T'Lara

Commander T'Lara is currently the HCO on the USS Independence-A.

Stats

• Current Rank: Commander
• Duty Post: Chief Science Officer
• Current Vessel:
• Species: Betazoid/Vulcan
• Gender: Female
• Date of Birth: 234511.12
• Place of Birth: Bimli, Betazed, Near Lake El'Nar
• Hair Color: Black
• Eye Color: Black
• Height: 5'7

Family

Mother

Larien D'Sani, Daughter of the Eighth House of Betazed, Holder of the Sacred Scrolls of Karawati, Heir to the High Priestesses of Betazed. Her mother was born in the Capital City of Betazed, the daughter of Lord Evron and Lady Mai D'Sani. While growing up, Larien was exposed to many different elements of Betazoid society. Her father was a telepathic healer, and her mother a teacher. Larien decided at an early age to combine both of these elements and teach psychology. She studied both on Betazoid, and then had the opportunity to train at the Vulcan Science Academy. It was there that Larien met her future husband, Stelin of Vulcan. Larien holds advanced degrees in Psychology and Psychoneurology, and is the author of several books on both subjects. Larien was appointed an ambassador from Betazed several years ago, so she curtailed her teaching duties and now lectures sporadically at several different universities, as her ambassadorial commitments permit.

Father

While born into a powerful Vulcan family, Stelin, of the Family Neh'Chalick, had always felt a calling to teach. He was taught at an early age to respect the powerful philosophies of Surak, and other Vulcan philosophers. At a very young age, he developed a love of philosophy and soon began to study not only the great Vulcan writers, but also the philosophies of other worlds. Stelin continued this love and developed it into a passion that he would study at great lengths at University, eventually earning a doctorate degree. Part of his attraction to his future wife, Larien D'Sani, came from his interest in other worlds, and her passion about his. While deciding to live on Betazed after his marriage, Stelin still keeps healthy ties to his home world, making frequent visits and teaching at the Vulcan Academy a few times every year. Stelin also helps in T'Lara's duties as head of house, which she inherited upon the death of her name-sake great-grandmother.

Sisters

Tatiana and Anastasia. T'Lara's twin sisters recently graduated from the University of Betazed with Masters Degrees. Tatiana was a student of diplomatic studies, while Anastasia earned her degree in political science. While Tatiana is pursuing a position within the Starfleet Diplomatic Corpse, her twin is continuing on to law school, where she plans on studying Intergalactic Law, with hopes of serving Starfleet in the JAG office.

Daughter

T'Larien Graves. T'Larien is T'Lara's daughter by former Starfleet officer John Graves. T'Larien currently resides on Betazed with her grandparents. She and her twin brother, John, are close to graduating from high school. T'Larien has decided to pursue a career in the arts, and as such, included music education, acting and vocal lessons in her studies. She is also an artist, specializing in holographic sculpture and oil painting.

Son

John Graves Jr. John is T'Lara's son by former Starfleet officer John Graves. John Jr. lives with his sister at his grandparent's home on Betazed, and is very close to graduating from a gifted and talented High School, where he specialized in maths and sciences. After college, he would like to work for Starfleet, designing the next generation of spaceships and also working on improvements to Warp technology.

Family History

T'Lara Cha'Stelin was born on Betazed in the Vacation resort of Bimli, near Lake El'Nar on stardate 234311.12. Her mother is Larian D'Sani, daughter of the Eighth House, Holder of the Sacred Scrolls, Heir to the High Priestesses of Betazed. Her father is Stelin Cha'Sevek, of the High House Neh'Lik of Vulcan. T'Lara was their first child, and she was named for Stelin's great-grandmother, at the time the Head of House for the Family Neh'Lik.

T'Lara's Betazoid family, the clan D'Sani, has produced many famous philosophers, diplomats and teachers. Her mother, Larian, was a practising psychologist who had travelled to Vulcan to study Exobiology during an exchange program between the University of Betazed and the Vulcan Science Academy.

It was at the Vulcan Science Academy that Larian met Stelin Cha'Sevek, himself a graduate student 15 years her senior. Stelin was pursuing an advanced degree in Philosophy at the neighbouring Vulcan Educational Institute. He had been assigned to escort the young Betazoid princess during her travels around the planet. It was practically love at first sight. Stelin's first wife had died the year before in an accident. He had thrown himself into his studies to escape from grief. Meeting Larian was a breath of fresh air for him. Larian was impressed with Stelin's wide-reaching grasp of philosophy and the fact that he did not "think like most Vulcans."

They married two years later, after Larian had completed her studies at the University of Betazed. Despite her family's wealth and prominance, she took a job teaching at the university's branch school in Bimili. It was during her tenure there, as Stelin was finishing what would be the first of many books, that she discovered she was pregnate with their first child. Ten months later, Princess T'Lara was born.

