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{{Character Infobox
{{Character Infobox
|name=Sylvain Llewellyn-Kth
|name=Sylvain Llewellyn-Kth [[Category:Player Characters]]
|image=Default_Character_Image.jpeg
|image=SylWIP.png
|dept=Command
|dept=Command
|rank=Ensign
|rank=Ensign
|position=Chief CONN Officer
|position=Chief CONN Officer
|species=Human/Yattho Hybrid
|species=Human/Yattho Hybrid [[Category:Humans]] [[Category:Yattho]]
|age=23
|age=23
|gender=Male
|gender=Male [[Category:Male]]
|orientation=Bisexual
|orientation=Bisexual [[Category:Bisexual]]
|birthplace=Medical Bay, Deep Space 16
|birthplace=Medical Bay, Deep Space 16
|height={{Height|5|11}}
|height={{Height|5|11}}
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|eyes=Hazel
|eyes=Hazel
|face=Kit Connor
|face=Kit Connor
|writer=TWilkins
|writer=[https://uss-theurgy.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=169 TWilkins]
|interests=Singing
|interests=Singing
Fitness
Fitness
Music
Music
Theatre
Theatre
Stellar Cartography
Stellar Cartography
Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Vulcan Soap Operas
Vulcan Soap Operas
Holonovels
Holonovels
|education=2363-2366: Starfleet Standard Education, Deep Space 16
|education=2363-2366: Starfleet Standard Education, Deep Space 16
2366-2370: Starfleet Standard Education, USS Elizabeth
 
2366-2370: Starfleet Standard Education, ''USS Boleyn''
 
2370-2372: El’nar Institute of Psionics, Betazed
2370-2372: El’nar Institute of Psionics, Betazed
2372-2373: Starfleet Standard Education, USS Elizabeth
 
2372-2373: Starfleet Standard Education, ''USS Boleyn''
 
2373-2375: Federation inter-planetary Academy of T’Paal, Vulcan
2373-2375: Federation inter-planetary Academy of T’Paal, Vulcan
2375-2379: Starfleet Academy
 
2378-2379: Starfleet Academy Cadet Rotation, USS Thames
2375-2379: Starfleet Academy [[Category:Academy Class of 2379]]
|servicerecord=2378-2379: Cadet Rotation, USS Thames
 
2379-2380: Ensign, Assistant Chief CONN Officer, USS Bowman
2378-2379: Starfleet Academy Cadet Rotation, ''USS Thames''
2380-2381: Ensign, Chief CONN Officer, USS Bowman
|servicerecord=2378-2379: Cadet Rotation, ''USS Thames''
 
2379-2380: Ensign, Assistant Chief CONN Officer, ''USS Bowman''
 
2380-2381: Ensign, Chief CONN Officer, ''USS Bowman''
 
2381-Present: Ensign, Chief CONN Officer, ''USS Theurgy'' [[Category:Cosmic Imperative Arrival]]
|decorations=No decorations
|decorations=No decorations
}}
}}Ensign Sylvain Llewellyn-Kth was the Chief <nowiki>CONN</nowiki> Officer serving aboard the ''USS Bowman,'' a support vessel tasked with aiding <nowiki>Federation</nowiki> colonies along the border of Talarian space. When the ''Bowman'' was unexpectedly recalled in 2381, and redeployed to support [[Task Force Archeron]], Sylvain was contacted by an old colleague of his mother’s, Rear Admiral Joseph Anderson, as part of a covert initiative to recruit capable Officers for the renegade starship, the ''[[USS Theurgy]].'' The Admiral was concerned that if Sylvain was targeted by [[the Infested]], his unique precognitive capabilities could be put to devastating use against the Theurgy’s efforts to prevent all out war. This and Sylvain’s exemplary, if not brief, service record, made him a suitable candidate to join the ''<nowiki>USS Theurgy</nowiki>'' Crew. Sylvain aided in the opposition against the <nowiki>parasites</nowiki> that compromised <nowiki>Starfleet Command</nowiki> in the end of the 24th century.
==Character Draft Awaiting Approval==
Ensign Sylvain Llewellyn-Kth was the Chief [[CONN]] Officer serving aboard the USS Bowman, a support vessel tasked with aiding [[Federation]] colonies along the border of Talarian space. When the Bowman was unexpectedly recalled in 2381, and redeployed to support [[Task Force Archeron]], Sylvain was contacted by an old colleague of his mother’s, Rear Admiral Joseph Anderson, as part of a covert initiative to recruit capable Officers for the renegade starship, the [[USS Theurgy]]. The Admiral was concerned that if Sylvain was targeted by [[the Infested]], his unique precognitive capabilities could be put to devastating use against the Theurgy’s efforts to prevent all out war. This and Sylvain’s exemplary, if not brief, service record, made him a suitable candidate to join the [[USS Theurgy]] Crew. Sylvain aided in the opposition against the [[parasites]] that compromised [[Starfleet Command]] in the end of the 24th century.


==Biography==
==Biography==
== Early Life: ==  
[[File:Syl2WIP.png|right|301px]]
=== Early Life: ===


Evangeline Llewellyn was a Diplomatic Officer stationed aboard Deep Space 16, who had been engaging in a series of sensitive negotiations with the reclusive [[Beta Quadrant]] species, the Yattho. The negotiations were by far the most gruelling experience that she had endured in a professional capacity, the Yattho’s unique precognitive abilities an exhausting challenge for her team to work against. Eventually, the negotiations concluded with favourable terms for both parties, and, seeing an opportunity to build some good-faith for any future collaboration, Evangeline extended an offer for the delegates to join her for an informal drink in the station’s lounge. One of the delegates, a man named Kth, accepted her offer.  
Evangeline Llewellyn was a Diplomatic Officer stationed aboard Deep Space 16, who had been engaging in a series of sensitive negotiations with the reclusive <nowiki>Beta Quadrant</nowiki> species, the Yattho. The negotiations were by far the most gruelling experience that she had endured in a professional capacity, the Yattho’s unique precognitive abilities an exhausting challenge for her team to work against. Eventually, the negotiations concluded with favourable terms for both parties, and, seeing an opportunity to build some good-faith for any future collaboration, Evangeline extended an offer for the delegates to join her for an informal drink in the station’s lounge. One of the delegates, a man named Kth, accepted her offer.  


However, one drink led to another, and Evangeline found herself disarmed by how devastatingly charming Kth could be; the same skills that made him an insufferable personality in diplomacy, also happened to make him infallible at seduction. Against her better judgement, they had concluded the night in her quarters, and by the time she was aware that she had become pregnant as a result of the interaction, Kth had long since departed from Deep Space 16. Fully aware that Yattho culture was extremely intolerant of interspecies procreation, Evangeline made no attempt to contact Kth. Instead, against the advice of her Commanding Officer, she decided to attempt to carry the child to term, enduring a lengthy gestational period, predominantly confined to a biobed, before she managed to successfully give birth to a healthy young boy.
However, one drink led to another, and Evangeline found herself disarmed by how devastatingly charming Kth could be; the same skills that made him an insufferable personality in diplomacy, also happened to make him infallible at seduction. Against her better judgement, they had concluded the night in her quarters, and by the time she was aware that she had become pregnant as a result of the interaction, Kth had long since departed from Deep Space 16. Fully aware that Yattho culture was extremely intolerant of interspecies procreation, Evangeline made no attempt to contact Kth. Instead, against the advice of her Commanding Officer, she decided to attempt to carry the child to term, enduring a lengthy gestational period, predominantly confined to a biobed, before she managed to successfully give birth to a healthy young boy.
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Sylvain Llewellyn-Kth.
Sylvain Llewellyn-Kth.


Sylvain’s early years were spent entirely aboard Deep Space 16; not the most accommodating place for a child, but it allowed him to remain in close proximity to the [[medical]] professionals who were monitoring him carefully for any inter-species defects, despite their limited understanding of Yattho physiology. Thus, he lived a relatively uneventful life, his mother having resumed her diplomatic work, not letting the demotion she had received for her violation of interspecies protocol stand in her way, whilst Sylvain grew into possessing a bright mind and a keen curiosity for the stars. A very ordinary boy, all things considered.
Sylvain’s early years were spent entirely aboard Deep Space 16; not the most accommodating place for a child, but it allowed him to remain in close proximity to the <nowiki>medical</nowiki> professionals who were monitoring him carefully for any inter-species defects, despite their limited understanding of Yattho physiology. Thus, he lived a relatively uneventful life, his mother having resumed her diplomatic work, not letting the demotion she had received for her violation of interspecies protocol stand in her way, whilst Sylvain grew into possessing a bright mind and a keen curiosity for the stars. A very ordinary boy, all things considered.


For a time…
For a time…
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Sylvain did not know if the incident on stardate 44752.41 was his first precognitive event, but it was certainly the first one that he had noticed. They had been learning about singularities in his physics lesson, a topic equal parts exciting and frightening to a group of school children, when their teacher had allowed them to take a break for their end of the month treat. The treats were usually pretty mundane things that he would eat at home, but on that particular day, she had produced a punnet of nectarines, small orbs of yellow, orange and red, that looked especially enticing to a hungry child with a sweet tooth. Sylvain had accepted one gladly, the flesh of the fruit lingering only a few inches from his lips, when something happened that would change the entire course of his life.
Sylvain did not know if the incident on stardate 44752.41 was his first precognitive event, but it was certainly the first one that he had noticed. They had been learning about singularities in his physics lesson, a topic equal parts exciting and frightening to a group of school children, when their teacher had allowed them to take a break for their end of the month treat. The treats were usually pretty mundane things that he would eat at home, but on that particular day, she had produced a punnet of nectarines, small orbs of yellow, orange and red, that looked especially enticing to a hungry child with a sweet tooth. Sylvain had accepted one gladly, the flesh of the fruit lingering only a few inches from his lips, when something happened that would change the entire course of his life.


His entire body had been overcome by a cold, ridgid dread, an abject terror that was unlike anything he had endured before. It was a fear that felt so much deeper than singularities, holodeck monsters, or even stories of the [[Gorn]], something so primal, so intrusive, that his young mind hadn’t known how to cope. Sylvain remembered choking, struggling to breathe against the fear that encircled him like a tendril, before his body responded to these newfound emotions with an uncharacteristic violence. The boy had fled from his desk, moving with such force that he sent his chair catapulting into another student, Sylvain ramming himself repeatedly into the classroom door, desperate to escape. He had clawed his fingers into the joins in the metal, in fruitless attempt to force it open, struggling until his fingernails were torn and bleeding, till his voice was hoarse from his screams of terror, till his teacher had blood pouring from her nose as a result of her failed attempts to restrain him… He needed to escape, he needed to hide, he needed to…
His entire body had been overcome by a cold, ridgid dread, an abject terror that was unlike anything he had endured before. It was a fear that felt so much deeper than singularities, holodeck monsters, or even stories of the <nowiki>Gorn</nowiki>, something so primal, so intrusive, that his young mind hadn’t known how to cope. Sylvain remembered choking, struggling to breathe against the fear that encircled him like a tendril, before his body responded to these newfound emotions with an uncharacteristic violence. The boy had fled from his desk, moving with such force that he sent his chair catapulting into another student, Sylvain ramming himself repeatedly into the classroom door, desperate to escape. He had clawed his fingers into the joins in the metal, in fruitless attempt to force it open, struggling until his fingernails were torn and bleeding, till his voice was hoarse from his screams of terror, till his teacher had blood pouring from her nose as a result of her failed attempts to restrain him… He needed to escape, he needed to hide, he needed to…


And then, it was gone.
And then, it was gone.


