T'Less

Personnel File
Name:	T'Less
Rank:	Lieutenant
Position:	Asst. Chief Tactical Officer
Species:	Vulcan
Age:	37
Gender:	Female
Orientation:	Bisexual
Birthplace:	Shi’Kahr, Vulcan
Height:	5ft 8in / 1.73m
Weight:	132lbs / 60kg
Hair:	Dark Blonde
Eye color:	Hazel
Played by:	Rachel Cook
Writer:	Stegro88
Interests
Vulcan Martial Arts (Suss Mahna) Quantum Mechanics Astrophysics Starship Battle Tactics
Education
2363-2369: Vulcan Science Academy] 2369-2371: Starfleet Academy
Service Record
2371-2375: Ensign, Junior Science Officer, USS Adelphi 2375-2376: Lieutenant, Assistant Science Officer, USS Frontier 2380-2381: Lieutenant, Chief Tactical Officer, USS Theurgy 2381-Present: Lieutenant, Tactical Officer, USS Theurgy
Decorations
n/a

Lieutenant T'Less was the Chief Tactical Officer of the USS Theurgy in January of 2381. After sustaining a phaser beam to the chest from Cala during the USS Calamity’s first attack on the Theurgy and put in cryogenic stasis, she was succeeded by Rennan Cooper, Sjaandin Fedd and later Commander Carrigan Trent. After recovering from her injuries - just after the first encounter with the Savi - she has returned to duty on the Theurgy in the Tactical department.

After the Battle of the Apertures, she was made a Asst. Chief Tactical Officer, since Commander Cross held the Chief Tactical Officer position.

Biography

Born in the city of ShiKahr, T'Less was a child prodigy. The daughter of a Federation diplomat T'Less grew up travelling to various planets with her father on Starfleet ships, learning at his side about the laws and cultures of a multitude of species, those of the Federation and those that were not. A life at space led to an interest in the sciences for the young Vulcan. Gifted as she was and possessing the Vulcan equivalent of passion for learning T'Less studied everything she could get her hands on, eventually taking a special interest in Quantum Mechanics and Astrology.

Being raised on ships and having observed many Starfleet officers while living on them, T'Less planned on enlisting at Starfleet Academy however when she was 18, having decided to major in the study of Quantum Mechanics she instead opted to apply to the best institution around when it came to science: The Vulcan Science Academy and after a long wait received a response from the Academy inviting her to join the following year.

Having been offered a position at the Vulcan Science Academy, T'Less attended the institute when she was 19, graduating four years later with a degree in Quantum Mechanics. Despite this however, she still wished to enlist in Starfleet and at the start of her final year at the VSA sent off her application to Starfleet Academy. At the age of 23, almost immediately upon graduation from the Science Academy she was on her way to Earth and to Starfleet Academy.

During one of her early years at the Academy T'Less took the Kobayashi Maru, which in her own words was "An unmitigated disaster" the Maru was destroyed as was her own ship almost immediately afterward. Her instructor would indeed inform her that she had failed the test but that that was the point of the Kobayashi Maru, to teach cadets that sometimes you will find yourself in a situation that is unwinnable. Despite this however, her instructor spent the next several days asking her to retake the test, which she declined stating that as a no-win scenario she had indeed proved that she did not win, while also pointing out that as a science cadet she would most likely never be in a Command position where she would have to make those kinds of decisions, therefore logically there was no reason for her to retake the test.

Although her instructor did see the logic in her reasoning he still spent the next month trying to encourage her to retake the test, failing every time as his reasoning was countered by her Vulcan logic until eventually he resigned himself to the fact that she would not take the test again. For her part T'Less did not understand the logic in her instructor's request as she was not a tactical officer nor did she have even the slightest desire to be one. Four years later T'Less would graduate with rank of Ensign with a degree in Astrophysics.