Growing Up

T'Lara was born into wealth and privilege. She was immediately adored not only by her wide Betazoid clan, but revered as a new child of the High House Neh'Lik.

Early in her life, T'Lara showed an aptitude for healing, and a quiet intellectualism that would become her standard. She loved to be around people, listening to them, responding to them, and learning all she could about them. Her mother, a practising psychologist and teacher, was impressed by the young T'Lara's abilities and began grooming her daughter in Betazoid healing techniques. Her father was also duly impressed, and coached T'Lara on Vulcan techniques. The choice would be hers, but T'Lara's parents made sure she had a well-developed background in philosophy and psychology.

College

T'Lara's aptitude as a student allowed her to skip ahead a few grades and enter her college career earlier than most. While at the University of Betazed, she followed in her mother's footsteps and studied psychology. She did spend some time studying at the Vulcan Science Academy, while living at her great-grandmother's palace near the Vulcan capital city of Shi'K'Har.

After receiving her undergraduate degree, T'Lara went back and received a graduate degree in Psychology. After which, she decided the next logical course of action would be to join Starfleet.

Starfleet Academy

Moving to Starfleet Academy was an enlightening experience for T'Lara. She had never visited Earth before, and the suddenly overwhelming stream of thoughts and feelings were almost too much to bear. Working with a Betazoid counsellor at the Academy helped, as did T'Lara's immersion into her classes.

She went from sleeping in palaces to sleeping in a small dorm room with a room-mate named Danara whom she became quite close with. Suddenly, T'Lara realized she liked being on her own. She liked being able to decide on even the smallest things: what to have for breakfast, or what to wear for the day. It was all ordinary, yet, extraordinary, and T'Lara quickly adapted to it.

During her second year at Starfleet Academy, T'Lara met a young Starfleet officer named Tosh Eloi. Tosh was half-Betazoid, who had spent most of his life on earth. He had graduated from the Academy in T'Lara's freshman year, gone for his cadet cruise, and was promoted to Luitenate before the end of her Sophmore year. The attraction between T'Lara and Tosh was almost instant, and soon, they were spending as much time together as they could. During a summer break, Tosh took T'Lara to India, where he introduced her to the practice of Ashtanga Yoga.

Ashtanga Yoga would be something that would greatly influence T'Lara's life. Practised in its correct sequential order, Ashtanga Yoga gradually leads the practitioner to rediscover his or her fullest potential on all levels of human consciousness - physical, psychological and spiritual. Through this practice of correct breathing (Ujjayi Pranayama), postures (asanas), and gazing point (driste), one gains control of the senses and a deeper awareness of self. Maintaining this discipline with regularity and devotion, one acquires steadiness of body and mind. And so it did for T'Lara, who found the theories behind Yogic philosophy to be quite compatable with her own upbringing in both her Betazoid and Vulcan religious backgrounds.

Tosh also introduced her to the man who would become a great influence in her life: the Guru Pareeshi Rajneesh. Not only did the Guru become her yoga teacher, he became a trusted friend and father figure to T'Lara while she was away from her family. Guru's wife took T'Lara under her wing and showed her how to embroider and play the sitar, which T'Lara still does. She came to love the Rajneesh Family very much, taking care of their children when the couple came to San Francisco, and keeping in contact with them as much as possible. When Tosh was gone, they were her one link to him, where she could feel his presence immediately.

T'Lara took a variety of different classes at Starfleet Academy but decided that she should stick with what she knew best. Towards that end, she enrolled in the counselling program and began the extensive Starfleet training needed to become a counsellor working aboard a starship.

Also within her Starfleet training, T'Lara took a number of self-defence courses and became quite adept at Tae Kwan Do and Tai Chi. She began an independent study of the philosophies of the Far East and how they compared and contrasted with the philosophies of Vulcan and Betazed. It helped occupy her mind between visits from Tosh.

T'Lara and Tosh's relationship took a much more serious turn during her senior year at Starfleet Academy when, after a particularly romantic trip to the Indian city of New Calcutta, Tosh proposed. He knew he was scheduled to go out on a mission as soon as they returned to San Francisco. T'Lara readily accepted his proposal and they began to discuss plans right away. They had just enough time to consummate the engagement, and engage in a heavy session of ashtanga yoga before Tosh had to leave again. Ensconced in her own apartment now, T'Lara began to plan her wedding and work on her senior thesis, anxiously awaiting any word from Tosh. His messages were few and far between, being that his mission took him to the furthest reaches of the Alpha Quadrant. And then one day ... they stopped all together. T'Lara monitored the search for Tosh's ship as much as she could. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months. Tosh's ship, the USS Hawking, was declaired missing, possibly lost. She never sees Tosh alive again. It would not be until many years later, when serving aboard the USS Kodiak, that T'Lara would learn of Tosh's fate: he had been captured, tortured for information, and then killed by Romulan Agents in Starfleet.

Starfleet Service

T'Lara has served in numerous positions during her ten years in Starfleet. From her beginnings as Helm Control Operator on the USS Kodiak, she went on to fill several command positions and achieved her goal of becoming a Starfleet Counsellor.

During her time as counsellor on board the Kodiak, she caught the eye of the Starfleet Diplomatic Corps. Her keen intellect, as well as her sharp negotionation skills, and her mysteriously powerful telepathic abilities were something that SDC wanted to bring into their group. T'Lara continued to be called away from duty from time to time to serve with the Diplomatic Corpse, but she always returned to her first love, Starfleet.

USS Kodiak

The first in a long line of ships that T'Lara would serve aboard, and one that she would return to time and again. When she first came aboard the Kodiak, T'Lara had no idea what she was heading into. She went from a scared young cadet to experienced officer almost immediately, however, first under the strict tutelage of Captain Laang Vedoc, then under the more gentle guidance of (then) Commander Hollis Calley. T'Lara was privileged enough to serve on both the Kodiak A, which was eventually destroyed, and the Kodiak B, a Norway Class ship. During her first tour of duty on the Kodiak, T'Lara served as Helm Control Operator, Tactical Officer, Counsellor and Chief Science Officer. For a brief time during that first tour of duty, T'Lara served as First Officer under Xan Hebron, when Captain Hollis was presumed dead. When she came back to a new Kodiak a few years later, T'Lara served as Chief Operations Officer, until joining back up with Starfleet Diplomatics for one more mission.

USS Constitution

T'Lara's stint as First Officer aboard the USS Constitution began after a brief tour of duty as first officer on the USS Tiger. Her captain on the Constitution as well as the Tiger was her husband, then-Captain Xan Hebron.

During her tour of duty on the Constitution, T'Lara and Xan decided to marry on Risa in a splendid Vulcan ceremony. The day after their wedding, they were sent on a first contact mission that involved not only contact a new species, but Romulan and Ferengi intrusion as well. Captain Hebron was presumed missing and T'Lara, as first officer, and as a worried wife, led the team that recovered the captain and his away crew.

When that mission was over, T'Lara, Xan, and the rest of Constitution Crew was sent to Starbase118 ops.

Starbase 118

The headquarters for the fleet, T'Lara served with distinction as the head of the Starbase 118 Mental Care Facility. During this period of time, T'Lara was intensely researching new treatments and counselling methods for fleet officers returning from the Dominion Wars with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Her paper on the use of hypnotic suggestion in PTSD patients, written during her tenure at the facility, was published in several leading psychological journals.

Also while serving on Starbase 118, T'Lara was promoted to Commander by Admiral Hollis Calley, her commanding officer from the Kodiak and a close and trusted friend. Shortly after that, T'Lara received word from Vulcan that her great-great-grandmother, the head of household for the High House Neh'lik, and the woman she was named after, had passed away. She returned to Vulcan to settle family affairs. When she was ready to return to Starfleet, T'Lara returned to the Kodiak.

T'Lara returned to the Starbase many years later to serve as counsellor under the command of Captain Steve McCall. By this time, she had divorced Xan Hebron and was engaged to her fiancée and Imzadi, Russ'lk VanVoreen.

USS Steadfast

Like the Constitution, the Steadfast is a Galaxy Class Vessel, where T'Lara served twice as Ship's Counsellor. The ship is captained by Captain Christopher Hutton, at one time T'Lara's assistant Science Officer aboard the Kodiak. T'Lara was extremely pleased to see that Hutton had risen to the rank she once told him he would be. During her time with the Steadfast, T'lara served in a variety of diplomatic functions as Counsellor to Captain Hutton and First Officer T'Pen. She also oversaw the day to day operations of the counselling staff and makes sure that the crew is running in prime psychological condition

Currently, T'Lara is serving as Science Officer on the USS Triumphant, under the command of Captain Rhys Bejain.

Russ'lk VanVoreen: Imzadi to T'Lara

Russ’lk VanVoreen was born on Betazed, the son of Palin and Saroma VanVoreen, of the clan San'Ta'Be, family of the Twelth House of Betazed.

The VanVoreen family, as well as the entire clan San'Ta'Be, have produced many famed politicians, diplomats and leaders. As members of the Twelth House, the house of Peace and Balance, the VanVoreen family thought it their sacred duty to become actively involved in poltical causes, fighting for the rights of all beings, and bringing peace and balance throughout the world. As Betazed made the leap into space exploration, the VanVoreen family became active in interplanetary politics as well. When Betazed was formally inducted into the United Federation of Planets, Russ'lk's great-great-grandfather became the first Ambassador to the Federation from Betazed.

