Breawyn Lem

Captain Breawyn Lem was the commanding officer of the starship Independence.

Character description

History

Breawyn was born on Ferenginar and grew up on several planets, following her mother who was a Trill diplomat. Among other places, she spent a considerable amount of time in Sector 001 on Mars and Earth, pursuing her interests in the arts and sciences.

As a ballet student, she attended the Paris Conservatoire (below), but after graduating from the conservatory, she had a change of heart and went on to Starfleet Academy as a Science major.

Later, she attended postgraduate school at the Daystrom Institute, specializing in temporal mechanics. She eventually served in the Federation Diplomatic Corps as well as the Department of Temporal Investigations before embarking on a career in Starfleet Command.

Following Beathan Lem's untimely demise during an intruder incursion aboard USS Intrepid, the Lem symbiont was saved and removed from the host. It was subsequently joined to Breawyn Pirx, who inherited all of the Lem personalities and became the new Breawyn Lem.

On SD 60701.1, Breawyn was married in a private ceremony on Risa to Dr. Benedict Chevallier, Head of Exobiology at the Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital in North America, Earth. (Starship Independence: "All's Well That Ends Well")

The symbiont's name Lem was taken from the late Polish science fiction writer, Stanislaw Lem, and Breawyn's unjoined family name, Pirx, comes from a character in one of Lem's novels.

Interests & hobbies

Her interests and hobbies include exobiology, philology, cross-country skiing, classical opera and ballet. As befits her Parisian upbringing, she is also a known gastronome: her "favourite foods" have included green eggs and ham, Niçoise salad, penne carbonara, hot-plate okonomiyaki (with a light white), crispy duck from various cities on Earth, and filet mignon au jus from Ezzelino's in the Pigalle arrondissement on Paris. ("Turning Points")

Where her time allows, she still tries to get in her daily barre workout session. She is also extremely proficient in a wide number of languages, a trait which she inherited from her previous host Aleeta ("Summon the Heroes"). More recently, she was introduced to the archaic sport of pistol shooting by the Chief of Security of the Independence, Lt Comdr Keung Lee. She favoured the Sig-Sauer P228 as her weapon of choice. ("Quintessence of Life")

Physical attributes

Tall. Striking. Has a habit of clasping her hands behind her when she walks. Often courted because of her looks and enjoys the attention but avoids serious relationships for unspecific reasons. Because of her extensive amount of time spent in Paris, speaks with a pronounced French lilt (which, for some reason, members of the opposite sex find incredibly attractive).

On the storytelling forum, Breawyn often lapses (as written) into short French phrases and expressions, which reflects that she thinks and speaks in French (as her first language.) Following the convention with the universal translator, as with the shows, we assume that everyone who is engaged in dialogue are hearing each other in a common language (in this case, English.)

Personality & Traits

Penetrating intelligence. Has an easy-going demeanour, which hides the fact that she can also be very serious-minded and focused when it comes to work. No apparent personality conflicts from symbiosis, but on occasion one aspect (host or symbiote) can become dominant, especially when elicited by strong emotions or memories.

Strengths & weaknesses

Like most joined Trills, appears slightly aloof at times (but only just), but that's what sometimes happens when you carry the memory and experience of seven lifetimes. Also tends to be perfectionist (both a strength and a weakness).

Symbiont's hosts

• First host - Viony Lem (2161-2226)
• Second host - Pellarin Lem (2226-2268)
• Third host - Sophid Lem (2268-2330)
• Fourth host - Gaerys Lem (2330-2333)
• Fifth host - Quarian Lem (2333-2349)
• Sixth host - Aleeta Lem (2349-2374)
• Seventh host - Beathan Lem (2374-2381)
• Eighth host - Breawyn Lem (2381-)

The Lem symbiont was 10 years old at the point of its first joining with Viony.

Starfleet service

Summary record

Specific records and details sealed under Official Secrets Act but it is known that in addition to the diplomatic corps and DTI, she has also been involved with Starfleet Intelligence investigations.

She completed her midshipman cruise aboard USS Cairo, taking part in Operation Return during the Dominion War. Subsequently, after a stint in the Federation Diplomatic service and the Department of Temporal Investigations, she was appointed Chief Science Officer and then Executive Officer on the Intrepid, and later Executive Officer aboard the Independence on her shakedown cruise. She was promoted to Captain and was assigned command of the Independence on SD 59663.7.

She has earned, among other commendations, the Starfleet Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal with cluster, and was inducted into the Grankite Order of Tactics, Class of Excellence, for her actions in the Breen-Species 8472 conflict. She also received a formal reprimand from the Starfleet admiralty for violating the Temporal Prime Directive on SD 52735.6, during the events of a predestination paradox.

Starfleet review, SD 57900

Breawyn Lem has consistently shown to be both thorough and conscientious in her daily work and routine. She has proven to be an outstanding scientist in diverse fields of research including astrophysics and exobiology. What is perhaps most remarkable is her ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

It is equally surprising that although she has proven to be an excellent command-grade line officer, she has never actively sought to serve aboard a starship prior to return to Starfleet Command after tours of duty with the diplomatic service and the Federation Science Council.

Much of the commander's well-rounded personality is rooted in her keen interests in the performing arts, having been a former corypheé of the Paris Conservatoire, and she continues to balance her artistic interests with her professional duties.

Counselor's review, SD 58286

Having suffered her share of life tragedy which she avoids talking about, Breawyn Lem nonetheless brings to her career and her relationships a deep-rooted sense of ethics as well as a freshness and good humor that is sometimes infectious.

Indeed, at times she has served as the glue to hold a crisis together, while at other times acting as the needler to provoke a necessary reaction or course of action to accomplish a mission objective. She is a stable, well-balanced individual and will be an asset in any endeavour she undertakes.

Breawyn suffered a miscarriage in her teens, shortly after her fiance was killed in a terraforming accident off-planet. (Starship Independence: "The Mission Continues...") When Breawyn was abducted by solanagen-based lifeforms in early 2382, it was suspected that she might have been raped in captivity, which Breawyn claimed to have no memory of. However, during a JAG investigation sometime later, Breawyn provided an affidavit in which she admitted that it did happen. (Starship Independence: "Ultraviolet", "Kobayashi Maru (Part 2)")

CMO's update, SD 60640

Capt Breawyn Lem suffered extensive internal injuries as the result of an emergency teleport through a transporter beam, caused by the rare condition known as Zhian'tek Syndrome. ("Starship Independence: War's Embers") The synaptic connections between host and symbiont were disrupted in the process of quantum-level organic transportation, which is normally fatal to the host and sometimes the symbiont as well.

Using the experimental treatment based on an adaptation of the genomic regeneration in physical rehabilitation procedure, treatment was developed by harvesting species-neutral stem cells, reconstructing patient-specific isoboramine synaptic connectors in genetronic replicators and transplanting them into the host. The treatment was successful, and prognosis for a full recovery is positive.

Admiral Jellico's command review, SD 61047

What can I say about Breawyn Lem? Hidden beneath her cheerful, congenial demeanour, Captain Lem is a tough character who is not afraid to make the hard calls, while her perspicacity and poise have earned her the respect and recognition as one of the more outstanding command officers in Starfleet. On occasion, she has displayed a certain streak of stubbornness and an uncanny ability to maneuver around Federation protocols in pursuit of a solution in the spirit, rather than the letter, of the law.

Nonetheless, I must commend Captain Lem on her handling of the diplomatic mission to Cardassia Prime as well as the Borg incursion at Risa. She is an exemplary captain, and I have no doubt that the exploits of the Independence will one day become required reading at the Academy.