Her first assignment was a 4-year, deep-space exploration mission into the far reaches of the Beta Quadrant aboard the USS Adelphi as a junior science officer. Given the time it launched, the Adelphi and her crewed missed the majority of Dominion War despite the desire of many members of her crew to return and help, T'Less included, however Starfleet ordered them to continue their mission in the hopes that they might find something out there to assist them in the war. It was during her time on the Adelphi that she was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. When the Adelphi returned to Earth, the war was in its final year and with the Adelphi needing a retrofit after her long journey most of the crew were assigned to different ships. T'Less accepted the position of Assistant Science Officer aboard a new Galaxy-class ship, the USS Frontier.

The Frontier would find itself in numerous conflicts with the Dominion during her early months in service, including both the Second Battle of Chin'toka as well as the Battle of Cardassia, the final battle of the War.

With the war with the Dominion officially over, the Frontier was tasked with helping delivering supplies to various colonies and stations that suffered during the war. Six months later and with things slowly returning to normal, the Frontier was one of the first ships to return to Starfleet's original mission of deep-space exploration. Two months later the ship was called upon by Starfleet to investigate the loss of communication with a listening post along the Romulan Neutral Zone. Starfleet suspected that despite their alliance during the war, the Romulan's were responsible and were planning an incursion into Federation space, taking advantage of both sides weakened states. The Frontier was the closest ship at the time and was sent to determine the truth of the matter.

Upon their arrival, the outpost was discovered to be entirely without power and the eight member crew to all be dead, some by exposure to the vacuum of space, others by hypothermia when the station lost temperature after life support failed. Further exploration of the station led to the discovery of a mostly intact torpedo resting near the station's power generation unit. The torpedo having seemingly made its way down through the entire outpost without detonating. The weapon casing was returned to the Frontier and brought to the Engine Room, where T'Less was assigned to examine it, believing it to be deactivated. Before she could began a proper analysis however the device powered up and latched on to a warp coupling. Unbeknownst to T'Less, the weapon was not an ordinary torpedo design and began emitting psionic radiation. The effects of the radiation destroyed T'Less's ability to control her emotions, as well as inducing hallucinations in herself and the rest of the crew. The longer the device remained on, the farther and worse the effects spread.

Only just able to save the ship, it came to light that it had, indeed, been a Romulan plot, with the discovery of a cloaked Romulan Warbird for confirmation. There was an official complaint submitted by the Federation's Ambassador to Romulus, who decried the entire incident as the act of a rogue ship and her crew unhappy with the Federation's current aid efforts to the Romulan people since the end of the war.

T'Less, unable to cope with her now freed emotions, resigned her commission in Starfleet and returned to Vulcan to study the Kolinahr in an effort to regain the emotional control that she had lost. Although having gone through the Kolinahr when she was a child, as all Vulcan children do, it was much harder for T'Less this time around having had many more experiences of fear, anger and loss to draw on now than she had ever had as a child.

The memories of all the crewmates she had served with who had died in the line of duty she had lost, the deaths of family members and of course the events of the war all flashed through her mind over her years, constantly making her go through all the emotions that came with them.

The first few years were the hardest for T'Less who spent most it in a rage fuelled haze, reverting to a more primal Vulcan like most of her ancestors had been before they learned to suppress their emotions, a mix of natural instinct and her memories driving her during that period. One several occasions she had to be restrained and sedated by the monks in order to prevent her from doing harm to herself or others.

The road to recovery was a long and arduous one for T'Less as she first had to embrace her emotions and come to terms with them and why she felt the way she did, accepting that they were a part of her and always would be before she could begin to learn how to regain her control over them and suppress them, something the young Vulcan did not wish to do having developed a fascination with the experience of having emotions for the first time.

