T'Prynn

The late 2290’s were seen as the beginning of Starfleets Golden Age, a time of peaceful exploration following the signing of the Khitomer Accords with the Klingons in 2293. In 2294, two Vulcans named Sitak and Vorek engaged in the mating ritual of pon farr and became married. At this time, they conceived their only child, T’Prynn. One year later, the child was born on the Vulcan homeworld.

It was clear from very early on that T’Prynn was highly intelligent. T’Prynn was encouraged from an early age to undergo the Vulcan teachings that would bring about the purging of her emotions. As such, she underwent years of tutelage before actually beginning the Kolinahr for the first time in 2314 at the age of 21. Her attempt at the Kolinahr was interrupted however when she began the pon farr. During her pon farr, T’Prynn bonded and ultimately mated with her husband to be, Sovaal. During her teenage years and her early twenties, a rift developed between T’Prynn and her parents as they argued about her decision to attend Starfleet Academy (like her mother) rather than attend the Vulcan Science Academy. During her time at Starfleet Academy, T’Prynn specialized in Engineering and starship operations, majoring in warp engineering, warp physics and subspace mechanics. She took a short leave of absence during her final year while she undertook the pon far and married Sovaal, eventually returning to conclude her training.

Upon the conclusion of her training, Ensign T’Prynn was assigned to the Utopia Planitia Fleetyards and the Advanced Starship Design Bureau as a warp propulsion specialist. During her assignment at the ASDB, T’Prynn and several colleagues became embroiled in an effort to develop a functioning transwarp drive, using the failed experiment on the Excelsior as a test bed and starting point for the new version. After a year and a half of simulations, the new system was fitted aboard the USS Trieste, another Excelsior class starship in 2319. T’Prynn and the engineering team from the ASDB joined the vessel on its initial test flight. After overseeing the installation of the systems required, T’Prynn and the team were quietly confident that this time, they could succeed. After several hours of final simulations, the team started the ships transwarp drive, a clear course plotted to the Klingon border. Initially, all seemed to be functioning well until the ship ground to a halt with all propulsion systems offline. After thorough investigation once the ship had been towed back to the Starbase it was revealed that the same ailments had affected the ship that had crippled the Excelsior during the ‘Great Experiment’ of the 90’s.

With the newest experiment deemed a failure, the team were disbanded. Ensign T’Prynn was reassigned permanently to the Trieste as they converted her back to a vessel capable of standard warp flight. With the vessel functioning properly again by mid-2320, the ship began her own mission of exploration out into the depths of the alpha quadrant.

In 2321, and for a third time in 2328, T’Prynn returned to Vulcan for a short stay to engage in the pon farr with her husband, Sovaal. During her time on the homeworld, T’Prynn and her parents buried the hatchet and her father, Vorek, respectfully accepted her decision to follow her mother into Starfleet. After a few weeks, T’Prynn returned to the Trieste and continued serving as a warp propulsion specialist. When off duty, the Vulcan continued her research and simulations into transwarp drive.

In 2330, junior Lieutenant T’Prynn transferred to the brand-new USS Yamaguchi, one of the new Ambassador class starships. As a member of the Engineering detail on the ship and due to her experience with the ASDB, T’Prynn was picked for the brand-new vessel to manage and maintain the ships propulsion systems. Following successful shakedown cruises, the Yamaguchi travelled to the border of the newly discovered Cardassian Union, transporting an official Federation Ambassador to work on diplomatic ties with the grey skinned neighbours. During her ten year stay on the Yamaguchi, T’Prynn experienced her first taste of command when leading an engineering team aboard a damaged Cardassian vessel and rendering assistance to get the ship working again. It was at this time that T’Prynn first met a Bajoran, a lone man (battered and bruised) held captive on the vessel. Upon returning to the Yamaguchi, T’Prynn brought the man’s plight to the attention of her commanding officer. Through their investigations the Captain uncovered the occupation of the Bajoran homeworld by the Cardassians. Despite a strong belief to uphold the Prime Directive, T’Prynn struggled with her Vulcan conscience and the inability to help a people that were clearly suffering at the hands of others. In her typical stoic and well considered manner, T’Prynn tendered her resignation from Starfleet and returned to Vulcan – at least according to Starfleet’s official records.

