Cambil Bexa

Political Information

• Affiliation: Starfleet, United Federation of Planets

Family

• Mother: Cambil Aroya
• Father: Cambil Holem
• Brother: Cambil Antos
• Sister: Cambil Celes
• Husband: Faren Naprem
• Sons: Faren-Cambil Edon &  Faren-Cambil Leeyem

Biography

Early Life

Cambil Bexa was born during the Occupation of Bajor, though she and her family escaped most of the ravages of that era in history when they were smuggled off the planet in 2357. She became part of a small Bajoran Diaspora, consisting of a few hundred thousand Bajorans who had managed to flee their home system and who had formed small colonies in out-of-the-way places of the galaxy, including on Olbari II, which was within Federation space. Because of this, she has had a relatively fortunate life, compared to many Bajorans of her age. 

A very spiritual child, she believed firmly in the divinity of the Prophets and hoped that one day they would allow them to return to their homeworld. Though spiritual, she also had a very keen interest in the practical side of returning to Bajor, which meant that she was interested in self-defence, which she began learning from a young age.

As Olbari II was a Federation protectorate, it meant that a large amount of aid was sent to the planet to assist the Bajoran refugees. Fortunately for Bexa, she had access to a Federation education when a school was built in the settlement. Volunteers from the Federation supported the school which had a combined Federation-Bajoran ethos. Excelling in a majority of her subjects, Bexa enjoyed the sporting side of her education and was fascinated by learning about her heritage and the Federation’s history.  

Early Career

After the end of the occupation and attaining an entry-level degree in Interstellar Relations at the University of Bajor, she finally realized that dream and returned home to Bajor in early 2371. Her older brother, Antos, had left Olbari II and married his long-term girlfriend on Bajor only a year ago. Antos invited her to stay with them at their new home in Kendra Province. A couple of years later, with a better education than most young Bajorans, she was able to enter the Bajoran Militia as a First Lieutenant and was assigned to personal security for members of the Bajoran Provisional Government. She was always praised for her attention to detail and her ability to provide security discreetly, during her four-year stint in that role. Though she enjoyed protecting her fellow Bajorans, she grew unhappy with the assignment, as protecting politicians seldom allowed her to actually get into the field. She was later given a field promotion to Major in 2375 when several of her senior officers committed ritual suicide after the Reckoning was stopped by Kai Winn. They believed they couldn’t follow and protect the Kai after it was discovered she stopped the battle between the Prophets and Pah-wraiths on Deep Space Nine. While on Bajor she married Faren Naprem, a teacher from Dakara Province. Her career predicament was solved in 2376 when Bajor entered the Federation. Her commission was transferred to Starfleet, and she made a lateral move from Major to Lieutenant, joining Starfleet Security.

USS Aenas(NCC-74305)

Cambil’s first Starfleet posting was as a Lieutenant to the USS Aeneas a Defiant-class starship assigned to patrol the Gamma Quadrant side of the Bajoran wormhole, to ensure that the Dominion respected treaty stipulations and allowed the Bajoran colonies in that area to go unmolested. Aboard such a small ship, it was easy for her to become friends with many of her colleagues, and she distinguished herself on many occasions by her attention to detail and the professionalism with which she conducted herself. While aboard the Aeneas she completed Starfleet Academy extension courses to make up the difference between her two-year degree and the four-year degrees typically held by officers in Starfleet.

USS Crazy Horse (NCC-50446)

In 2378, Cambil was assigned as the Assistant Chief Security Officer aboard the USS Crazy Horse (NCC-50446), where she helped a lieutenant commander handle a staff of about 100 security officers, as the ship patrolled the core of the Federation. There, she learned the skills that were expected of a security officer within the Federation itself, and how to deal with civilians. During her tenure on the ship, she was able to bring Naprem with her. Her time on the Crazy Horse was one where she learnt so much, especially in learning about so many more cultures than she was already used to. While on the Crazy Horse, she attended Advanced Tactical Training at the recommendation of her captain. Her short tenure while undertaking her training on Relva VII made her appreciate what she had experienced so far and she returned wanting to do more. With her eyes more open than before, she felt it was time to spread her wings further. 

USS Intrepid (NCC-74600)

In a slight change of career paths, Cambil accepted a promotion to lieutenant commander and joined the crew of the USS Intrepid (NCC-74600) as Chief Security & Tactical Officer, responsible for both the internal and external safety of the ship. While she was less experienced with starship-based tactical systems, she overcame this shortcoming relatively quickly and served as an integral part of the crew for two years. However, as Napreem was not able to join her, he returned to the Bajoran colony on Olbari while he awaited for her to return home to him. Although she enjoyed her time on the Intrepid, she learnt that she could not work so far away from her husband. The two of them had started to discuss the idea of settling down and starting their own family, so Bexa began searching for a job where he could join her permanently to move that dream further to reality. 

