Yubari Asuka

Lieutenant Commander Yubari Asuka was Security chief and Tactical officer, later Second officer, and finally, last Commanding officer of the USS Excelsior (NCC-2000-C), in the mid-to late 24th century. (Star Trek: Excelsior)

Background

Yubari Asuka (Pronounced: you-BUR-ee AHS-ka) was born on earth. She did not have a nuturing childhood. Asuka suffered near incessant torment at the hands of her older brother Bezu. One incident occured when she was 8 years old. It involved Bezu burying her in beach sand to the point of near suffocation. His goal was to see her eyes as she approached death. Her attempts to seek respite were met with disbelief and punishment from her parents for lying, and retaliation from her brother for speaking up. (Fear Itself) The one time she managed to lash out against her brother by punching him were met with being grounded by her parents when he lied to them. When the truth came out years later, her parents tried to do the right thing and turn in their son, but it was too late. They became the latest victims of the crime lord Prince Bezu of Remus.

Starfleet Career

Asuka left home at 18 and enrolled in the Starfleet Marine Ranger Academy. She graduated in 2357 and was commissioned a Second lieutenant in the Starfleet Marine Corps . Sometime within the next 3 years she came under the command of General Isaac Brahms. Asuka was the lead in "Operation Zephram" its goal: to neutralize the greatest breakout of drug abuse on Earth in the last 200 years. Her assignment: rendezvous with, and evacuate the Reman informant, then identify and capture the mastermind. The mission took an unexpected turn when she reached the rendezvous point, and was met by her brother, Bezu. After she demanded the countersign that would identify the informant, He pointed to one of the Reman corpses and said, " I tell you, I’ve no idea! I’ll bet that dead Reman just inside the door did. He was the informant, after all." He them drew his sword and severed Asuka's arm. Chasing her down, Bezu swung again, severing part of her hamstring. "You had our parents to protect you. No longer. Now, turn and face your end. It’s the honorable thing, and somehow that always mattered to you, didn’t it? Despite your best efforts." But now it was Bezu's turn to be suprised. "You didn’t get the whole hamstring." She then turned on him despite her injuries, rending the sword from him and gaining the upper hand. "You lost, Bezu! I’m not just your tortured little sister anymore, and Mom and Dad can’t protect you out here! : It took a million Reman troops to replace them, but you’re nothing alone. You never were! How does it feel? " Despite his vulnerable position, Bezu knew he still had the advantage. "Something you never understood, sister – and listen closely, it’s why I was always able to bully you, why you never rose as far as I – it’s not about who’s holding the sword, it never is; the power of generals and princes, of life and death, always goes to the one who has leverage. Leverage is how I brought Praetor Shinzon to power. Leverage is how I survived his fall. (pause) Your marine squad can’t be two minutes away. You just captured me. I have intelligence your section needs – information about the Sword of Damocles from my underworld contacts. I’ve lost today, granted, but I don’t need my army: Isaac Brahms is protecting me now. Leverage, Asuka. If you could get your temper under control for one minute you’d finally see that." In an act that haunts her to this day, Asuka slashed Bezu's throat wide open, then quietly quipped, "Just bandage it with some leverage, Bezu." (Fear Itself)

In 2381 Yubari joined the crew of the USS Excelsior NCC-2000-C, her cover being a diagnostics technician. Her orders were to conduct long-range sensor scans of a particular sector in space. All that changed when Excelsior entered Valandrian space. When the Excelsior was caught up in a conflict between the ruling party and a rebel faction combined with a telepathic plague called "The Wasting", crew numbers were being decimated. At the behest of a wounded and incapacitated Captain Rachel Cortez, First officer Lieutenant commander Alcar Dovan called Yubari to the bridge and assigned her as Tactical officer, a post she held until 2387, when she was promoted to First officer. A year later, Captain Aleczahnder Lohrok replaced her with Lieutenant commander Neeva . Yubari was reassigned as Second officer, along her previous duties in Security and Tactical. Following Excelsior's 7 Billion year time displacement, with the assistance of the Bolian Elrac Ovdan, Yubari relieved Lohrok of command and worked towards repairing the crippled Excelsior, and formulating a way back home.

Relationships

With Her Peers

Lieutenant Commander Neeva

Asuka first met the Orion Operations manager when she reported onboard (The Pursuit) Neeva's most notable personality quirk was the chip on her shoulder when it came to male command officers. "With all due respect, sir, I've never had a male C.O. I didn't hate." Yubari countered, " You're an intransigent young hothead who doesn't know the difference between rightness and outrage. We should be friends". (Every Good Captain has Admiral issues)

Major Ryan Willis

Ryan Willis first met Yubari Asuka during "Operation Zephram". She was a Marine Captain, he a Second Lieutenant. He kept the memory to himself due to the demons he had to exorcise. Years later, he reunited with Yubari, now as a Major , in charge of Excelsior's Marine Detachment.

