Hobus Heroism Ribbon Ithassa Region Campaign Medal Prometheus Ribbon Explorer's Ribbon Department Chief Ribbon Defense of Temporal Flow Ribbon Silver Lifesaving Ribbon Purple Heart Good Conduct Ribbon Orion Syndicate Service Medal War of Shadows Ribbon 3-year Member 5-year Member
Place of Birth: Bajor, Musilla Province, Holana Orphanage
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Telepathic status: n/a
Appearance
Height: 5'5"
Build: Quite slim but wiry and muscular.
Hair Colour: Black
Length of Hair: Long. Usually worn tied back while on-duty and loose while off-duty.
Eye Colour: Black
Skin Tone: Very pale tinged with grey.
Birthmarks, Scars: Right hand bears scars of having been broken and set badly in the past although the old injury was eventually healed by Dr Renos. During a shield overload on the USS Eagle an exploding console left Sinda Essen with a spinal injury. Intensive surgery and bio-mechanical implants repaired the damage and helped her walk again.
Face: Cardassian 'spoon' and Bajoran nose ridge both visible. Essen also has partially developed Cardassian neck ridges.
Piercings: Right ear and nose. Often wears piercings when off-duty, and very occasionally wears a Bajoran earring on her right ear.
Carriage: Walks very quickly. Some would say scurry. Hunches herself up small. Walks with a slight limp as a result of a past spine injury.
Poses: Hugs her arms close to her body.
Taste in Clothing (when off duty): Austere, simple, practical. And almost always black. An old and very battered leather jacket is usually present - original and definitely not replicated.
Shoes: Boots
Voice: Quiet and level, unless she's busy shouting at someone.
Handedness: Naturally right-handed.
Physiology
As a hybrid, Sinda Essen has inherited traits from both Cardassians and Bajorans.
Cardassian: In conversation during shore leave on Alpha Centuri, 2390Externally, her physical appearance is more Cardassian. Her skin is very pale with a slight grey tinge compared to Humans, although darker than most Cardassians. Likewise, long jet black hair is a very common Cardassian feature. Essen's senses have developed along Cardassian lines. Her dark eyes grant her good nocturnal sight but make her more sensitive to bright lights. She has better chemoreception (taste/smell) than Humans and Bajorans but a less developed sense of hearing. She is also more susceptible to cold conditions.
Bajoran: Although she does have the prominent nose ridge of Bajorans, most of the Bajoran physiology is internal with Essen sharing the horizontal heart with an upper and lower ventricle and a highly developed and intricate circulatory system. This makes it likely that, under normal circumstances, Essen would live a lifespan more in common with Bajorans in excess of 100 years. Although Cardassians have a high tolerance to pain, Essen's nervous system is more similar to that of an average Bajoran.
Manner
Quarters: Essen's quarters are on Deck 4 of the Constitution, down the corridor from the auxillary armoury. Two large windows look out across the port-side saucer section. The rooms are fairly messy with old uniforms discarded across the floor and the bed permanently unmade. There are very few personal possessions.
Main Room: A small, untended Bajoran shrine sits in one corner with burnt-out incense sticks and a broken earring. A spiny basil plant rests on the centre table. An intricate crystal sculpture sits on a low shelf, a gift from Pandora. Opposite it is an odd bottle of Cardassian kanar inside clear Bajoran jumja liquor, a gift from Dial.
Bedroom: A small music stand and a green Caitian viola take up one part of the room, opposite a pile of clothing that probably needs to be put back through the replicator.
Favourite Room:
Habits: Flexes her right hand when not concentrating. Essen often addresses non-Bajoran's by their surnames rather than first names, a habit picked up from the Bajoran convention of putting family names first.
Temperment: Often defensive, quick to take offense. Secretive, finds it hard to trust others.
Mental problems (complexes and phobias): Since her time as the creature called Cinder, Essen has developed a significant fear of cold and a phobia about freezing. She also suffers from issues over her heritage.
Physical Limitations: Her right hand has never properly healed from a past injury, although Essen has never allowed a Federation doctor to repair the damage. Her Cardassian genes grant her good nocturnal sight but makes her more susceptible to cold conditions. She has better chemoreception (taste/smell) than Humans but a less developed sense of hearing. The implants in her spine give her considerably above average lower-body strength, although she walks with a slight limp.
Holodeck Novels - Ess likes the escapism that holonovels offer. She likes trying new experiences although she favours mystery novels.
Music - After very briefly being handed a Caitian Viola during the Festival of Diversity on Starbase 118, Essen decided to actually try to learn to play. It involves as much swearing as music.
Other hobbies - Ess tends to go through hobbies at a fair rate, discarding them when she gets bored or they prove too hard.
Naval History - As a tactical officer, Essen enjoys studying battles of the past, particularly large naval engagements, be they in space or on the seas.
Food and Drink
Food
Ess likes simple rustic food, things she grew up with on Bajor. Soups, stews, Bajoran hasperat, groatcakes and fruit pies filled to the brim.
Drink
Raktajino - Ess rarely gets going in the morning without at least one cup of strong Klingon coffee.
Grapefruit juice.
Synthale
Kanar - Essen's Cardassian taste buds are very partial to this thick liquor. If she can get her hands on it.
Likes and Dislikes
Smells - Ess likes earthy scents such as freshly turned soil, cut grass and wood smoke.
The cold - Essen's Cardassian genes give her a lower tolerance of cold climates than most other races After her encounter with the fire entity this dislike has become a virtual phobia.
Personal Achievements and Disappointments
Ambitions and Goals: To become something more than her mixed heritage.
Achievements in Life:
Disappointments in Life: A result of a union between an unknown Cardassian officer and a Bajoran farm labourer, Essen has never been accepted by either species. She sees herself as a constant reminder of the Occupation
Family
Marital Status: Single
As dressed up as Essen gets. USS Constitution-B award ceremony, 239212.31
Children: None
Parents
Father: Believed to be Gul Oded of the Cardassian Union Central Command.
Brace For Impact: During the final climactic moments of a mission, the USS Eagle is engulfed in the blast from two exploding ships leaving both the Eagle and Essen crippled.
Walking Home: After Dr Dantin-Vex performs surgery to repair her spine Essen finds her feet again as she transfers to the USS Drake.
The Selfish Gene: A night of celebration on Earth for the crew of the USS Drake is one of confusion and doubt for Essen. She struggles to cope with Bajor joining the Federation and with an old friend who has traveled from the near future. Finally, the morning after, she comes to terms with her own problems and what the future may hold.
Coming Home: Essen returns to Bajor for her mothers funeral but doesn't find the homecoming to be all that she'd hoped.
Under The Table: Alienated from Bajor and with her mother gone Essen turns to the task of finding her father. Sinda Lo took the Cardassian's name to her grave so Essen turns to Oliver Weston for help. While the Drake is away on a mission, Essen takes a trip to Cardassia Prime.
All to Ashes: When SB118 is chosen by four elemental entities intent on destroying one another as their battlefield, Essen is selected by one of them to be it's champion, becoming an avatar called Cinder.
Fighting Fire With Fire: After a chaotic spree of destruction on the station, Cinder is finally battered into submission by two of the other elementals. The final blow, however, is dealt by Sinda herself.
New Experiences: On a break between hectic missions, Ess and Solaris McLaren spend some time getting to know a lot more about each other and what their feelings will lead them.