The fear vanished as rapidly as it emerged, ceding only a few moments before the first response team arrived on-site, greeted with a classroom full of crying and terrified children, and a teacher who had been elbowed in the face more times than polite. Sylvain was rushed to the [[Medical]] Bay in response, and had been meticulously analysed, probed with dozens of scans, blood tests, psychological evaluations… They’d spent several hours investigating what might have caused the outburst, and eventually, they arrived at two conclusions.
The fear vanished as rapidly as it emerged, ceding only a few moments before the first response team arrived on-site, greeted with a classroom full of crying and terrified children, and a teacher who had been elbowed in the face more times than polite. Sylvain was rushed to the <nowiki>Medical</nowiki> Bay in response, and had been meticulously analysed, probed with dozens of scans, blood tests, psychological evaluations… They’d spent several hours investigating what might have caused the outburst, and eventually, they arrived at two conclusions.


Firstly, their investigations discovered that there was a protein contained in certain stone fruits that was severely toxic to Sylvain’s Yattho physiology. Secondly, several seemingly redundant organelles throughout his body had shown traces of psionic activity, and scans concluded a definite presence of chroniton particles in these organs and the surrounding systems. In short, Sylvain had manifested the psionic capabilities of his Yattho father, which had seemingly saved his life.
Firstly, their investigations discovered that there was a protein contained in certain stone fruits that was severely toxic to Sylvain’s Yattho physiology. Secondly, several seemingly redundant organelles throughout his body had shown traces of psionic activity, and scans concluded a definite presence of chroniton particles in these organs and the surrounding systems. In short, Sylvain had manifested the psionic capabilities of his Yattho father, which had seemingly saved his life.


Unfortunately, such a revelation did not excuse Sylvain from his outbursts in the eyes of his peers, and his classmates no longer saw him as their friend Sylvain; he was now the weird alien. They ostracised him from games, from classwork, and even their teacher seemed to be begrudge giving him any support or attention. The excommunication from his peers was not helped by the actions of the [[medical]] team, who had insisted that he wear a cortical monitor at all times, to track and record any psionic events, monitoring him with the same curiosity that one would monitor an experiment, rather than a person.
Unfortunately, such a revelation did not excuse Sylvain from his outbursts in the eyes of his peers, and his classmates no longer saw him as their friend Sylvain; he was now the weird alien. They ostracised him from games, from classwork, and even their teacher seemed to be begrudge giving him any support or attention. The excommunication from his peers was not helped by the actions of the <nowiki>medical</nowiki> team, who had insisted that he wear a cortical monitor at all times, to track and record any psionic events, monitoring him with the same curiosity that one would monitor an experiment, rather than a person.


The changes in his social life greatly impacted him, and the once happy and social boy became quickly reserved and nervous, his isolation exacerbated every time the cortical stimulator would thrum against his head, a constant reminder of how different he was from everyone around him. Eventually, tired of how her son was treated, Evangeline pulled every string she could get her hands on to ensure that she could be transferred to another vessel or station, using her relationship with an old academy friend, Joseph Anderson, in order to obtain a position within [[Starfleet Intelligence]]. Evangeline was able to transfer to the Excelsior class starship, the [[USS Elizabeth]], securing a clerical position that, whilst below her skill set, allowed her to leave Deep Space 16, and most importantly, take her son with her.
The changes in his social life greatly impacted him, and the once happy and social boy became quickly reserved and nervous, his isolation exacerbated every time the cortical stimulator would thrum against his head, a constant reminder of how different he was from everyone around him. Eventually, tired of how her son was treated, Evangeline pulled every string she could get her hands on to ensure that she could be transferred to another vessel or station, using her relationship with an old academy friend, Joseph Anderson, in order to obtain a position within <nowiki>Starfleet Intelligence</nowiki>. Evangeline was able to transfer to the Excelsior class starship, the ''USS Boleyn'', securing a clerical position that, whilst below her skill set, allowed her to leave Deep Space 16, and most importantly, take her son with her.


== Teenage Years: ==
=== Teenage Years: ===


Life aboard the Elizabeth was far easier on Sylvain than his life aboard Deep Space 16 had become. He was no longer ostracised by his peers and teachers, his forehead was no longer the permanent abode of a cortical monitor, and he was travelling on a vessel that exposed him to a great deal more experiences than Deep Space 16 had ever permitted. However, his [[Psionic Abilities|psionic abilities]] continued to develop, manifestations becoming more and more frequent as he grew older, precognitive events growing increasingly taxing on his wellbeing as he struggled to identify them amongst every other change that was beginning to happen in his head. Having no source of guidance or exposure to Yattho culture, and thus no means to understand these emerging abilities, made Sylvain feel more alone than he had ever felt in his life.  
Life aboard the ''Boleyn'' was far easier on Sylvain than his life aboard Deep Space 16 had become. He was no longer ostracised by his peers and teachers, his forehead was no longer the permanent abode of a cortical monitor, and he was travelling on a vessel that exposed him to a great deal more experiences than Deep Space 16 had ever permitted. However, his [[Psionic Abilities|psionic abilities]] continued to develop, manifestations becoming more and more frequent as he grew older, precognitive events growing increasingly taxing on his wellbeing as he struggled to identify them amongst every other change that was beginning to happen in his head. Having no source of guidance or exposure to Yattho culture, and thus no means to understand these emerging abilities, made Sylvain feel more alone than he had ever felt in his life.  


His precognitive abilities became extremely difficult to differentiate from normal cognitive processes, and he soon became overwhelmed with the worry that any thought, feeling or emotion could have potentially been a psionic premonition. This state of uncertainty in his own head, led him to exist in a perpetual state of apprehension and paranoia, constantly worrying about whether or not he was foreseeing events, or simply experiencing the average and standard volatility of teenage emotions. These conflicting thoughts began to escalate, resulting in him spending days at a time outright refusing to leave his room, completely crippled by paranoia that masqueraded as premonition.  
His precognitive abilities became extremely difficult to differentiate from normal cognitive processes, and he soon became overwhelmed with the worry that any thought, feeling or emotion could have potentially been a psionic premonition. This state of uncertainty in his own head, led him to exist in a perpetual state of apprehension and paranoia, constantly worrying about whether or not he was foreseeing events, or simply experiencing the average and standard volatility of teenage emotions. These conflicting thoughts began to escalate, resulting in him spending days at a time outright refusing to leave his room, completely crippled by paranoia that masqueraded as premonition.  


Unable to continue to watch her son wither away under the strain of his own abilities, Evangeline made arrangements for Sylvain to complete a two-year placement at the El’nar Institute of Psionics on Betazed, convinced that only an expert in extrasensory abilities would have any chance to support him through his turmoil. As a mother, she had done all she could. Whilst Sylvain had been both devastated and terrified at the thought of leaving the [[USS Elizabeth]] behind, during his years living on Betazed, his mental anguish began to fade. Discovering that his struggle to manage his [[Psionic Abilities|psionic abilities]] was not all that uncommon, was a revolutionary salve to the years he'd spent feeling like a failure, like a mistake. He studied with, and was studied by, numerous psionic experts, and came to find friends amongst other races, all of who had shared struggles not so dissimilar from his own. Despite missing his mother, his home aboard the Elizabeth, Sylvain quickly found his time spent on Betazed to be the most enjoyable years of his life.
Unable to continue to watch her son wither away under the strain of his own abilities, Evangeline made arrangements for Sylvain to complete a two-year placement at the El’nar Institute of Psionics on Betazed, convinced that only an expert in extrasensory abilities would have any chance to support him through his turmoil. As a mother, she had done all she could. Whilst Sylvain had been both devastated and terrified at the thought of leaving the ''USS Boleyn'' behind, during his years living on Betazed, his mental anguish began to fade. Discovering that his struggle to manage his <nowiki>psionic abilities</nowiki> was not all that uncommon, was a revolutionary salve to the years he'd spent feeling like a failure, like a mistake. He studied with, and was studied by, numerous psionic experts, and came to find friends amongst other races, all of who had shared struggles not so dissimilar from his own. Despite missing his mother, his home aboard the ''Boleyn,'' Sylvain quickly found his time spent on Betazed to be the most enjoyable years of his life.


His instruction in the control and understanding of his own psionics allowed him to better acknowledge what his abilities were, and helped him manifest what little control he had over them. Time spent with [[Betazoid]] psionic experts supported him gently, guiding him on seeing his abilities from different viewpoints, helping him gain perspective as to how to avoid letting the precognitive events dictate his life. His work with the [[Vulcan]] instructors however, taught him the many, many benefits of relying on logic, rather than impulse and emotion, a technique which would, in their words, render the impact of his abilities on his life, inconsequential.
His instruction in the control and understanding of his own psionics allowed him to better acknowledge what his abilities were, and helped him manifest what little control he had over them. Time spent with <nowiki>Betazoid</nowiki> psionic experts supported him gently, guiding him on seeing his abilities from different viewpoints, helping him gain perspective as to how to avoid letting the precognitive events dictate his life. His work with the <nowiki>Vulcan</nowiki> instructors however, taught him the many, many benefits of relying on logic, rather than impulse and emotion, a technique which would, in their words, render the impact of his abilities on his life, inconsequential.


Whilst he never gained the control and understanding of his abilities that he was hoping for from these sessions, when the two-year stint at the institute was completed and he returned to the Elizabeth, he returned a changed person. Sylvain adopted an approach that spanned the distance between the [[Vulcan]] and [[Betazoid]] perspective, content to live alongside his abilities, accepting them rather than fighting them, whilst supplanting his lack of reliable instincts and emotions, with a newfound focus on data and knowledge.
Whilst he never gained the control and understanding of his abilities that he was hoping for from these sessions, when the two-year stint at the institute was completed and he returned to the ''Boleyn,'' he returned a changed person. Sylvain adopted an approach that spanned the distance between the <nowiki>Vulcan</nowiki> and <nowiki>Betazoid</nowiki> perspective, content to live alongside his abilities, accepting them rather than fighting them, whilst supplanting his lack of reliable instincts and emotions, with a newfound focus on data and knowledge.