With Her Superiors

Commander Alcar Dovan

Yubari Asuka was introduced to the (then) Lieutenant commander Alcar Dovan during Excelsior's Valandria Expedition. She was undercover as a systems diagnostician under Ensign Philipe Ermez. Her orders given to her by General Isaac Brahms were to take scans of a particular sector of space, and send him the data. Things took a sour turn when rival factions in the Valandrian Government began a civil war, along with a telepathic plague decimating the crew. At the behest of a wounded and incapacitated Captain Rachel Cortez, Dovan called her to the bridge. His interview was comprised of: "I presume that’s the hypothetical Lieutenant Yubari at the door?" "Sir?" ": Take your station, Lieutenant. We’re due to enter firing range in less than fifteen seconds. Our job is to open a window wide enough to get the Kilimanjaro through to transporter range of the cave network underneath Theyven." "Aye, sir. And, sir, my assignment—" "For the moment, your assignment here isn’t important. You’re fully qualified?" "Yes sir." "Then return fire. We have a boatload of marines to protect."

General Isaac Brahms

Sometime after her graduation from the Starfleet Marine Ranger Academy on Titan, Yubari was recruited into Starfleet Intelligence Special Operations Branch by its Director General Isaac Brahms. He personally picked Captain Yubari to run point for "Operation Zephram", its goal, to take down the mastermind behind the greatest outbreak of drug addiction on Planet Earth in over 200 years. He felt responsible for the grievous injuries she suffered at the hands of her brother, Bezu, whom he presumed already dead. (Shakedown) Her next operation she was simply tasked with surveillance onboard the Sovereign-class USS Excelsior during its mission to Valandria. Only the Commanding officer Captain Rachel Cortez had any knowledge of her true mission. So, it came as a genuine shock when he discovered Yubari had freely blown her cover when the mission was compromised and the crew decimated by a telepathic-based plague. He arranged for her 'pickup' once Excelsior was docked, and held her for debriefing. : "I’m afraid I not only have the right, Lieutenant: you’ve given me no other choice. I only want to know why you’d betray your uniform so easily after everything you and I have been through together?" " I changed divisions, General. That’s hardly treason." "That depends on when and how and what you do after you’ve changed divisions, Asuka. I’m afraid you have to accept the consequences of your decisions. You’re going to be staying with us for a while." The so-called, 'while' was only a few minutes. Yubari managed to convince her guard to lower the forcefield and allow her escape. Yubari's animosity did not diminish the respect she carried for him until and beyond the day he died. There were only two people at Isaac Brahms' funeral. His former boss turned subordinate Alex Bevoney Rol, and Yubari Asuka. She was the only one that cried.

Chronology

2377 - Graduates from the Starfleet Marine Ranger Academy on Titan, and is Commissioned a Second lieutenant

2380 - Experiences the "worst day of her life" during "Operation Zephram" in San Francisco, California in the former United States of America on Earth. By the end of the mission, her right arm will be cut off, most of the hamstring in her left leg will be severed, and she will be forced to confront and kill her older brother, Yubari Bezu, the criminal mastermind behind the greatest breakout of drug addiction on Earth in 200 years. (Starship Excelsior - "Fear Itself")

2381 - Assigned position of Excelsior Security chief and Tactical officer by Lieutenant commander Alcar Dovan,

2384 - During an away mission to a Dronnigan starship, is infested with a Neural parasite (24th century). after numerous attempts to sabotage the ship and the mission, is exposed, neutralized, and the parasite removed.

2385 - Promoted to Lieutenant commander

2387 - Reassigned as First officer following the transfer of Commodore Joshua Underwood, and the promotion of Aleczahnder Lohrok to Captain (Star Trek: Excelsior - Bound to the Starless Midnight)

2388 - Demoted to Second officer by Captain Lohrok and reassigned as Security chief, Tactical officer, as well as Second officer. (Star Trek: Excelsior - The Fire in Which We Burn)

Unknown - (Approximately 7 Billion years in the past) Relieved Captain Aleczahnder Lohrok of command, began planning Excelsior's return to present.

2389 - Returned to present time, reassigned to Starfleet Intelligence, by order of Section Chief General Sofia Hanas

Memorable quotes

"General, if I had a newspaper, I'd smack you with it"

— Star Trek: Excelsior - Bound to The Starless Midnight

"You're our Captain! You can be a hero on your own time! But your job right now is to get your people out of here alive!"

— Star Trek: Excelsior - Wildfire

"Just bandage it with some leverage, Bezu."

— Star Trek: Excelsior - Fear Itself

"You're an intransigent young hothead who doesn't know the difference between rightness and outrage. We should be friends."

— Star Trek Excelsior - The Pursuit

"I grow on people. Like a disease, so I'm told."

— Star Trek: Excelsior - Bound to the Starless Midnight

Background

• Yubari Asuka is played by Caitlin Stollenwerk in all her appearances in Star Trek: Excelsior.