Lieutenant Cassian Pell
Name Cassian Pell D.Sc
Position Chief Science Officer
Rank Lieutenant
Stats
- 12 Mission Posts
Last Post
Thu Oct 14th, 2021 @ 11:17pm
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Betazoid | |
| Birthplace | Betazed | |
| Age | 30 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 6'0" | |
| Weight | 173 lbs. | |
| Hair Color | Black (Straight) | |
| Eye Color | Black | |
| Physical Description | Lean but that's more the result of a fast metabolism and a high energy level than any dedicated workout routine. Straight black hair that tends to the long side and a kind face -- at least that's how he's been described. Can be adventurous in how he dresses off duty. A bit on the restless side, so sitting still with nothing to isn't possible for him. If nothing else, he'll be working on some small puzzle or reading on a PADD while he waits. |
Family
| Spouse | None | |
| Children | None | |
| Father | Amaris Pell | |
| Mother | Alandri Pell | |
| Brother(s) | Phelan and Bardan | |
| Sister(s) | Emrys | |
| Other Family | Many - some by blood and some by choice |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | At heart, Cas is a scientist. As a Betazoid, he finds the cacophony of the minds around him to be comforting, rather than annoying, and is more than capable of tuning it all out when he needs to concentrate. He's curious about everything and is in his element when he's investigating something new. He's a gentle soul who opposes violence and cannot accept that the first or best answer to a problem is firing a phaser at it. The hardest course he took at the Academy was phaser training; he ended up with a high score but that's only after he found a quote by Wyatt Earp -- "Fast is fine but accuracy is everything." Still, there's a difference between hitting a target and hitting a person. He accepts the need for stun, in some cases, but that's as far as he's willing to go. He has courage, by no means a coward, and is self-reliant. People get the mistaken impression that he needs to be taken care of but that's not actually the truth. He’s honest and having been to more than a few weddings, not at all body shy |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | Strengths: + Highly intelligent with a naturally inquisitive mind + Open-minded and flexible. Would much rather figure it out for himself than accept someone else's viewpoint + Doctorate in Science. Minored in applied mathematics and is working on a Ph.D. - not that he's in any rush. Just loves learning. + Good with people and with building community. He's always reading with a cup of tea and time to listen. + Good at pattern recognition. Affinity with numbers and some ability at code breaking. Weaknesses: - Can get distracted by shiny new puzzles. Not always the best with time management. - Suffers from insomnia after a troubling incident on an isolated research station. - As a Betazoid, there are times when the minds he meets cause him to retreat. When that happens, he'll disappear into his work while he sorts it all through. Likes: - Baths. The worst part about being on a starship is the lack of a decent bath. He does a lot of thinking in bathtubs. - Good food. He's no cook but loves good food, a bottle of wine, and time spent in front of the fire talking. - A new puzzle to work on, interesting people Dislikes: -Small talk. He’d rather talk about something with substance and he’s endlessly curious about things. But pointless small talk? -Food that retains the appearance it had in life – for example, a whole fish. Being able to name its anatomical components is a definite appetite killer - |
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| Ambitions | Not really the ambitious sort. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | - Working on a second doctorate in Applied Mathematics. Slow process because he gets distracted. - Hiking. - Swimming/Diving - has always had a thing for the water. His idea of the perfect home would be beside the ocean or better yet, a houseboat. - Reading - exclusively non-fiction -Kal-toh, Chess, mysteries, puzzles -Loves the theater - Trying something new. |
History
| Personal History | Nickname: Cas Born on Betazed, he grew up in a crowded, too small house near Endaren University. His parents were both professors, his father taught History and his mother taught Art History. The house overflowed with books and mementos; dinner parties, with students or visiting professors, was a common occurrence. Overshadowing this was his father’s steadfast belief in upholding the family position as members of the thirteenth house and in his children living lives of service to the family and to Betazed. In that, Cas disagreed. What mattered to him was the science and what interested him was seeing what was out there beyond Betazed. His parents realized early on that he would need special tutors which meant that his education was atypical. Curious and wicked smart, Cas did well in the areas that interested him; not so much in the areas that didn’t. His penmanship can be charitably called ‘poor’ and his spelling is dreadful. It became clear early on that his areas of interest were science and applied mathematics. In those, he excelled. He took on extra projects and proved to be endlessly curious. A natural explorer though he had trouble with time management. Getting lost in the work wasn’t just a turn of phrase with Cas. As he grew older, he began to spend time with students from other worlds and through those experiences, solidified his desire to join Starfleet. This did not sit well with his parents who had envisioned him in a research lab on Betazed and had already begun working on an arranged marriage. The rift between them widened when he let them know he had no interest in getting married or in settling down in some research lab. He laid his mind open to them, showed them the path he meant to take, and in doing so, the rift became a chasm. As was true in his other courses, Cas did extremely well at Starfleet Academy when it came to his areas of interest. The more military aspects of Starfleet proved much more difficult. His struggle with phaser certification brought with it the idea of deliberately ending a life – something he wasn’t prepared to do. His advisor was an elderly Vulcan who, over many games of chess, helped him to understand. Intellect wasn’t reserved for one’s field of interest – it applied to all areas of life. Cas did some research and came upon the advice of a long-dead expert, Wyatt Earp, who said “The most important lesson I learned from those proficient gunfighters was the winner of a gunplay usually was the man who took his time.” He went on to say, “When I say that I learned to take my time in a gunfight, I do not wish to be misunderstood, for the time to be taken is only that split fraction of a second that means the difference between deadly accuracy with a six-gun and a miss. Mentally deliberate, but muscularly faster than thought, is what I mean.” Applying that principle, Cas scored high but there is a huge difference between a target and a living being. In that, Cas relies upon the stun setting. He was assigned to a science and research vessel and participated in away teams and research projects. He was seen as someone who could be relied upon, who was good at innovative, out-of-the-box thinking and worked well under pressure. He was well liked by the members of his department and grew into a leadership position. Then came the six-month assignment to a remote research station. The project was an important one. He understood that. Had no problem with the isolation or the need to do most of it himself. He was excited for the chance to work with civilian scientists from several worlds. He’d been there a month when he started ‘hearing’ whispered thoughts, usually at night, and at first, thought the place was getting to him. But it wasn’t his imagination, it was someone on the station, someone with the ability to mask his thoughts. Being the only telepath on the station, no one else was affected as he was – and while he tried to determine the culprit, he was unable to do so. For several months, he was forced to endure whispered thoughts, intrusions into his mind, that gave him nightmares for weeks afterward and he knew that whoever it was, enjoyed the pain he inflicted. Once he left (he thinks of it as being rescued), he requested time on Vulcan to do some training. He learned about shields and about how to defend himself from such attacks. Coming to terms with the cruelty of that mind, well, that was much more difficult. |
Service Record
| Service Record | - Graduated Starfleet Academy with Major in Science, Minor in Applied Mathematics - Assigned as Science Officer for the USS Ark Royal - Completed his D.Sc. and continued studies in Applied Mathematics - Promoted to Asst. Chief Science Officer, USS Ark Royal - Transferred to the USS Soujourner |