Vasoch Gor

Early Life and Starfleet Academy

Born on Earth in 2341, Vasoch Gor was born into a well respected family, with his father serving as an advisor to the then President of the United Federation of Planets, and his mother working as a scientist at the Daystrom Institute in Okinawa. Life was good; he was well looked after and received the very best education afforded to him. He also learnt how to exist among non-Tellarites who didn’t understand his culture’s propensity to be impatient, stubborn and argumentative. It wasn’t until the mid-2350’s that Vasoch even stepped foot on the homeworld of his people, Tellar Prime. He found the planet to be too dry for his liking, having grown up on the far more temperate capital world of the Federation. It was during his trip to Tellar (and back) that the young Tellarite settled upon a career in Starfleet, opting to follow in the path of his beloved mother; he didn’t feel he had the skillset or desire to become a politician like his father. Despite generations of his family having served in the fleet, no one had made it to the promised land of command: Vasoch vowed to be the first. He used his education and skills to earn the credentials required to apply for entry to Starfleet Academy and was successful, joining his cohort in September of 2357.

Over the course of the four years he studied at the academy, Vasoch took the opportunity to ‘find himself’ and develop a path for himself that was unlike that of his mother’s. He showed an aptitude for critical thinking and strategy, making him an ideal candidate for the gold-shirted operations division. He worked to develop technical skills, studied weapons and tactics, and even spent hour upon hour standing in as an officer of the watch aboard the Asimov for extra credit. He had the name, he had the reputation, but he had now forged a new path for himself; Gor was no longer his father, or his mother. It was him.

USS Potemkin (Excelsior-class)

Graduating in late 2361, Vasoch was presented with a number of opportunities, ranging from serving as a brig officer to a relief security team member, bridge tactical officer to master-at-arms apprentice. Joining the Excelsior-class USS Potemkin for his first official tour of duty aboard a starship, Vasoch officially began his forty-year career in Starfleet as a security officer. His time aboard the Potemkin saw Vasoch visit hundreds of worlds on a variety of assignments, and he would quickly prove himself to be a valuable asset on the security team. Regular away mission assignments would come his way, including as a member of the Captain’s protection detail during a diplomatic mission to Ruark III. Whilst the Potemkin‘s tour was largely uneventful, it was an important time in Vasoch’s fledgling career. It helped him to see the value in cooperation, in team work and in developing relationships with coworkers. It also helped him to forge a path ahead, one that he knew would eventually lead to the red uniform of command. He was content, for now, but he had always been taught to be ambitious, and there was no greater ambition for an officer in Starfleet than to take up the Captain’s chair on the bridge of a starship. Despite generations of his family having served in the fleet, no one had made it to the promised land of command: Vasoch vowed to be the first.

USS Santa Fe (New Orleans-class)

He achieved his first promotion at the end of his tour aboard the Potemkin to the rank of lieutenant junior grade aboard the New Orleans-class frigate Santa Fe in 2364. A significant upgrade from his previous posting, his new ship had all the benefits of modern technology that made Starfleet life so easy. Just two years in to his tour, however, a threat to Starfleet and the Federation emerged, one that very nearly ended his career, and his life. Had it not been for engine trouble in the Rigel system, Santa Fe would have been part of the Starfleet task force at Wolf 359 that lost over 11,000 souls in battle with the Borg. At the conclusion of the battle, and once her engine troubles had been resolved, Santa Fe participated in relief efforts in the system, rescuing survivors and salvaging any of the technology they could from the starship graveyard. In his role as Assistant Security Officer, Vasoch helped house and look after the near two hundred souls they rescued.

Two more years aboard the Santa Fe followed, with the ship embarking on a wide variety of missions inside Federation space, but Vasoch was beginning to grow weary of the same experiences: he wanted to seek out new life and new civilisations beyond the borders of the Federation. He got that opportunity when he requested a transfer at the end of his tour in 2368. There was still time for Vasoch to be wounded in action during a border skirmish with a Cardassian vessel near the Bajor system. He was injured when the duty station he was working at exploded upon the impact of a torpedo on the ship’s dorsal hull, close to the bridge module. A period of recuperation saw the Tellarite’s service aboard the Santa Fe come to a conclusion.

USS Venture (Galaxy-class)

Arriving aboard the USS Venture in 2369, Vasoch was amazed at how big his new posting was. It was, to all intents and purposes, a replica of his previous posting on the inside, but on a larger scale, and with far more people. With a larger crew came additional responsibilities, and Vasoch would often find himself on the bridge, manning the tactical and security stations during operations, and also as relief during standard operations. Venture would often operate outside the boundaries of known space, seeking out new life and new civilizations.