However one experience would change her perspective when unbeknownst to her, she was transported into a holodeck at the request of her father and woke up to find herself face to face with a Romulan. Terrified and confused at how she came to be where she was, T'Less found herself less afraid but more angry. Angry at the Romulan before her as it was the Romulans who had created the weapon that had caused her injury, had taken away her control and turned her into this. Overcome with rage at the sight of the Romulan, not as an individual but as a member of the race who had caused her this pain, she attacked him and beat him to death with her bare hands. Once she was finished she was overcome with shock and horror at what she had done before the program eventually ended. Although some might say that it was an awful thing to do, that act forced T'Less to realise that she had to confront her own feelings in order to get better.

During this time period she would begin studying Vulcan tactical training, primarily martial arts, both as a way to focus her mind but also to harness control over her body and her emotions should she find herself in a physical battle again. Part of the course however involved some tactical starship training as well including the study of known ship weaponry including torpedoes and how to handle and maintain them, an irony that was not lost on her as she thought back her old Academy instructor and his insistence that she retake the Kobayashi Maru all those years ago.

Overall it took six years of study and mediation in isolation with the monks for T'Less to regain enough control over her emotions for her to feel comfortable enough to leave and continue her life, despite not being fully in control of them just yet. She decided that the best way for her to test what she had learned was to fully return to her old life and so reenlisted in Starfleet, returning to her previous rank. However the Frontier was now off exploring the Gamma Quadrant so she was instead assigned to the USS Theurgy, a newly built prototype starship.

Due to the circumstances surrounding the USS Theurgy’s run from Starfleet, T'Less has been struggling with the continually erratic nature of life as a fugitive. Most, if not all, of the members of the Theurgy had been shown the evidence of Starfleet's infiltration and, as T'Less herself realized, none would be allowed home without risk of death and replacement themselves. This caused some trepidation within her as she had always counted on returning to Vulcan should her limited emotional control fail her. However that same lack of that option became both a source of fear and strength for her, knowing she now had no choice but to either strengthen her controls or lose them completely, retrogressing again to the near feral state she'd been in when she'd originally returned to Vulcan all those years ago.

Two months into their journey, she had, fortunate or otherwise, been on the bridge during a confrontation with Starfleet, the Theurgy having been followed by a trio of ships, the Defiant-class USS San Paulo, the Intrepid-class USS Bellerophon and the Rigel-class USS Akagi. During the battle, Chief Tactical Officer Augarath Thenaljpar, the first Naussican to serve in Starfleet, was seriously injured and later died. With no one else to assume his duties, T'Less had been forcibly volunteered. Having never considered Tactical as a possible career, she learned over the course of the few minutes of the fighting that she had an aptitude for it, narrowly fighting the ship out of being boxed in by the enemy ships and then holding them off long enough for the Engineering team to fix the Theurgy´s warp engines. With only seconds to spare, the Theurgy warped away. As a result of her actions T'Less was assigned as the new chief tactical officer.

After being appointed to her new position T'Less again found herself thinking back to her old Academy instructor, her Vulcan tactical training and her new position and yet again the irony was not lost on her. It was while contemplating those things that she found herself looking up her own qualifications in the ship's database, after all it was highly illogical for Captain Jien Ives to assign her to the Chief Tactical Officer position just because she had managed to not get them killed in the heat of the moment therefore logic dictated that there was something in there that influenced the Captain's decision and came across something that truly surprised her.

Included in her file was her test results of the Kobayashi Maru, something she had never bothered to look at as she saw no logical reason to do so at the time and was shocked to discover that her final result was in the top tier of Academy history. Along with her results was a note from her former instructor which stated that her talent and instinct to function and react in such an emergency gave her vast potential as a tactical officer should she choose to take that path in the future. With that information her old instructor's insistence finally made much more sense as well. The words of her former instructor as well as her results gave T'Less more confidence in herself when it came to her forfilling her new role, something she needed even if she would never admit it.

Given her new position, T'Less started studying starship battle tactics and strategies during her free time, ranging from reading about them, watching archived videos of previous battles and lectures stored in the ship's databases as well as numerous sessions on the holodeck. She also took the time to read up on all the technical specifications of most Starfleet and allied ships so that she would know exactly where to hit them to deal the most damage in the quickest time without destroying them.

