Valen Carys

USS Gorkon
Valen Carys
Full Name	Valen Carys
Position	Anthropologist
Rank	Commander
Species	Bajoran
Gender	Female
Date of Birth	12th December
Age	Mid Forties
Birthplace	Bajor

"I've lived the life you're choosing — fighting, hit and run, always outgunned, living on hate and adrenaline... it's not much of a life. And it eats away at you, so that every day a little bit of you dies."

Major Kira Nerys, in Return to Grace (DS9, S4E14)

Commander Valen Carys is an anthropologist and qualified counsellor assigned to the Tyrellian system and the USS Gorkon, splitting her time between them. As an anthropologist, she is involved in the ongoing debate regarding the Senyans and as a counsellor, she participates in the ReachOut program, a new initiative to support and rehabilitate former Starfleet officers who have left the service.

Appearance

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• Height: 1.73m (5'8'')
• Build: Athletic
• Hair Colour: Brunette
• Length of Hair: Long, past the shoulder
• Eye Colour: Chocolate brown
• Skin Tone: Light brown
• Birthmarks, Scars: None normally visible
• Tattoos/Body Modifications: Single piercing in her right earlobe, and always wears her Bajoran earring.
• Carriage: Determined, purposeful
• Taste in Clothing (when off duty): Bajoran fashion, favouring blues and purples.
• Voice: Speaks Federation standard with an English accent
• Handedness: Right

Personality

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Carys' inner world is concrete and kind. She is warm and thoughtful, wants to believe the best in people, and is sensitive to other people's feelings. Many of her qualities defy her individual traits: though sensitive, she has excellent analytical abilities; though reserved, she has well-developed people skills and robust social relationships; and though she is generally a conservative type, she is often receptive to change and new ideas.

She has a very clear idea of the way things should be, and she constantly strives to attain it. She values harmony, cooperation, kindness and stability, and respects traditions and laws. Generally, she believes existing systems are there because they work, and it takes a well-founded justification to convince her of the value of change. She learns best by doing, frustrated by raw theorising; she likes to see the practical purpose of a concept, not its abstraction.

She can be meticulous to the point of perfectionism, and though she has a tendency to procrastinate, can always be relied on to get the job done on time. Carys takes her responsibilities personally and consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty, doing everything she can to exceed expectations and delight others, at work and at home. Despite this, she has a tendency to underplay her accomplishments, and while many respect her kindness, she has experienced more selfish individuals taking advantage of her dedication and humbleness by pushing work onto her and then taking the credit.

While a natural introvert, she enjoys socialising so long as she can retreat when she's had enough. Carys uses a good memory to remember the details of the people who surround her, and she uses her imagination and natural sensitivity to express her generosity in thoughtful gifts that often touch the hearts of their recipients. She prefers to give help rather than receive it, listen rather than speak about herself, rarely expresses her own feelings, and can internalise them to the point of stress and frustration.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Supportive Reliable and patient Imaginative and observant Enthusiastic Loyal and hard-working	Humble and reserved Takes things too personally Represses her feelings Overburdens herself Too altruistic

Hobbies and Pastimes

• Music: From a young age, she has played the Bajoran lute and has continued practising with the instrument to this day.
• Calligraphy: Something of a hold-over from the Occupation, when religious texts frequently had to be copied by hand to avoid Cardassian censure, Carys enjoys the art of calligraphy and often copies out poems. Many end up being recycled or given away, but occasionally a piece is framed and hung on the wall in her office for a time.
• Martial Arts: Martial skill was a necessity for a significant portion of Carys' life, and she has never retired her training in it, though these days it is more for the mental health benefits than the practical application. Along with the Bajoran martial art of Talinara, she also practices Mok'bara.

Likes and Dislikes

• Likes:
  • Raktajino: First tasted during the Dominion War, Carys has continued drinking Klingon coffee to this day.
  • Hasperat: The spicier, the better. One of the few foods she is willing (or can) prepare by hand.
  • Klingons: Following the adage, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", she has had a fondness for Klingons since the Klingon-Cardassian War.

• Dislikes:
  • Cardassians: Perhaps unsurprisingly, as a Bajoran who experienced the Occupation, she has never got past her hatred for the Cardassians.
  • Klingon opera: Despite her fondness for the species, she cannot stand the noise that passes for music in the Empire.