Russ'lk himself became involved in politics and diplomacy at an early age. Forgoing Starfleet at the same time many of his friends were joining, he decided instead to go to the University of Betazed School of Law. After graduating with a law degree, Russ'lk then journeyed to Earth, studying at Harvard University and Cambridge, earning degrees in Interplanetary Law and Galactic Diplomacy, and graduating at the top of his class. For a short while, Russ'lk worked at his father's law firm but he was quickly noticed by the United Federation of Planets.

Recognizing the VanVoreen name and what it stood for, the UFoP could not let the opportunity to have a VanVoreen in their ranks pass them by. He was offered an ambassadorship, which Russ'lk quickly turned down. If he was going to serve, Russ'lk told them, he wanted to do so in a way that would take him through the galaxy, meeting new people and discovering new cultures. He was given a spot in the Diplomatic Corps, where he worked to open new relationships with post-first contact worlds, and acclimating new members of the Federation.

It was during one such tour of duty that Russ'lk VanVoreen met T'Lara Cha'Stelin. She had been assigned to the Diplomatic Corps for a short time, in between starship assignments, and she was seriously considering it as a permanent career move. They were quickly drawn to each other, he attracted by her great beauty and high intellectualism, she by his seemingly endless supply of humour, his sense of understanding, and his ability to calm her down even when she felt as high as she could go.

Russ'lk and T'Lara: A Match Made

Their matching was something that brought great joy to T'Lara's family, as well as Russ'lk's. Their parents had been acquaintances for many years, and while T'Lara and Russ'lk didn't know each other personally, they ran in the same social circles on the Betazoid homeworld. It seemed, at least to most, that destiny was working it's own way to bring the two together.

And once they were together, only Starfleet could separate them. Prior to their engagement, T'Lara and Russ'lk decided to partake in a little-known Betazoid joining ceremony know as the Da'Lyn: the "Joining of Heart and Mind." It is a pre-marital ritual that allows the couple to become acquainted with the other's thoughts and feelings. So, while the distance of space and time may separate them, T'Lara and Russ'lk are never far apart from one another.

Russ'lk has been accepted not only by T'Lara's parents, but by her children as well. When T'Lara was hospitalized after a severe emotional breakdown, Russ'lk rearranged his diplomatic schedule in order to be at her side the entire time. While he was back on Betazed, nursing T'Lara back to health, he also acted as an emotional sounding board for T'Larien and John Jr. He was as much as at their service as he was at T'Lara's. His genuine love for T'Lara has extended to her children as well, and they have accepted him into their family circle.

The closeness that T'Lara and Russ'lk share is apparent to anyone who sees them together. They are constantly holding onto one another, or are deeply involved in some sort of mental contact, so that one is never far away from the other.

Spirtuality

T'Lara's spiritual roots grew out of her study of her own Betazoid and Vulcan backgrounds, and the additional study of Eastern philosophy from Earth. One of T'Lara's deepest beliefs is that her spirituality has been the key to keeping all of her "worlds" from colliding with each other, and keeping her equilibrium about her when everything else seemed to be falling apart.

Not only did T'Lara find her grounding in the worship of her Betazoid Goddess, Karawati, she also found peace through the practices of Ashtanga Yoga and through the ancient Chinese practice of Qi Quong. She has become a master at both practices.

Karawati

Karawati is the "Mother Goddess" of Betazed. She is often depicted in art as pregnant, with her belly filled with stars and other celestial bodies. The name "Karawati" translates as "Galaxy Bearing" and thus, it is widely accepted that this Goddess of the Stars is the Mother of the Universe.

The members of the the Cult of Karawati are generally pious in their devotion to the goddess, and adhere to strict rituals and ceremonies as a part of their religious practices. While most Betazoid religions follow a common theme, share a common background, and have many common rituals, followers of Karawati have many practices which are not found in other cults. Some of those include the Da'lyn, the joining of heart and mind, (similar to Vulcan bonding); the adoption of others into clans as spiritual brothers and sisters; rituals of the sacred fire, performed when a child is born into the family, and sacred communion of souls. The followers of Karawati have an important, and ancient, charge: to preserve the telepathic history of the planet, to spread the stories of Ancient Betazed, and to be the keepers of the planet's most ancient mysteries. The lineage and ancient relics are passed down through the mother to the eldest daughter or son. One such relic, the Sacred Scrolls of Betazed, are held by T'Lara's mother. These scrolls contain ancient stories of Karawati and her good works, texts for ancient telepathic rituals, and other mysteries that have remained just that ... mysteries ... for eons.