Tristam Core/Relationships: Difference between revisions

Tristam has been in an ongoing relationship with [[Roshanara Rahman]] since 2391, and both have notably changed in response to the others affections. However, as there have been occasions where communication between them breaks down, and they have had to work through these issues together.

The cultural divides between Tristam and Roshanara have been a significant topic between them, having very different backgrounds and cultural expectation. Though they are yet to cause complications for them, it has unintentionally caused humour or confusion regarding the status of their relationship. For example, when discussing returning to Earth to meet Roshanara's parents, she jokes that such a thing could imply intentions of marriage - of which (while Tristam has a very rudimentary understanding of) Rodulans have no concept for. She also hints that this was her primary reason for being hesitant to meet Tristam's family. When they are separated during his leave on Rodul, he sends her his Eye of the Artist - a Rodulan religious item which is said to allow the Artist to watch over it's wearer.

Though Tristam worked with her on the slipstream drive, and has a good basic understanding of propulsion technology, he maintains that he "hates" the field, and the two will occasionally tease or bicker about the merits between propulsion and components engineering. Due to how serious these could potentially get, they're usually regulated to the workplace.

Tristam has been giving Roshanara pointers about how to best control her empathic abilities, of which Tristam cannot affect her by due to his Rodulan physiology. Because of this particular level of trust, he found it difficult to pry into her thoughts (now that they sleep together, however, he finds it difficult to control his own telepathy when waking, and sometimes can't help but hear what she is thinking) during the early months of their relationship - according to Starfleet regulation, he is actually not permitted to. However, it's inferred that they've discussed this aspect of their relationship, as Roshanara often uses this as a means to communicate with Tristam privately - though Tristam always responds verbally.

Tristam met Roshanara Rahman whilst serving as an ensign aboard the {{USS|Pioneer}}. A hard worker and passionate about her field, the two banter about propulsion technology in comparison to theoretical transwarp beaming. Unfazed by her reputation as somewhat of a 'slave driver', the Rodulan offers to assist with her slipstream drive project.  

On the final night of preparations, Tristam finds Roshanara still working. In an attempt to alleviate tension, he invites her to dinner, where they point out their most alien features. He almost invites her to stay longer, but second guesses himself. Instead, he accompanies her back to her quarters, and bids her goodnight.

When the presentation of the slipstream drive goes wrong, Tristam is critically injured by a falling bulkhead. Rahman's thoughts would be the last Tristam hears telepathically, of which will impact him for a long time to come.

When he's assigned to the Garuda, his first interaction with Rahman is less than favourable, feeling distrustful towards the Krosian. At this point, part of him held her responsible for the loss of telepathy, and injury to his leg. Learning that he in fact transferred to the {{USS|Vigilant}} only to be rerouted to the {{USS|Garuda}} just three weeks later, he remains irritated with her for the next few days.

On an away mission to Pleethion, Tristam steps on an active mine. Roshanara reminds the panicking Rodulan of his capabilities in disarming the mine, of which Tristam is forced to coach [[Alora DeVeau]] through. Regardless, these efforts fail, and Rahman is forced to transport them back to the ship. Unfortunately, it also results in a mine embedding itself into the leg of [[Alleran Tan]], of which, after moving Roshanara out of the way, Tristam beams back to the surface. The incident causes a minor squabble between the two, but they quickly move on to address a potential traitor aboard the ''Garuda''. And by the end of the day, to make up for having insulted her during the incident, Tristam invites her to dinner mid-crisis.

However, when Tristam finds evidence proving Rahman to have sabotaged the Garuda, all plans are put on hold as she is taken into custody by [[Msafiri Bakari|Bakari]] and [[Jade Shryker|Shryker]]. When fighting for a way to assist her in her trial, Bakari points out that Tristam ''likes'' her, but Tristam shoots the idea down.  

Following her removal, and adamant to help, Tristam attempts to convince Roshanara to see [[Nic del Vedova]] about a "neurodegenerative disease", but after much prompting, she reveals to him that she is in fact an [[empathic metamorph]], manipulated by [[Harrison Ross]] to disable security feeds. As a Rodulan, Tristam is one of very few people whom cannot influence Roshanara through empathic means.

The Rodulan met a holographic version of Roshanara whilst aboard the {{USS|Mercury}}, of whom then proceeded without warning to hold Alora DeVeau hostage. Despite attempts to talk the hologram down, it was ultimately Lieutenant Evan Delano and a holographic version of Mei'konda to temporarily deactivate the hologram and free Alora. Tristam became rattled and almost non-responsive, to the point where the real Rahman had to slap him just to get his attention and any form of coherent words out of him. He had been required to go to a lower level of Engineering and restart containment sequences, but as he was about to initiate the restart, the holographic version of Rahman attacked him. In the end, after an attempt to distract her and conversing with her, Tristam shot the holographic Rahman with a type 2 phaser that had fallen from the deck above. He was able to initiate the restart, and because of that, was part of a small group of people that saved the ''Mercury'' from exploding. The real Roshanara found Tristam as a mental mess, and ordered (with the very little authority she had at that time) the Garuda to beam him directly to Sick Bay.

After regaining consciousness, Tristam was unusually high on a medical drug. He was allowed to leave Sick Bay, so long as he had a carer for the short two days he was taking the medication. Roshanara became the unwilling "nurse" when he called her to Sick Bay for a "visit". After pleading with her, she agreed to looking after him. He caused little trouble - the majority of it being his unusual willingness to assist her in packing (as she was staying with him in his quarters due to her own being too small house two people). The two speak about his telepathy (or lack of) the next morning whilst he is still in his medicated state, though he doesn't remember this conversation.

