Hravitherav th'Lenthar

Therav th'Shan (full name Hravitherav ek'Thalev Theel'Zhiin th'Shan) was an Andorian thaan who served in Starfleet during the 24th century. Due to the standard Starfleet difficulties with Andorian names and titles, he has been addressed as any number of variations of his name, including Lieutenant Shan, Lieutenant Therav, and Lieutenant Therav Shan. A graduate of Advanced Tactical Training, Therav was an operative with Special Operations prior to serving in a Rapid Response Team, and as a ranking member of both Security and Tactical divisions aboard various craft of the Eighth Fleet, including the USS Monitor, USS Takeda Shingen and USS Tethys. (Eighth Fleet RPG)

Early life

Therav was born at Shan-Zhess Keep, in the Andorian winter. He spent most of his early life in the shadow of a very overbearing thavan and zhavey, and two other parents who largely made themselves scarce. Therav's determination to join Starfleet began at a young age. He was extremely serious and diligent in his studies, and didn't partake in much of the stuff that other Andorians do in order to blow off steam; he didn't seek casual intimate partners, for example, as many do prior to consummating their bond. Prior to being accepted into the Academy, he held a variety of jobs. As a child, he worked as an apprentice stable-hand and a zabathu trainer. Between the ages of fifteen and seventeen, before acceptance into the Academy, he worked as a mounted courier.

Academy

He took the Starfleet Academy Entrance Exam against the wishes of his family, even his thavan who was a retired Starfleet admiral ("things were different then, my thei; there were simply more of us to go around").

It would be many years before the rupture between himself and Thalev would heal, and his family still has its misgivings about his choice of career.

His thavan later revealed (in writings which he willed to Therav) that he was glad Therav had avoided being ensnared by the criminal activity so prevalent in the clan.

Therav graduated in 2367.

Career

2360s

Ensign th'Shan's first assignment was as a security officer aboard the USS Ansari, where his disciplined mind and early aptitude for small-unit tactics earned the respect of Captain Johnson. The Ansari encountered the Borg prior to the Battle of Wolf 359 and Therav's quick thinking and boldness saved the life of the Captain and several civilians. Therav was awarded the Starfleet Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry for this incident.

In 2369, he was sponsored for Starfleet's Advanced Tactical Training Program by Captain Johnson, where he specialized in small unit tactics. He was promoted to Lieutenant junior grade after his graduation in 2371.

2370s

In 2371, he entered Starfleet Special Operations and served in many covert and classified assignments over the course of two years, including many missions during the Second Federation-Klingon War. His actions led to him being awarded the Starfleet Medal of Commendation and promotion to Lieutenant.

In 2373, he was assigned as the head of the newly-formed Rapid Response Team 59, assigned to the USS Monitor.

In 2374, sometime during the Dominion War, Rapid Response Team 59 was infiltrated by a Founder. The Founder remained with the unit for some time before being detected, resulting in a sabotaged mission and the death of Assistant Chief Tactical Officer Lieutenant Enrique Mendoza by friendly fire. As casualties from the war mounted, tensions between th'Shan and tactical officer Donald Fergus increased over what th'Shan considered to be needless risks. Fergus also made many claims about his inability to assign relief routinely over the course of the war.

In 2375, near the end of the Dominion War, tensions between th'Shan and Fergus escalated and exceeded the breaking point when a confrontation begun over the costs and flaws of Fergus' command style led to Fergus implying that th'Shan had actually been responsible for the death of his late lover Zhall, and that she had been th'Shan's "whore". th'Shan had to be stunned by three separate security officers after pummeling Fergus, then both men were taken into custody. The security officers refused to testify on Fergus' behalf and he was eventually found to be psychologically unfit for duty by the ship's Chief Medical Officer. Therav spent the night in the brig though the incident was later omitted from the ship's log and th'Shan's own record. After a brief shakeup in the command structure of the Monitor, following the Fergus' removal from duty, th'Shan was made acting tactical officer by Captain Hayashi. Following the end of the Dominion War, th'Shan elected to grant leave to many tactical personnel, including Ens. Gabrielle Madden, who had mistaken [Lt. Mendoza for his Changeling, in 2374. She committed suicide merely three months after the war was over. This proved the final emotional blow for th'Shan, as he had already refused an offer of a promotion and permanent assignment as the Monitor 's tactical officer and had requested reassignment.

