Savan: Difference between revisions

* '''Languages''': At the Academy, Savan showed a strong skill in languages, showing a mastery for Romulan and, to a lesser degree, for Klingon as well. (He liked to use his Klingon to challenge his mok'bara instructor during sparing practice.) He also studied Cardassian to a high level but gradually found he did not care for it. Through his studies in high school and university, Savan also learned Terran languages of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin, as well as some Andorian and Deltan. Savan also learned some Mandarin Chinese as a result of his studies of wushu. ''Note on Vulcan language'': Savan obviously speaks Vulcan fluently. However, until his late teens, Savan spoke only a young adult's version of the Vulcan standard dialect as he had left at age 12. His adopted father Torin later schooled him in Vulcan language. On occasion, Torin's father Selon also provided instruction during visits. During his studies at the University of California, Savan took coursework so he could have a strong fluency. While colloquially fluent, Savan does has a light accent in Vulcan, though it's difficult to place. Also, he is not familiar with scientific, technological and military terms and vocabulary, so he would be challenged if put into a situation that required such fluency, as on board a Vulcan ship. He has thought of contacting his uncle Staran for suggestions on the best way to learn this, but Savan hasn't had time.

* '''Musical tastes''': From Terra - jazz (especially, 20th century artist Miles Davis), classical Indian music, tango / From other worlds: Andorian blues, Vulcan lyre / Savan also like to work out to beat-driven music that developed from a late 20th/early 21st century Terran musical form called house.

* '''Relaxation''': Savan tried to learn the Vulcan technique of deep body relaxation, which many has said is better than the Terran vacation. He has yet been unable to and has lost interest in any case. For short-term relaxation besides meditation, Savan likes to soak in herbal baths (similar to Japanese ofuro) as well as steam and sauna. Due to his Vulcan physiology, he can endure rather high heat settings. When he has more time, he actually enjoys the Terran-style vacation but likes to keep his activity to a minimum. In particular, his preference is a sparsely visited beach in a tropical climate, where he can swim, just float in the water, or lie in the sun to tan. That said, he likes Tahiti, Bora Bora and the Tuamotus, all of which where introduced to him by his adopted mother Tevai.  

* '''Other Species’'': Unlike other Vulcans, Savan does like Andorians for their strong martial quality. He is fascinated by Deltans but is hesitant to meet any after his intense experience with Irian. Savan has gotten along rather well with Klingons, thanks to his mok’bara training and his high fluency in Klingon. Being around Klingons for a sustained time can bring out deeper, more “primitive” emotions, so Savan has learned to moderate his company with this species.  

 

Evantually, Staran was able to find his distant cousin Torin, a half-Vulcan who was an interspecies anthropologist in Northern California.  Torin’s father, Selon, joined Starfleet and married a human female, with whom he had one son, Torin being the youngest. Despite his father’s preference for alien cultures, Torin did learn much from Selon and managed to raise his own two sons with some Vulcan culture and taught them basic mental disciplines in order to help contain any vestigal Vulcan drives, all the while knowing their dominant human blood left them for all intents and purposes humans in the eyes of fellow Vulcans. (Their Vulcan features do make other humans consider them as Vulcans.) While Torin could not consider himself a pure Vulcan, he did pride himself on his Vulcan ancestry, over the years, and was eventually able to reestablish and restablished contact with his father’s family.(Selon had a falling out with his father when he joined Starfleet and later did not invite his family to his wedding.) Thankfully, the family hailed from the small city of T’Vral Kol, located on the shores of the Voroth Sea, Vulcan's largest ocean. In keeping with the general culture of T’Vral Kol, the family was far more liberal and open-minded compared to Vulcan's elite, who have congregate around the capital, Shi'Kahr. (Notably, Varis belonged from such a notable family but, having found the environment repressive at times, preferred the more relaxed environment of T'Vral Kol.) It is through this link with his family in T’Vral Kol that Staran was able to learn about and communicate with Torin.

