Lt. Commander K'Tan, Chief Tactical Officer

[wraith1701]

Character's Name: Lt. Commander K'Tan of the House of Gal

Stats-

Born: 2356

Place Of Birth: Aviskie, a Klingon colony near the Romulan frontier.  This colony was a popular port of leave for Klingon crews returning from raids into Romulan space during the late 2200's.

Gender: male

Species Of Origin: Human

Hair: black

Eyes: dark brown

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 205lbs

Skin Tone:  dark copper-brown, reflecting his African/Middle Eastern ancestry

Telepathic and Empathic Status: none

Body: medium height, athletic build

Face : K'Tan's face is a reflection of his rough upbringing: an angry, dark-red scar runs down the left side of his face, bisecting his left eyebrow and continuing down his left cheek to end at the jawline.

He wears his hair in the style of his adopted people- a shaggy, shoulder-length mane of ebon locks.  It is worn tied back in a pony tail while in uniform; a nod to Starfleet regulations.  His neatly-trimmed black goatee strikes some as being a bit sinister in appearance.

Marital Stats: single

Children: none

Habits: As a human raised among klingons, he is driven by a burning obsession to hone his martial prowes; both physical and mental.  Much of his spare time is devoted to training with traditional klingon edged weapons and to the practice of myriad hand-to-hand combat styles.  K'Tan also has a keen interest in military history and combat tactics; he has a growing collection of texts by and about some of the most famous military leaders in history.

Quarters: His living space is dominated by a small collection of antique human and klingon edged weapons, supplemented with a growing collection of military history texts.  He also has a few miniature replicas of some of the more famous ships in starfleet history.

Likes: Milititary history, weapons training, strong-willed women, raktajino and the Bajoran dish hasperat.

Dislikes: Overly verbose people, timidity, bureaucracy, and gagh.  K'Tan also has a deeply ingrained distrust of Romulans.

Ambitions and Goals: To find that which has eluded him for most of his adult life- a sense of belonging.  Having spent a considerable amount of time with starfleet counselors for much of his career, K'Tan recognizes that his attitude and combativeness have their roots in his deeply seated feelings of being an outsider.  Armed with the understanding that this handicap is a detriment to his career, he struggles daily to overcome his insecurities.  His long-term goal: To finally silence his inner demons, and eventually command a ship of his own.

Temperament: Brusque, short-tempered and aggressive.  K'Tan has been criticized in the past for his lack of patience with those who fail to live up to his expectations. When faced with new or threatening situations, he has a tendency to hide his insecurities behind a combative demeanor.  His training record is unfortunately
filled with black marks for insubordination and violent behavior.  This has turned out to be a major hindrance to the advancing of his career.

Hobbies:  Reading, physical training, and building miniature replicas of historic starfleet vessels.

Family-
Mother: (adoptive) Kamala, House of Gal
Father: (adoptive) T'Nag, House of Gal
Siblings: Brother (adoptive) KoraQ', House of Gal

Character History: The son of federation diplomats attached to a fledgling embassy on the Klingon outpost Aviskie, he was orphaned at the age of three in an attack on the site conducted by Romulan raiders.  Although his parents died in the ground phase of the attack, they did so while fighting shoulder to shoulder with the klingon guards assigned to repel the invaders.  Impressed by the courage shown by the human couple, a Klingon guardsman named T'nag felt honor bound to care for their infant son.  The child was adopted into T'nag's household, and spent the next 15 years growing up within the Klingon Empire.

His upbringing was rough-- his adoptive family refused to do him the dishonor of shielding him from the trials and tribulations common to any Klingon youth.  The comparative fragility of his human physiology led to more than a few injuries as he was growing up, many of them life-threatening.  His obvious physical differences often led to him being dismissed by his peers as "jeghpu'wI"(a term reserved for non-Klingon subjects of the empire)- a status greater than slave, but less than citizen. He constantly trained, pushing himself to the limits in an attempt to keep up with his more robust Klingon peers, but eventually came to the realization that he would have to supplement his strength with his wits in order to survive.