New Bajor, a Bajoran colony established in the Gamma Quadrant in late 2370, was a flourishing new world with unseen potential. All that was lost when the Jem’Hadar were deployed to the colony by the Dominion, and obliterated all in their path. A warning to Starfleet and their allies about encroachment into the Gamma Quadrant, the destruction was enough for Starfleet to recall one of its most powerful, and important starships from its mission of exploration. Venture was sent into the Gamma Quadrant and helped in the cleanup of the colony, before returning to the safety of the Alpha Quadrant. Vasoch spent much of that time delegating security personnel during the cleanup mission, often liaising with other departments on the deployment of resources.

Venture was later assigned to Starbase 364 near the Shackleton Expanse, deep in the Beta Quadrant. In recognition of his meritorious service to date, Vasoch was fortunate enough to receive a promotion to lieutenant. He would often work with the ship’s senior officers on a range of matters, and spent many a night overseeing gamma shift as part of his ongoing development.

In 2372, Vasoch and the crew were on a long-term diplomatic mission when news arrived of Klingon forces massing to attack Deep Space 9. Their Captain, a newcomer called Roger Corbett, volunteered to lead a task force to protect the station following the outbreak of the Federation-Klingon War,  but failed to fire a shot due to the Klingon forces retreating. The ship would later engage two Birds of prey during its journey to the Holaren Nebula for a scientific expedition. Vasoch was, at the time, responsible for defending the ship when his superior was temporarily promoted to executive officer following an injury to the then XO. Later that year, under the command of another new commanding officer, Captain Stanley, Venture visited the planet Xhaldia to tow the Draa’kon vessel Connharakt to Deep Space 7.

Vasoch’s time aboard the Venture came to an abrupt end in 2373 when he was promoted and reassigned to head up his own department aboard a new ship following the bombshell that the Cardassian Union had joined an alliance with the Dominion.

USS Templar (Akira-class)

One of Templar‘s newest officers, Lieutenant Gor assumed the mantle of Chief Security and Tactical Officer in his first senior officer role. The ship’s first opportunity to make an impact in the war presented itself in the opening days of the conflict. While DS9 became the focal point of the opening stages of the conflict, a Federation alliance fleet launched a preemptive strike on the Dominion shipyards at Torros III. During the battle, in which his ship played a part in defending several larger vessels, Vasoch actually destroyed his first enemy vessels; until Templar entered battle that day, he had never destroyed anything in near fourteen years of service to Starfleet. By the end of the battle, the ship had sustained damage, but had been responsible for destroying two Hideki-class vessels and protecting the vessels in their battle group. On the fleet’s return to Federation space, word reached them of the attack, and subsequent capture, of Deep Space 9.

Alliance forces, including the Templar, fought valiantly during the Battle of Tyra, but only fourteen ships made it safely back to Federation lines. Templar was one of the lucky ones, but sustained massive damage. She had to be towed to safety due to a lack of propulsion systems and many of her crew were injured, including Vasoch. Repairs were completed in record time at Starbase 375, and the ship was ready to participate in perhaps the most pivotal battle of the entire conflict – Operation Return.

Templar joined the combined 2nd and 5th fleets in departing Starbase 375 and heading to DS9, with Vasoch back at tactical after making a full recovery from earlier injuries. The battle that ensued was ferocious, with massive casualties on both sides. Templar managed to hold her own for the best part of the fight, but exhausted her entire torpedo complement in doing so. By the time the Klingon reinforcements arrived, Templar was down to providing a support role only thanks to her now-limited armament. With the arrival of the Klingons, the Dominion lines soon began to crumble and Federation forces made their way to DS9.

For the next few months, with a lull in the fighting, Templar was reduced to border patrols whilst peace talks took place between the two sides, with Vasoch and the ship’s XO working to train dozens of new replacements and get them ready for conflict when the time came again. It soon did, and a bold new offensive would take place at the Chin’toka system.

As always, Templar was called upon to join the fray, travelling with the allied forces and reaching the system before the defencive array could come online. The ship, among others, was successful in destroying a few of the weapons platforms before they came online, Vasoch coordinating some slick maneuvers with his counterpart at the CONN. From that point on, Templar was able to deploy a small force of Klingon soldiers she had transported for the invasion. Templar remained in the system for defence purposes until the Dominion launched a counter offensive with their new Breen allies.

