotoxin to Vulcans, gradually degrading their neural pathways. This had the initial effect of removing emotional inhibitions, but eventually induced insanity and violent rages. Over time the neurological damage became irreversible, eventually leading to the death of the afflicted Vulcan; this was the fate of the Seleya crew. Thankfully Sotra's exposure was minimal but it had a noticeable effect on her emotional control, something she still combats even today. Finally in 2400 she was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and briefly the Chief Science Officer onboard the new USS Excelsior. On its maiden voyage the ship had a chance encounter with a temporal rift which pulled apart biological matter. As only a portion of the ship was engulfed and most of the senior officers having perished, she had been lucky enough to have been in engineering at the time of the event, she assumed command and she and the remaining crew brought the Excelsior back to Starfleet. Command at this time thought it only fair to recognise her accomplishments and assign her to the newly minted USS Saratoga as its first officer. |