In late 2375, th'Shan was assigned to the USS Takeda Shingen as Security chief, and assistant to Tactical officer Vasili Tabaichakov.

In 2376, after a brief medical leave that was not revealed to the rest of the crew, he began selecting and forming a Hazard Team. He was also secretly ordered to increase the level of internal surveillance throughout the ship and also given many covert assignments. Both sets of orders were sent covertly by Admiral Johnson.

2380s

In 2381, th'Shan was chosen to replace the retiring Lieutenant commander Vasili Tabaichakov as Tactical officer, along with a promotion to Lieutenant Commander. In the closing months of the year, he was brought to trial along with twenty other officers in the closing months of 2381. The officers charged included the USS Takeda Shingen's Captain Femke Henriksen and Vice Admiral Zachary Johnson, for participation in a conspiracy - the aforementioned private assignments. It was revealed that he had been manipulated into participation by Admiral Johnson, in particular, who preyed upon th'Shan's declining mental state from his experience with the Founders and the events surrounding it. This as well as the fact that he was a completely unwitting accessory to the Section 31 conspiracy headed by Johnson and his willingness to assist the judicial process, resulted in th'Shan being spared full court martial and probable dismissal. However, he was nevertheless found to require medical leave and a considerable reduction of duties, resulting in a reduction in his rank to lieutenant. It was on record that both Rear Admiral Hayashi and the retired Lt. Cmdr Tabaichakov, both of whom had been th'Shan's superior officers, disagreed with the decision to demote him.

In 2382, following his trial and several months of rehabilitative therapy and leave, he was given an assignment as a Security officer on a station far from the Bajoran sector or anywhere else, aside from an empty frontier of unexplored space. He was left there pending any other assignment, allowing him to work though not nearly as much or as intensive as he had as a tactical officer. He spent much of this time working as an undercover operative for the station's Security chief. He proved an excellent operative in this role, separated from his girlfriend Noelle and feeling generally idle, bitter and somewhat useless; traits that provided the perfect mask for him to wear. His assistance actually resulted in the downfall of two criminal organizations and in his being added to the Legion of Merit. With his new-found aptitude for genuine detective work, he was tapped by Admiral Hayashi for service aboard the newly-completed Luna-class USS Tethys (NCC-80121) as assistant Tactical officer, under the recently promoted Captain Hrithrarr.

Psychological profile

Personality

After sixteen years of service, Therav still found it awkward to relate to many non-Andorians. As a result, he had a reputation for being, at times, gruff and ill-mannered. He was one of many of the crew of the Tethys that had some trouble adjusting from the duties of battleships and carriers in a war to a mission of peaceful exploration. Therav's major philosophy about service and Starfleet was Si vis pacem, para bellum.

Mental health

Therav suffered from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and suffered from flashbacks, blunted emotions, dissociative episodes and sometimes severe paranoia, owing to his experience in the Dominion War, including an incident when serving on the USS Monitor involving the Founders. Exacerbating his recovery was the fact that Starfleet service was increasingly stigmatized on his homeworld and that his people, having largely turned their back on their warrior traditions, no longer knew how to transition a person back into civilian life. Following his diagnosis in 2376 while serving aboard the Takeda Shingen, he was hospitalized and received treatment, and was released back to his post having been found adequately fit for duty. However, to a large degree his nightmares, paranoia, and hypervigilance remained so that it was easy for unscrupulous individuals to convince him that Founders still occupied high positions within the Federation.

He underwent psychiatric treatment (mostly out-patient) and was placed in a position of reduced responsibility preceding his assignment to the USS Tethys. As of 2382 he still suffered from PTSD symptoms but was coping adequately and capable of resuming his full duties.