Unofficially, T’Prynn had been travelling back to Vulcan when she again came across some Bajorans who were travelling to Earth. The devastation of their homeworld soon became apparent and this appalled the calm, considered woman. The engineering experience of this Vulcan was highly sought after and, with her new friends in tow, T’Prynn travelled into Cardassian territory and helped maintain several Bajoran resistance fighters and transport vessels.

After working with the Bajorans for nearly eight years, T’Prynn was travelling aboard a Bajoran transport when it was intercepted by a Cardassian cruiser. Taken prisoner, the Bajorans convinced their Cardassian captors that they had been holding T’Prynn prisoner and forcing her to maintain their vessels, a complete fabrication but one designed to keep the Vulcan safe and hopefully ensure she could continue her work for the resistance. Whilst at the leisure of her Cardassian ‘rescuers’, T’Prynn was forced observe several rounds of torture, stirring many an emotion inside her until she was released and returned to Federation space. Once back on Vulcan it became clear that the turmoil for the woman was far from over. Sovaal, her life partner, had died when a vessel he was travelling aboard had been attacked by Orion pirates. As her emotions threatened to bubble over, her mother (and now Admiral) Sitak convinced her to undertake the kolinahr again in an effort to purge all of her emotions and achieve pure logic.

For six years, T’Prynn dedicated her life to the priests and priestesses at Mount Selaya and the Riakin Sanctuary in Zhial, listening to and adhering to their teachings and challenges in the pursuit of logic and in an effort to rid herself of the emotions that had plagued her. With the support of her father at the Science Academy (her mother had returned to Starfleet Command), T’Prynn took part in the final kolinahr ritual. After an intense regimen of training, discipline, and tests, T’Prynn was able to transcend all emotions to a heightened state of understanding. The final ceremony was conducted by the master and two other elders involved in the process, who acted as witnesses. Since it was a private matter, there was no audience in attendance, and the ritual was conducted on sacred ground – in a place of stone, water, and fire. She descended the steps from Mount Seleya—carved out of stone and bearing many ancient glyphs – and knelt upon the stone in the designated place. She waited, head down, with hands folded in meditation. At last the master spoke from the steps above and announced that she had achieved the purging of her emotions and the pursuit of logic. Her first act as the ‘new’ T’Prynn was to visit the sacred Temple of Amonak and offer prayers for her Bajoran friends, a sign that she was still heavily invested in the justice of right and wrong in life despite her newfound serenity.

With a greater sense of purpose and logic guiding her through life, T’Prynn began brushing up on the technological advances that she had missed during her fourteen years away from Starfleet. She toured different science and engineering institutes around the Federation, eventually returning to her roots – Utopia Planitia. She joined the Engine design team led by Dr. Leah Brahms aboard the USS Ulysses as a civilian specialist. The team developed and installed the new warp core for the ship and were present during her shakedown in 2363. With the project a success, T’Prynn used the success to support her application for re-admittance to Starfleet.

Assuming her previous rank of Lieutenant, T’Prynn transferred to the Nebula class USS T’Kumbra, Starfleet’s only all Vulcan staffed vessel, as Chief Engineer. The ship was undergoing final construction and eventually launched in 2366. Whilst the ship was on its first mission to patrol the Romulan Neutral Zone, the T’Kumbra was ordered to rendezvous with the fleet at the Wolf 359 system to repel a Borg incursion into Federation space. Fortunately, the ship suffered some slight engine trouble which prevented the ship engaging in the battle that cost the lives of some eleven thousand Starfleet personnel and seen the destruction of nearly forty starships. T’Kumbra arrived late and took on several escape pods worth of survivors, transporting them to Starbase 565.

