Rejema Khassid

Commodore Rejema Khassid is a current Starfleet flag officer working for Starfleet Science. Previously working for Command, in late 2477 she was switched back to Science whilst awaiting a new posting following Deep Space 22 being shut down. At present she presides over geological programmes and teaches at Starfleet Academy.

Early Life
To the far north-west of Cardassia’s main civilisation there lies a colony which had largely been left alone until the Occupation of Bajor. Home to a series of caves all containing mass numbers of crystals and rare rock formations, it was surprising that this land had been left alone for so long. Once upon a time the caves had been strip mined until barely anything remained, but the natives there became determined to preserve the natural formation, delving into the sciences  to recreate the crystalline structures. Far cooler in temperature outside - but hotter within the caves due to geothermal heat - and bathed in moonlight for the majority of the day, this region had a unique relationship with the moon and its pull upon the tides. Just like the oceans of other planets, the moon controlled the silver desert sands; shifting them and dragging them like a tide. Night and day were reversed here and the majority worked underneath the light of the moon and hid away from the sun. The gold of the sun was blinding, but the silver of the moon brought guidance.

It was into this region and remote community that Rejema was born. During the Occupation of Bajor many of the region’s people had been conscripted and enlisted as mining managers due to their experience in the caves, and then further devastation had been brought during the Dominion War. As Cardassia was ravaged so were natural formations of this land; the caves were sunk inwards and destroyed. Whilst Cardassia rebuilt the people of the sand tides were forced to integrate into normal society, unable to return to their homes. Their culture went forgotten for years upon years, but when Rejema was young, a cultural resurgence was started by those who remembered their history.

A mass mission was decided upon in order to rebuild the caves – but to do it naturally. The rock would be naturally regrown by manipulating the tectonic plates which laid underneath. Rejema grew up witnessing these projects at work – she was home schooled, and every shred of her education went into her home’s culture and the science to rebuild it. History classes consisted of a unique and very un-Cardassian view of the Occupation of Bajor, modern studies was all about the current political structure and how Cardassia had to rebuild. Science was always her favourite, though. This largely consisted of watching her ancestral home slowly being risen from the sands; new technology being used to trigger tectonic movements and volcanic eruptions of neon-blue magma to re-create the caves.

These efforts were massive endeavours and they gained a lot of attention from Federation communities – including Starfleet. In the typical fashion of a future Starfleet officer, Rejema began to ask herself the question of who else was out there, and if they could benefit from something like this too. Also in typical fashion, she slowly came to despise the over-arching Cardassian species that she was part of. The people of the tide sands taught her their past; of how they had been conscripted, threatened that they would be taken out if they tried to stand against the Bajorans who were being enslaved and killed. Her heart ached to hear of what her own people had done to the Bajoran planet. It made her fearful for who she was – and due to her own investigations, her fear would grow.

When they had raised new natural formations it brought the ruins of their old caves with them. The children were forbidden to go exploring there, but Rejema had always been curious. One day – during the light hours, the time during which the majority sheltered inside from the sun – she and a group of her friends went out to the fallen caves. They went exploring, hands tracing the jagged and ruined rock formation. They had been taught about what the Dominion had done, and much to their disappointment, they didn’t find a single shred of Dominion equipment that they could investigate. Instead, they found the remains of Cardassian spatial charges.

Confused, the group brought the fragments back to their people. After an investigation it was discovered that it wasn’t the Dominion who had destroyed the caves. In the midst of the war and knowing that the people of the sand tides would never be loyal to the cause, there had been a mass effort to destroy their people, homes, culture, and history. This sparked a massive upsurge in both anger and cultural fervour, and soon enough her people were marching to the Detapa Council to demand answers… All because of the evidence that Rejema and her friends had uncovered. After a mass enquiry and questioning of those who had links to the old government, the truth came to light. Rejema’s people were elected into the council in order to highlight and preserve the culture of ethnic minorities, and from there, they all strove to bring a future of peace to Cardassia.

