Oz Forgrave

My name is Oz Forgrave. Unusual name, I know. My parents shared a love for a book published toward the end of earth’s 19th century titled “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Enchanted by the idea of a magical land far removed from the ordinary and mundane, they’d chosen to lead a rather unconventional way of life, the 24th-century equivalent of a bohemian lifestyle. Although my mom and dad were born and raised on earth, they’d left in their late teens, hitching rides on cargo ships and finding honest work to sustain their nomadism.

I was the youngest of seven children, and most of my siblings and I enjoyed traveling to and visiting parts of the Alpha Quadrant. We were aware that many of our peers experienced a more structured childhood, and it was difficult for us to envision a way of life extrinsic of the freedoms afforded us. We did well to honor our parents’ trust in our judgment to make reasonable decisions, adhering to the few rules or restrictions expected of children our age.

My older siblings took an active role in my care and were a part of my upbringing, like my parents. Our education was primarily through firsthand, real-world experience and learning skills using a practical application. Our parents were adept storytellers, often weaving morals and essential life lessons into tales composed of complex situations and convoluted characters. It wasn’t until a few days before my fifth birthday that my siblings and I were introduced to a more organized and formal type of education.

The cargo ship we’d booked passage landed on the planet of Gault to transfer supplies to a Federation farming colony. The exchange of goods took several weeks, during which my family experienced the richness of the community-oriented culture of the planet’s agrarian society. We were immediately welcomed by the colony’s inhabitants and asked to contribute in any way we could – a gesture of goodwill and thanks for the colonist’s hospitality. It was evident from the moment my parent’s landed on Gault that they’d found their version of paradise and intended to stay, much to the chagrin of their free-spirited children.

Growing up in one of the Federation’s frontier farm colonies was simple enough yet warranted plenty of hard work and dedication. I’ll admit, life on Gault was a far departure from what my siblings and I experienced for our entire lives up until then. It was more difficult for my older brothers and sisters to adapt to a way of life utterly foreign to them. My eldest two brothers and sister were slow, hesitant, or even resistant to acculturation, inciting disagreements and outright conflict between them and my parents. Yet, devotion to family never wavered and somehow compelled each to come to terms with the reality of this new situation. Although I experienced a certain degree of acclimation, I adjusted more quickly because of how young I was when we arrived.

At sixteen, I was a part of Gault as if I was native to the planet. I tended the fields, maintained the gardens, and joined the annual harvests. I attended the colony’s school classes and took several advanced placement courses through the Federation’s distance learning programs. I played sports, including swimming, cross country, and wrestling. I apprenticed in one of the colony’s greenhouses, cultivating medicinal herbs and flowers and learning about their healing properties on the mind, body, and soul. And I attended a preparatory program for Starfleet. I’d known about the program from one of the doctors assigned to the planet’s outpost, a herbalist Juliette Thobhani. She was the wife of my school’s science teacher, Nishit Thobhani, who recognized my aptitude for cultivation early in my first year of the lower classes and recommended me for the apprenticeship. Doctor Thobhani also saw that I had a passion for botany and encouraged me to seek a career in Starfleet, going so far as to sponsor my attending the academy.

Feelings were mixed when I shared the results from the academy entrance exams. My parents were proud of my hard work and dedication to high marks. Although they were reticent about my leaving the colony, my eldest two brothers and sister argued the merits of my exploring the possibilities of the galaxy in much the same way they did with a bit more structure and routine. Although, if I’m being honest, I think they’re living a bit vicariously, too. As such, I accepted the academy’s offer and left toward the start of the spring harvest for Starbase Bravo, where I would begin my first year as a cadet.