Starfleet Academy

In 2382, Cambil was offered a teaching position at Starfleet Academy on Earth, in recognition of her professionalism as a field officer. Normally professors had more experience than she did, but Starfleet was experiencing a recruitment boom and needed more professors to handle the increased student load. Her husband was able to move with her and took up a teaching position at a local secondary school in San Francisco. She joined the faculty as a general instructor in starship operations and taught classes in small unit tactics, security operations and starship operations to all levels of cadets, during a four-year tenure at the academy. She found teaching to be a rewarding experience but also found that she preferred deeds to words and expressed that eventually like to be back in operational service, with the blessing of her husband. After four years on Earth, she gave birth to twin boys (Edon & Leeyem). On her return to teaching, she became acquainted with two of her colleagues: James Preston McCallister and Karyn Reyas. Two officers who undertook similar work at the academy in supporting small groups of cadets. She became close with them and on many occasions, they would meet with Napreem and their boys for a meal once a week. 

In her last year teaching at the Academy, she developed a close rapport with a trio of cadets (T’Rani, Lukiz Smyth, and Cline Lenjir), and arranged to have them assigned to her new posting when she accepted a transfer to the Luna-class USS Triton (NCC-80106) in 2386. James, who was taking command, was eager to have her with him. Wondering if ship life was good for the boys, both Bexa and Napreem were hesitant at first but agreed that for the first year, he would return to Olbari with the boys to raise them planetside. However, the plan would be for him to eventually move to the Triton when the boys were just a little bit older. 

USS Triton (NCC-80106)

Back aboard a starship, she found herself now as a seasoned veteran of the service. She was assigned to lead Gamma Shift, as Officer of the Watch, responsible for leading the bridge during that shift, and supervising the personnel assigned to it. While on the Triton, the ship responded to a distress call from her homeworld of Olbari II. It was threatened by a massive snowstorm and Captain McCallister volunteered for Triton to help with the colony’s evacuation. Cambil was appointed liaison between the rescue efforts and the colony’s government. Once the ship arrived in the Olbari system it quickly responded to the emergency relief efforts that were underway. Cambil found this particular mission emotionally difficult when the colony also suffered from a pandemic. Having to watch people she knew to suffer from the virus was particularly tolling on the Bajoran woman. She even protested to McCallister about his treatment of the colonists or lack thereof. The two came to blows and he ended up relieving her of her duty and confining her to her quarters. As her husband and sons were stuck on the planet below, it became more difficult to cope with watching the situation quickly become chaotic. Eventually, the crew found the cure so the quarantine was lifted. She apologised to McCallister for her behaviour and he decided not to place the incident in her permanent record. For this, she was eternally grateful for his decision. It was at this point that both Napreem and Bexa agreed to bring their plans for their family to be together forward. He and the boys joined her on the Triton. She would go on to complete the bridge officer’s examination, which she completed with ease. 

Tragedy struck a few months later when the Triton was badly damaged and some of the crew were killed during a battle. As a result of the loss of experienced staff, Cambil stepped up and took over running the security and tactical department. For her leadership and professionalism, McCallister placed a commendation in her file. 

At the end of the year, McCallister asked Cambil to join him on a new ship, the Odyssey which he was being given after Triton was too heavily damaged. Instead of being Gamma Officer of the Watch, he was asking her to be his Chief Security and Tactical Officer as well as Second Officer with a promotion to commander. Knowing that this new ship could accommodate her family, she agreed.

USS Odyssey (NCC-80001)

Being a brand-new prototype, Cambil (along with everyone else) knew that they had to prove to Starfleet that the new Odyssey was a successful design. Being in charge of the ship’s safety was a complete change from what she was used to in comparison to her time on the Intrepid as its chief security and tactical officer. The sheer size of the Odyssey made her job a challenge on a daily basis. Nevertheless, she enjoyed it.