As a young teenager Rejema was quite interested in the diplomatic world. She could have gone into a political career but her gaze always ended up drawn back to the stars, that old question of ‘are there other worlds who require our help’ echoing through her head. She was too intrigued by the worlds beyond. After a lot of conflict and debate – both internally and with her people – Rejema decided that Cardassia did not have the opportunity for a scientific career that she wanted to pursue. Hearing about a project being conducted on the third moon of Antares IV, she applied. She was fearful that she would never get away from Cardassia, what with having no formal qualifications… But due to her experience in the project to raise the caves, she was accepted and set out for Antares IV.

The project was everything that Rejema had dreamed it would be. Scientists, archaeologists, and historians alike were collaborating in an attempt to raise the ruins of an ancient civilisation from the ocean. With Antares not having the correct experience this soon turned into a collaboration with Starfleet who had jumped at the chance to uncover such history. Rejema had only heard about the fleet before and never encountered them, and was horribly afraid of what their perception of her would be… However, everyone was completely fine with her. A budding scientist was a budding scientist, regardless of species. One woman in particular – an Andorian commander named Zh’erhyhlik – took the Cardassian under her wing. Rejema explained that she didn’t really have any scientific opportunity on Cardassia except from in agriculture or energy production. As a result, Zh’erhyhlik referred her to Starfleet instead. A task was issued to the budding scientist; if she could prove herself in the Antares IV restoration, then the Commander would write a recommendation to Starfleet.

Starfleet Academy
The restoration project continued without a hitch and Rejema even worked tirelessly to alter Starfleet’s cryogenic beam technology in order to localise tectonic movements to one area. Once the project was over it was taken over by the historians and archaeologists. Rejema had stayed for a while, unsure of what to do next… Until a Starfleet letter of recommendation arrived. Part of her was worried about joining Starfleet – what would they think of a Cardassian in their midst – but her determination and desire to learn had taken over. It was the only logical choice; the only option for her to pursue science. As a result she used the recommendation letter and applied, easily flying through the scientific and mathematical aspects of the entry exam until she was allowed in.

Whilst the Antares IV restoration project had been conducted by many species, it didn’t mean that Rejema had spoken to many of them. The only friends her age were back on Cardassia and at the Academy she was faced by the horrible task of having to find new ones in order to fit in. Starfleet Academy was a totally new experience for her. It took a little while for her to warm up to her roommates – but her Bolian, Saurian, and Rigellian roommates were quite outgoing and managed to coax her out of her shell. Over time Rejema also became invested in societies, joining multiple to expand her cultural knowledge. She learned music, dance, and history; no one would have thought it by looking at her, but she came to love the orchestra, operas, and ballets.

In her third year she specified into science but kept her options open, taking numerous different modules to learn as much as she could. Her main area of expertise was geography and geology but stellar cartography was also an interest. Rejema had figured that she needed a way in for future work aboard a starship, not just on ground missions. At the end of her four years she graduated proudly from the Academy, well known for her willingness to head up group work and take on extra tasks. She was mature, prideful, but supportive; the few stereotypical Cardassian aspects she had were channelled into making her work as perfect as she could.

USS Wintory
After graduating she was assigned to the USS Wintory. The majority of her time was spent in the science labs conducting analyses of samples from away missions. Eager to apply herself more – that Cardassian cunning and ambition shining through – Rejema also started to focus more on space exploration as well. She took the bridge officer training and passed, teaching herself to use her cryogenic beam and tractor technology simultaneously to drain the power from offending ships. It was the perfect way to adapt what could save planets into now saving their ship.

On multiple occasions the ship was called in to conduct work on tectonic plates and she soon became an expert in the field, often heading up tasks to stabilise planets and save them from natural disasters. The archaeological restoration programme from Antares IV was also continued and expanded to other civilisations and the Wintory became the science vessel heading the task up. The ship became well known for restoring ruins from across numerous planets; they were quite literally bringing history back to life.