Their friendship took a turn when Lieutenant [[Sean Naughton]] proceeded to exploit Roshanara's metamorphic state in an effort to prove her innocence of the Garuda's sabotage. When Tristam reveals that he asked Naughton to do so, she becomes angry, and Tristam confesses that he has always wanted more than just her friendship. After kissing her (proving his point), she leaves the Garuda.

During the time Roshanara was not aboard the Garuda, Tristam was reunited with his ex, [[Sanchez, Juanita|Juanita Sanchez]], when the Maquis attacked (and sabotaged) DSX. Whilst working to create an EMP, Juanita managed to coax Tristam into talking about Roshanara (though he didn't mention her by name). Juanita encouraged him to go after her, or else he'd regret it.  

After the situation on DSX had been contained (and after theirs setting off an EMP), Tristam ended up in Bakari's quarters, who then gave Tristam an itinerary for Roshanara's travel, further encouraging him to go after her. Waiting for a chance to leave the Garuda, Tristam found himself unable to repair his own toolkit - they had been severely damaged from the release of the EMP, and the tools Tristam had then been using to repair them were faulty for unknown reasons. After returning that toolkit to the Engineering locker, Tristam found Roshanara's personal kit, with a note to him. Using her kit, he was subsequently able to repair the rest of his tools (except, for some unknown reason, his PADD).

Tristam ended up listening in on a university lector Roshanara was presenting (much to his own distaste). During question time, he asked her why propulsionists believed slipstream to be a higher priority than life support systems publicly, peaking audience interest and Roshanara's annoyance. The two began to banter about the topic, until Roshanara wasn't able to provide a further argument. When the room had cleared of others, she began to voice her anger at his embarrassing her in front of an entire lecture hall, when he interrupted and returned her toolkit. They reconciled after he convinced her to return to the Garuda as a Project Manager for the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, and the two begin a romantic relationship.

When the Garuda is invested with vines, Roshanara is taken hostage and becomes entangled. Upon the conflicts' end, Tristam finds her wrapped tightly. Instead of immediately cutting her loose, the Rodulan takes a holoimage of the Kriosian wrapped entirely by the ferns.

Despite Tristam's original wishes, they are unable to have a "first date" when he developes a Rodulan stomach flu. Coupled with a case of homesickness (which he claims to be a real illness in Rodulan culture), he refuses to join Roshanara in her quarters for dinner in fear of getting her sick. However, instead of cancelling their date, he tells Roshanara to set up a vid-com link on her PADD, and to send him what she'd prepared for dinner via the replicator files, and they have their date.

After a mission to Peppalexa (and a subsequent "two-week holiday" to the past), Tristam and Roshanara set up another date, though he falls asleep on the holodeck and keeps Roshanara waiting. He apologizes to her multiple times, though she brushes it off and they go to the Mess Hall for dinner. It is shown that their relationship has progressed somewhat, and Roshanara is practicing keeping metamorphic state under as much control as possible when in a room filled with people, Tristam acting as something she can fall back on should she require it. She confesses that she is still unsure of herself, afraid that she will lose herself to her ability, and Tristam does his best to console her. Towards the end of the date, it is seen that she is making progress in controlling her ability.

Their relationship becomes somewhat strained when Tristam begins to avoid her due to the decrease in his verbal skills. Rahman removes him from duty due to this medical condition, frustrated and becoming increasingly worried about it. He apologizes (or tries his best to) and proceeds to explain the problem to her, and both promised to work through the problem together. The two later spent time together, though both awakened to find that Tristam's telepathy had (somewhat) returned during Roshanara's mad dash to prepare for the launch of the {{USS|Invicta}}.

When [[Roshanara Rahman|someone]] makes a deal within the [[Engineer's Trading Post]] involving the Invicta's bridge briefing table, [[Angeline Loupaz]] is forced to create a false holographic table as they locate the original. Tristam attempts to swap the holoprojector with a model more sufficient for the job, but is forced to distract Roshanara - namely kissing her on the bridge of the ship, asking instead for 15 minutes away for a quick bite to eat, priding himself on the fact that he has never lied to Roshanara. It would also be the first of few displays of their relationship whilst at least one of them is on duty.

On the island beach of W Cygni 5C, Tristam and Roshanara share shore leave with the rest of the Invicta crew. As the Avandar crew arrives, Tristam is introduced to [[Nikki Ryan]], and Roshanara jokingly implies jealousy and threat regarding his interaction with Ryan. Later, they go out on a trip in the shuttle, discussing Roshanara's relationship with [[Tasnim Shandres]], whom was now her ward, when the shuttle is forced to land due to an error. They spend the remainder of the day together playing three-dimensional chess, despite having repaired the issue.

Following a stressful mission on Adova, Tristam spends time running simulations for his [[Tristam Core/Logs|MST]] project in Roshanara's quarters. Here, he explains the importance of ones feet to her, in that they're the sole part of the body that keeps one grounded.  

After a stressful mission in which the Venture crew was thrown back in time, in which Tristam suffered through what he considered to be a traumatic engagement of telepathy, Roshanara and Tristam travel to Rodul, where Roshanara meets Tristam's immediate family and his home. As she explores his bedroom, which had remained unchanged despite the long period of time, Tristam notes to her how juvenile he was. They spend two weeks on Rodul together before Roshanara is called back to duty. However, unable to come to terms with the violent encounters of his time in Starfleet so far, he decides to remain on Rodul, without further discussion with Roshanara.