Character Information

Gender		Male
Species		Bajoran
Age		35
Date of Birth		05-23-2362

Starfleet Identification

Data Access Level		Level 1
Security Access		Level 10
Duty Shift		Alpha Shift

Station Assignments

Family

Relationship Status		single
Partner		none
Children		none
Father		Jayak Del
Mother		Jayak Ciri
Brother(s)		none
Sister(s)		none
Other Family		none

Physical Appearance

Height		5'11"
Weight		185 lbs.
Hair Color		dark brown
Eye Color		greyish-blue
Physical Description		Zek is physically fit – toned but not muscular. His hair is short but in length but is thick and lush. Depending on his mood and perceived time, he may be clean shaven or have stubble. He will never allow it to grow to a beard. His face always seems to have a secretive smile, or perhaps it is just that he refuses to trust a full smile to the public at large. He also will sporadically wear his Bajoran family earring in his right ear. The bulb of the earring contains the Bajoran symbol for peace.

Personality & Traits

General Overview		The early years of Zek’s life were dominated by the Occupation. He remembers all too well about fearing an oppressor and being powerless at someone else’s hands. Even the immediate protection of the Federation was not enough to make him or his family feel safe. After all, over the next six years would witness the preamble and culmination of the Dominion War. These events made it his life’s mission to make certain that he could help those who were oppressed and uplift them. While charity, humility, and faith are the keys to enlightenment in the Bajoran faith, Zek privately wonders why the Profets allowed the Bajorans or others to suffer. Thus, he generally keeps his focus of attention on the former two. Most people find him to be sincere, affable, and considerate. He is outgoing and laughs at the simplest of jokes. However, behind all of that is still the hidden scars of a frightened child. His first 7 years of confinement in a labor camp have made him uncomfortable with walls and being enclosed for lengthy periods of time, so he tends to prefer being on the move or in wide open spaces, such as nature.
Strengths & Weaknesses		+Accessible -Emotionally Cautious +/-Adventurous +Observant -Unstructured +/-Spontaneous +Creative -Idealist +Energic -Overprotective +Affable -Soft-hearted +Open Minded -Pacifistic
Ambitions		Uplift the oppressed, see that oppressors are brought to justice, and create peace in the universe. Most of the time this is done on a small scale for Zek.
Hobbies & Interests		Prayko, Springball, Nature, Running, Woodworking, Model Building, Drawing, Puzzles, Gardening
Orientation		heterosexual
Language(s) Spoken		Bajoran, Federation Standard

History

Personal History		Even the beginning of life was not easy for Zek. The Jayaks would not admit it, but they had no desire to bring Zek into the world at the time. After all, the Jayaks became pregnant with him just as they were sent to a labor camp during the occupation. However, as they were pregnant, the Jayaks figured that the Prophets had a plan for them or the child. But, because labor camp conditions were grueling, Ciri had no prenatal care and her birthing experience was quite painful. As a result, she swore to the Prophets she would not ever have another child. Growing up in the labor camps was not a picnic. His parents trained him early to be quiet and always speak politely to the Cardassians to avoid trouble falling on him or the family. As child labor had been banned by Gul Dukat, Zek did not experience the same hardships as his parents, but he did witness the harsh conditions and could see the pain that was inflicted upon his parents if they did not do exactly as instructed. He also heard the whispers late at night with his parents, wishing they had never brought a child into this harsh world so that he would live through this pain in time. He also heard his mother’s complaints about the changes to her body after Zek was born and how it made her work more difficult and the Cardassians pick on her more. Thus, while he never suffered physical pain from the Cardassians, watching his parents bleed and gets scars from the Cardassians, left invisible scars upon his heart. At age 7, the Occupation ended, and his parents were freed. That did not make life any easier for the Jayaks. Years of hard labor and Zek’s difficult birth had prematurely taken Ciri’s youth and energy. Del’s strength waned. Neither had skills that readily transferred to the new free environment. Thus, they found themselves in shelters, living off the kindness of others. In the shelters, Zek found a little peace and started receiving a formal education in both scholastics and religion. When the prylars would teach Zek about the Prophets and how they guided the Bajorans, Zek questioned them about why they would allow the Cardassians to occupy Bajor and cause so much pain. The prylars would simply redirect Zek to prayers and learning. However, he never found a satisfactory answer. Yet, he knew that the Prophets must exist due to all the efforts of Benjamin Sisko. Consequently, his relationship with Bajoran religion is conflicted. However, the prylars did establish within Zek a desire to give to others selflessly. Desirous of helping his parents and hoping to help them, he enrolled in college and eventually went to the Bajoran Psychological Institute. Once again, the studies revolved around the Prophets and the lessons they taught in healing others. While he gave the expected answers, Zek believed that there were likely other methods of psychological treatment other than just the answers that the Prophets might give. Seeking more answers, he decided to leave Bajor and his parents behind by enrolling in Starfleet Academy. Though many at the Academy figured that he would be one of the strongest warriors in basic training, other cadets were shocked that he was reluctant to pick up arms or to fight. While he could do it, and did do it, he would explain that violence was a resort only for when diplomatic solutions failed. Unsurprisingly, given his history in the labor camps, he excelled at survival training. As an older cadet, his mysterious smile, mature attitude, and good looks won him attention from several female cadets. Though he had some casual encounters, he much preferred friendships than developing long-term romantic attachments. After all, he knew that the chances of any of his peers and him being in the same location for any lengthy period of time would be highly unlikely. Therefore, he would break things off with any female cadet that started to express any deeper feelings for him. Having graduated in the upper third of his class and having studied other psychological theories in his spare time, he decided that his talents lay in a more holistic style of counseling. He concluded that no one psychological theory could fit everyone and that it was his job to meet people where they were at to help them to their own solutions. Wherever Zek has gone on or off duty, Zek has been praised for his compassion, dedication, and his work ethic. His peers and supervisors are almost always sad to see him leave his post. However, after 18 months, he is practically destined to leave, as he finds a new assignment that seems to “call his name.” Zek appreciated Starbases. Of all the places he could go, there was always something happening and always new people and species coming in and out. It gave him an opportunity to explore other cultures and philosophies to incorporate into his philosophy. He might not have left Deep Space 3 at the 18 month mark had he not solved a problem in the science department. Never being a person who would sit in his office and wait for people to come to him, Zek often would meet people in areas of their choosing, or in places where they did not feel like they were actually talking to a counselor. After all, an office could seem like a very forced environment that emphasized whatever was going to be discussed. On this fateful day, Zek had headed to hydroponics to check on a small garden that he had started of Bajoran flowering plants. While there, he inadvertently overheard Ensign Natasha Ingram scolding a plant for its lack of growth. Tasha, as Zek, knew she preferred to be called, was the sort of woman that most men would drool over. She had full, pouty lips, long black hair, blue eyes, a thin waist, and was proportionally curved to her five feet five inches in height. Upon approaching her, Zek wondered aloud, “I wonder how a plant’s growth cycle could cause such a beautiful flower to become a thorn bush.” Tasha blushed and apologized for her outburst. Upon further discussion, Zek learned that her Assistant Chief Science Officer Bruce Fraklin had given her a negative review and the reason cited was the lack of growth of this particular plant. Although Zek was not a science officer, he thought it extremely odd that a negative review would solely depend upon the growth of a plant. He then decided that he would start casually meeting with numerous members of the science department to see how they felt in science and how their work seemed to be proceeding. Through his discussions, he was able to learn that most men had a positive opinion of Bruce but women were more reluctant to discuss him and only a minority would speak of him in positive terms. As anecdotes were never enough to determine proof of a problem, Zek turned to data. What he discovered was that women overwhelmingly received negative reviews by him, except for a select few, whereas male reviews appeared more in line with reviews across other science departments. Returning to the women who had positive reviews, he was finally able to get a couple to admit that they had intimate relations with Bruce and once they did, their reviews were glowing, opposed to negative. With all of this information, he went to his superiors, presented the data, and was able to get Bruce transferred and a hearing before a military tribunal. Pleased that he was able to root out an insidious, misogynistic oppressor, he informed Natasha that she should never have to scold her plant again. After both laughed and hugged, Zek learned that his actions had earned him a promotion and sent him off for an Assistant Chief position on the USS Alaska. His shortest assignment was on the USS Alaska, where he left after a mere five months. Although he did not explain it to his Chief Counselor or Captain, the environment of a ship felt much too constraining to him. He was not comfortable seeing only the same few hundred people every day. Consequently, he transferred laterally to Deep Space 12 and now only seeks positions in larger places, such as starbases.
Service Record		2384-2388 Bajoran Psychological Institute 2389-2393 Starfleet Academy 2393-2394 Ensign, Starbase G6 (near Betazoid and Gamma Ceti) 2394-2396 Lieutenant JG, Deep Space 3 2396-2396 Lieutenant JG, USS Alaska, Assistant Chief Counselor 2396-2397 Lieutenant, Deep Space 12, Assistant Chief Counselor 2397 – present Poseidon Station
Medical Notes		No known allergies or medical issues