His efforts eventually led to him being generally accepted by his immediate circle.  However, he often found himself being challenged by some of the more conservative Klingons who questioned the presence of a human living among them.  More often than not, his tenacity and quick thinking resulted in him earning the respect of his detractors.

After reaching the age of ascension, it seemed that his lifelong dream of entering the Klingon defense force would come to pass.  Impressed by his grasp of tactical planning, and by his not only having survived, but having thrived in the Klingon culture, his mentors offered him postings as conn or tactical officer on a number of different ships.  But while his professional life was improving, his personal life was soon torn to shreds.

A romance with a young Klingon woman from one of the more influential Great Houses ended in tragedy, and shattered any illusions he had of being fully accepted by his adoptive society.

Disillusioned, he left the empire and made his way to the federation to explore his human roots.  Eventually, he was accepted into Starfleet Academy, and after a tumultuous nine years, he barely managed to graduate.

K'Tan's service record is marked by the recurrence of entries regarding "an overly-aggressive nature", "borderline insubordinate behavior", and "an inability to work well with others".  These black marks have put his career in serious jeopardy.  Several members of the admiralty, however, feel convinced that the conflicts are the result of a culturally based communication barrier, and that an officer with his "unique insight into the culture of the
Klingon empire" could be an asset to the fleet.  Because of this, rather than being booted out of Starfleet, he has found himself being repeatedly transfered to different postings.   He has served on five different starships since graduating, with his most recent post being relief Tactical Officer and Security Officer on the Defiant class U.S.S. Ranger.  After nearly coming to blows with the executive officer of the Ranger, his career is now on its last legs.

In a last-ditch effort to salvage his career, Starfleet administrators have requested his transfer to a rather unique vessel- the Akira class U.S.S. Tiberious.  Their reasoning is two-fold:  First and foremost, the Tiberious is home to one of the most highly regarded Counselors in the fleet- Chief Counselor Margon.  Secondly, it is believed that a ship whose crew is made up of such an unusually large number of telepaths might minimize the likelihood of
misunderstandings stemming from his Klingon upbringing, and help him to complete his transition to federation life.

[X]

Welcome aboard. I can't wait to interact with him. Maybe he can share space with Aeric in the Brig.

[3 Ducks in a Man Costume]

heh

[Jen]

Again, nice profile. Welcome to the story! 

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Wow...idk guys, this guy is a bit violent.  I think Isaac won't adapt too well with him.  Should I watch out for a batleth?

*mispelled ik*

King Linksr

[wraith1701]

LOL don't worry; K'Tan is determined to turn over a new leaf.  He doesn't want to get kicked out of Starfleet, and he doesn't want to end up in the brig.

You don't have to watch out for any bat'leths...
probably. ;)

Thanks for the welcome, guys; I look forward to participating in the story! :)

[Duffster]

I think K'Tan and Tain need to get together!!!!

[KingIsaacLinksr]

LOL don't worry; K'Tan is determined to turn over a new leaf.  He doesn't want to get kicked out of Starfleet, and he doesn't want to end up in the brig.

You don't have to watch out for any bat'leths...
probably. ;)

Thanks for the welcome, guys; I look forward to participating in the story! :)

Right....I'll just go make my sword now >.>  *walks over to closet and starts hammering out a sword*

King Linksr

P.S.  LOL LOL

[wraith1701]

The Planet Askive, Klingon Empire, 2366.

Historian's note:  This takes place two years before the outbreak of the Klingon Civil War, in which the forces of Gowron fought against the Duras sisters for control of the Klingon Empire (As depicted in the TNG episode Redemption).




Life on Askive was rough sometimes.

K'Tan limped across the grassy field, fighting to hold back his tears.  Even though his friends and family lacked tearducts, and therefore the ability to cry, they would recognize any stray moisture in his eyes.  The Klingon empire had enough contact with humanity to know what tears were, and everyone would interpret his waterworks as the sign of weakness that they were.   

He was ten years old now, far beyond the age when indulgent displays of weakness would be tolerated.

Taking a deep, trembling breath, the boy closed his eyes and tried to picture his self-pitying tears as a dark, putrid cloud of shame.  In his mind's eye, he watched himself grab the cloud in a stranglehold, and choke it into submission. 

He exhaled, then took another long breath. 

As his heart rate slowed, K'Tan envisioned a metal box sitting inside his chest.  He concentrated on the image of himself stuffing the shameful cloud into the box, grasping the stray wisps that tried to get away until none remained.  He then slammed the box closed and buried it into the deepest part of his heart that he could find. 

K'Tan slowly opened his eyes, and took another steady, cleansing breath.  As a sense of cold, detached calm settled over him like a comfortably familiar blanket, a smile of satisfaction lit the young boy's face.  Confident that he had extinguished the last telltale signs of his weakness, K'Tan continued to make his halting, limping way back to his parent's house. 

He could barely even feel the grinding of the cracked bones of his ankle.





In the kitchen of an old but well-maintained Klingon home, a middle aged woman carefully carved a freshly killed targ cub.  The woman paused to admire the artfully arrayed slabs of marbled meat, then tossed a handfull of pungent spices onto the flesh.  Her stomach growled as she inhaled the mingled aromas of fresh blood and exotic spices.

With lightening quickness, her hand suddenly shot out to her side, closing on a grubby hand stretching out towards the platter.  With a strength that seemed out of proportion with her slight build, she raised her arm, lifting a squirming Klingon child from under her prep table.

Trapped in his mother's vice-like grip, the child offered an impish smile.

"I was only going to take a small piece, mother.  Just to sample your work."

Her expression stern, the woman shoved the child out of her kitchen.  "Out you go, KoraQ," she admonished. "Meal time is in an hour; be patient.  You will eat when the family eats, or you won't eat at all."

"Yes, mother," the boy replied, rubbing his bruised wrist.  He headed towards the front door, then paused, sniffing the air.

"It smells like K'Tan is home.  I'll suprise him!" 

The youth flattened himself against the wall beside the door, smiling viciously.  Arm raised and fist clenched, the Klingon boy chuckled, waiting for his unsuspecting sibling's arrival.


Outside the house, K'Tan limped to the lumber pile beside the front door and nonchalantly selected a midsized plank of wood.  As he approached the front door, he hefted the slab of lumber in front of him at face-level, and yelled "Mother, I'm home!"  K'Tan nudged the door open with a knee, then stepped inside.

He was greeted by a fist smashing into the wooden plank shielding his face, followed immediately by his assailant's howl of pain.  K'Tan smiled as his brother KoraQ dropped to his knees, protectively clutching his bleeding knuckles.  KoraQ glanced up at K'Tan, and managed to smile through his pain in grudging respect. 

"Well done, Little Claw," KoraQ said.  "It looks like you are finally learning to protect yourself."

Beaming with pride at the praise, K'Tan decided to ignore the use of his hated nickname.  He tossed the plank of wood to his brother, and gingerly limped into the family room.  Noticing his limp, his mother stepped in front of him, cutting him off. 

"Wait a minute, K'Tan.  What happened to your leg?  And tell the truth; I'll be able to smell a lie."

Sighing in resignation, K'Tan slumped onto the couch.  "Me and some of the other kids were having a jumping contest on the Rorshakk cliffs."  Smiling, the boy added "And I won!"

His mother shook her ridged head in disapproval.  "And what great prize was worth risking your life over, eh?"

To his shame, K'Tan couldn't suppress the blush that flushed his cheeks.  "The winner got a kiss from Lady K'Lara."

"Lady K'Lara?!?  That child is many things, but she is no Lady," his mother exclaimed.  "You'd be wise to avoid that girl; she comes from a proud house.  Her family won't look kindly on her traipsing around with a commoner, especially if that commoner is a QuchHa'." 

K'Tan flinched at the mention of the word.  Among Klingons, QuchHa' referred to a minority of the race who still bore the mark of an ancient affliction, a genetic disorder that gave them an almost human appearance.  The irony was, even though K'Tan looked like one of the disenfranchised QuchHa', his appearance wasn't due to a genetic mishap.  he looked human because he was human.  Of course, that was a secret; as far as his family was concerned, it was better that his peers think him a QuchHa' than know his true heredity.

"You stay away from that girl," his mother said.  "Do you understand?"

"Yes, mother," he replied. 

For now, he added silently...