Perhaps the most interesting discovery of her career was when the Wintory was put in charge of examining a planet they had just charted. It was class M with lush trees and flowing rivers; flora and fauna, and it was beautiful. Starfleet were keen to colonise it for a species who had been displaced by interstellar warfare in their sector. During investigations at one of the poles to see if life survived there the away team made a colossal discovery: an entire city hidden under the ice. Instead of becoming a colony this planet was now turned into a protected heritage site. Due to her experience – and position as assistant chief science officer at this point – Rejema stepped up to lead the restoration. She was fiercely protective of this planet and terrified that their raising of its history may go wrong; barely sleeping, she would run calculations again and again in order to ensure that everything was safe.

The Wintory and two other ships were brought in to assist. With the cryogenic technology being used to stabilise the tectonic plates and raise the correct amount of land and the ships using widely dispersed tractor beams to stabilise the city, the magnificent ice-glass structures were risen once again. Oddly, in the middle of a main structure there was a ball of light which began to pulsate. From the sky, countless lights began to fall like stars… And it was on that day that Starfleet made first contact with the Children of Astraanis, incorporeal beings who had fled the planet to live amongst the stars when the planet warmed through climate change. The light in the centre was known as the ‘parent’ – the saviour of the Children. At the height of their climate crisis the being had released a massive storm of energy and channelled their weather to cryogenically freeze the entirety of the city so it could be preserved.

Starfleet sent diplomats to continue learning about the Children. The Wintory was hailed for saving an entire culture and returning their people home – and Rejema soon found herself commended for it, creeping her way up to become a chief science officer… And shortly afterwards was married to a fellow Cardassian scientist named Dennzen. They were two Cardassians aboard the Wintory, both within the same department and with the same interests. They would bounce ideas off of one another and conduct joint work on projects, and Khassid had slowly fallen in love with the man for both his intellect and his person… Their relationship had been of no secret and thankfully, no one aboard the ship opposed it. Their marriage was only a small ceremony with a couple of friends as witnesses - but it was a day that meant everything to Rejema.

Within Starfleet she diligently continued working away at the bridge and also on away missions, never once believing that she would be required to work in any other position other than her current one. However, with the increase in rank, she found herself thrust into command more often than she had originally anticipated. Her inherent Cardassian militarism seemed to help; she could go from strict to soft in the space of mere seconds when it was required. As a second officer she took on more and more responsibility, continuing to apply herself more and more. This was brought to the forefront during a mission to save Zoaria; a Bolian colony which had been swept through by a plague. In the middle of conflicts from numerous sides, Starfleet had to show that they could still uphold their true purpose, and the task had fallen upon Rejema and Dennzen - a biologist by training - to find the cure. The plague was a vicious one, portraying itself like a cancer and hiding dormant in some cases before rapidly surging through a victim to tear them apart from the inside out. It took time and effort - and a few unsavoury distractions along the way where the prospect of this plague being utilised as a bioweapon was raised - but eventually, the virus was eradicated from Zoaria by the two.

At the same time as her career flourishing it seemed like her domestic life was going to as well. Rejema and Dennzen had spoken about the prospect of raising a family for quite some time. The ship they were stationed on was family-friendly, a science vessel that tended to stay out of the fights that other vessels so often found themselves in. Having children of her own was something that Rejema had always imagined and yearned for. Dennzen didn’t have the same enthusiasm and took a bit of convincing but eventually the two decided to start trying to have a child; just letting it happen when it did. Despite the hardships which came with it Rejema was tremendously happy for those months… Until it hit month seven and she awoke with a searing pain through her stomach, blood staining her clothes and the bedsheets beneath. Denn hadn’t been there, away on some mission; and so she had been alone to face an induced labour and the birth of her daughter - dead. It eventually led to a diagnosis of PTSD and having that concrete diagnosis helped her to move forwards. Denn returned from his mission eventually. It would later come to light that he had been offered the first trip back to the Wintory when the news got to the commanding officer, but for some reason, he had denied it. Despite the nagging feeling that something wasn’t all right with Denn, Khassid slowly built her way back and was cleared for duty once more - work seemed to help, and she delved into it once more.

