Tyreke Okafor (KIA)

Personnel File
Name:	Tyreke Okafor
Rank:	Lieutenant
Position:	Science Officer
Species:	Human
Age:	43
Gender:	Male
Orientation:	Heterosexual
Birthplace:	Cotonou, Benin, Earth
Height:	6ft 2in / 1.88m
Weight:	200lbs / 91kg
Hair:	Bald
Eye color:	Brown
Played by:	Djimon Hounsou
Writer:	Elaurianpaladin
Interests
Scientific Research Alien Cuisine Classic Literature Fitness Cooking
Education
2356-2368: Oxford University, Earth, w. degrees in Synthetic Biology & Nutrigenomics 2368-2372: Starfleet Academy, w. degree in Organic Electronics
Service Record
2372-2376 Ensign-Lieutenant JG, Science Officer, Deep Space 9 2376-2378: Lieutenant JG, Science Officer, USS Hawkins 2378- Present: Lieutenant, Science Officer, USS Theurgy
Decorations
2374: Bajoran Golden Orb

Lieutenant Tyreke Okafor was a Science Officer aboard the USS Theurgy. He sustained heavy injuries during the second battle against the USS Calamity at Theta Eridani IV. He was put in stasis to preserve his life, and in March of 2381, he was given the medical treatment needed to be able to return to duty. After the Theurgy hid in the Azure Nebula for almost three days, Okafor served as the Science Officer on Vector 2, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Wenn Cinn, the Commanding Officer and acting Captain of the Sword.

Biography

Tyreke Okafor was born on Earth to parents of African descent, but he was raised on different starships.

His mother and father, Ode and Sabra, were both Starfleet officers in different fields, and they served in the outskirts of the Federation, bordering Cardassian space. This was during the Bajoran Occupation, and while Starfleet was unable to act on the atrocities committed on the Bajoran people out of part ignorance and part cowardice (as his parents put it), they did not neglect to nurture the rambunctious Tyreke with steadfastness and unmistakable patience, through the days when he was learning to walk, onto the days when he was translating the quadratic equation into ancient Bajoran numerals. Growing up close to the Bajoran Sector, Tyreke made friends with other children raised like himself, but he was also exposed to the people who travelled from their decimated homeland. He saw those brave enough to stay or too poor to leave holding to hope. He also admired those who remained on Bajor, developing a certain respect for the families who left behind everything they owned and risked their lives to bring each other to safety. It taught him humility; he remained grateful for his privileges for the rest of his life.

Tyreke also learned some valuable insights on the exchange of cultures between worlds, even if it was inflicted upon the unlucky, but his parents were in the autumn of their careers, and decided to try and remove their child from the Cardassian border, fearing that it was only a matter of time before the modicum of 'peace' ended.

Oxford University

The Okafor family returned to Earth, and Tyreke applied to study at Oxford University at the age of eighteen instead of Starfleet Academy, since he did not wish to follow the very same career path as his parents. He was accepted, and applied himself to to the field of Nutrigenomics, also known as nutritional genomics. This was the study of the complex interplay between food and genetic expression. In the 24th century, it was well known that nutrients had a profound effect on humanoid health, starting quite literally at the molecular level. A key goal of nutrigeneticists was to establish ideal nutrition for species in need — matching what they ate with their unique genetic constitutions.

Tyreke had entered this field with the Bajorans in mind, just like when he sought his second degree in the field of Synthetic Biology. It was the design and construction of new biological parts, devices and systems. It involved the redesign of existing biological systems for any number of useful purposes and DNA created digitally, which was then synthesised and inserted into a living bacterium. This was done with a genetronic replicator, and it was a revolutionary medical device under development by Dr. Toby Russell, who lectured at Oxford University whilst being a Starfleet Officer, and Tyreke was a student of hers. The genetronic replicator could scan the genetic information in a damaged organ, and replicate an entirely new, healthy organ for replacement. The technology was in the prototype stages even as late as in 2366, and Tyreke was getting restless in his academic life.