The T’Kumbra returned to the Romulan Neutral Zone and patrolled a section of it during the Klingon Civil War. T’Prynn continued to serve the T’Kumbra until late 2370 when she was due to transfer to the USS Odyssey as Chief Engineer. She had been due to rendezvous with the ship at DS9 but the Galaxy class starship was called on to travel to the Gamma Quadrant and locate the missing Benjamin Sisko and his son. The mission resulted in the loss of the Odyssey with all hands, meaning that T’Prynn would instead find herself somewhat in limbo. A new Chief Engineer had been named for the T’Kumbra, so T’Prynn simply looked for a new posting elsewhere. A chance encounter with a colleague on Earth presented the Vulcan with a fascinating opportunity to enhance her skill set in a different field. Their conversations led the Vulcan to enlist at Starfleet Academy for the Advanced Tactical Training and Advanced Command Skills courses to prepare herself for the bridge officers’ exams. She spent the better part of a year honing her command skills at the Academy, on training cruises and in other such scenarios before graduating the course at the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Her graduation came at a most inopportune moment, however, as no current postings existed for a new executive officer – even one with her skill set. She would, however, accept a temporary posting to the USS Venture as Second Officer and a Strategic Liaison to Admiral Hastur for several months prior to the ship being assigned to Deep Space 9 and the Bajor System at the outbreak of the Second Federation-Klingon War. It was her connections with the Admiral and her penchant for being in the right place at the right time, that saw the Lieutenant Commander submit her name for consideration as executive officer of the Excelsior-class USS Challenger.

A significant tour of duty on the Challenger saw the Commander assist with the rebuilding efforts within Cardassian space upon the conclusion of the Dominion War, which led to a chance meeting with Akaria Okan, a young Cardassian that she sponsored for a career in Starfleet. Upon the conclusion of her tour, and some sixty-six years since graduating the Academy, T’Prynn finally reached the summit of the command ladder, the one time she would admit to ambition being in her vocabulary.

In early 2380, T’Prynn would assume command of the Nebula-class USS T’Kumbra. As one of her more ‘famous’ alumni, T’Prynn was a logical choice to assume command upon the reassignment of Captain Solok. Aboard the T’Kumbra, the newly minted Captain would conduct many missions of importance around the Federation and beyond, including negotiating a ceasefire during a brief conflict between neighbouring worlds in the southern frontier of Federation space.

T’Kumbra was undergoing some scheduled maintenance at McKinley station in 2385 when disaster struck. A rescue armada designed to assist the evacuation of Romulan space following news of the impending Romulan supernova was being constructed at Utopia Planitia on Mars when, on First Contact Day, multiple A500 synthetic androids at Utopia Planitia suddenly went rogue. They lowered the deflector shields protecting the shipyards and the planet itself and hacked the Martian defense net. Moments thereafter, numerous synth ships began targeting the rescue armada, the Utopia Planitia Shipyards, and the Mars Orbital Facility. The satellite network surrounding Mars was turned against the surface and the synths began bombarding the surface, igniting flammable vapors in the stratosphere and causing massive damage to the planet’s infrastructure. Close by, T’Kumbra was on the scene rapidly, but her efforts were not enough to save the lives of thousands of people, though she did manage to destroy a number of synth vessels.

In the aftermath that followed, T’Kumbra was one of the vessels put forward to reshape the remains of the rescue armada by Fleet Admiral Picard, but when Starfleet rejected his proposal, T’Prynn struggled with the logic of allowing millions to die because of a single attack by forces seemingly unrelated to the rescue attempt. Starfleet’s new, inward looking focus caused further consternation for many and, following the deaths of millions in the aforementioned supernova when it finally occurred in 2387, T’Prynn felt she had no choice but to resign her commission and promptly left Starfleet.

Returning to Vulcan, she worked with a number of institutes in relief efforts to support their Romulan brethren, her new responsibilities would take her across the border and into Romulan space on several humanitarian missions. Her actions certainly caught the attention of Starfleet Command, causing them to summon her back to Starfleet. Assuring her of their intentions to return to Starfleet’s core mission of exploration, T’Prynn was granted a new command in 2390. For the next decade, the Captain would serve as commanding officer of the USS Intrepid, until she was eventually decommissioned in favour of a new  Duderstadt-class vessel. The decommissioning of the Intrepid came at an opportune moment. One of the fleet’s Sovereign-class explorers, the USS Venture, required a new commanding officer, and T’Prynn was Starfleet’s first choice. She arrived in 2401, assuming command from acting Captain Mason Henry.

Following the disaster of Frontier Day, Venture returned to Avalon Fleetyards for extensive repairs. Like many of her crew, T’Prynn took a new assignment elsewhere, overseeing the refit of the USS Arimathea at Avalon.