Distinguishing Physical Characteristics

Unlike most Vulcans, t'Pek had light brown hair which she likes to grow long.

Personality

t'Pek is a strange Vulcan, in that she has totally accepted her emotional, human side. Whilst she has not abandoned her Vulcan logic, she has accepted that there are advantages to showing emotions, especially when working with a mostly human crew.

Background

t'Pek was born on Vulcan nearly a hundred years ago, her father was a Vulcan science officer whilst her mother was a diplomatic aide working at the Federation embassy on Vulcan. It was during a trip back to Earth, that t'Pek's father started to suffer "Pon Farr" and sought out a mate in t'Pek's mother. The two married in a traditional Vulcan joining ceremony upon their return to Vulcan and t'Pek was born eight months later.

In 2295, t'Pek's father was killed in an accident onboard his vessel. Unable to cope alone in a strange and hostile environment with a five year old child, t'Pek and her mother returned to Earth, where t'Pek went to a Federation school. Surrounded by emotional children and teachers, t'Pek's Vulcan side became suppressed and she acted like any 'normal' child. Her mother encouraged t'Pek to grow her hair so that she could hide her ears, making her look almost human.

Even though t'Pek was only five when they left Vulcan, she resented her mother taking her away from the only home she knew. Her mother was so lost and hurt without her husband, that she wanted to block the entire situation out of her mind and banned everything Vulcan from her and t'Pek's life. What her mother didn't realise was that t'Pek was also very hurt by the loss of her father, but was unable to express her emotions until she grew older.

As she became a teenager, t'Pek started to question her Vulcan past and started to practice Vulcan disciplines in secret. However, the damage was already done. Having been around mostly Human children and adults for most of her life, she found it very hard to control her emotional side. When she was eighteen, she finally rebelled against her mother's wishes and returned to Vulcan to study her heritage. There, she attempted to regain her lost emotional controls in a calmer environment and around those who understood, but it was too late and all the Vulcan teachers she approached said that she would never fully control her emotions.

She eventually managed to secure a place at the Vulcan science academy, where she studied for ten years. It was only a message from her mother that brought her back to Earth in 2320. Her mother had been diagnosed with a debilitating disease, which five years later killed her. t'Pek cared for her mother through to the end, which put a tremendous strain on her both physically and emotionally, but somehow those five years allowed her to finally admit that she would never control her emotions and therefore the best she could do would be to use them to her advantage.

t'Pek was now alone and decided that she would embark on a medical career in Starfleet. She joined Starfleet academy in 2326 and graduated in 2330, before doing three more years at the Starfleet medical academy and another five at Starfleet medical until she finally was assigned to a Starfleet vessel.

She was assigned to an Excelsior class vessel initially as a junior medical officer, where she served for twenty years, working her way up to Chief Medical officer. By now t'Pek was beginning to feel alone and wanted to start a family of her own. She eventually married the ship's first officer and moved to his new command when he was transferred.

The two served together for another ten years, but t'Pek found it hard to conceive and was eventually told that she would never have children, something her husband wanted. The couple broke up in 2356 and t'Pek resigned from Starfleet the same year, returning to Vulcan, where she started to teach at the science academy.

When the Dominion war started, she re-enlisted as an NCO and served onboard several medical vessels, before returning once more to Vulcan and the safety of the science academy. In 2378 she resigned under mysterious circumstances from the science academy and disappeared from sight for the next five years.

In 2383, she found herself onboard a cargo vessel called Firefly and she was able to save the life of the ship's Captain, even with the limited medical facilities onboard ship. In return, Captain Stryker offered t'Pek a position on the Firefly as both Medical and science officer, which she accepted.