Starfleet Academy

It was at the age of twenty-six, the same year, that Tyreke had realized he couldn't stay on Earth if he was to help easing the Bajoran suppression, which he still hadn't been able to forget. This unrequited love for justice and problem solving lead him to an application for Starfleet Academy, leaving the Univesity behind. His parents were proud to see him take up service in the fleet at last, but he sought no aid from them, wanting to manage on his own merits. Instead, Dotor Russell helped him with his application, and he was accepted. Still a scientist, he entered his third field, which was Organic Electronics. A highly interdisciplinary field, which involved the design, synthesis, and processing of functional organic and inorganic materials, along with the development of advanced micro- and nanofabrication techniques and circuit design. It was the natural development from his Synthetic Biology studies. Organic electronics introduced the potential for organic solar cells, self-assembling monolayers in functional electronic devices, and chemical circuits that could replace computers for human implantation. Normally, electronics were associated with inert and inorganic conductors and semiconductors, like copper and silicon. But this field of electronics used conductive polymers and molecules — both of which were carbon-based.

It was, however, just one year after his acceptance that he heard news of the Cardassian withdrawal from Bajor. Still, his intentions of being one of those to help the Bajoran people never wavered, and as a result, he focused his aspirations on helping the planet recuperate from their time of darkness, even if they might not want it from his Federation hands. Through his next years at the Academy, he earned that third degree, and after his graduation, he requested service on a ship or station near Bajor. Thus, he was shuttled to Deep Space 9 in the year 2372.

Deep Space 9 & the USS Hawkins

Tyreke, as directed by Captain Benjamin Sisko, was to spend most of his service on Bajor, using his unique scientific fields to help the survivors of the Occupation. Tyreke was in communication with DS9 on a daily basis, but he only returned to the station itself a couple of times each month. The lion's share of his work lay in providing the Bajoran hospitals with prosthetic development methods, medicinal production of synthetic soft tissues and organs, and in some cases, actually working in the centres that received the survivors of the Occupation, who were returning home from Cardassian space. He saw the survivors of the labour camps with his own eyes, and despite his great ability to help, nothing had quite prepared him for the sights.

In his few years of service at DS9, however, the Dominion War and the battle tactics of the Maquis proceeded to turn his job into a twisted effort to research means to thwart Federation enemies. The skewed focus on putting the war effort in front of the Bajoran people did not sit well with Tyreke, even if he was presented with the Bajoran Golden Orb commendation by the Republic of Bajor for his services to their people, and the recognition also helped improve Federation and Bajoran relations. Having been overlooked for a promotion for many years, he was finally made Junior Lieutenant. Unofficially, his promotion came with an apology, having nearly been forgotten down on Bajor, and the fact of him merely being an Ensign served as a matter of embarrassment for Starfleet Command.

A year after Sisko’s death, when Colonel Kira took command of station, and the Bajoran people were well on their way to heal as a whole, Tyreke felt it was time for him to explore the parts of the galaxy that needed his expertise more. Thus, he requested a transfer. The commanding officer visiting the station on a brief repair session from the Gamma Quadrant was present at the time. Kira spoke with Captain Georgia Malcolm, and she was ever so gracious to allow Tyreke to serve aboard the Intrepid-class USS Hawkins.

This new commission began a new chapter of Tyreke's Starfleet career. While he was constantly working in his scientific fields, he never thought of advancing his rank in the service. Although it took some time to get used to, he was now a perfect officer to have on a Starfleet ship of exploration. Even more so in the Gamma Quadrant, with rivalling ex-members of the Dominion still at the Federation’s, and each other’s, throats. However, when Odo closed the borders to the Quadrant, Malcolm was offered a promotion to Commodore, and in the process of the ship getting a new command, Tyreke was promoted to Lieutenant for his diligent duties and reassigned to the USS Theurgy.

Declared Traitor to the Federation

He was serving on the ship when the Theurgy had to flee the Fleet and the aliens controlling Starfleet Command. Being separated from Earth was not too difficult a position for him. Tyreke had spent many years away from Earth, and was used to working independently. Still, of course, the implications of Starfleet Command being compromised was daunting to him. He feared for the future of the Federation and also for his family on Earth. Tyreke not only worried about their lives, but also that they were now inundated with propaganda that he was part of a crew of traitors.

What weighed the most on him was killing innocent officers just doing their duty. While a scientist, survival was of the essence, and he had to take up arms against boarding parties like many others. If circumstances had been different, he could have been one of them. An idea that weighed heavily on him. His horror at the notion often turned to anger at those now controlling the levers of power back on Earth. His loyalty to Ives did not waver, though, as he understood the impossible situation the captain was in.