By their second year on the Odyssey, Captain McCallister was assigned a secret mission by Starfleet. All that he told the senior staff was that he would be assuming command of the Avenger and would leave the temporary command of the ship to the ship’s first officer, Commander Zack Hawkins. As a result of this, Cambil would fulfil the role of the acting first officer while Hawkins commanded the ship. McCallister’s absence took over a year until he returned in 2389. During her tenure as acting first officer, she had come to enjoy the responsibilities of being in the command division again. It took almost another year or so for her to admit to it with Captain McCallister and informed him she would be considering a new posting to explore this role further. He asked her to remain with them for at least another year. She agreed as this would give her time to sort out what her family would do if she could not find a posting that would accommodate them and her together. In 2391 though, fortune smiled on her (although she refers to it as a blessing from the Prophets). Commander Zack Hawkins had been promoted to captain and given command of a new ship. As a result, McCallister asked Cambil to become his first officer. She agreed instantly. The two most senior officers would become extremely close friends over this time, on many occasions both of their families would share mealtimes, and social occasions and their sons would all become close friends. Over the next eight years, Cambil became McCallister’s steadfast anchor and someone who he thoroughly respected when she shared her thoughts on a range of matters. Dealing with a range of missions that Starfleet threw at them, especially ones dealing with the Romulan refugee crisis in the former Romulan Neutral Zone, the two of them became a well-oiled machine and a strong partnership. Through this, they built a well-developed team around them – one that rivalled the senior staff on many other legendary Starfleet ships. 

In 2399, she was approached by Starfleet to become a captain herself, but declined. Saying she was content staying on with McCallister on the Odyssey. A few months later, the ship had been assigned to assist in the defence of the Archanis Campaign. A pair of Klingon warships belonging to the Hunters of D’Ghor attacked the ship and during the battle, Cambil was wounded critically. Eventually, Doctor Sylvexs had to replace Cambil’s heart with an artificial one. Spiritually, she wondered if she had last a part of her pagh had left her but never revealed this to her husband only to Captain McCallister. He told her she would never lose what connected her to the Prophets as he didn’t know someone with so much faith. 

When the Odyssey was assigned to the Delta Exploration Initiative, Cambil was eager to begin a proper deep space exploration assignment. Shortly after their first mission, which had lasted over a month, McCallister had to deal with the Omega Directive. Shortly after their first mission in the Gradin Belt region of the Delta Quadrant, the crew had to deal with McCallister taking on a solo classified mission. Cambil protested at the secretive nature and the potential unknown danger that her captain and friend was placing himself in. Not since the Olbari evacuation had they come to blows over orders. McCallister had to remove a threat without the crew knowing what it was and why, alongside this, the crew were forced to lie and convince the Kraylor they were not involved in whatever actions McCallister had undertaken. The captain’s duplicity and actions did not go down well with his first officer and for the first time in over a decade, the two argued significantly. Once the mission was classed a success, Cambil resigned from Starfleet. The loss of Bexa as his right-hand woman created a big void for the Odyssey, but she was convinced that it was a sign from the Prophets that she had to walk a path away from Starfleet for now.

Olbari II

Returning to the Alpha Quadrant with her family, she returned to their home on Olbari. Taking up a civilian life was something she found difficult to do. Though Naprem was able to return to his former job as a teacher, Bexa was unable to adjust and consider what to do. In 2400, due to the Century Storm incident near the Paulson Nebula which caused the Federation Department of Temporal Investigations to be involved with the Odyssey, she was recalled to Starfleet under the guise of the reserve activation clause. After being debriefed by DTI agents, she returned to Olbari. An orb experience made her reconsider her decision to leave Starfleet, and when a former colleague of hers visited her to ask her to consider leading Starfleet’s efforts in building a small Starfleet Academy annexe on the planet, she agreed to the position. Promoted to captain, she was given full authority to oversee the project and begin recruiting locals that could support the annexe. Her efforts were commended but during the middle of the year, a number of staff were reassigned shortly before the completion of the annexe’s building. Having to divert resources to post-recovery efforts with the Paulson Nebula and the collapse of the Romulan Star Empire, the entire project was put on hold. This remained the position for several months until Starfleet eventually decided to scrap it completely.  A captain without an assignment, Cambil (with permission from Starfleet) handed the almost finished building of the annexe over to the nearby university. After a few weeks of being unable to cope with not doing anything, she spoke with Naprem (who saw how sad his wife was becoming) and they agreed she could put herself out on active starship duty. Both of their sons were old enough, and when the opportunity to take command of a ship which could house families came up, Bexa agreed to it.

USS Themis (NCC-76554)

Approached by Vice Admiral Zack Marshall-Bennet to take up the centre seat, Bexa was pleased to assume command of the Ross-class ship, USS Themis. Furthermore, the Director of Fourth Fleet Operations explained the ship was being assigned to a new squadron being assembled for the Delta Exploration Initiative. Returning to the distant quadrant was something that she was more than happy to do and when she discovered she would be assigned to the same one the Odyssey would be leading, Bexa knew it was another sign of the Prophets to return her to her previous path.