Lieutenant Commander Karzen Son of Arjune, Son of Ragan
Name Karzen Son of Arjune, Son of Ragan MD, MPH
Position Assistant Chief Medical Officer
Second Position Chief Flight Surgeon
Rank Lieutenant Commander
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Klingon/Romulan | |
| Date of Birth | 1/1/2272 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 1.78m (5'10") | |
| Weight | 83kg (183lbs) | |
| Hair Color | Bald | |
| Eye Color | white/sliver | |
| Physical Description | Karzen looks a bit strange, being part Klingon and part Romulan. There are some strange quirks that seem to be from neither but rather an odd combination of the two. His ears are a bit pointed. Karzen went prematurely bald, while his facial hair went prematurely white. His eyes are an odd white color, but that doesn’t seem to affect his vision, which had to be excellent for him to qualify as a fighter pilot in his youth. Karzen’s forehead ridges go a bit high for a Klingon, but not so much that one might suspect he was born on the wrong side of the blanket. In, and sometimes out of uniform, Karzen wears a Klingon mail sash, such as the one Worf wears in uniform. Pinned to it are both his father’s and his mother’s house crests, along with his Nyberrite Alliance Master Pilot wings and his Starfleet Flight Surgeon wings. The fact that not everything that’s on his sash is Klingon in origin is usually immediately obvious to any Klingon, as is the fact that one of the sigils is Romulan in origin, and thus usually inspires disdain. Starfleet and Federation Cultural Sensitivity rules and regulations allow Karzen to carry his Nyberrite Back Talon dagger. He usually keeps in out of sight. Some options: in a sheath under his left shoulder under a jacket, vest, or open shirt; on his belt at the small of his back, under a jacket, vest, or shirt; or sometimes concealed under his sash. |
Family
| Spouse | Divorced | |
| Children | Aharown (Adult Son; Starfleet Engineering Officer) | |
| Father | Ragan, Son of Kozar (Klingon) | |
| Mother | Arjune (Romulan) | |
| Brother(s) | TBD | |
| Sister(s) | TBD | |
| Other Family | Possibly nieces and nephews. He has family in both the Klingon and Romulan Empires but has never met them and as far he knows, they want nothing to do with him. |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | General Overview: Medicine is an unusual field for a Klingon, not so much for a Romulan. Karzen’s parents have always been open to him choosing his own path. When he was a warrior (a combat fighter pilot for the Nyberrite Alliance) they were proud of him. When he chose to study medicine, they were proud of him. When he chose to join the Federation Frontier Health Service to help people with limited medical resources out on the frontiers of Federation territory, they were proud of him. When he joined Starfleet, they were proud of him. In short, as long as Karzen stays true to his path and acts with honor, they will be proud of him. Knowing he will probably be rejected by both Romulans and Klingons (except for the ones that are Nyberrite mercenaries), Karzen tries not to care what the ones he encounters outside of the safety of the Nyberrite Alliance. He takes from each culture that which he deems useful and enjoyable and that reflects best who he wants to be, and rejects the rest. For example, instead of just using a patronymic (Karzen, Son of Ragan), Karzen uses both a matronymic and a patronymic (Karzen, Son of Arjune, Son of Ragan) because while Klingons are at least somewhat patriarchal, Romulans are matriarchal. In this way, he takes from Klingon culture and Romulan culture. Putting his mother’s name first is just his way of sticking his thumb in the collective eye of those Klingons who rejected or would reject the union of his mother and father. But Karzen was exposed to many different cultures as he was raised in the Nyberrite Alliance, among both the Nyberrite and the families of their mercenaries, who came from all over the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. An example of this is the way he combines the Klingon and Romulan cultural norm around blades with the use of a Nyberrite back talon, a curved dagger very similar to the karambit used in Indonesian and Filipino martial arts on Earth. As per Starfleet regulations and cultural exemptions on the carrying of personal weapons, Karzen is permitted to carry this small weapon both on-duty and off-duty. If Worf can carry a full size Mek’leth (effectively a short-short or machete), Karzen can carry a small curved dagger with an 10.16cm (4 inch) blade. (See Character Images for pictures of this weapon). NOTE: Karzen's secondary position is Chief Flight Surgeon. Flight Surgeons are not ‘surgeons’. The term ‘Flight Surgeon’ goes back to when most military physicians were called ‘Surgeon’ (Example: “Surgeon-General”). Flight Surgeons are responsible for the health, safety, and well-being of all pilots and flight crew on the station, especially those assigned to fighters, shuttles, runabouts, worker bees, and other small craft. Additionally, their specialized training in the health concerns related specifically to space travel and space service in general can be called upon to assist the Chief Medical Officer and the rest of the medical staff as needed. Flight Surgeons are trained to assist with Aerospace MEDEVAC (planned Aerospace Medical Transport) and CASEVAC (Casualty Evacuation: Unplanned Aerospace Transport). |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | Strengths: Karzen is a near perfect fusion of Klingon and Romulan physiology. As such, he is stronger, faster, and tougher than a Human and a match for Romulans and Klingons. He’s not as strong as a Vulcan, but he’s capable of being equal parts cunning and vicious when he needs to be, providing a balance to a Vulcan’s superior strength. His Romulan DNA tends to balance certain vulnerabilities possessed by Klingons. While he is small for a Klingon, he is lighter and quicker, and his fighting tactics reflect a broader range of styles than one might encounter fighting your average Klingon hand-to-hand or with a melee weapon. Karzen has been a pilot for over 100 years, and he spent forty years as a fighter pilot with the Nyberrite Alliance. As the NA is involved in an on-going conflict with a neighboring nation, and as their tactics rely almost entirely on fighters and fighter-bombers launched from carriers, starbases, and planetary facilities, Karzen gained four decades of combat experience. Between his service with the NA and joining Starfleet (and during his hiatus from Starfleet), Karzen flew regularly, both with the Federation Civil Aerospace Patrol (SAR, Aerial/Aerospace Survey, Mapping, Flight Instruction, etc.) and by flying his privately owned craft. As a Starfleet Flight Surgeon, Karzen is required to maintain flight status in fighters, shuttles, runabouts, worker bees, etc. Most flight surgeons only have basic flight skills and some familiarization time in various craft. Karzen has many more flight hours because of his time as a fighter pilot. Karzen has been a physician (internal medicine, preventive medicine, aerospace medicine) for a long time and is very good at his job. As a child of both a Klingon and a Romulan, martial combat training was a significant factor in his upbringing and has remained so throughout his life. He is a skilled martial artist. Weaknesses: Even the most progressive of Klingons and Romulans would likely look down their noses at Karzen as a mongrel and a traitor. This puts him at a disadvantage when dealing with Klingons and Romulans (except for most of those in the service of the Nyberrite Alliance). Despite his personal protests that the above weakness doesn’t bother him, it does, even after many years of dealing with it. Karzen can be sensitive about his “mongrel” nature and the disdain and contempt full-blooded Klingons and Romulans hold him in. This can make it difficult to deal with Klingons and Romulans from his side of the equation, which can compound the above problem. This can lead to misunderstandings, some violent, when Karzen presumes he is about to be disrespected or rejected for who he is. |
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| Ambitions | Karzen isn't sure what the future holds for him. He could live for another century, maybe even work for the next eight decades at least. That's a lot of future to plan for. A return to academia might be in his future, or maybe just some time spent flying for the fun of travel and piloting his shuttle. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | Pilot: Karzen holds and maintains a Federation Aerospace Administration (FAA) Commercial Pilot Licence, in addition to his Starfleet pilot credentials. He owns a civilian version of Starfleet’s Type 9 Shuttlecraft. It is warp capable and has the light phasers and shielding for defensive purposes and for dealing with space debris. It has enough range that if Karzen plans his trips accordingly, he can get most of the places he needs to go. If need be, he can book passage for both himself and his shuttle on a larger vessel. N’Delrek (Romulan martial art similar to Terran Jiujitsu), Komerek (similar in some ways to N’Delrek, Komerek is a nastier, more vicious and brutal, less socially acceptable Romulan martial art, focusing on nerve strikes and bone or joint breaking), Mok’bara (Klingon martial art similar to Tai Chi), Suus Mahna (Vulcan Martial Arts) He enjoys Andorian Blues and Earth Blues, as well as Jazz and Jazz Fusion. He learned to play diatonic and chromatic harmonica from a human working as a Nyberrite mercenary and has continued to practice and study. |
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| Languages | Klingon, Romulan, Nyber, Federation Standard (English), Vulcan, Others |
| Personal History | Karzen is the child of a union between an Imperial Klingon Defense Force officer named Ragan, Son of Kyzen, and a Romulan Star Navy officer named Arjune. The two star-crossed lovers met while they were both serving at a Klingon-Romulan joint operating base in the waning years of Klingon-Romulan cooperation. Knowing their union would never be accepted by their families or their nations, Ragan and Arjune stole a courier ship and fled, making their way to the territory of the Nyberrite Alliance. By then Arjune was pregnant with Karzen, who would be brought into the universe months later and raised in the Nyberrite Alliance. The Nyberrite Alliance generally stayed out of interstellar politics and affairs, except for one thing. The Nyberrite had a vicious enemy on one of its borders with whom they were at war with on and off, with skirmish after skirmish fought while the wars were “off”. To help with manpower issues, the Nyberrite Alliance heavily recruited mercenaries from all over the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. Ragan and Arjune became two of these mercenaries. Raised in the Nyberrite Alliance with a Klingon father and Romulan mother and neighbors from everywhere, Karzen grew up to be a citizen of the galaxy. His character was influenced by many cultures and he tried to take the best of all of them. Of course, he was part Klingon so a great deal of his growing up had to happen after he was already fully grown, physically anyway. He learned to be a pilot as a civilian when he was old enough, and by age 13 (adulthood for Klingons) he was in the enlisted flight academy and by age 15 a Flight Corporal in the fleet of the Nyberrite Alliance. When he left four decades later, he was a Chief Flight Warrant Officer. Nyberrite Alliance ships were lightly armed carriers, with strong point defense systems but only minimal ship to ship weaponry. Because of this, the Nyberrite depended on small craft for combat. Karzen spent four decades as a fighter pilot and fighter-bomber pilot (and sometimes flew larger support craft). Towards the end of that time, he became disillusioned. He was happy to defend his home, but grew weary of the constant combat. He knew that was very “un-Klingon” of him, but there it was. As part of an exchange program, Starfleet sent a doctor to work with the Nyberrite fleet. Karzen became friendly with this doctor, who eventually convinced him to apply for university in the Federation. She helped him with his applications, wrote him recommendations, and sponsored his visa application. She later helped Karzen gain dual Nyberrite/Federation citizenship. When Karzen applied to medical school, his mentor sponsored him for that as well. Karzen eventually became a doctor and public health official for the Federation Frontier Health Service. Among other assignments, Karzen was sent to Setlik III and lived there happily, working as a PCP and public health officer. Then the Cardassian Central Command got the idea that Setlik III was actually the staging area for a Federation invasion. They attacked the Setlik III settlement. It was a massacre. Karzen only survived through the efforts of people like Benjamin Maxwell and Miles O’Brien. Karzen offered his services to Starfleet, but at the time, Starfleet had concerns about allowing a Klingon/Romulan hybrid to apply for a commission, even one who had never set foot in either empire. So Karzen remained in the Federation Frontier Health Service, but made sure to get himself stationed at Federation colonies and settlements near the Federation’s border with the Cardassian Union. In the Spring of 2361, Worf Roshenko graduated from Starfleet Academy and was commissioned an Ensign. He was the first Klingon to receive a commission as a Starfleet officer. Karzen put in his application to join Starfleet again and again it was politely rejected, for the same reasons. In early 2367, at the Battle of Wolf 359, thirty-nine Federation starships were destroyed by the Borg, resulting in the deaths of over 11,000 Starfleet officers and enlisted personnel. Combined with Starfleet’s losses in the Cardassian Border Wars, this left them eager to recruit new personnel quickly. Pending and even rejected applications were reviewed. Of particular interest were professionals who would be coming to Starfleet with things like medical training and, hopefully, experience. Enter Karzen, Son of Arjune, Son of Ragan, MD, MPH. Karzen began Direct Entry Medical Officer Training School in the Fall of 2367 and graduated in Spring of 2368 as a Lieutenant JG. Karzen was immediately sent to the two year long Starfleet Aerospace Medicine Primary. Upon completion, Karzen served