Weeks passed until the announcement of a countermeasure was received. Vasoch and the crew of Templar used the instructions from Starfleet to make adjustments to the ship and return it to the fight in time for the end of the conflict. Joining up with the Federation fleet once more, Templar and allied forces launched a final, full scale assault on Cardassia. After hours of fighting, and with the Cardassians turning on their Dominion allies at the eleventh hour, victory was finally assured. After years of fighting, and the Dominion surrender signed aboard DS9, the conflict was over and the galaxy was able to count its losses. Vasoch and the Templar would remain in Cardassian space with relief forces, helping the innocent civilians rebuild after the barbaric destruction of their cities at the hands of the Dominion. After two years of supporting their former enemies to get back on their feet, Vasoch had begun to feel emotions he never knew he had: feelings and emotions that his people would show, but that he had suppressed for years. He began to grow argumentative, hostile, even downright angry about the littlest of things, getting into hot water with his superiors in the process. Before things could escalate, he took a sabbatical from Starfleet and left Templar behind.

USS Phoenix (Nebula-class)

When he eventually returned to Starfleet almost two years later, he had to accept that he could no longer have his choice of postings. He was offered the role of Chief Tactical Officer aboard the Nebula-class USS Phoenix, serving as the ship conducted trade and diplomatic missions along the Romulan border. Early in 2382, it was discovered that the Romulan star would go supernova, destroying countless worlds in the process. Working together, Starfleet and the Romulans agreed to an evacuation of all systems likely to be affected. Phoenix would serve on the border, supervising refugees that tried to enter Federation space, apprehending them if necessary. It was during this time that Vasoch, back to his normal self, earned his promotion to Lieutenant Commander.

Phoenix was docked at Earth Spacedock in 2385 when tragedy struck on First Contact Day. Dozens, of not hundreds, of A500 androids partly responsible for the creation of the Romulan evacuation fleet went went rogue, launching a devastating attack on Mars and the Utopia Planitia fleetyards, destroying the evacuation fleet in the process. Phoenix and several other ships launched from Spacedock, but were too late. By the time they arrived at Mars, the Synths were gone and Mars was burning. What survivors had made it were rescued and evacuated to safety, but Utopia and Mars were gone. The attack was a terrible setback for relations with the Romulans, and the Federation changed tact, turning almost xenophobic in their nature as yet another threat to the safety of citizens put people on edge all over the place. Even in safety aboard the Phoenix, Vasoch wasn’t immune to the feelings of distrust towards the Romulans, and vice versa. Starfleet took a much more aggressive stance towards Romulan refugees trying to enter Federation space, with Phoenix forcefully turning dozens of ships back into Romulan space.

Sadly, the disaster that had been predicted unfolded in 2387, with the Romulan star going supernova and destroying countless worlds and billions of people. Still, Starfleet did nothing until the new Romulan government on Rator requested their help. Phoenix would spend the better half of the next two years in and around Romulan space, rendering whatever assistance the ship could. Vasoch, as tactical and security chief, was integral to all endeavours during this time, with the main objective obviously being to keep all Starfleet personnel and equipment safe. By that point, Vasoch’s captain had spotted the command potential in his tactical chief, and supported the Tellarite in applying to the Starfleet Advanced Command Training Programme.

Starfleet Academy (Mellstoxx III)

Granted a place at the Starfleet Academy satellite campus on Mellstoxx III, Vasoch spent six months training at the facility which had a particular strength in leadership courses. It was a place where the captains of the future were made, and that suited Vasoch down to the ground. Six gruelling months of assignments, tests, simulations and away missions followed, with Vasoch excelling at the vast majority of tasks put in front of him. By far one of the oldest candidates in the class, he would utilize his years of experience in the field to complete tasks and maneuver himself to the top of the class leaderboard. Many who graduated would go back to their old lives, with that extra bit of knowledge and a new qualification under their belt. For the top ten in the class, the glory of promotion beckoned. Luckily for Vasoch, he graduated in the top five in the class.

USS Argonaut (Argonaut-class)

As a result of his classification, Vasoch was promoted to the rank of Commander, and headhunted by the young commander of the USS Argonaut, a Trill called Italia Ruas. Despite being in her early thirties and showing enormous potential, she lacked some of the experience required of a commanding officer – a trait common with those on the fast track to success. She chose Vasoch as the perfect countermeasure to her inexperience. Together, the pair formed a formidable working relationship, which eventually became a friendship. Argonaut operated in hotspots around the Federation where unrest was beginning to rear its ugly head thanks to events with the Romulans. Engineering difficulties saw Argonaut frequently put into spacedock, much to the chagrin of the command team. In 2395, the ship was finally recalled for good, with the Corps of Engineers and crew alike frustrated by the constant engineering failures.