Years passed without issue, the ship going from place to place and conducting survey after survey. Then there came the news that finally after years of carrying out the restoration project, Starfleet decided that they were going to put an end to the archaeological restoration scheme for now. On what was scheduled to be the very last of the projects, however, disaster struck. Whilst examining inside the ruins of this last planet the equipment destabilised, a tectonic plate shifting. There was an earthquake – the highest on the Richter scale that this planet had ever seen – and the ruins caved in on themselves. Rejema had been leading the away team on their investigations. The away team became completely trapped and split in half, separated by the rockfall. Rejema was concussed and had been almost completely crushed, suffering multiple broken bones. Despite that, the Cardassian determination kicked in; she was going to get her team out of there alive. She co-ordinated them all to stabilise and move the rockfall, gather supplies and repurpose equipment, jerry-rigging their kit to convert oxygen for them. After being trapped for three weeks, the team made it out.

The media presence had been overwhelming – apparently the entirety of the Federation had been watching, hopeful for their safe escape. Rejema was swiftly steered towards the Command training programme due to her leadership both throughout her usual career and in that crisis… But it also came at the time of a sudden diagnosis: her right leg being shattered in multiple places was not just due to the cave-in, but also due to a form of myeloma concentrated to her subspecies. There was a sudden struggle between the prospect of progression and the diagnosis of an illness which would require intensive treatment. To make matters worse, upon hearing the news, Denn suddenly left… If she couldn’t work then she was of no use to him any more. She had loved him, and foolishly, had thought he loved her too.

USS Einaudi
After an extensive period of treatment Khassid was once again cleared for duty and pushed towards the Command programme. To begin with she was apprehensive – it would mean stepping away from science, where all of her experience had been – but the people of the sand tides did their best to convince her. People needed to see that Cardassians could move on; that they could be better than their past. Rejema was a good person; level-headed and never flustered, stern when required but supportive at others, as steel-willed during a crisis as a Vulcan. She accepted the offer and, some time after exiting the Command training programme, was promoted to the rank of captain.

Aboard the USS Einaudi – her first stint as a commanding officer – they were in charge of masses of field research and planetary analyses. However, the Einaudi was an older vessel which had been in numerous scrapes, and it was scrapped after one scuffle too many. Afterwards she found herself in command of a research station which had been built directly in the middle of three newly charted planets, all of which were to be terraformed and colonised.

USS Silescu
Her second ship, the USS Silescu, came later on. It was a retrofitted Intrepid class and far more up to date. They were sent from place to place; at one point even stopping a pestilence from sweeping through Mol’Rihan; strengthening the ties with the Romulans. The ship sailed steadily for years upon years, and the crew sailed with her. They did not have the same sense of family that other ships developed, though; there was the air of a professional working environment at all times and this was firmly upheld by Rejema.

Unfortunately, no ship sails forever. The Silescu had been charting territory on the edge of Federation space when they were attacked. The massive swarm of unidentified fighters had appeared from a rift, and not a single analysis could yield any information about them. The Silescu was outnumbered and outgunned; they weren’t equipped for this sort of situation at all. With reinforcements not being able to make it to their space in time - being so far out into uncharted territory - the ship was easily cut down. The Silescu was capable of a planetary landing, though… And so they crashed through the atmosphere in an attempt to throw the fighters off. It seemed to work – they didn’t make a move to follow, likely believing the ship was destroyed. The Silescu half landed, half crashed; now alone.

Having sustained heavy damage, the majority of their systems were rendered non-functional. This included communications. The only hope for the crew was that their distress call had reached someone back home. Camping out in the ruins of their ship, the crew survived alone for two months until Starfleet finally managed to make their way out to them. The crew was taken back home, the Silescu reclaimed and scrapped. A formal enquiry was conducted due to the loss of the ship, but thankfully, Rejema was cleared.

