Kazjra Zel

Zel Symbiont and Previous Hosts

The Zel symbiont was born in the year 2089, and spent 195 years in the Caves of Mak’ala until its first joining to Janrix Lavir–an accomplished botanist–in 2284. This joining would be painfully short-lived, however, as an expedition to a tropical planet the following year resulted in being envenomated by local fauna. The venom was so unlike anything in the Trill medical databases that they couldn’t find a way to stabilize his isoboramine levels, and after a days-long struggle on the way back to Trill they finally removed Zel and joined it to Yolozha Zatchni, student of Janrix and part of the Initiate Program.

Shaken by what had happened to Janrix, Yolozha decided to alter her career tack and stay on Trill doing xenobiology research at the renowned Kem’alta Institute. Not long after joining, however, she managed to pierce her skin with contaminated forceps through faulty protective gloves, and she died of prion disease four years later, in 2289.

Having limited experience with the exposure of symbionts to prion disease, there was debate among the Trill Symbiosis Commission on whether they should even attempt another joining of the Zel symbiont, but they found a volunteer willing to take the risk of infection and stay hospital-bound for a year of study. Kayten Palex was a quiet, unassuming computer engineer who surprised everyone by the boldness of his decision, but it paid off: after a year of intense monitoring, doctors could find no evidence of prion disease being passed to the symbiont or its new host. He returned to work after receiving medical clearance, but despite his sedate lifestyle in a low-risk career, another Zel host’s life was cut tragically short just two years later, in a vehicle crash of all things.

Deeply concerned for the physical and psychological well-being of Zel after such a tumultuous start to its life outside the caves, the Symbiosis Commission made an unusual selection for its next host when it chose a Guardian who’d never even applied as an Initiate. Taner Kerlek was previously an agent for the Symbiosis Commission’s private security agency, responsible for tracking down and monitoring unscrupulous individuals who might attempt to disrupt the lives of joined symbionts or their hosts for their own benefit. After his identity had been compromised, he had an excuse to leave the agency to do what he’d always wanted to do and become a Guardian. His lack of even the slightest hint of telepathic ability meant he’d be relegated to spending most of his time in the caves with the symbionts, and he was more than happy with the arrangement.

Upon evaluation of the lowest-ranking Guardians in the Caves of Mak’ala, Taner was found to have the most resilient personality and thus the highest likelihood of a successful joining. He was reluctant to agree until he found out that not only would he be able to remain a Guardian in the caves, it was expected of him. Zel needed the most low-risk individual they could find in order to finally ensure a long-term joining, and with Taner they had succeeded. Taner Zel lived a full 95 years as a joined Trill before passing peacefully of old age in 2387.

Childhood

Kazjra Endal was born in the capital city of Mak’ala. Her father was a high-ranking Guardian with telepathic abilities, and her mother was a joined Trill and medical doctor specializing in host/symbiont care. From the moment she was conceived, it was expected that Kazjra would enter the Trill Initiate program and eventually be joined to a symbiont. This was in part due to her father’s close association with the Symbiosis Commission, but also in part due to her father’s own deferred dream of joining: his telepathy made him too valuable as a Guardian who could guide hosts all over the quadrant through zhian’tara rites and provide other forms of aid to the joined. As such, he wasn’t around much during Kazjra’s childhood, but his presence was always felt.

She spent most of her childhood studying so that she could get into the best secondary school, and university, and graduate program, and do whatever it took to further stand out among her peers. Kazjra often felt that she was wasting most of her youth simply absorbing and preparing. Spending time in nature and Mak’ala’s green spaces was one of the few respites she had. Music was another: acoustic or electronic, all of it was welcome as long as it was instrumental and not too intrusive while she was studying. She justified the grind by imagining all the wonderful memories she’d have access to as a joined Trill.

Despite being a joined Trill herself, her mother was not happy with the pressures and expectations that Kazjra’s father placed on her. Their marriage had already been faltering for many years, and her father’s unwillingness to compromise in any aspect of their lives eventually led to divorce, and to Kazjra’s mother moving to practice medicine on a different continent. Since she spent most of her time at boarding school anyway, it was not a keenly felt loss. Or so Kazjra tells herself.

Young Adulthood

When Kazjra was 18 years old, she met Marli Baelil at the Hoobishan Baths near her university campus. They were both regulars, and each encounter was filled with smiles and friendly chatter. Then, long conversations that made them lose track of time. Then, other activities that made them lose track of time. After several months of this, Kazjra finally had the wherewithal to ask, “Are we dating?” “Yes, I believe we have been for a while now!” And they started to see each other outside the baths as well.

The two couldn’t be more different. Marli had several siblings, came from a tight knit family, was effortlessly social, and seemed to know people everywhere she went. She wasn’t enrolled in any local university and didn’t have a steady vocation. She’d take odd jobs, volunteer for causes, and audit classes as the fancy suited her. She also was not terribly fond of the Symbiosis Commission, and this is where the majority of friction in their relationship came from.

The issue did not loom large during the first four years of their relationship, but once Kazjra got approval from her initiate field docent to proceed with a joining after she finished her dissertation, it could no longer be ignored. Marli was sure that Kazjra was only doing this to make her father happy; she emphasized that Kazjra could pursue her studies and travel the galaxy just as easily if she weren’t joined, perhaps even more easily; she even encouraged Kazjra to reach out to her estranged mother.

Kazjra did not contact her mother, but–wondering if Marli was right–she did take a month-long sabbatical away from Trill, her dissertation, and even Marli, to figure out if a joining was something she really wanted for herself. When she returned, she didn’t tell Marli where she had been or what she had done, but she did tell her that she was going through with a joining as soon as one was offered. Not long after, they went their separate ways.

Joining

In 2387, Kazjra successfully completed and presented her dissertation on “predicting the deformation of affine structures in hyper-subspace”, and the Symbiosis Commission officially proposed joining her with the Zel symbiont.

They were very upfront about Zel’s past and its trauma, and it was suggested that if she wanted to wait another opportunity may arise within five years. Her father was vocally displeased with the idea of joining to Zel; it had none of the renown of an experienced symbiont, and offered none of the recognition of being a First Host. Kazjra herself was somewhat taken aback: this was not something she had imagined when she contemplated joining.

But the more she thought about it, the more excited she became by the idea of an atypical joining. It would still be a chance for something new. It would still be an opportunity to become part of something greater than herself. And she found herself relating to Zel and its struggles, even if she couldn’t precisely articulate why. So at age 25, Kazjra Endal became Kazjra Zel.

Starfleet

Initially, Kazjra had figured on writing another dissertation after her joining, possibly working out of a deep space research outpost, but in those first few disorienting weeks she just couldn’t concentrate on hyper-subspace equations. “That’s quite normal, nothing to worry about,” the Symbiosis Commission told her, which was true enough. But after several more weeks, she realized: it wasn’t that she couldn’t concentrate, it was that she didn’t want to. The Zel part of her had spent nearly a century living in a cave again (like moving back in with your parents!). The Kazjra part of her had spent most of her life on Trill, in Mak’ala, with her nose to the grindstone. Both parts amplified each other to a crescendo of GO! She had to get out and see the galaxy. But she wasn’t Marli; she couldn’t just float along taking whatever opportunity came her way. She needed some direction, and Starfleet seemed just the organization to provide it.

After the Trill Initiate Program, getting accepted into Starfleet Academy was a walk in the park, and once there she was dazzled by her options. The science division had seemed like the obvious choice when she signed up, but her engineering courses were intriguing. The allure of higher level mathematics combined with the chance to work with her hands propelled her to her first assignment as an engineering officer, and she has been advancing steadily ever since.