USS Thesis (Inquiry-class)

With Argonaut mothballed at Earth Spacedock, the crew were given the right to transfer as a whole to a new ship, the Inquiry-class USS Thesis. One of the fastest and toughest ships of its size, the Thesis was a significant upgrade from their previous vessel. The vessel would travel around Federation space, but also to unfamiliar worlds as needed. In a step away from standard operations, Thesis was ordered to the Beta Quadrant world of Sathea IV in early 2399, where she would become part of a top secret project known as the Multi Adaptive Refractive Shielding system (or MARS system for short). Developed by scientists and engineers at the Sathea IV Science Station, the system was a combination of technologies and research obtained from the logs of the starship Voyager upon its return from the Delta Quadrant in the late 2370’s.

The MARS system was the brainchild of Professor Rikia Mariwat, a Bolian scientist, and her counterpart from the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, Dayo Ekaan. Initially proposed as far back as the early 2380’s, the system was put on the back burner due to R&D efforts elsewhere. Following the failed evacuation of Romulan space, and the change in focus for Starfleet, the team on Sathea IV had been given permission to move forward with their proposal in the mid-2390’s as Starfleet looked at new ways of defending itself. Crucially, as an adaptation of two known shielding systems, Starfleet ruled that the technology would not constitute a cloaking device and would instead fall under the realms of other stealth technologies, thus not breaking the centuries old Treaty of Algernon.

For close to a year, the team conducted trial after trial on the holodecks of their labs. They tested every conceivable variable in their search for problems with their design. With each modification they made, reliability in the simulations increased. In the final simulation prior to field testing, the MARS technology would prove to be effective a whopping 89% of the time, with flukes such as spatial phenomenon, nebula gases and the like resulting in some form of detection for the system. Such success warranted field studies, and so Thesis was assigned to the project.

Initial tests had proved promising, with the technology rendering Thesis largely impervious to sensors, but issues quickly started to put paid to the live tests. An epic storm, known as the Century Storm, engulfed the Paulson Nebula. With countless Federation worlds in its path, a massive humanitarian response was authorised by Starfleet. Directly in the path of the storm, the scientists on Sathea refused to leave their posts, citing their desire to survey the phenomenon from inside and gather a wealth of invaluable information that could, potentially, impact the project. Thesis was in the middle of testing when the storm hit. Feedback and power surges altered the ship’s systems in ways they couldn’t imagine. For hours, they struggled to deactivate the stealth system and make the ship visible to the USS Santa Fe, which was in orbit to render aid to the scientists. However, shortly afterwards, a Klingon vessel decloaked and engaged the two Starfleet vessels. From the House Mo’Kai, the Klingons had learned of the project and wanted to gather the evidence for themselves. Luckily, a beating from the two Starfleet vessels sent the Klingons scurrying away.

Once the storm had abated and repairs had been completed, Captain Ruas ordered the tests to continue, despite the misgivings of her crew. As it would appear, her crew would be right. While conducting her tests at warp speed, the vessel suffered issues with her propulsion systems and was knocked off course and with no ability to shut down the warp core. Luckily, once again, the crew of the Santa Fe were on hand to render assistance.

USS Temeraire (Inquiry-class)

An official review was conducted into the entire MARS project, and the command of Captain Ruas. Thesis was submitted to intensive investigations, and soon enough, the source of the malfunctions was discovered – sabotage. Ultimately, Starfleet found that everyone in charge of the project, including the Captain, to be at fault for the series of events, despite the presence of a saboteur aboard the ship at some point. Command ordered the ship to undergo an extensive refit in order to rip out all trace of the MARS system and the sabotage that had occurred. They also removed Captain Ruas from command, but in an unusual step, they didn’t promote Vasoch. They opted to remove the stain of the Thesis name and redesignated it as the USS Temeraire, under the command of Captain Tharia sh’Elas and her staff from the Santa Fe. Before the XO and the new Captain could take on the mission to unite the two crews and settle any animosity between them, a visit from Commodore Uzoma Ekwueme, the commander of the Fourth Fleet Expeditionary Group, presented the crew with new orders.