Shortly after the Theurgy´s escape from Task Force Archeron's pursuing ships, they found the planet Niga, an M-Class planet in the Mahéwa System in order to gather supplies. Unbeknownst to the crew however the planet was home to a deadly floral virus that infected its victims and spread through bodily fluids, specifically those via sexual contact.

It was during this time that would first test T'Less' emotional control as the pollen acted against her, raising her arousal levels along with the rest of the crew. Something that concerned her both in terms of her mental control and the fact that she had never taken a mate before. It would at least be a partial success for her as her mental control allowed her to resist the effects of the virus more than the other members of the crew, at least when it came to the sexual nature of the virus. It did however affect her emotionally as she found herself developing romantic feelings towards the then chief counsellor Garen Nelis however she would eventually decide not to pursue those feelings.

After the events of the Niga Incident T'Less reflected on the events that had transpired. Logic dictated that it was a situation out of her control brought on by the virus, and yet she couldn't deny the feelings she had indeed felt and had started to develop while also wondering if she would have been able to resist those feelings more had she been mentally stronger.

Struggling with both the development of those feelings for Garen as well as the impact of denying those same feelings and not pursuing them, T'Less would find herself as Human's would say "Blowing off some steam" with a sexual encounter with ThanIda zh'Wann.

The day after their encounter, the Theurgy was found by the USS Harbinger as well as another ship, the USS Calamity. During the Calamity's attack T'Less took a phaser shot to the chest, critically injuring her.

The phaser impact had ruptured her abdomen, breaking a lower rib that punctured her lung as well as severely damaging her heart. Although the medical staff could have easily repaired her rib and the damage to her lung, the damage to her heart was too severe and would need to be replaced with an artificial one, however the Theurgy did not have one on board leaving no option but to place her in stasis in the hope of one day acquiring one.

Due to the nature of her injury as well as the lack of an artificial heart aboard T'Less remained in stasis and was not resuscitated until a replacement heart became available when the Theurgy executed the Continuance Protocol in March of 2381.

Personality Profile

T'Less is not the typical Vulcan when it comes to her personality. Due to her exposure aboard the Frontier, she is no longer in complete control of her emotions and is known for brief exposures of what she's thinking and feeling. As far as a Vulcan can be, she is best described as perky, being an optimist, expecting the best in any situation, unless logic dictates no possible good outcome. While having learned to regain some control over her emotions during her time on Vulcan, she is not entirely able to hide them and an occasional smile has been witnessed, as has a frustrated scowl at a particularly aggravating problem. Ironically these moments irritate her to no end causing more small displays of emotion, however these are a huge improvement compared to how she had been the first few years after her return to Vulcan.

Physical Profile

As with most Vulcans, T'Less is stronger than a human and maintains a prime physique, exercising regularly and practicing the Vulcan martial arts, keeping a logical balance of muscle to body fat ratio. Dark-haired and blue-eyed, she stands at 1.72 meters tall (5ft 8in) and weighs in at slightly less than 60kgs (132lbs).

T'Less comes from what some might consider a genetically gifted family when it comes to their appearance in that they all seem to have an ageless youthfulness to them even by Vulcan standards. It is not uncommon to mistake any member of her family to be a decade or several younger than they actually are.

Although she has no scarring on her torso from both the shot she took to her chest and her replacement heart surgery, she has numerous small scars over her back from the shards of glass that were embedded in her skin when she was sent into the console on the bridge when she was shot, however given the stasis required to save her, no dermal regenerator was used on them and instead healed naturally. Although visually they are hardly noticeable until up close they can be felt quite easily.

Appearances

Image: Portrait of T´Less, painted by ThanIda zh'Wann.

