Xylion

Xylion was the chief science officer and second officer of the USS Eagle. While a dedicated researcher with a wealth of knowledge and experiences he nevertheless lacked social and interpersonal skills.

Early Life
Xylion was born in 2294 in the city of Sh’calla on the southern continent on Vulcan. His father Xenek was a notable physicist and environmental scientist, dedicating most of his life to his research. His mother T’Nal was a homemaker with strong traditional Vulcan believes, ensuring that Xylion was raised in a very conservative Vulcan manner that in many ways did not prepare him for a life outside of his home world. At an early age Xylion’s family pre-arranged his future marriage to a girl named K’tera, the daughter of an influential Vulcan politician.

Xylion became interested in pursuing a career in science as his father had done before him. But different to his father, Xylion believed that he needed to leave Vulcan to acquire the knowledge that he sought.

Starfleet Career
Against the wishes of his mother, Xylion eventually decided to leave Vulcan and join Starfleet Academy in 2321. Like many Vulcans Xylion excelled at the Academy but became quickly irritated by being surrounded by so many emotional species. More so than many other Vulcans he found it especially difficult to work with his fellow non-Vulcan students. Nevertheless he graduated the Academy with honors and accolades in many scientific fields in 2325.

He was assigned as an astrophysics specialist on the science vessel USS Maelstrom. Even though he found his work rewarding he did not manage to fit into the social structure of the USS Maelstrom. Xylion decided to return to Vulcan for the time being and in 2327 he accepted a position as special attache to the command staff of Starfleet Headquarters on Vulcan.

It wasn’t until ten years later that Xylion returned to his career in science when his request to join the Vulcan Science Academy was finally granted. There he assumed a position as a Starfleet liaison and astrophysics specialist. He proved himself in this highly competitive position by working on a breakthrough study on class IV nebulae bodies that earned him the prestigious Daystrom Award of Science in 2353.

In 2357 Starfleet awarded him with the Special Citation for Outstanding Scientific Theory and in 2364 the Vulcan Science Institute sponsored his expedition to the mysterious Retarra nebula. The three year enterprise on the Vulcan science vessel SS Soval resulted in a number of impressive observations and helped to make large steps forward in studying and understanding stellar phenomena. Upon completion the Federation Science Council awarded Xylion and the rest of the SS Soval team the Special Award for Breakthrough Scientific Study.

Back at the Academy on Vulcan, Xylion was visited by his betrothed K’tera when their pre-arranged time of marriage approached. However Xylion at the time was more interested in finishing his studies and asked K’tera for additional time. She accepted and they parted ways. Xylion completed his studies, putting forth a number of new theories which earned him a Special Award for Exemplary Service in the Field of Astrophysics.

Feeling that he had accomplished everything that he possibly could on Vulcan he accepted Captain Owens’s request to become the new head of the science department on the newly commissioned USS Eagle in 2371.

Psychological Profile
Like the majority of Vulcans, Xylion is dedicated to the strict teaching of Surak and firmly believes that emotions of any kind need to be suppressed and that life must be focused on the logical and rational.

He also believes in the Vulcan mantra of Infinity Diversity in Infinity Combinations (IDIC).

Xylion’s mother was a traditionalist and strict even by Vulcan standards. As such she raised her son to follow Vulcan teachings and traditions without exceptions. She did not approve of his decision to leave Vulcan to join Starfleet Academy.

While Xylion views on life and the universe differ greatly from those of his mother, the influence she had on him were nevertheless significant and molded him into the person he would become. He found living among emotional species more challenging than most Vulcans.

Only since he joined the crew of Eagle did he begin the difficult process of trying to adapt to become part of a diverse and mostly emotionally driven group of people. His attempts have had mixed results. He has managed to improve his leadership skills necessary to be a second officer on a starship and has become more sociable but has still difficulties to completely blend in with his colleagues.

Xylion will not admit it to his friends and fellow officers but he was hit hard by the death of his betrothed. While K’tera did not share his Vulcan stoicism and was in many respects the exact opposite of him, he did very much wish for her to become his wife even if he never openly expressed his feelings.

Xylion has a strong friendship with Bensu, Eagle’s mysterious bartender which is believed to span multiple decades. However neither he nor Bensu who hails from an unknown alien race have revealed any details about their relationship. Xylion vouched for Bensu when he came aboard Eagle but has not provided any information about the enigmatic man.

Related Material
The Star Eagle Adventures