In the heart of the Psi Velorum sector of Romulan space, the Kunhri system was a heavily industrialised system, long-reliant on food shipments from beyond the sector to feed its large workforce populace. On the eve of a catastrophic coup on Rator, Romulan overseers stripped the planet’s refineries of key technologies that caused all infrastructure to shutdown, and leaving them needing more than just supplies; they needed a path to self-sufficiency.

In response to a call for aid from the new government on Psi Velorum, Starfleet dispatched a small task group to the Kunhri system. On the face of it, the task group was a random selection of available vessels, but each had been specifically chosen with a purpose to fulfil. Temeraire provided the muscle for the task group, serving as the strategic operations command center for the expedition, and for Vasoch to showcase his keen strategic thinking.

During the initial days of their presence, the Temeraire crew would work with Mister Kasik, a Reman observer, to help establish a security net around the Kunhri system, but sh’Elas and her crew soon found themselves moving ship again, this time at the behest of Captain Sebastian Farrell, who travelled to Kunhri aboard the Galaxy-class USS Ulysses.

USS Ulysses (Galaxy-class)

Tasked with a diplomatic mission to the Opra system to secure further supplies for the Kunhri system, Starfleet felt that the crew stood greater chance of succeeding aboard a vessel with prestige such as that of the Ulysses, and aboard a vessel that was less intimidating than the Temeraire. Ultimately, their mission was a success and the necessary supplies were delivered to the Kunhri system. As a reward for yet another job well done, Commodore Ekwueme offered Captain sh’Elas and her crew permanent command of the Ulysses, a ship far more suited to their talents and growing reputations.

With her command crew joining her, the ship returned to Federation space upon the completion of her mission and spent the next few weeks above Trill, until a development would occur, one that would shake the crew to their core. Initially re-assigned to Task Force 72 of the Fourth Fleet, the Ulysses was ordered to return to Romulan space as part of the group’s diplomatic initiative, tasked with conducting first contact missions throughout the independent regions. But a personal matter for a member of the crew saw Captain sh’Elas ignore her orders and take the Ulysses on the hunt for a missing fugitive. Their search took the ship to the Kabrel system where, after many hours of searching, debris matching the description of the vessel they were hunting was located on the third planet. Upon beaming the debris to the ship and investigating it further, investigations concluded that the vessel had been destroyed by a Miradorn Raider, but there were no signs of any fatalities.

Reporting her findings to Command, sh’Elas was suitably chastised by Commodore Uzoma Ekwueme and threatened with removal from command should she ever ignore her orders again, much to Vasoch’s dismay. He had begun to see that Tharia was less of a threat to him, and was a useful person to know. She was also incredibly good at her job.

During the Blood Dilithium crisis of late 2400, and in the midst of a mission to scout possible locations for dilithium refineries, Ulysses was detained, her crew confined to their quarters and the ship towed to Haess IV, a detention facility on the edge of Devore space by a Devore inspection team led by Commander Kravik. But not before the crew, under Vasoch’s watchful gaze, did everything in their power to sabotage systems and make the ship a hollow prize for their captors. Charged with the crime of harbouring telepaths, the Captain, XO and their crew were forced to watch as three of their crewmates were led away, seemingly to never be seen again.

With only a handful of personnel let out of confinement at any given moment in order to keep key systems functioning, sh’Elas and Gor devised a method of escaping captivity, regaining control of their ship and rescuing their crewmates. They also managed to rescue hundreds of prisoners from the Devore facility. With their telepathic crewmates in sickbay and the ship under their command again, Ulysses was involved in a race to safety, being hunted by a pack of Hirogen warships. During the chase, Captain sh’Elas was summoned to sickbay, leaving Vasoch in command when battle commenced. Luckily, the starships Sarek and Sojourner came to their aid, but not in time to prevent the tragic murder of Captain sh’Elas at the hands of one of the survivors they had rescued.

Stuck in the Delta Quadrant for a time, until the aperture to return home opened, Commander Gor was granted a field commission to Captain, taking over acting command in the aftermath of sh’Elas’ death. Her passing hit the Tellarite far harder than he could have ever expected. When the ship was finally able to return to the Alpha Quadrant, Vasoch dropped a bombshell – he was leaving Ulysses and Starfleet.

After a hiatus which saw him take leave on multiple worlds, a chance encounter with Lieutenant Kerry Dawson of the USS Sojourner saw the Tellarite re-evaluate his choice to leave Starfleet. Negotiations with Command saw the man rewarded for his years of dedication and experience with his first permanent command, aboard the Sagan-class USS Hathaway.