as a flight surgeon. He was on an alternate list for the Starfleet Residency in Aerospace Medicine but got bumped when the Federation-Klingon War began in 2372. He was an experienced physician and it was felt that both his personal and professional maturity would be needed. The Dominion War delayed this another two years. Finally, in the Summer of 2375, Karzen reported for duty in the Starfleet Residency in Aerospace Medicine. Upon completion, Karzen returned to the fleet as a Flight Surgeon. In 2388, after a 20 year career with Starfleet, now rated as a Chief Flight Surgeon, Karzen reserved his commission and took a teaching post at the Vulcan Medical Academy. Karzen eventually decided he wasn’t ready to disappear into academia. He returned to active duty and, after some refresher training, he was assigned to Deep Space Five as a Chief Flight Surgeon. |
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| Service Record | Early 2272 Born in the Nyberrite Alliance to a Klingon father and Romulan mother. Raised among the families of mercenaries employed by the Nyberrite Alliance. These people were from all over the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. Some of them had not been encountered by the major powers of those quadrants at the time of Karzen’s birth. June 2287 to June 2327 Klingons reach adulthood at age 13 and then begin to age at a “normal”, slower rate (slowed more in Karzen’s case by his Romulan DNA). Karzen entered the Flight NCO Academy in 2385 at age 13 and graduated at age 15. He served as a Fighter and Fighter/Bomber pilot for 40 years for the Nyberrite Alliance. Nyberrite Fighter and Fighter/Bomber Pilot Flight Corporal Flight Sergeant Flight Warrant Officer (Eventually Chief Flight Warrant Officer) June 2327 thru June 2331 Alpha Centauri University Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences Pre-Med Program Federation Civil Aerospace Patrol (Alpha Centauri Chapter) Mission Pilot September 2331 thru May 2335 Terra Nova University School of Medicine Doctor of Medicine Federation Civil Aerospace Patrol (Terra Nova Chapter) Mission Pilot June 2335 thru June 2339 Polar City is a Federation colony on Rigel IV Polar City University School of Medicine Internal Medicine/Preventive Medicine Residency Master of Public Health in Preventive Medicine Federation Civil Aerospace Patrol (Polar City Chapter) Mission Pilot July 2339 thru June 2347 Federation Frontier Health Service Primary Care Physician, Public Health Officer Federation Civil Aerospace Patrol (Setlik III Chapter) Mission Pilot Cadet Squadron Leader Survived the Setlik III Massacre when he was rescued by the USS Rutledge, commanded by Captain Benjamin Maxwell. The actions of people like Benjamin Maxwell and Miles O’Brien inspired Karzen to join Starfleet, but his application was denied at that time. July 2347 thru Spring 2367 Federation Frontier Health Service Doctor/Public Health Officer Served different colony worlds. All suffered raids by the Cardassian Union’s forces. Federation Civil Aerospace Patrol Mission Pilot Cadet Squadron Leader Summer 2367 thru Spring 2368 Starfleet Direct Entry Medical Officer Training School Summer 2368 thru Spring 2370 Lieutenant JG Starfleet Aerospace Medicine Primary Summer 2370 thru Spring 2372 Lieutenant JG Flight Surgeon Summer 2372 thru Spring 2375 Lieutenant Flight Surgeon Federation-Klingon War Dominion War Summer 2375 thru Spring 2377 Lieutenant Starfleet Residency in Aerospace Medicine Summer 2377 thru Summer 2380 Lieutenant Flight Surgeon/Senior Flight Surgeon Summer 2380 thru Summer 2388 Lieutenant Commander Starfleet Aerospace Corps Senior Flight Surgeon/Chief Flight Surgeon July 2388 thru June 2395 Vulcan Medical Academy Clinical Professor in Preventive Medicine Clinical Professor in Aerospace Medicine Attending Physician/Healer Aerospace Medical Examiner Registered with the FAA (Federation Aerospace Administration) to administer FAA flight physicals, and to provide primary medical care to pilots, primarily private sector pilots (such as those with or seeking Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot, and Aerospace Transport Pilot Licenses). This part of his job was comparable to his work as a SF Flight Surgeon. Federation Civil Aerospace Patrol (Vulcan Chapter) Squadron Leader Mission Pilot Chief Flight Surgeon By Early 2396 Rejoined Starfleet, re-commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander Refresher training on newer fighters, shuttles, and runabouts, and any relevant medical technology that wasn’t readily available outside of Starfleet or its affiliated research facilities over the last 20 years. Early 2396 Assigned to DS5 as a Assistant Chief Medical Officer and Chief Flight Surgeon OOC NOTE: The “Federation Civil Aerospace Patrol” is my “trekified” version of the US Civil Air Patrol. |