Sylvain did continue to suffer from his psionic events, but the detriment to his life and wellbeing became far less noticeable. The lack of stress and depression made way for a newfound confidence, and a return of his younger-self’s desire to learn more about the galaxy around him, and he began to excel in classes and examinations. Whilst he still struggled to differentiate certain cognitive functions from psionic premonitions, he had already received passing grades in mock [[Starfleet Academy]] entrance examinations at sixteen, and was well on track to meet his newfound goal of becoming a [[Starfleet]] Officer.  
Sylvain did continue to suffer from his psionic events, but the detriment to his life and wellbeing became far less noticeable. The lack of stress and depression made way for a newfound confidence, and a return of his younger-self’s desire to learn more about the galaxy around him, and he began to excel in classes and examinations. Whilst he still struggled to differentiate certain cognitive functions from psionic premonitions, he had already received passing grades in mock <nowiki>Starfleet Academy</nowiki> entrance examinations at sixteen, and was well on track to meet his newfound goal of becoming a <nowiki>Starfleet</nowiki> Officer.  


Following the onset of the [[Dominion War]], the [[USS Elizabeth]] was called to combat duty, Evangeline resuming her mantle as a diplomat, whilst those civilians aboard were required to leave the ship for their own safety. Sylvain had intended to make a request to return to Betazed, to attend the [[Federation]] inter-planetary Academy there, but before he could transmit his response through the subspace relay, he became extremely indecisive. On one hand, he had previously enjoyed Betazed, he had friends there, and the education system was extremely robust. On the other hand, [[Vulcan]] logic had been a cornerstone in his ability to progress in his education, and getting an opportunity to explore it more directly could have advantages for his future career.
Following the onset of the <nowiki>Dominion War</nowiki>, the ''USS Boleyn'' was called to combat duty, Evangeline resuming her mantle as a diplomat, whilst those civilians aboard were required to leave the ship for their own safety. Sylvain had intended to make a request to return to Betazed, to attend the <nowiki>Federation</nowiki> inter-planetary Academy there, but before he could transmit his response through the subspace relay, he became extremely indecisive. On one hand, he had previously enjoyed Betazed, he had friends there, and the education system was extremely robust. On the other hand, <nowiki>Vulcan</nowiki> logic had been a cornerstone in his ability to progress in his education, and getting an opportunity to explore it more directly could have advantages for his future career.


It was an unexpected quandary, one that caused him to think on the matter just one more night. Unfortunately, when he returned to submit the request the following day, hesitation forgotten, he was dismayed to find that the Betazed academy no longer had the facility to host any further applicants. Thus, Sylvain, seething with regret at how he yet-again made the mistake of letting impulses interfere with facts, instead requested to attend the [[Federation]] inter-planetary Academy of T’Paal, on [[Vulcan]].
It was an unexpected quandary, one that caused him to think on the matter just one more night. Unfortunately, when he returned to submit the request the following day, hesitation forgotten, he was dismayed to find that the Betazed academy no longer had the facility to host any further applicants. Thus, Sylvain, seething with regret at how he yet-again made the mistake of letting impulses interfere with facts, instead requested to attend the <nowiki>Federation</nowiki> inter-planetary Academy of T’Paal, on <nowiki>Vulcan</nowiki>.


It turned out to be a correct choice, when not a year later, the Betazed academy was obliterated during the [[Dominion War]].
It turned out to be a correct choice, when not a year later, the Betazed academy was obliterated during the <nowiki>Dominion War</nowiki>.


== [[Starfleet Academy]]: ==
=== <nowiki>Starfleet Academy</nowiki>: ===


Following the conclusion of the [[Dominion War]], having spent those years studying with extreme intensity, Sylvain applied to [[Starfleet Academy]], completing the entrance examinations with exemplary scores, and becoming part of the first class to attend following the war. The first class of a new age of [[Starfleet]]. He continued to put insurmountable effort into his education, and eventually came to become one of the most promising students in his year.
Following the conclusion of the <nowiki>Dominion War</nowiki>, having spent those years studying with extreme intensity, Sylvain applied to <nowiki>Starfleet Academy</nowiki>, completing the entrance examinations with exemplary scores, and becoming part of the first class to attend following the war. The first class of a new age of <nowiki>Starfleet</nowiki>. He continued to put insurmountable effort into his education, and eventually came to become one of the most promising students in his year.


It was during this time, that Sylvain branched out his hobbies, joining the Parrises squares team, embracing his appreciation for [[Vulcan]] soap operas, learning to play the piano, joining the Academy theatre society and taking part in several performances during his years at the Academy, most notably version of Nurse Chapel in the [[Starfleet Academy]] Theatre Society’s 2377 production of Subspace Rhapsody; they’d had to gender-swap the role to accommodate the cast. His keen interest in stellar phenomena naturally translated into a focus on Astrophysics, and his stellar cartography interests led him fairly naturally into taking a particularly challenging class on Advanced Astral Navigation.
It was during this time, that Sylvain branched out his hobbies, joining the Parrises squares team, embracing his appreciation for <nowiki>Vulcan</nowiki> soap operas, learning to play the piano, joining the Academy theatre society and taking part in several performances during his years at the Academy, most notably version of Nurse Chapel in the <nowiki>Starfleet Academy</nowiki> Theatre Society’s 2377 production of Subspace Rhapsody; they’d had to gender-swap the role to accommodate the cast. His keen interest in stellar phenomena naturally translated into a focus on Astrophysics, and his stellar cartography interests led him fairly naturally into taking a particularly challenging class on Advanced Astral Navigation.


Following his Cadet rotation aboard the USS Thames, during which he obtained glowing recommendations across several departments, Sylvain decided that a career as a [[CONN]] Officer was the right fit for him. He’d always enjoyed the stars, space, and all the mysteries it could hold, but had been apprehensive that someone with his impaired instincts would be capable of piloting a Starship. However, the USS Thames’ Chief [[CONN]] Officer had been a [[Vulcan]] by the name of T’Pith, who taught Sylvain that his confidence in facts and data, his ability to analyse information and evaluate the computer’s decisions, combined with his expertise in astrophysics and astral navigation, made him an ‘adequate’ fit for someone looking to work the [[CONN]].
Following his Cadet rotation aboard the ''USS Thames,'' during which he obtained glowing recommendations across several departments, Sylvain decided that a career as a <nowiki>CONN</nowiki> Officer was the right fit for him. He’d always enjoyed the stars, space, and all the mysteries it could hold, but had been apprehensive that someone with his impaired instincts would be capable of piloting a Starship. However, the ''USS Thames’'' Chief <nowiki>CONN</nowiki> Officer had been a <nowiki>Vulcan</nowiki> by the name of T’Pith, who taught Sylvain that his confidence in facts and data, his ability to analyse information and evaluate the computer’s decisions, combined with his expertise in astrophysics and astral navigation, made him an ‘adequate’ fit for someone looking to work the <nowiki>CONN</nowiki>.


Most might have taken this as an insult.
Most might have taken this as an insult.


Having lived on [[Vulcan]], being called ‘adequate’ made him feel like he was on top of the world.
Having lived on <nowiki>Vulcan</nowiki>, being called ‘adequate’ made him feel like he was on top of the world.


Upon his return to [[Starfleet]] and the conduction of the examinations that would be essential in determining what sort of career he could pursue, Sylvain began participating in [[CONN]] simulations. The navigation simulations were almost trivial to him, whilst he was able to pass the combat assessments with flying colours, in no short part because of his meticulous ability to both analyse and react to sensor data, and adapt such data into both aggressive and evasive patterns. His instructors only had compliments for him, and he began to feel as though there was a good chance he could graduate the Academy, straight into the position of a department head.
Upon his return to <nowiki>Starfleet</nowiki> and the conduction of the examinations that would be essential in determining what sort of career he could pursue, Sylvain began participating in <nowiki>CONN</nowiki> simulations. The navigation simulations were almost trivial to him, whilst he was able to pass the combat assessments with flying colours, in no short part because of his meticulous ability to both analyse and react to sensor data, and adapt such data into both aggressive and evasive patterns. His instructors only had compliments for him, and he began to feel as though there was a good chance he could graduate the Academy, straight into the position of a department head.


It was only his final examination that didn’t go to plan…
It was only his final examination that didn’t go to plan…
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Sylvain struggled at the best of times to differentiate between instincts and premonitions, between normal cognitive processes and psionic advantages… He had no way to know if he had passed his final examination honestly, or whether his success was a result of him subconsciously relying on his precognitive abilities, of lying to everyone who had congratulated him, deceiving everyone who had ever believed in him… It was an incident that had caused his entire world to crash down.
Sylvain struggled at the best of times to differentiate between instincts and premonitions, between normal cognitive processes and psionic advantages… He had no way to know if he had passed his final examination honestly, or whether his success was a result of him subconsciously relying on his precognitive abilities, of lying to everyone who had congratulated him, deceiving everyone who had ever believed in him… It was an incident that had caused his entire world to crash down.


His mind wandered into dark and decrepit places; whilst his fellow graduates were drinking and partying in celebration of their examinations being complete, Sylvain’s mind was occupied by thoughts of disgust, his fingers blazing through his personal logs, over-analysing every potential precognitive event that he had ever recorded, gripping the [[PADD]] in his hands so hard that it threatened to shatter. He began to spiral.  
His mind wandered into dark and decrepit places; whilst his fellow graduates were drinking and partying in celebration of their examinations being complete, Sylvain’s mind was occupied by thoughts of disgust, his fingers blazing through his personal logs, over-analysing every potential precognitive event that he had ever recorded, gripping the <nowiki>PADD</nowiki> in his hands so hard that it threatened to shatter. He began to spiral.  


What if every achievement in his life had been a lie?
What if every achievement in his life had been a lie?


Had he used evasive pattern epsilon-five instead of evasive pattern lambda-four, because it had been the superior [[tactical]] decision based on the data available, or because his [[Psionic Abilities|psionic abilities]] had told him to? Did he apply to the USS Thames in the hopes that the [[Vulcan]] [[CONN]] Officer would help him acknowledge that he could serve the [[CONN]], or because foresight had already told him that it would afford him the best career prospects moving forward? Had he actually been indecisive about which Academy to attend as a teenager, or was his survival of the [[Dominion War]] a result of a precognitive fluke once again saving his life?
Had he used evasive pattern epsilon-five instead of evasive pattern lambda-four, because it had been the superior <nowiki>tactical</nowiki> decision based on the data available, or because his <nowiki>psionic abilities</nowiki> had told him to? Did he apply to the ''USS Thames'' in the hopes that the <nowiki>Vulcan</nowiki> <nowiki>CONN</nowiki> Officer would help him acknowledge that he could serve the <nowiki>CONN</nowiki>, or because foresight had already told him that it would afford him the best career prospects moving forward? Had he actually been indecisive about which Academy to attend as a teenager, or was his survival of the <nowiki>Dominion War</nowiki> a result of a precognitive fluke once again saving his life?


Thousands of such thoughts wracked through Sylvain’s every life choice, every answer in his examinations, every decision that he had ever made, and he soon found himself doubting the validity of everything that he was. His hobbies, his interests, his friends, his style... Everything he was suddenly felt false. He felt like a puppet, his body strung along by his own [[Psionic Abilities|psionic abilities]], those same abilities he had no understanding or control of, abilities that guided him though life and forced every choice upon him, robbed him of the hard work and merit that others had needed to achieve the same things he had… No wonder he was such a model student; he was a cheat.
Thousands of such thoughts wracked through Sylvain’s every life choice, every answer in his examinations, every decision that he had ever made, and he soon found himself doubting the validity of everything that he was. His hobbies, his interests, his friends, his style... Everything he was suddenly felt false. He felt like a puppet, his body strung along by his own <nowiki>psionic abilities</nowiki>, those same abilities he had no understanding or control of, abilities that guided him though life and forced every choice upon him, robbed him of the hard work and merit that others had needed to achieve the same things he had… No wonder he was such a model student; he was a cheat.


The final weeks of the Academy passed by in a blur, Sylvain quitting the Parrisis squares team before their final tournament, graduating with a false smile and a mind wracked with indescribable guilt, and a staunch avoidance of any commission offer that would be beneficial to his career; he didn’t deserve to reap the rewards of his cheating. Instead, Sylvain found an open position aboard the USS Bowman, a Norway-class ship in need of an assistant [[CONN]] Officer, whose three year mission was to survey the border between [[Federation]] space and the Talarian Republic, and provide assistance and supplies to [[Federation]] colonies in the area, with little chance of investigating any interesting stellar phenomena or exploring unknown stars.
The final weeks of the Academy passed by in a blur, Sylvain quitting the Parrisis squares team before their final tournament, graduating with a false smile and a mind wracked with indescribable guilt, and a staunch avoidance of any commission offer that would be beneficial to his career; he didn’t deserve to reap the rewards of his cheating. Instead, Sylvain found an open position aboard the ''USS Bowman,'' a Norway-class ship in need of an assistant <nowiki>CONN</nowiki> Officer, whose three year mission was to survey the border between <nowiki>Federation</nowiki> space and the Talarian Republic, and provide assistance and supplies to <nowiki>Federation</nowiki> colonies in the area, with little chance of investigating any interesting stellar phenomena or exploring unknown stars.


A self imposed exile. Exactly what he deserved.
A self imposed exile. Exactly what he deserved.


== USS Bowman: ==
=== USS Bowman: ===
Serving as the assistant [[CONN]] Officer aboard the Bowman did not afford him much excitement; Sylvain only served on the bridge during the off hours, rarely needing to do more than monitor their course and heading when the Chief was unavailable. The remainder of his time was spent flitting between the shuttlebay, the stellar cartography lab, the astrophysics lab; anywhere on the ship that might have some vague need for his expertise. It became common knowledge that Sylvain was overqualified for his posting, but he never once complained. It may have been a fairly demoralising existence, for a boy who wanted nothing more than to explore stellar phenomena and chart courses to unknown stars, but Sylvain knew that the purgatory was exactly what he deserved.
Serving as the assistant <nowiki>CONN</nowiki> Officer aboard the ''Bowman'' did not afford him much excitement; Sylvain only served on the bridge during the off hours, rarely needing to do more than monitor their course and heading when the Chief was unavailable. The remainder of his time was spent flitting between the shuttlebay, the stellar cartography lab, the astrophysics lab; anywhere on the ship that might have some vague need for his expertise. It became common knowledge that Sylvain was overqualified for his posting, but he never once complained. It may have been a fairly demoralising existence, for a boy who wanted nothing more than to explore stellar phenomena and chart courses to unknown stars, but Sylvain knew that the purgatory was exactly what he deserved.


However, as time passed aboard the Bowman, those feelings of self-depreciation slowly began to subside.  
However, as time passed aboard the ''Bowman,'' those feelings of self-depreciation slowly began to subside.  


Sylvain’s sense of self confidence slowly returned to him, his doubt and self-hatred fading in the light of his exemplary job performance, the way the Chief would jokingly ask if Sylvain was trying to steal his seat on the bridge, the way he’d be able to offer help to others outside of his department, with tasks unrelated to [[CONN]] work, but things that he understood nonetheless. He began to thrive in quiet conscientiousness, beginning to return to a state where he didn’t obsess over every single stray thought, every unexpected emotion, every random impulse. He returned to meticulously logging what he believed were precognitive events, categorising them into different subheadings depending on how they came about; not a perfect system, but one that gave him comfort, turning those thoughts into something else to analyse, to corroborate, to examine…
Sylvain’s sense of self confidence slowly returned to him, his doubt and self-hatred fading in the light of his exemplary job performance, the way the Chief would jokingly ask if Sylvain was trying to steal his seat on the bridge, the way he’d be able to offer help to others outside of his department, with tasks unrelated to <nowiki>CONN</nowiki> work, but things that he understood nonetheless. He began to thrive in quiet conscientiousness, beginning to return to a state where he didn’t obsess over every single stray thought, every unexpected emotion, every random impulse. He returned to meticulously logging what he believed were precognitive events, categorising them into different subheadings depending on how they came about; not a perfect system, but one that gave him comfort, turning those thoughts into something else to analyse, to corroborate, to examine…


Included in those logs, were the unwelcome thoughts that had plagued every facet of his being, when the Captain had invited him to share a meal with her in her quarters, during his seventh month aboard. He’d spent his entire time getting ready, concerned that he’d somehow accidently punch Captain Yume in the face, and then panicking himself further, worrying about whether such thoughts had been precognitive or just intrusive… In the end, he’d presented himself as a bumbling fool to the Captain, but she’d responded with a smile, telling him that he’d need to get used to it, because he was about to be seeing a lot more of her.
Included in those logs, were the unwelcome thoughts that had plagued every facet of his being, when the Captain had invited him to share a meal with her in her quarters, during his seventh month aboard. He’d spent his entire time getting ready, concerned that he’d somehow accidently punch Captain Yume in the face, and then panicking himself further, worrying about whether such thoughts had been precognitive or just intrusive… In the end, he’d presented himself as a bumbling fool to the Captain, but she’d responded with a smile, telling him that he’d need to get used to it, because he was about to be seeing a lot more of her.
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His forbarer was retiring, and she wanted Sylvain to take his place.
His forbarer was retiring, and she wanted Sylvain to take his place.


The next thirteen months of his tour aboard the Bowman were completed with nothing less than exemplary effort on Sylvain’s part; the journey got no more exciting, but to Sylvain, it was the most incredible experience of his life. He suddenly had an entire department to lead, corroborating work from several different areas in order to ensure that the ship continued to run smoothly, all whilst still manning the [[CONN]], navigating them amongst the stars. Suddenly, he was sitting in on Senior Staff Meetings, being part of them, asked for his opinion on matters that he surely wasn’t qualified to speak on. His [[CONN]] expertise was put to the test during skirmishes against Talarian fringe elements, where his quick analysis of the flight-control data allowed him to seamlessly switch between evasive manoeuvres and attack runs, the Bowman escaping with minimal damage in each and every encounter.
The next thirteen months of his tour aboard the ''Bowman'' were completed with nothing less than exemplary effort on Sylvain’s part; the journey got no more exciting, but to Sylvain, it was the most incredible experience of his life. He suddenly had an entire department to lead, corroborating work from several different areas in order to ensure that the ship continued to run smoothly, all whilst still manning the <nowiki>CONN</nowiki>, navigating them amongst the stars. Suddenly, he was sitting in on Senior Staff Meetings, being part of them, asked for his opinion on matters that he surely wasn’t qualified to speak on. His <nowiki>CONN</nowiki> expertise was put to the test during skirmishes against Talarian fringe elements, where his quick analysis of the flight-control data allowed him to seamlessly switch between evasive manoeuvres and attack runs, the ''Bowman'' escaping with minimal damage in each and every encounter.


His precognitive abilities always played on his mind, always made him doubt himself and his credibility as a [[Starfleet]] Officer, but those doubts weren’t as difficult to salve as they once were; he could see how the people around him valued him, how they respected him… Sure, occasionally that trust backfired and made it all the more deplorable for him in those moments where he convinced himself that he was a fraud, but he became better at picking himself up after those moments, to recover and continue with his life, with his job…
His precognitive abilities always played on his mind, always made him doubt himself and his credibility as a <nowiki>Starfleet</nowiki> Officer, but those doubts weren’t as difficult to salve as they once were; he could see how the people around him valued him, how they respected him… Sure, occasionally that trust backfired and made it all the more deplorable for him in those moments where he convinced himself that he was a fraud, but he became better at picking himself up after those moments, to recover and continue with his life, with his job…


However, his tour aboard the Bowman was cut short, when the vessel was recalled back to central [[Federation]] territory. Transmissions from [[Starfleet]] became concentrated on discussing a renegade ship known as the [[USS Theurgy]], and the task force intended to stop it, despite the senior staff’s disbelief that they were being recalled from their position, leaving dozens of [[Federation]] Colonies vulnerable to Talarian separatists. Something about the meetings, about the discussions of [[Task Force Archeron]], filled Sylvain with a sense of unease, but, judging from the expressions of the rest of the Senior Staff, he wasn’t the only one who found the idea uncomfortable.  
However, his tour aboard the Bowman was cut short, when the vessel was recalled back to central <nowiki>Federation</nowiki> territory. Transmissions from <nowiki>Starfleet</nowiki> became concentrated on discussing a renegade ship known as the ''<nowiki>USS Theurgy</nowiki>,'' and the task force intended to stop it, despite the senior staff’s disbelief that they were being recalled from their position, leaving dozens of <nowiki>Federation</nowiki> Colonies vulnerable to Talarian separatists. Something about the meetings, about the discussions of <nowiki>Task Force Archeron</nowiki>, filled Sylvain with a sense of unease, but, judging from the expressions of the rest of the Senior Staff, he wasn’t the only one who found the idea uncomfortable.  