Personal life

Bondgroup

Like most Andorians, Therav was given to a bond group when young, with three other individuals. They had only one offspring together, Thravishlev th'Zhess, despite numerous pregnancies and attempts. The bond divorced him in 2374, when he chose to remain in Starfleet and fight in the Dominion War with his squadron (which was tasked with the defense of Andor) rather than return to Andor and attempt to sire another child. The bond saw his choice as selfish and did not see him as taking into account the Whole; he felt he had a duty to an even larger Whole. Another factor was that his personality changed over the course of his military service; they felt he was no longer the person they had known.

Clan and Family

As of 2382, Therav was an outcast from his clan owing to a challenge which resulted in the death of his cousin by blood.

In 2382, well prior to th'Shan's transfer to the USS Tethys, a cousin of his from elsewhere in the Shan clan, Ushilev challenged th'Shan's ex-bondmate Thil for custody of Shlev, citing an obscure and ancient Andorian law. The law demanded that a child must be raised by a full and intact bond. Thil flatly dismissed and refused any challenge less than a full Ushaan, claiming that Ushilev could "have Shlev over her frozen dead body". Therav stepped into champion Thil (as Thil had recently remarried but had not yet produced children).

The Ushaan

Therav penned a quick note to his lover, Noelle, stating that he had business to take care of on Andor; he did not tell her that he expected that he might not survive the conflict. During the conflict, Ushilev tried taunting him with many things, eventually rousing Therav into a slow and infuriating advance, ending when he severed one of Ushilev's antennae, disabling him and thus ritually ending the fight. The fight was called. As Therav had his back turned, Ushilev managed to get to his feet then charge Therav with his ushaan-tor. In an act of self-defense, Therav wound up eviscerating Ushilev. He reacted with anger and exasperation at this final act of stupidity and departed the ritual grounds.

As accepting a challenge against his own blood kin was a cultural taboo, Therav became an outcast. His own zhavey spit in his face as he left the Keep, telling him "you are not my thei". The Evaste Elders ordered all mention of him struck from the clan's records, and they went on as if he'd never existed. Custody of Shlev was granted to Thil, who handed Shlev into Therav's hands since she felt that Shlev should remain off of Andor; she felt that her own work with Homeworld Security exposed her family to undue risk.

When Therav returned from Andor with Shlev, he was accompanied by Thil, and met at his duty station Deep Space 17 by his lover Noelle Connor, who embraced him and whispered, "thank you, thank you, thank you". She tended to his wounds before having to return to her own duty station the next day. Therav realized that he indeed had a clan (consisting of Thil, Shlev, Noelle, and the crewmates he had grown close to over the years). He married Noelle not long after, now that no clan obligation prevented this and considered her and her children to be part of the clan he has chosen.

Shlev th'Lenthar

Therav's best and worst moments were in his relationship with his eight-year-old thei, Shlev, who shared his life with him aboard the USS Tethys. Therav was frequently frustrated with Shlev's inability to tell him when things go wrong. He did not learn that Shlev was the victim of bullying until he came home and witnessed it for himself. The child, formerly of clan Zhess, took the name Lenthar when he was formally adopted by his shreya's bond, who shares custody with Therav. As of 2382, Shlev neared the age of being matched to a bond and began peppering Therav with questions about the matter.

Relationships

Sessenthil sh'Zheshri

Therav was on good terms with Thil, his sole remaining ex-bondmate, seeing that the others died in 2381. Since Therav championed Thil in an ushaan and won custody of Shlev for her clan, Thil felt that she would never be out of his debt. In fact, she spent the week of Therav's honeymoon squiring Shlev around Earth. As of 2382, her chief discord with Therav was over differing philosophies about child-rearing.

Zhall zh'Lenthar

Thirizhalleh zh'Lenthar was a bonded Andorian crewmate with whom Therav had a passionate affair for several months, in the months following the divorce from his bond. She was killed in the line of duty in 2375, near the end of the Dominion War. He grieved her death for several years, and shunned any intimate contact with anyone until finally coming to terms with her loss early in the year 2381, around the same time that he met Noelle Connor.