USS Phoenix
This had all taken place in the latter part of 2476. Rejema had been awaiting her new posting since then, having no idea of where she would be sent next. Word came up that a commanding officer with a background in the science division was wanted to head up a ship for a few months. A Yorktown class, it had been built for science but strayed from its roots. Someone was required to set them straight once again and remind them what they were built for… And according to Command, that person would be her – a by the book, knowledgeable, and experienced captain who would know how to keep the Phoenix alive.

It was during her time aboard the Phoenix that masses of information came to light. Firstly there was the revelation that she had been placed under the control of the newly-reformed Obsidian Order, influenced by implants and psychotropic drugs to create havoc within Starfleet. The same had been conducted to numerous other members of her subspecies in an attempt to de-stabilise the Detapa Council back on Cardassia. Khassid did not remember a single instance of events during her first month aboard the Phoenix, having been completely under their control. By some miracle the Phoenix’s crew were completely forgiving and did not blame her, swiftly coming to accept her as their commanding officer as soon as she dropped the intense stern approach and came to view the crew as equals instead.

Her time aboard the Phoenix seemed to rush past - filled with disaster after disaster. The commanding officer was apprehended due to her opposition to Admiral Nazar, sent to a penal colony and all but tortured there. There was the discovery of a relapse of her illness, progressing far more swiftly than before. Her time in command was entirely marred by this, the illness eventually cutting her down and leaving her all but confined to the ship’s medical bay. In some macabre way she came to appreciate her time there, though. It led her to hold the company of two officers, Lieutenant Commanders Blanche Carlisle and Dev Clark. The former was a woman to whom she connected with so deeply, yearning for their discussion and repartee. The latter, as she would not hesitate to admit, all but became a son to her. Despite the circumstances, such a horrid situation was turned into light by the two officers.

During this time there was also the revelation about Denn, her ex-husband. The memory had been suppressed all of those years ago. Khassid had been entirely right to believe that not all was well with the other Cardassian. He had been the one to create the illness she now suffered from, he had been the one to murder their child - but he was not to blame. Dennzen Zoyill had been an early target of the Obsidian Order; their first guinea pig. The man was arrested and taken away to a psychiatric hospital, leaving Khassid entirely perplexed of what to think of the situation. At the revelation she had come to blame him entirely but now it seemed as if it was not his fault. Being caught in such a mental conflict was agonising in itself and issues were only exasperated by the rapid spread of her illness, eventually resulting in the Cardassian’s death.

In typical Starfleet fashion, however, it seemed that she was not destined to stay dead. Being resurrected by some ancient artifact had not been on Khassid’s agenda, having been entirely content to accept her fate. The situation left her in turmoil, having to come to terms with all of the information about her family and past, and now having to come to terms with the fact that she had died and been resurrected. Caught in this horrible situation, the woman determined that the only way to correctly process it all would be to leave. The Phoenix had brought too much grief to her and she had only weighed the vessel down with her lack of proper command during the course of her treatment - it was about time she laid the place to rest.

Deep Space 22
Commanding Deep Space 22 was her next posting, having been cleared for duty as the artifact had pushed her illness’s progression back to its early stages. Deep Space 22 was a scientific endeavour like no other, working right on the edge of explored space to chart what was currently unknown. The space station did not go without its own tragedies, though; an experiment gone wrong left the place encased in a temporal stasis for months on end. Numerous officers died, falling prey to Devidians who stumbled across the situation, and once they were all un-frozen again Khassid naturally felt the need to hold herself accountable for the occurrence. The rest of the admiralty found that she was hardly to blame, in fact, it was their own failure for having the station out there without support. It was with this in mind that Deep Space 22 was shut down and the reform of Starfleet Science’s exploration team then commenced.

Since then she has been awaiting her next posting, lingering around Starfleet Academy and taking on a few classes there. In truth the woman is quite happy with the prospect of serving aboard a starship again; it was all she had ever known. While Deep Space 22 was an opportunity like no other Khassid was the first to acknowledge that the system did not work and that it was far too dangerous. Headed back aboard a starship is something to look forward to, and the chance to continue on with exploration of uncharted space is relished.