It was only when Sylvain received a heavily encrypted subspace transmission from Earth, that he began to wonder if that sense of unease he’d felt whenever [[Task Force Archeron]] got mentioned, had perhaps been a premonition after all…
It was only when Sylvain received a heavily encrypted subspace transmission from Earth, that he began to wonder if that sense of unease he’d felt whenever <nowiki>Task Force Archeron</nowiki> got mentioned, had perhaps been a premonition after all…


==Personality Profile==
==Personality Profile==
Sylvain was an individual who showcased many of the typical qualities that one would expect to see in a [[Starfleet]] Officer. He was honest, conscientious, kind, intellectual, and extremely dedicated to his work. On duty, Sylvain carried himself as an extremely deliberate person, composed and cautious, analytical and efficient, preferring to place his trust in data and facts to make effective decisions, rather than rely on impulse or instinct.
[[File:Syl3WIP.png|right|301px]]
Sylvain was an individual who showcased many of the typical qualities that one would expect to see in a <nowiki>Starfleet</nowiki> Officer. He was honest, conscientious, kind, intellectual, and extremely dedicated to his work. On duty, Sylvain carried himself as an extremely deliberate person, composed and cautious, analytical and efficient, preferring to place his trust in data and facts to make effective decisions, rather than rely on impulse or instinct.


Off duty, without his job being present to occupy his mental energy, Sylvain could be a little erratic with his mannerisms, a lack of things to focus on making him more prone to precognitive events. Due to his [[Psionic Abilities|psionic abilities]] interfering with the way he understood his own emotions, he was prone to anxiety, indecisiveness, paranoia and confusion, sometimes experiencing emotional outbursts that never occurred when his mind was occupied by the task of piloting a Starship.  
Off duty, without his job being present to occupy his mental energy, Sylvain could be a little erratic with his mannerisms, a lack of things to focus on making him more prone to precognitive events. Due to his <nowiki>psionic abilities</nowiki> interfering with the way he understood his own emotions, he was prone to anxiety, indecisiveness, paranoia and confusion, sometimes experiencing emotional outbursts that never occurred when his mind was occupied by the task of piloting a Starship.  


On an average day, he tended to present as someone more reserved, being both polite and friendly, but generally less inclined to approach others. One might mistake him as shy, but that was not necessarily the case, his reservedness due to the risk of his [[Psionic Abilities|psionic abilities]] flaring up and him making a fool out of himself once again. And, the risk of him being forced to politely laugh, for the thousandth time, at a joke regarding a crystal ball. His dickhead friends at the Academy had gifted him tarot cards one Christmas, but strangely, he found the archaic tradition rather fascinating, on an academic basis at least.  
On an average day, he tended to present as someone more reserved, being both polite and friendly, but generally less inclined to approach others. One might mistake him as shy, but that was not necessarily the case, his reservedness due to the risk of his <nowiki>psionic abilities</nowiki> flaring up and him making a fool out of himself once again. And, the risk of him being forced to politely laugh, for the thousandth time, at a joke regarding a crystal ball. His dickhead friends at the Academy had gifted him tarot cards one Christmas, but strangely, he found the archaic tradition rather fascinating, on an academic basis at least.  


Sylvain did however possess a confident streak that occurred most often when he was engaging in certain activities that he enjoyed and felt confident in, particularly those that required much of his mental energy, which prevented his mind from wandering elsewhere. These activities tended to be those that were solo, or did not require actual conversational interactions between himself and others, most predominantly work-related tasks, but he also found great distraction in theatrical productions, singing, team-sports, and exercise.  
Sylvain did however possess a confident streak that occurred most often when he was engaging in certain activities that he enjoyed and felt confident in, particularly those that required much of his mental energy, which prevented his mind from wandering elsewhere. These activities tended to be those that were solo, or did not require actual conversational interactions between himself and others, most predominantly work-related tasks, but he also found great distraction in theatrical productions, singing, team-sports, and exercise.  


On duty, unlike what might be expected of a typical [[CONN]] Officer, Sylvain was not someone who majorly chased adrenaline or excitement. Instead he preferred to rely on his expertise in data analysis, using his position to ensure that the computer always acted with both precision and expediency. In other words, Sylvain was far more comfortable with the ‘boring’ part of the job, preferring the analytical side of the role, rather than chasing the high of getting to take direct manual control of a vessel himself.
On duty, unlike what might be expected of a typical <nowiki>CONN</nowiki> Officer, Sylvain was not someone who majorly chased adrenaline or excitement. Instead he preferred to rely on his expertise in data analysis, using his position to ensure that the computer always acted with both precision and expediency. In other words, Sylvain was far more comfortable with the ‘boring’ part of the job, preferring the analytical side of the role, rather than chasing the high of getting to take direct manual control of a vessel himself.


This was in no small part, due to Sylvain suffering from an unfortunate case of imposter syndrome, as well as an exacerbated sense of self-doubt concerning his own competence as a [[Starfleet]] officer. These issues were primarily due to his precognitive abilities, which interfered with the way he was able to think and act as an individual, and caused him significant difficulties in gaining confidence in his own talent as a [[Starfleet]] Officer. Due to his precognitive events being difficult to differentiate from normal mental processes, Sylvain often found himself caught in a loop of panicking about what his own thoughts, feelings and emotions might have indicated, should they turn out to be precognitive, which could lead to him spiralling into stressful manic episodes.
This was in no small part, due to Sylvain suffering from an unfortunate case of imposter syndrome, as well as an exacerbated sense of self-doubt concerning his own competence as a <nowiki>Starfleet</nowiki> officer. These issues were primarily due to his precognitive abilities, which interfered with the way he was able to think and act as an individual, and caused him significant difficulties in gaining confidence in his own talent as a <nowiki>Starfleet</nowiki> Officer. Due to his precognitive events being difficult to differentiate from normal mental processes, Sylvain often found himself caught in a loop of panicking about what his own thoughts, feelings and emotions might have indicated, should they turn out to be precognitive, which could lead to him spiralling into stressful manic episodes.


Additionally, these abilities have led to Sylvain suffering from occasional bouts of paranoia, particularly when experiencing intrusive thoughts. Most officers have had some sort of anxiety about embarrassing themselves in front of the bridge crew, but to Sylvain, every intrusive thought is possible premonition. Thus, he lives in a constant state of anticipation about what could happen, struggling to walk a healthy line between being conscious of his abilities, whilst not letting them dictate his life.
Additionally, these abilities have led to Sylvain suffering from occasional bouts of paranoia, particularly when experiencing intrusive thoughts. Most officers have had some sort of anxiety about embarrassing themselves in front of the bridge crew, but to Sylvain, every intrusive thought is possible premonition. Thus, he lives in a constant state of anticipation about what could happen, struggling to walk a healthy line between being conscious of his abilities, whilst not letting them dictate his life.
Line 163: Line 180:
Sylvain was a young male of average height, who had developed a muscular body in recent years, particularly in his arms, since joining the Academy Parrisis squares team and discovering an interest in fitness and exercise. His skin was pale but warm, with occasional freckles that vanished and reemerged depending on the lighting he was under. His hair was his favourite feature about himself, its colour venturing between shades of brown, ginger, and strawberry blonde, which he styled in a variety of ways depending on how much effort he had time to invest. His jawline was often dusted with a light stubble, and his arms and chest were moderately hairy, depending on when he’d last used a sonic depilator.
Sylvain was a young male of average height, who had developed a muscular body in recent years, particularly in his arms, since joining the Academy Parrisis squares team and discovering an interest in fitness and exercise. His skin was pale but warm, with occasional freckles that vanished and reemerged depending on the lighting he was under. His hair was his favourite feature about himself, its colour venturing between shades of brown, ginger, and strawberry blonde, which he styled in a variety of ways depending on how much effort he had time to invest. His jawline was often dusted with a light stubble, and his arms and chest were moderately hairy, depending on when he’d last used a sonic depilator.


As Sylvain was part [[Human]], part Yattho, he inherited a few external traits from his father. He possessed a collection of dark colourations above each of his eyes, that spanned the height of his forehead, as well as a trail of the same patterns descending down his neck, chest and navel. In addition, his internal organs did have a different composition to those of a normal [[human]], with unique organelles in his brain and other parts of his body, that were capable of producing chroniton particles when his [[Psionic Abilities|psionic abilities]] were triggered.
As Sylvain was part <nowiki>Human</nowiki>, part Yattho, he inherited a few external traits from his father. He possessed a collection of dark colourations above each of his eyes, that spanned the height of his forehead, as well as a trail of the same patterns descending down his neck, chest and navel. In addition, his internal organs did have a different composition to those of a normal <nowiki>human</nowiki>, with unique organelles in his brain and other parts of his body, that were capable of producing chroniton particles when his <nowiki>psionic abilities</nowiki> were triggered.


====Reference Images====
==Special Notes==
https://x.com/KitConnorInfo/status/1580265521592705024/photo/1
Due to his part Yattho physiology, Sylvain possessed psionic capabilities that gave him the capacity to experience precognitive episodes, unexpected cognitive events that manifested through sensations, feelings, emotions, impulses, or any number of other mental processes. Unfortunately, due to his psionic events manifesting as unexpected or unwarranted feelings, Sylvain experienced great difficulties when it came to differentiating them from normal cognitive occurrences, particularly those that also happened to be unexpected.  


https://www.numeromag.nl/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Capture-decran-2023-08-07-a-21.20.54.jpg
As such, whilst Sylvain was able to function relatively normally on the surface, any intrusive thought, sudden change in emotion, unusual feeling, or gut instinct, was often impossible to differentiate from a psionic event. This prevented him from being able to trust that his precognitive abilities held any real accuracy, whilst also preventing him from being able to rely on his on instincts, and additionally serving to cause him a great deal of anxiety over whether he may have inadvertently used his psionics to ‘cheat’ important decisions throughout his life.


https://64.media.tumblr.com/da8bd7891e9b3240609a2c99fdb3ba0e/70a416cd23bc0ed7-a4/s640x960/dfca332e37f0ecb815708d52a6d29de5e8b35387.jpg
Whilst his understanding of these precognitive episodes was extremely limited, from what little he understood, he was able to identify that the events tended to be predominantly short term instances, concerning things that were due to occur only a few seconds, minutes or hours into the future, though there were exceptions. Additionally, he noted that his premonitions seemed to occur far more frequently and vividly when he was in a heightened emotional state, or when he had nothing to occupy his mind. On the other hand, when he was especially calm and relaxed, or was able to occupy his mind with tasks that required his full attention, the premonitions appeared to occur less frequently, and were less vivid. One key scenario that appeared to consistently trigger precognitive events however, were life-or-death situations, though thankfully, Sylvain had not encountered such situations frequently enough to fully test that particular theory.


https://x0.ifengimg.com/res/2023/67CF70D98950F2A1A0077DC035DB45C1C38C5E55_size1589_w1080_h1299.png
A hard worker in all things, Sylvain was determined to find a way to gain some sort of conscious control over his abilities, but had made minimal progress prior to joining the Theurgy crew. In an effort to gain such information, since his time on the USS Bowman, Sylvain had taken to categorising these events into more strictly defined boxes. Whilst it was not a perfect system, he gained some rudimentary understanding as to what sort of events were easier to identify, and which events were more complicated to understand. Haptic and sensory events tended to fall into the former category, whilst emotional, cognitive and instinctual events were far more difficult to separate from his day-to-day thoughts and feelings. This had the additional ramification of making him somewhat unpleasant for telepaths and empaths to get a read on, due his highly irregular cognitive  activity. 


https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/11/01/10/64053985-11376045-Sexuality_Kit_has_also_opened_up_about_why_he_was_uncomfortable_-m-10_1667298920000.jpg
Sylvain also noted, based on his rudimentary understanding of temporal physics, that his premonitions were not fixed events. He could have a premonition regarding an event due to occur a few hours in the future, but inadvertently prevent the event from occurring due to the knowledge he gained from the initial premonition. However, such concepts gave him a headache, and are exactly why Sylvain elected to be a <nowiki>CONN</nowiki> Officer, and not study temporal mechanics.