Noelle Connor

Therav's wife Noelle was a Human engineer serving aboard the USS Takeda Shingen. Although they had served on the same ship for six years, they did not become formally acquainted until early 2381. Something quickly sparked between the two, and within two months they started a passionate relationship. They had a great deal in common, including an interest in the outdoors, riding, sparring, literature and being non-custodial divorced parents. His nickname for Noelle was "Little Warrior", owing to her prowess in horseback riding and Chinese martial arts. They were separated when he left USS Takeda Shingen on administrative leave. She came to his duty post at Deep Space 17 a few months later to resume their relationship, and he happily accepted.

They were married within a short span of months - one week before he posted to USS Tethys. They bought a house in Eagle River, Alaska, shortly after their marriage, but as of 2382 had not yet had time to work on it or spend any time there. He considered her two daughters his own, but they didn't necessarily agree with this sentiment.

In 2383, Noelle retired from active duty and began graduate work in engineering and management.

Quirks and Preferences

th'Shan preferred Andorian and Klingon cuisine, though as of 2382, his wife had introduced him to a great deal of human cuisine that he did not find objectionable. He was suspicious of food he could not immediately identify, stemming from an incident involving an enchilada with mole sauce, since he had a severe allergy to chocolate and was completely lactose intolerant. He had a strong dislike for breaded or battered food.

He liked very dramatic music, such as the orchestral style or the Human or Klingon Operatic styles, as well as the distinctive sounds of the kind of music once known as Power Metal.

He was known to take things to extremes. Workout regimens had to be grueling torture sessions.

He drank frequently and sometimes heavily, bordering on being a functional alcoholic. He relied on alcohol in almost every social occasion until he started seeing Noelle, who was good at taking the "heat" off him in a group. Furthermore, he often drank to deal with the pain of various psychological and physical injuries. However, he always remained in control of his drinking to a large degree and never reported for duty without sobering up first or taking a hypospray to do so. He did, however, frequently have a hangover... which paradoxically made him more effective as a combat and survival instructor. He had a collection of very fine and sometimes rare alcoholic beverages. As of mid-2381, he had scaled back his drinking to a very great degree, but still drank socially.

He kept his hair meticulously short (in the manner of Terran armed services) in the years following his entrance into Advanced Tactical Training. He was notorious for enforcing the same hairstyle requirements on his Hazard Team underlings. While posted at Deep Space 17, he had to wear his hair long, to his lasting annoyance.

th'Shan was always known to carry a knife in his boot, and could be seen playing with it whenever he was idle. During his time in Starfleet, he had three. The first was a utilitarian Andorian hunting knife which he'd had since childhood; this was stolen by another Andorian during a fight. The second was his Advanced Tactical Training issued ka-bar, which he still owns. The third (acquired as an unintended result of another fight) was a more ornate knife which he found useless but modified into something more practical.

He also did not particularly like doctors or medical personnel, in general, despite (or because of) the fact that his zhavey was a physician.

Hobbies and interests

Therav was an avid outdoorsman. He was an expert zabathu rider and archer and enjoyed such pursuits as survival, tracking, orienteering, and mountaineering in addition to historical, combat and survival simulations. This later extended to horseback riding, which was introduced by his Terran wife. He liked tinkering with electronics (particularly surveillance systems) and reprogramming holodeck simulations. He enjoyed Earth and Klingon literature. He kept a journal. He also enjoyed debating politics - he could remain quiet and withdrawn in a social setting until a political topic was brought up. As of his transfer to USS Tethys, he was an avid scholar of the writings of Lor'Vela.

Background information

• The Eighth Fleet RPG is a forum-based RPG world based in a BBS as well as a LiveJournal community. It has been in roughly continuous operation since August 2007.
• The other actor considered for Therav th'Shan was Paul Bettany, who was rejected on account of being too tall.

External links

• Hravitherav th'Shan on LiveJournal
• Hravitherav th'Shan at the Takeda Shingen Wiki