After several months of long-distancediscussion between Staran and Torin, Torin travel to Vulcan to meet Savan to see if the adoption would be welcome. After a positive meeting with the child and his uncle, Savan took the then 12-year-old Savan into his custody and brought him to Santa Cruz. Savan soon proved to be an entirely new challenge for the adoptive father. Unlike his own children who were of a mixed background—and hence with more moderate human traits—Savan was a pure Vulcan who possessed the strong emotions and passions of his ancestors. In some ways, Savan had the raw, unfiltered rage fit for a Klingon youth—an emotional quality that Torin knew came from Savan’s loss of his two parents and the inability for Vulcan society to accept him or his parents. Moreover, the prescribed medical and psychiatric treatments from Vulcan and Earth proved only to be moderately effective at best. As an anthropologist, Torin contacted parents of mixed species children for desperate advice. The parents of two part-Klingon children had found one successful outlet for their children: intense physical activities that required immense discipline. Their advice proved to be an effective channel for Savan. Torin managed to enroll Savan into various martial arts classes and wilderness survival programs. Then came the ocean. Torin's wife, Tevai, was a human and originally an accomplished surfer from Tahiti. Already in their late teens, his sons, Tauvin and Tarek, had proved highly successful in their mother's posrt  and eventually taught Savan the art of wave riding and competitive swimming. As the human expression goes, Savan took to the sport like a fish to water. Tevai and his cousins would eventually take Savan on trips around Terra to different surf spots, including Hawaii, Tahiti, Australia and Indonesia. It was during these travels that Savan discovered a love for the sea and tropical climates.

'''Late Teens in California''' Despite the initial challenges, Savan had managed to successfully adapt to life on Terra by the time he was ready for high-school. When Savan was 15, Torin enrolled him in the prestigious Interspecies Day School of California in San Francisco, which boasted rigorous programs and students from across the Federation. He managed to develop several friendships with humans, most notably, his best friend John Torres, and later graduated as class valedictorian. Throughout high school, he participated in several extracurricular martial arts events. Notably, he even dated a classmate, Sarinae, during his senior year. This was a first for any Vulcan student attending IDSC.

'''College and Preparing for Starfleet''' Savan's love for nature and wild spaces inspired him to pursue environmental studies at the University of California. His original plan was to enter the planetary parks service. He was also admittedly happy that his best friend John Torres was going to the same school. The two friends shared an apartment for much of the time during their studies, which Savan enjoyed but confessed it was not the most productive environment for academics. Savan admits that university was perhaps his wildest and most unruly time as an adult but appreciates he had the chance to explore human life. It is from a few "incidents" during college involving Torres that Savan developed an ongoing disdain for tequila. His first semester his junior year was very lackluster. (This was part due to his social life and also his frustrated relationship with a Deltan, Irian.) As a consequence, Savan took a few months off to hike around Terra to clear his mind. He returned for a stellar senior year that fall. During that time, Savan intensified his martial arts training, eventually meeting a former Starfleet Marine David Ironwood. Seeing Savan's high skill level and natural abilities, Ironwood introduced him to modern tactical training and the use of energy weapons.The retiree eventually inspired Savan to apply to the Academy, helping him to overcome his personal concerns about his ESFD. Prior to joining the Academy, Savan served as Ironwood's assistant. During this period, Savan is awarded expert status in Suhs Mahna from the Interplanetary Martial Arts Association. His teacher Savrak, also a former Starfleet officer, admitted to Savan that he was initially skeptical of Savan because of his condition, but realized his judgment was in error. Ironwood was later instrumental in securing for Savan the opportunity to train with a group of marines in Alaska for three months, prior to his arrival at the Academy. Savan says the experience was the most challenging physically in his life up to that point and deeply appreciated the training. He has also repeatedly said that it gave him an edge for his training in security at the Academy.

Even with a full 60-credit load, Savan's performance at the Academy was generally superior. His previous martial arts, survival and early tactical training allowed him to excel in his main security coursework. He also showed an aptitude in languages. In particular, professors noted that his natural proficiency in Romulan and greater emotional openness could be a future asset to Starfleet Intelligence.The repeated, though minor, concern from some professors was that it appeared Savan could be understimulated by the day-to-day routine and tedium, not to mention, the enclosed space of a starship. Also, there was one very challenging course for Savan: captivity training. His difficulties were most likely due to his ESFD, but he refused to be given any special medical exception. Hence, he barely passed the course. In contrast, Savan usually performed best in on-the-ground scenarios and in wilderness settings, making him ideal for away team missions and planetary postings.  

The heavy course load did take a notable consequence on his social life. While liked by most of his classmates, he had little free time to develop the usual camaraderie that most cades enjoy. As Savan had already had an outgoing social life during his civilian university experience, he felt it unnecessary to repeat the experience. However, he did lead the Academy's martial arts club his senior year and taught recreational courses in Suus Mahna and Wushu.