Pava Lar'ragos

Pava Lar’ragos was born on the planet El Auria, in the Delta Quadrant, in the Terran calendar year 1949. Pava was born to a relatively young couple, by El Aurian standards. His father was 124, and his mother only 57. His was an idyllic childhood, on a planet as peaceful and prosperous as one could hope for. Pava showed an early aptitude for mathematics and the physical sciences, and by the age of 10, he was enrolled in one of the world’s foremost science curriculum-based academies.

Despite his gifts for science, Pava had difficulty keeping on task in the rigorous academic environment of El Auria’s schools. He often found his attention wandering to thoughts of other worlds and cultures. Eventually, at the age of 25, Pava gave up his science ambitions in favor of personal exploration of the cosmos. His family was disappointed, but tolerant. After all, as an El Aurian, he had more than enough time to return to his education.

Pava spent much of the next decades exploring the region of space surrounding El Auria. It was for this reason that he was away from his homeworld when the Borg attacked and assimilated the planet. Horrified, and wracked with survivor’s guilt, Pava set out away from the lifeless rock that had been the world of his birth, looking for something… anything, to divert his attention from his enormous personal loss.

For the next century and a half, Lar’ragos wandered through large tracts of the Delta and Beta Quadrants. He spent his time performing numerous tasks and jobs, from menial labor on backwater planets, to soldiering-for-hire. Pava also used his unique ‘listening’ talents as a quasi-diplomat on more than one occasion.

Shortly after the destruction of El Auria, Pava joined the forces of the Hekosian Empire as a soldier, becoming involved in the protracted and horrific Korsi’an Wars. Lar’ragos had grown angry and bitter over the destruction of his home, and the scattering of the El Aurian survivors throughout the galaxy. He sought the purity of purpose and discipline that the Hekosian Royal Armed Forces promised him. As a soldier of the Empire, Pava was called upon to fight in numerous ‘brush wars’ in which often times more civilians than combatants were killed. After 17 years of this terrible conflict, Lar’ragos left the Hekosian military with an honorable discharge, and a tour of duty that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Two decades later, while aboard a passenger transport ship, Pava first encountered the fearsome Hirogen Hunters of the Delta Quadrant. A Hirogen hunting party, comprised of an Alpha Instructor and several young hunters, attacked and boarded the transport, killing everyone aboard save Pava. Lar’ragos managed to defend himself with a ferocity and creativity born of desperation, and piqued the interest of the Alpha. Rather than killing him immediately, the Alpha decided to prolong the thrill of a challenging hunt, and released Pava with instructions to run as far and fast as he could. Lar’ragos obliged, embarking on a terrifying odyssey that lasted nearly a decade.

The next 9 years became a desperate race against his relentless pursuers. His life became consumed with the ritual of moving from system to system, hiding both in crowds and in isolation, disguising himself when possible, and avoiding contact with the ‘enemy’ at all costs. The Hirogen training cadre shadowed him with endless enthusiasm, playing with him the way a feline toys with it’s prey. Utilizing telepathic tracking animals, the Hirogen proved able to locate Lar’ragos in nearly every conceivable environment. Eventually, Lar’ragos learned to shield his thoughts, an adaptation of his innate El Aurian abilities, eventually honing this new skill to such a degree that he appears ‘invisible’ to telepaths.

Lar'ragos was caught, tortured, and released to resume the hunt a total of six times in 9 years. In that time, he succeeded in killing two Hirogen, and wounding 5 others. Pava eventually located a wormhole used by local star systems for long range transit, approximately 40 light-years, and utilized it to finally evade his pursuers for good.

Lar’ragos eventually found his way into Federation space, drawn by rumors from a handful of other El Aurian expatriates he’d encountered that here, finally, was a group of enlightened civilizations worthy of living in and among. Pava visited over a hundred Federation worlds in a 10-year span, and ultimately decided to join Starfleet. Putting to good use the tactical skills he’d acquired in his travels, Lar’ragos chose to pursue a career in Security/Tactical.

While at Starfleet Academy, Lar’ragos befriended a young cadet named Donald Sandhurst. Serving as his mentor, Pava helped the shy, reclusive young man through four tumultuous years of academy curricula. During his 22 years of Starfleet service, Lar’ragos has repeatedly refused promotion past the rank of lieutenant. He has determined that his skills are best suited to that of a Chief Security/Tactical officer aboard a starship. He served briefly with the Starfleet Special Missions Teams during the Dominion War, fighting in such notable battles as Invarakk, Thessel V, and the Chintoka campaigns. Lar’ragos’ team proved adept at infiltrating enemy lines and sabotaging hostile installations and vessels.

Following the end of the war, Lar’ragos was offered the position of Chief of Security aboard the Federation flagship Enterprise-E. He passed up that position to serve under the command of his old academy friend Donald Sandhurst aboard the refit Constitution-class USS Gibraltar.


 * This character is from the Star Trek: Gibraltar fanfic series. It can be found here: