T'Von

T’Von was born in Vulcana Regar on Vulcan in 2371 [Terran Standard Date]. In her early education, before undergoing emotional control training, she was disciplined for numerous incidents of fights with other children. In order to channel her aggression into a more controlled exercise in mental and physical discipline, they enrolled her in martial arts training. The result was as they had intended — she gained mental and emotional control and developed into a formidable practitioner of Suus Mahna. In her early teens, she began reading about the Klingon practice of Mok’bara, and sought out a teacher. She valued the meditative aspect of the form, the fluid motions. They helped her focus on emotional control.

She excelled so greatly in her martial arts training that, at age 14, T’Von was accepted into the Vulcan Institute for Defensive Arts. At 16 she was recruited in military service with the Vulcan High Command, assigned as a security specialist at the Federation’s embassy in ShiKahr. In her off hours, she began attending Shirkar Academy part-time, focusing on a liberal arts education, particularly social sciences.

At the Federation embassy, T’Von came into contact with many high-level government officials and Starfleet officers. One of them was a fellow Vulcan, a Starfleet admiral and advisor to the Federation’s ambassador. Admiral T’Prana was impressed with T’Von’s desire to educate herself beyond her security training. “It is an admirable quality,” the admiral said, “and one that is common among successful Starfleet officers.”

T’Prana’s description of Starfleet and the Academy stoked T’Von’s ambition. The idea of seeing more of the galaxy and one day command a starship. With the admiral’s endorsement, T’Von applied and was accepted to Starfleet Academy at age 19 in 2390.

Entering a year older than most conventional candidates, T’Von felt compelled to catch up on a year’s worth of coursework, which she did. Her experience in the Vulcan service and additional education allowed her to graduate a year early. She was commissioned as an ensign in 2393, and was assigned as a junior security officer aboard the Galaxy-class U.S.S. Venture [NCC-71854]. In a year, she was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade). A series of exemplary proficiency and conduct reports led to her being promoted to full lieutenant and transferred to a plum assignment aboard the Odyssey-class U.S.S. T’Pol, where she continued to impress her superiors. She instituted new training protocols to counter increased pirate activity, including ship-to-ship strategies and hand-to-hand combat techniques.

She soon saw another promotion, and posting as chief tactical officer of the U.S.S. Vanguard [NCC-75148]. During T’Von’s tenure aboard the Ross-class starship, the Federation was set back on its heels by widespread reports and manifestation of the deadly Omega molecule. Vanguard was assigned as a sentinel for the Federation, part of a force organized to ensure that threat forces did not take advantage of the Federation’s compromised position. Units of Starfleet’s venerable Fourth Fleet discovered the cause for the outbreak of Omega activity, restoring stability to the Federation.

After three years on the Vanguard, T’Von received, with the recommendation of Admiral T’Prana, was assigned to Starfleet Academy’s Command School as a starship command candidate. Although she performed above expectations on the strategic combat simulations, she was only average at crew management. Nonetheless, her class ranking earned T’Von a promotion to commander, though her assignment was a departure from the prestige postings she had enjoyed in her career thus far — the Rhode Island-class scout U.S.S. Resolution [NCC-72705].