==Special Notes==
==Appearances==
Due to his part Yattho physiology, Sylvain possessed psionic capabilities that gave him the capacity to experience precognitive episodes, unexpected cognitive events that manifested through sensations, feelings, emotions, impulses, or any number of other mental processes. Unfortunately, due to his psionic events manifesting as unexpected or unwarranted feelings, Sylvain experienced great difficulties when it came to differentiating them from normal cognitive occurrences, particularly those that also happened to be unexpected.
Season Two - Episode Two: Cosmic Imperative
 
All Aboard the Crazy Train - https://uss-theurgy.com/forum/index.php?topic=3590.new#new


As such, whilst Sylvain was able to function relatively normally on the surface, any intrusive thought, sudden change in emotion, unusual feeling, or gut instinct, was often impossible to differentiate from a psionic event. This prevented him from being able to trust that his precognitive abilities held any real accuracy, whilst also preventing him from being able to rely on his on instincts, and additionally serving to cause him a great deal of anxiety over whether he may have inadvertently used his psionics to ‘cheat’ important decisions throughout his life.
Tell Me I'm the Fairest of the Fair - https://uss-theurgy.com/forum/index.php?topic=3598.new#new


Whilst his understanding of these precognitive episodes was extremely limited, from what little he understood, he was able to identify that the events tended to be predominantly short term instances, concerning things that were due to occur only a few seconds, minutes or hours into the future. Additionally, he noted that his premonitions seemed to occur far more frequently and vividly when he was in a heightened emotional state, or when he had nothing to occupy his mind. On the other hand, when he was especially calm and relaxed, or was able to occupy his mind with tasks that required his full attention, the premonitions appeared to occur less frequently, and were less vivid. One key scenario that appeared to consistently trigger precognitive events however, were life-or-death situations, though thankfully, Sylvain had not encountered such situations frequently enough to fully test that particular theory.
Knock Knock - https://uss-theurgy.com/forum/index.php?topic=3585.new#info_39873


A hard worker in all things, Sylvain was determined to find a way to gain some sort of conscious control over his abilities, but had made minimal progress prior to joining the Theurgy crew. In an effort to gain such information, since his time on the USS Bowman, Sylvain had taken to categorising these events into more strictly defined boxes. Whilst it was not a perfect system, he gained some rudimentary understanding as to what sort of events were easier to identify, and which events were more complicated to understand. Haptic and sensory events tended to fall into the former category, whilst emotional, cognitive and instinctual events were far more difficult to separate from his day-to-day thoughts and feelings.
A Friend Indeed - https://uss-theurgy.com/forum/index.php?topic=3602.new#new


Sylvain also noted, based on his rudimentary understanding of temporal physics, that his premonitions were not fixed events. He could have a premonition regarding an event due to occur a few hours in the future, but inadvertently prevent the event from occurring due to the knowledge he gained from the initial premonition. However, such concepts gave him a headache, and are exactly why Sylvain elected to be a [[CONN]] Officer, and not study temporal mechanics.
The Battle at the Hobus Star - https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Episode_2_Chapter_Four:_Objectives_Joint_Post

Latest revision as of 07:08, 23 October 2024

SylWIP.png
Personnel FileR-o1.png
Name:Sylvain Llewellyn-Kth
Rank:Ensign
Position:Chief CONN Officer
Species:Human/Yattho Hybrid
Age:23
Gender:Male
Orientation:  Bisexual
Birthplace:Medical Bay, Deep Space 16
Height:5ft 11in / 1.8m
Weight:171lbs / 78kg
Hair:Ginger
Eye color:Hazel
Played by:Kit Connor
Writer:TWilkins
Interests
Singing

Fitness

Music

Theatre

Stellar Cartography

Astrophysics

Vulcan Soap Operas

Holonovels
Education
2363-2366: Starfleet Standard Education, Deep Space 16

2366-2370: Starfleet Standard Education, USS Boleyn

2370-2372: El’nar Institute of Psionics, Betazed

2372-2373: Starfleet Standard Education, USS Boleyn

2373-2375: Federation inter-planetary Academy of T’Paal, Vulcan

2375-2379: Starfleet Academy

2378-2379: Starfleet Academy Cadet Rotation, USS Thames
Service Record
2378-2379: Cadet Rotation, USS Thames

2379-2380: Ensign, Assistant Chief CONN Officer, USS Bowman

2380-2381: Ensign, Chief CONN Officer, USS Bowman

2381-Present: Ensign, Chief CONN Officer, USS Theurgy
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Ensign Sylvain Llewellyn-Kth was the Chief CONN Officer serving aboard the USS Bowman, a support vessel tasked with aiding Federation colonies along the border of Talarian space. When the Bowman was unexpectedly recalled in 2381, and redeployed to support Task Force Archeron, Sylvain was contacted by an old colleague of his mother’s, Rear Admiral Joseph Anderson, as part of a covert initiative to recruit capable Officers for the renegade starship, the USS Theurgy. The Admiral was concerned that if Sylvain was targeted by the Infested, his unique precognitive capabilities could be put to devastating use against the Theurgy’s efforts to prevent all out war. This and Sylvain’s exemplary, if not brief, service record, made him a suitable candidate to join the USS Theurgy Crew. Sylvain aided in the opposition against the parasites that compromised Starfleet Command in the end of the 24th century.

Biography

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Early Life:

Evangeline Llewellyn was a Diplomatic Officer stationed aboard Deep Space 16, who had been engaging in a series of sensitive negotiations with the reclusive Beta Quadrant species, the Yattho. The negotiations were by far the most gruelling experience that she had endured in a professional capacity, the Yattho’s unique precognitive abilities an exhausting challenge for her team to work against. Eventually, the negotiations concluded with favourable terms for both parties, and, seeing an opportunity to build some good-faith for any future collaboration, Evangeline extended an offer for the delegates to join her for an informal drink in the station’s lounge. One of the delegates, a man named Kth, accepted her offer.

However, one drink led to another, and Evangeline found herself disarmed by how devastatingly charming Kth could be; the same skills that made him an insufferable personality in diplomacy, also happened to make him infallible at seduction. Against her better judgement, they had concluded the night in her quarters, and by the time she was aware that she had become pregnant as a result of the interaction, Kth had long since departed from Deep Space 16. Fully aware that Yattho culture was extremely intolerant of interspecies procreation, Evangeline made no attempt to contact Kth. Instead, against the advice of her Commanding Officer, she decided to attempt to carry the child to term, enduring a lengthy gestational period, predominantly confined to a biobed, before she managed to successfully give birth to a healthy young boy.

Sylvain Llewellyn-Kth.

Sylvain’s early years were spent entirely aboard Deep Space 16; not the most accommodating place for a child, but it allowed him to remain in close proximity to the medical professionals who were monitoring him carefully for any inter-species defects, despite their limited understanding of Yattho physiology. Thus, he lived a relatively uneventful life, his mother having resumed her diplomatic work, not letting the demotion she had received for her violation of interspecies protocol stand in her way, whilst Sylvain grew into possessing a bright mind and a keen curiosity for the stars. A very ordinary boy, all things considered.

For a time…

Sylvain did not know if the incident on stardate 44752.41 was his first precognitive event, but it was certainly the first one that he had noticed. They had been learning about singularities in his physics lesson, a topic equal parts exciting and frightening to a group of school children, when their teacher had allowed them to take a break for their end of the month treat. The treats were usually pretty mundane things that he would eat at home, but on that particular day, she had produced a punnet of nectarines, small orbs of yellow, orange and red, that looked especially enticing to a hungry child with a sweet tooth. Sylvain had accepted one gladly, the flesh of the fruit lingering only a few inches from his lips, when something happened that would change the entire course of his life.

His entire body had been overcome by a cold, ridgid dread, an abject terror that was unlike anything he had endured before. It was a fear that felt so much deeper than singularities, holodeck monsters, or even stories of the Gorn, something so primal, so intrusive, that his young mind hadn’t known how to cope. Sylvain remembered choking, struggling to breathe against the fear that encircled him like a tendril, before his body responded to these newfound emotions with an uncharacteristic violence. The boy had fled from his desk, moving with such force that he sent his chair catapulting into another student, Sylvain ramming himself repeatedly into the classroom door, desperate to escape. He had clawed his fingers into the joins in the metal, in fruitless attempt to force it open, struggling until his fingernails were torn and bleeding, till his voice was hoarse from his screams of terror, till his teacher had blood pouring from her nose as a result of her failed attempts to restrain him… He needed to escape, he needed to hide, he needed to…

And then, it was gone.

The fear vanished as rapidly as it emerged, ceding only a few moments before the first response team arrived on-site, greeted with a classroom full of crying and terrified children, and a teacher who had been elbowed in the face more times than polite. Sylvain was rushed to the Medical Bay in response, and had been meticulously analysed, probed with dozens of scans, blood tests, psychological evaluations… They’d spent several hours investigating what might have caused the outburst, and eventually, they arrived at two conclusions.

Firstly, their investigations discovered that there was a protein contained in certain stone fruits that was severely toxic to Sylvain’s Yattho physiology. Secondly, several seemingly redundant organelles throughout his body had shown traces of psionic activity, and scans concluded a definite presence of chroniton particles in these organs and the surrounding systems. In short, Sylvain had manifested the psionic capabilities of his Yattho father, which had seemingly saved his life.

Unfortunately, such a revelation did not excuse Sylvain from his outbursts in the eyes of his peers, and his classmates no longer saw him as their friend Sylvain; he was now the weird alien. They ostracised him from games, from classwork, and even their teacher seemed to be begrudge giving him any support or attention. The excommunication from his peers was not helped by the actions of the medical team, who had insisted that he wear a cortical monitor at all times, to track and record any psionic events, monitoring him with the same curiosity that one would monitor an experiment, rather than a person.

The changes in his social life greatly impacted him, and the once happy and social boy became quickly reserved and nervous, his isolation exacerbated every time the cortical stimulator would thrum against his head, a constant reminder of how different he was from everyone around him. Eventually, tired of how her son was treated, Evangeline pulled every string she could get her hands on to ensure that she could be transferred to another vessel or station, using her relationship with an old academy friend, Joseph Anderson, in order to obtain a position within Starfleet Intelligence. Evangeline was able to transfer to the Excelsior class starship, the USS Boleyn, securing a clerical position that, whilst below her skill set, allowed her to leave Deep Space 16, and most importantly, take her son with her.