Ambitions and Goals

Carys has little ambition to enter command, despite the occasional encouragement from her peers and superiors to do so. Instead, she prefers to focus on her research and counselling practice.

Living Quarters

Carys' personal quarters bear little resemblance to the Starfleet default, with everything that isn't a wall removed and replaced with items from Bajor, right down to the carpeting.

Working Areas

Her "office" in the counselling suite are kept as welcoming as she can, and she does not have a desk in the room she counsels patients in. Instead, there are several soft chairs and sofas, as well as a coffee table and a higher table to one side, used for any activities that might be required. There are several pieces of art; paintings, statues and sculptures, all of which are rotated for new pieces on a regular basis, and there are almost always vases of flowers on display. All in all, it looks more like someone's living room than a counselling office.

Family and Friends

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Family

Though several of her family are still alive and well, she has been estranged from them for many years.

• Marital Status: None
• Number of children: None

• Mother: Valen Neria
• Father: Valen Nadal
• Brother: Valen Jorel
• Brother: Valen Terai
• Sister: Valen Saira

Friends and Acquaintances

Cassandra Egan Manno
	An old friend from Fleet Administration, Carys' somewhat reluctant posting to the Menthar Corridor is at Cassie's direct request.

Relationships

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Friends & Colleagues

Name	Relationship	Description
Cassandra Egan Manno	Old Friend	Old friends from Fleet Administration, Carys' somewhat reluctant posting to the Menthar Corridor was at Cassie's direct request. After the destruction of Astrofori One, they've moved to different areas of the Federation, but maintain regular contact.
Walter Brunsig	Friend	Friends due to a shared survival experience, Carys and Walter touch base whenever the USS Triumphant returns to the Tyrellian system. They usually indulge in their shared love of music and Bajoran brandy, often taking in a concert or visiting a quiet bar (or both).

History

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Before Starfleet

Carys is tight-lipped about her childhood; growing up during the Occupation left scars both physical and mental, and she rarely speaks of her time on Bajor to anyone. She left Bajor almost immediately after the Cardassian withdrawal and effectively vanished from records for four years — a time period during which Federation Security suspects, but cannot prove, that she was a member of the Maquis.

Her return to Bajor was a brief one. Already injured, she had barely been aboard Deep Space Nine for a day before she was admitted to its medical bay after a brutal and very nearly fatal assault. The injuries were so severe that she was transferred to a Starfleet hospital on Trill for extensive surgery and rehabilitation. Her recovery involved physical, mental, and emotional care and support — and the constant interaction with members of Starfleet wounded in the Dominion War. She came to realise that the universe was bigger than her personal tragedies and hatreds, and when she was suitably recovered, enlisted in Starfleet.

Enlisted in the Fleet

At first struggling with the discipline and protocols of Starfleet, she settled in with the help of a few new friends and soon distinguished herself in the conflict against the Dominion, earning herself commendations and decorations for her actions, and a battlefield promotion to Chief Petty Officer. It was after the the Treaty of Bajor that Carys' commanding officer suggested to her that she should embrace her potential and apply to the Academy and train as an officer. It took a little while for her to agree, but with the recommendation of her CO, she applied and was accepted.

The Academy

Initially beginning a security major, she discovered that she had a particular, and far greater, interest in the psychology courses she was required to study. After a great deal of discussion with her tutors, she changed her major to counselling and her minor to science, specialising in anthropology.

An Officer in the Fleet

Over her time in the fleet, she has developed a specific speciality in xenopsychological anthropology, and has often been called upon to offer advice and input into first contact situations. Though she has no particular aspirations to command, she has undertaken the Bridge Officer's Test in order to contribute beyond her counselling role, and occasionally takes the Bridge during Beta or Gamma shifts.

Timeline

• 2369: Leaves Bajor immediately after the Cardassian withdrawal.
• 2373: Returns to Bajor.
• 2373: Enlists in Starfleet.
• 2375: Enrols in Starfleet Academy.
• 2379: Graduates from Starfleet Academy.
• 239103.30: Assigned to the USS Garuda.
• 239206.19: Reassigned to Astrofori One.
• 239511.04: Evacuated from Astrofori One, narrowly avoiding the destruction of the station.
• 239511.25: Assigned to the USS Gorkon.

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