At Niga, Tyreke was infected by the spread of the epidemic aboard the Theurgy. In a hallway, the Andorian Deputy named ThanIda zh'Wann had appeared naked before him, and she had kissed him in an animal way. Her saliva transfer was enough to sway him, and before he caught himself, he was reciprocating the gesture. After the USS Relativity arrived and ended the outbreak before it could spread beyond the ship, Tyreke remembered very little of the hours that had passed. Unable to face what he had done after he was infected, he refused to approach the Andorian woman, compartmentalising the guilt by blaming the Deputy for letting herself get infected in the first place. Even if he knew it was not right, it was better than summoning any memories of what he had inflicted on other crewmembers, raping them and infecting them in turn.

Tyreke was so distraught over what occurred that he stayed away from others as much as possible. Instead, he opted to reflect on what had happened by himself. Throughout his life, he often solved problems on his own. Thankfully, he was unaffected by the exploits of the Ishtar entity, but when the USS Calamity first attacked outside the Hromi Cluster, Tyreke could no longer sequester himself to his research. While uninjured from the battle itself, he spent most of his time trying to assist Medical on Theta Eridani IV. He tried to use his scientific work as much as possible, providing means to get the crews of the Theurgy and Harbinger back on their feet. He was, however, injured in the escape of the planet, caught underneath the Triage Center when it collapsed, and was beamed aboard in the last minute.

Stasis & Return to Life

Because of the puncture wound he sustained from one of the support beams of the center's ceiling, which went through his torso, he had to be put into medical stasis, since the removal of the object would have been lethal, and there was no resources for the kind of operation needed present at the time of the battle. So, he was put in stasis with the severed piece of the beam still inside him, and he wasn't able to be resuscitated until after the Battle of Starbase 84. It was quite ironic how it was some of his own medical research that eventually helped him get back on his feet.

After the Versant´s first engagement with the Theurgy, Tyreke was serving as Science Officer on the bridge of Vector 2, under the Command of acting Captain Wenn Cinn. During the Continuance Protocol, he was the Acting Chief Science Officer on that Vector, and he was forced to commit his time to scientific fields vastly different than those he was familiar with. Among other things, he had to find a way to detect the subspace tunnels in the heart of the Azure Nebula, and try to find a way to mitigate the radiation inside them.

When the Theurgy was reunited again, before the Battle of the Apertures, Tyreke once more reported to the real Chief Science Officer on the ship, Lieutenant Commander Vivian Martin.

Personality Profile

Tyreke had a mellow disposition. While he tended to be optimistic, the Lieutenant was very well-suited as an independent science officer working on his projects. He had no career ambitions, his research and the results being fulfilment enough. A humanitarian at heart, he tended to put the needs of others before himself. He was not, however, very sociable, and tended to stay in the background of most social gatherings.

Because of his studies in nutrition, he applied himself to cooking, but his approach was, perhaps, not making the taste a priority, but ensuring that the meals were ideal for whomever ate it - taking into account species and their inherent genetics. Since few care to taste what he cooked a second time, he tended to have to cook for himself, being a bit of a recluse. Especially after the Niga incident, where he withdrew from his fellow officers in the Science Department.

As of his awakening from stasis, he had few friends still alive on the Theurgy, most of them having died in action. By the time of the Versant´s first engagement with the Theurgy, he had yet to fully find his place along all the new crew members aboard the ship. He had little in terms of being a leader, which was why he was passed over for any roles of Chief Science Officer aboard the Theurgy despite having the rank for it. Instead, Amatras Neotin was picked over him when her predecessor died, to his great relief, and he was in medical stasis when Simon Tovarek and Vivian Martin were assigned that position.

Physical Profile

Despite his awkwardness around people, and besides his main fields in synthetic biology and bio-technology, Tyreke was a nutritional expert and knew how to take care of his body. Belying his quietude and reluctance to engage with other people - beyond what was needed of him as an officer in the fleet - Tyreke had a tall, muscular body, and he maintained it with ease because he knew what to eat and what to avoid. He exercised to maintain his health, but had no real interest in physical sports or games. He applied himself to weightlifting and running, which could both be done without social interaction. Being bald, shaving whatever little hair he grew on his scalp, he did have some greying facial hair on his jaw.