Teenage Years:

Life aboard the Boleyn was far easier on Sylvain than his life aboard Deep Space 16 had become. He was no longer ostracised by his peers and teachers, his forehead was no longer the permanent abode of a cortical monitor, and he was travelling on a vessel that exposed him to a great deal more experiences than Deep Space 16 had ever permitted. However, his psionic abilities continued to develop, manifestations becoming more and more frequent as he grew older, precognitive events growing increasingly taxing on his wellbeing as he struggled to identify them amongst every other change that was beginning to happen in his head. Having no source of guidance or exposure to Yattho culture, and thus no means to understand these emerging abilities, made Sylvain feel more alone than he had ever felt in his life.

His precognitive abilities became extremely difficult to differentiate from normal cognitive processes, and he soon became overwhelmed with the worry that any thought, feeling or emotion could have potentially been a psionic premonition. This state of uncertainty in his own head, led him to exist in a perpetual state of apprehension and paranoia, constantly worrying about whether or not he was foreseeing events, or simply experiencing the average and standard volatility of teenage emotions. These conflicting thoughts began to escalate, resulting in him spending days at a time outright refusing to leave his room, completely crippled by paranoia that masqueraded as premonition.

Unable to continue to watch her son wither away under the strain of his own abilities, Evangeline made arrangements for Sylvain to complete a two-year placement at the El’nar Institute of Psionics on Betazed, convinced that only an expert in extrasensory abilities would have any chance to support him through his turmoil. As a mother, she had done all she could. Whilst Sylvain had been both devastated and terrified at the thought of leaving the USS Boleyn behind, during his years living on Betazed, his mental anguish began to fade. Discovering that his struggle to manage his psionic abilities was not all that uncommon, was a revolutionary salve to the years he'd spent feeling like a failure, like a mistake. He studied with, and was studied by, numerous psionic experts, and came to find friends amongst other races, all of who had shared struggles not so dissimilar from his own. Despite missing his mother, his home aboard the Boleyn, Sylvain quickly found his time spent on Betazed to be the most enjoyable years of his life.

His instruction in the control and understanding of his own psionics allowed him to better acknowledge what his abilities were, and helped him manifest what little control he had over them. Time spent with Betazoid psionic experts supported him gently, guiding him on seeing his abilities from different viewpoints, helping him gain perspective as to how to avoid letting the precognitive events dictate his life. His work with the Vulcan instructors however, taught him the many, many benefits of relying on logic, rather than impulse and emotion, a technique which would, in their words, render the impact of his abilities on his life, inconsequential.

Whilst he never gained the control and understanding of his abilities that he was hoping for from these sessions, when the two-year stint at the institute was completed and he returned to the Boleyn, he returned a changed person. Sylvain adopted an approach that spanned the distance between the Vulcan and Betazoid perspective, content to live alongside his abilities, accepting them rather than fighting them, whilst supplanting his lack of reliable instincts and emotions, with a newfound focus on data and knowledge.

Sylvain did continue to suffer from his psionic events, but the detriment to his life and wellbeing became far less noticeable. The lack of stress and depression made way for a newfound confidence, and a return of his younger-self’s desire to learn more about the galaxy around him, and he began to excel in classes and examinations. Whilst he still struggled to differentiate certain cognitive functions from psionic premonitions, he had already received passing grades in mock Starfleet Academy entrance examinations at sixteen, and was well on track to meet his newfound goal of becoming a Starfleet Officer.

Following the onset of the Dominion War, the USS Boleyn was called to combat duty, Evangeline resuming her mantle as a diplomat, whilst those civilians aboard were required to leave the ship for their own safety. Sylvain had intended to make a request to return to Betazed, to attend the Federation inter-planetary Academy there, but before he could transmit his response through the subspace relay, he became extremely indecisive. On one hand, he had previously enjoyed Betazed, he had friends there, and the education system was extremely robust. On the other hand, Vulcan logic had been a cornerstone in his ability to progress in his education, and getting an opportunity to explore it more directly could have advantages for his future career.

It was an unexpected quandary, one that caused him to think on the matter just one more night. Unfortunately, when he returned to submit the request the following day, hesitation forgotten, he was dismayed to find that the Betazed academy no longer had the facility to host any further applicants. Thus, Sylvain, seething with regret at how he yet-again made the mistake of letting impulses interfere with facts, instead requested to attend the Federation inter-planetary Academy of T’Paal, on Vulcan.

It turned out to be a correct choice, when not a year later, the Betazed academy was obliterated during the Dominion War.

Starfleet Academy:

Following the conclusion of the Dominion War, having spent those years studying with extreme intensity, Sylvain applied to Starfleet Academy, completing the entrance examinations with exemplary scores, and becoming part of the first class to attend following the war. The first class of a new age of Starfleet. He continued to put insurmountable effort into his education, and eventually came to become one of the most promising students in his year.

It was during this time, that Sylvain branched out his hobbies, joining the Parrises squares team, embracing his appreciation for Vulcan soap operas, learning to play the piano, joining the Academy theatre society and taking part in several performances during his years at the Academy, most notably version of Nurse Chapel in the Starfleet Academy Theatre Society’s 2377 production of Subspace Rhapsody; they’d had to gender-swap the role to accommodate the cast. His keen interest in stellar phenomena naturally translated into a focus on Astrophysics, and his stellar cartography interests led him fairly naturally into taking a particularly challenging class on Advanced Astral Navigation.

Following his Cadet rotation aboard the USS Thames, during which he obtained glowing recommendations across several departments, Sylvain decided that a career as a CONN Officer was the right fit for him. He’d always enjoyed the stars, space, and all the mysteries it could hold, but had been apprehensive that someone with his impaired instincts would be capable of piloting a Starship. However, the USS Thames’ Chief CONN Officer had been a Vulcan by the name of T’Pith, who taught Sylvain that his confidence in facts and data, his ability to analyse information and evaluate the computer’s decisions, combined with his expertise in astrophysics and astral navigation, made him an ‘adequate’ fit for someone looking to work the CONN.

Most might have taken this as an insult.

Having lived on Vulcan, being called ‘adequate’ made him feel like he was on top of the world.

Upon his return to Starfleet and the conduction of the examinations that would be essential in determining what sort of career he could pursue, Sylvain began participating in CONN simulations. The navigation simulations were almost trivial to him, whilst he was able to pass the combat assessments with flying colours, in no short part because of his meticulous ability to both analyse and react to sensor data, and adapt such data into both aggressive and evasive patterns. His instructors only had compliments for him, and he began to feel as though there was a good chance he could graduate the Academy, straight into the position of a department head.

It was only his final examination that didn’t go to plan…

They had been part way through dealing with a combat scenario involving several hostile vessels, when sensor input had failed; a direct hit to the sensor array when one of his peers had foolishly attempted to remodulate the shields whilst they were under heavy fire. The computer was suddenly blind, the sensors not intaking anywhere near enough information for him to do his job, leaving him trying to pilot a vessel with only the most basic of telemetries available to him; Sylvain had no choice but to manually take control of the ship. He’d frozen, for a split-second, before his hands pressed down upon the console and he began manoeuvring the vessel with everything he had. His mind had been whirring at impossible speeds, desperately trying to calculate trajectories and banking angles, all while trying to execute manual evasive patterns and stay aware of enemy ship positioning… It was a fruitless effort; he was no computer, and his initial attempt at evasive manoeuvres led to them taking a direct hit to the aft shielding.

Realising that he might fail the examination if he continued attempting to manually process data at the speed of the ship’s computer, Sylvain did the one thing he’d sworn off years ago. The one thing he’d learned to put aside when he was studying, when he was on duty…

He gave in to his instincts.

His examiner had called him aside afterwards, congratulating him on adapting to a difficult and unexpected scenario, commending him on the way he used information about the enemy vessel’s attack patterns to adapt and respond with their own evasive manoeuvres, complimenting him for his flawless demonstration of how valuable it was to learn from patience and analysis. The endorsements just made him feel all the more hollow. Perhaps he had, as the examiner had lauded him, been a shining example of how valuable it was to rely on experience and analytics when taking manual control of a vessel. Or perhaps, he’d done something else. Something unthinkable.

Perhaps he had cheated.

Sylvain struggled at the best of times to differentiate between instincts and premonitions, between normal cognitive processes and psionic advantages… He had no way to know if he had passed his final examination honestly, or whether his success was a result of him subconsciously relying on his precognitive abilities, of lying to everyone who had congratulated him, deceiving everyone who had ever believed in him… It was an incident that had caused his entire world to crash down.

His mind wandered into dark and decrepit places; whilst his fellow graduates were drinking and partying in celebration of their examinations being complete, Sylvain’s mind was occupied by thoughts of disgust, his fingers blazing through his personal logs, over-analysing every potential precognitive event that he had ever recorded, gripping the PADD in his hands so hard that it threatened to shatter. He began to spiral.

What if every achievement in his life had been a lie?

Had he used evasive pattern epsilon-five instead of evasive pattern lambda-four, because it had been the superior tactical decision based on the data available, or because his psionic abilities had told him to? Did he apply to the USS Thames in the hopes that the Vulcan CONN Officer would help him acknowledge that he could serve the CONN, or because foresight had already told him that it would afford him the best career prospects moving forward? Had he actually been indecisive about which Academy to attend as a teenager, or was his survival of the Dominion War a result of a precognitive fluke once again saving his life?

Thousands of such thoughts wracked through Sylvain’s every life choice, every answer in his examinations, every decision that he had ever made, and he soon found himself doubting the validity of everything that he was. His hobbies, his interests, his friends, his style... Everything he was suddenly felt false. He felt like a puppet, his body strung along by his own psionic abilities, those same abilities he had no understanding or control of, abilities that guided him though life and forced every choice upon him, robbed him of the hard work and merit that others had needed to achieve the same things he had… No wonder he was such a model student; he was a cheat.

The final weeks of the Academy passed by in a blur, Sylvain quitting the Parrisis squares team before their final tournament, graduating with a false smile and a mind wracked with indescribable guilt, and a staunch avoidance of any commission offer that would be beneficial to his career; he didn’t deserve to reap the rewards of his cheating. Instead, Sylvain found an open position aboard the USS Bowman, a Norway-class ship in need of an assistant CONN Officer, whose three year mission was to survey the border between Federation space and the Talarian Republic, and provide assistance and supplies to Federation colonies in the area, with little chance of investigating any interesting stellar phenomena or exploring unknown stars.

A self imposed exile. Exactly what he deserved.