Episode 01: Outbreak

• Chapter 06 - Deterioration T'Less, having been hiding in her quarters during the Niga virus outbreak, joins a group of non-infected. The Infected eventually beam them down to the planet, and she has to fight the plants surrounding the group. The USS Relativity shows up in the nick of time, saving them.
• Epilogue T'Less, being more affected by the events than she might admit - even to herself - argues against Thea's freedom and autonomy in the wake of her being unshackled from the restrictions in the Computer Core. She yields, however, and gets the order to destroy the Niga planet from Captain Ives.

Interregnum 01-02

• Low Profile & New Blood | Joint-Post #1
• Low Profile & New Blood | Joint-Post #2
• Low Profile & New Blood | Joint-Post #3 T'Less invites Deputy zh'Wann to her quarters, and the Andorian begins making a painting of T'Less. Things become heated, but before things get a chance to develop, Ida is pulled away by a scheduled meeting.

Episode 02: Whatever Gods May Be

• T'Less/Garen Ishtar manipulates events to have T'Less and Chief Conselor Nelis preform gratuitous sexual activity for her enjoyment.
• Ending - Post Meridiem Suddenly, mid-coitus, T'Less was pulled along with other officers to a place outside of time and space, facing Ishtar Entity in her home - the Temple of Adzû. One of the two present version of the Captain gives her a uniform jacket to cover herself. Once returned to her quarters again, Ida comes to visit her. Together, they ensure they have a will of their own - no longer forced into intimate relations by someone else.

Episode 03: Unconquerable Soul | Part 1

• Prologue: Out of the Night That Covers Me Before the Calamity appears and attacks the USS Theurgy and the USS Harbinger, there is a Senior Staff meeting held on the Theurgy, during which the debate concerning Thea continues. T'Less remains unconvinced that they can trust Thea, but with a Security Clearance given the A.I:s projection and access is prudently restricted, the matter is settled. During the following battle, T'Less takes a phaser bolt to the torso.

Episode 05: Courage is Fear | Part 1

• Aftermath of Untruth - Day 4 | 0800 hrs. T'Less has been thawed from stasis and undergone surgery.
• Charades - Day 05 | 1130 hrs. T'Less participates in the discussions leading up to the battle with the IKC Rotarran.

Episode 05: Courage is Fear | Part 2

• Vantage Points - Day 05 | 2330 hrs T'Less takes over Tactical during the battle with Chancellor Martok
• Aftermath - Day 06 | 0002 hrs The crew take stock after escaping the KDF
• Crater Lake - Day 06 | 0120 hrs T'Less meditates to try and recentre herself after the battle
• Holes - Day 06 | 0435 hrs T'Less meets the flight controller, Ensign Cameron Henshaw
• Knife's Edge - Day 06 | 0840 hrs The two rejoined Vectors join the last, and discover a change of command
• Final Pieces - Day 06 | 0901 hrs T'Less catches up on the reports from Vector 01
• The Battle of the Apertures - Day 06 | 1005 hrs The Theurgy fights the Borg, and is surprised by the return of the Savi
• Patch Job - Day 06 | 1700hrs LCdr Natalie Stark updates the temporary department heads of her acting command
• Memorial Terrace - Day 06 | 2000 hrs T'Less reconnects with her friend Deputy Ida after the latter is returned to the crew

Aldea Prime Anthology

• Aldean Dawn - Day 01 | 0730 hrs The first departmental meeting after arriving at sanctuary over Aldea
• Odd Request and Operational Reviews - Day 05 | 2130 hrs LCdr Cross summons T'Less to a meeting
• Camellia Sinensis - Day 09 | 1400 hrs T'Less enlists the help of LtJG Sinead O'Riley to find a new tea blend
• Poker Faces - Day 20 | 2100 hrs Four Vulcans indulge in an imported ritual of logic and inference
• Long Overdue - Day 26 | 1830 hrs Ida drops by T'Less' quarters with an unexpected gift