USS Bowman:

Serving as the assistant CONN Officer aboard the Bowman did not afford him much excitement; Sylvain only served on the bridge during the off hours, rarely needing to do more than monitor their course and heading when the Chief was unavailable. The remainder of his time was spent flitting between the shuttlebay, the stellar cartography lab, the astrophysics lab; anywhere on the ship that might have some vague need for his expertise. It became common knowledge that Sylvain was overqualified for his posting, but he never once complained. It may have been a fairly demoralising existence, for a boy who wanted nothing more than to explore stellar phenomena and chart courses to unknown stars, but Sylvain knew that the purgatory was exactly what he deserved.

However, as time passed aboard the Bowman, those feelings of self-depreciation slowly began to subside.

Sylvain’s sense of self confidence slowly returned to him, his doubt and self-hatred fading in the light of his exemplary job performance, the way the Chief would jokingly ask if Sylvain was trying to steal his seat on the bridge, the way he’d be able to offer help to others outside of his department, with tasks unrelated to CONN work, but things that he understood nonetheless. He began to thrive in quiet conscientiousness, beginning to return to a state where he didn’t obsess over every single stray thought, every unexpected emotion, every random impulse. He returned to meticulously logging what he believed were precognitive events, categorising them into different subheadings depending on how they came about; not a perfect system, but one that gave him comfort, turning those thoughts into something else to analyse, to corroborate, to examine…

Included in those logs, were the unwelcome thoughts that had plagued every facet of his being, when the Captain had invited him to share a meal with her in her quarters, during his seventh month aboard. He’d spent his entire time getting ready, concerned that he’d somehow accidently punch Captain Yume in the face, and then panicking himself further, worrying about whether such thoughts had been precognitive or just intrusive… In the end, he’d presented himself as a bumbling fool to the Captain, but she’d responded with a smile, telling him that he’d need to get used to it, because he was about to be seeing a lot more of her.

His forbarer was retiring, and she wanted Sylvain to take his place.

The next thirteen months of his tour aboard the Bowman were completed with nothing less than exemplary effort on Sylvain’s part; the journey got no more exciting, but to Sylvain, it was the most incredible experience of his life. He suddenly had an entire department to lead, corroborating work from several different areas in order to ensure that the ship continued to run smoothly, all whilst still manning the CONN, navigating them amongst the stars. Suddenly, he was sitting in on Senior Staff Meetings, being part of them, asked for his opinion on matters that he surely wasn’t qualified to speak on. His CONN expertise was put to the test during skirmishes against Talarian fringe elements, where his quick analysis of the flight-control data allowed him to seamlessly switch between evasive manoeuvres and attack runs, the Bowman escaping with minimal damage in each and every encounter.

His precognitive abilities always played on his mind, always made him doubt himself and his credibility as a Starfleet Officer, but those doubts weren’t as difficult to salve as they once were; he could see how the people around him valued him, how they respected him… Sure, occasionally that trust backfired and made it all the more deplorable for him in those moments where he convinced himself that he was a fraud, but he became better at picking himself up after those moments, to recover and continue with his life, with his job…

However, his tour aboard the Bowman was cut short, when the vessel was recalled back to central Federation territory. Transmissions from Starfleet became concentrated on discussing a renegade ship known as the USS Theurgy, and the task force intended to stop it, despite the senior staff’s disbelief that they were being recalled from their position, leaving dozens of Federation Colonies vulnerable to Talarian separatists. Something about the meetings, about the discussions of Task Force Archeron, filled Sylvain with a sense of unease, but, judging from the expressions of the rest of the Senior Staff, he wasn’t the only one who found the idea uncomfortable.

It was only when Sylvain received a heavily encrypted subspace transmission from Earth, that he began to wonder if that sense of unease he’d felt whenever Task Force Archeron got mentioned, had perhaps been a premonition after all…

Personality Profile

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Sylvain was an individual who showcased many of the typical qualities that one would expect to see in a Starfleet Officer. He was honest, conscientious, kind, intellectual, and extremely dedicated to his work. On duty, Sylvain carried himself as an extremely deliberate person, composed and cautious, analytical and efficient, preferring to place his trust in data and facts to make effective decisions, rather than rely on impulse or instinct.

Off duty, without his job being present to occupy his mental energy, Sylvain could be a little erratic with his mannerisms, a lack of things to focus on making him more prone to precognitive events. Due to his psionic abilities interfering with the way he understood his own emotions, he was prone to anxiety, indecisiveness, paranoia and confusion, sometimes experiencing emotional outbursts that never occurred when his mind was occupied by the task of piloting a Starship.

On an average day, he tended to present as someone more reserved, being both polite and friendly, but generally less inclined to approach others. One might mistake him as shy, but that was not necessarily the case, his reservedness due to the risk of his psionic abilities flaring up and him making a fool out of himself once again. And, the risk of him being forced to politely laugh, for the thousandth time, at a joke regarding a crystal ball. His dickhead friends at the Academy had gifted him tarot cards one Christmas, but strangely, he found the archaic tradition rather fascinating, on an academic basis at least.

Sylvain did however possess a confident streak that occurred most often when he was engaging in certain activities that he enjoyed and felt confident in, particularly those that required much of his mental energy, which prevented his mind from wandering elsewhere. These activities tended to be those that were solo, or did not require actual conversational interactions between himself and others, most predominantly work-related tasks, but he also found great distraction in theatrical productions, singing, team-sports, and exercise.

On duty, unlike what might be expected of a typical CONN Officer, Sylvain was not someone who majorly chased adrenaline or excitement. Instead he preferred to rely on his expertise in data analysis, using his position to ensure that the computer always acted with both precision and expediency. In other words, Sylvain was far more comfortable with the ‘boring’ part of the job, preferring the analytical side of the role, rather than chasing the high of getting to take direct manual control of a vessel himself.

This was in no small part, due to Sylvain suffering from an unfortunate case of imposter syndrome, as well as an exacerbated sense of self-doubt concerning his own competence as a Starfleet officer. These issues were primarily due to his precognitive abilities, which interfered with the way he was able to think and act as an individual, and caused him significant difficulties in gaining confidence in his own talent as a Starfleet Officer. Due to his precognitive events being difficult to differentiate from normal mental processes, Sylvain often found himself caught in a loop of panicking about what his own thoughts, feelings and emotions might have indicated, should they turn out to be precognitive, which could lead to him spiralling into stressful manic episodes.

Additionally, these abilities have led to Sylvain suffering from occasional bouts of paranoia, particularly when experiencing intrusive thoughts. Most officers have had some sort of anxiety about embarrassing themselves in front of the bridge crew, but to Sylvain, every intrusive thought is possible premonition. Thus, he lives in a constant state of anticipation about what could happen, struggling to walk a healthy line between being conscious of his abilities, whilst not letting them dictate his life.

Physical Profile

Sylvain was a young male of average height, who had developed a muscular body in recent years, particularly in his arms, since joining the Academy Parrisis squares team and discovering an interest in fitness and exercise. His skin was pale but warm, with occasional freckles that vanished and reemerged depending on the lighting he was under. His hair was his favourite feature about himself, its colour venturing between shades of brown, ginger, and strawberry blonde, which he styled in a variety of ways depending on how much effort he had time to invest. His jawline was often dusted with a light stubble, and his arms and chest were moderately hairy, depending on when he’d last used a sonic depilator.

As Sylvain was part Human, part Yattho, he inherited a few external traits from his father. He possessed a collection of dark colourations above each of his eyes, that spanned the height of his forehead, as well as a trail of the same patterns descending down his neck, chest and navel. In addition, his internal organs did have a different composition to those of a normal human, with unique organelles in his brain and other parts of his body, that were capable of producing chroniton particles when his psionic abilities were triggered.

Special Notes

Due to his part Yattho physiology, Sylvain possessed psionic capabilities that gave him the capacity to experience precognitive episodes, unexpected cognitive events that manifested through sensations, feelings, emotions, impulses, or any number of other mental processes. Unfortunately, due to his psionic events manifesting as unexpected or unwarranted feelings, Sylvain experienced great difficulties when it came to differentiating them from normal cognitive occurrences, particularly those that also happened to be unexpected.

As such, whilst Sylvain was able to function relatively normally on the surface, any intrusive thought, sudden change in emotion, unusual feeling, or gut instinct, was often impossible to differentiate from a psionic event. This prevented him from being able to trust that his precognitive abilities held any real accuracy, whilst also preventing him from being able to rely on his on instincts, and additionally serving to cause him a great deal of anxiety over whether he may have inadvertently used his psionics to ‘cheat’ important decisions throughout his life.

Whilst his understanding of these precognitive episodes was extremely limited, from what little he understood, he was able to identify that the events tended to be predominantly short term instances, concerning things that were due to occur only a few seconds, minutes or hours into the future, though there were exceptions. Additionally, he noted that his premonitions seemed to occur far more frequently and vividly when he was in a heightened emotional state, or when he had nothing to occupy his mind. On the other hand, when he was especially calm and relaxed, or was able to occupy his mind with tasks that required his full attention, the premonitions appeared to occur less frequently, and were less vivid. One key scenario that appeared to consistently trigger precognitive events however, were life-or-death situations, though thankfully, Sylvain had not encountered such situations frequently enough to fully test that particular theory.

A hard worker in all things, Sylvain was determined to find a way to gain some sort of conscious control over his abilities, but had made minimal progress prior to joining the Theurgy crew. In an effort to gain such information, since his time on the USS Bowman, Sylvain had taken to categorising these events into more strictly defined boxes. Whilst it was not a perfect system, he gained some rudimentary understanding as to what sort of events were easier to identify, and which events were more complicated to understand. Haptic and sensory events tended to fall into the former category, whilst emotional, cognitive and instinctual events were far more difficult to separate from his day-to-day thoughts and feelings. This had the additional ramification of making him somewhat unpleasant for telepaths and empaths to get a read on, due his highly irregular cognitive activity.

Sylvain also noted, based on his rudimentary understanding of temporal physics, that his premonitions were not fixed events. He could have a premonition regarding an event due to occur a few hours in the future, but inadvertently prevent the event from occurring due to the knowledge he gained from the initial premonition. However, such concepts gave him a headache, and are exactly why Sylvain elected to be a CONN Officer, and not study temporal mechanics.

Appearances

Season Two - Episode Two: Cosmic Imperative

All Aboard the Crazy Train - https://uss-theurgy.com/forum/index.php?topic=3590.new#new

Tell Me I'm the Fairest of the Fair - https://uss-theurgy.com/forum/index.php?topic=3598.new#new

Knock Knock - https://uss-theurgy.com/forum/index.php?topic=3585.new#info_39873

A Friend Indeed - https://uss-theurgy.com/forum/index.php?topic=3602.new#new

The Battle at the Hobus Star - https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Episode_2_Chapter_Four:_Objectives_Joint_Post