Maaros Bezet

Maaros Bezet is a Starfleet Officer currently serving as the Chief Tactical Officer on the USS Phoenix.

Early Life
Born on Betazed in 2441, Maaros Bezet was raised by her two parents, Sekan and Nizo Bezet in the capital city. There, she grew up attending school alongside her two siblings– Eismin and Seisi. She was the middle child, and her family was a tightly-knit one– with the exception of Eismin. Nizo and Sekan had opened a bakery in the city where they lived, and they enjoyed great success and popularity among the locals. Maaros was very close with Seisi growing up– Seisi was only two years younger than her, so it was easier for them to get along. When not engaged in other hobbies in schoolwork, they spent much time assisting their parents in their shop.

Eismin was the black sheep of the family. He was eight years older than Maaros, and the moment he turned eighteen, he left the family as soon as possible. At first, he sent bits of correspondence– the occasional short call, a postcard, a succinct letter. But all contact stopped when Maaros was fourteen, and the family has not heard from him since.

In terms of her aspirations, Maaros never imagined she would become a Starfleet officer.

She was considered a prodigy— not in her eventual chosen field, however, but in the arts. From a young age, she showed immense promise as a dancer; neither of her parents were very artistically inclined, but her interest in the art only grew and grew. Her parents enrolled her in as many dance programs as possible, and by the time she was just twelve years old, she had caught the eye of several prestigious youth ballets across Betazed which she ended up performing with. From a young age Maaros knew that was what she wanted to do– her entire life revolved around dance, ballet in particular. She was naturally talented in the art of moving her body, and her control was magnificent.

However, after an injury during practice, she took some time to rest and… reconsider her options. It wasn’t an intentional thing, but she started to wonder if she could keep up with the lifestyle she was currently living. She was eighteen at the time, and the opportunity to pursue other paths had presented itself to her multiple times. She realized how sheltered she really was; part of it she’d done to herself, but regardless of that it was something she wanted to change.

In her truest act of teenage defiance, Maaros decided she would apply for Starfleet Academy. It was exciting! It was something new! It was exactly what she needed, and she knew it. She was resolute; she wanted to travel the galaxy. Her parents, however? They were not so pleased. To them, Maaros could be successful and happy doing what she had always done. They pushed her to reconsider, constantly chiding her for making what they considered to be a rash decision.

So Maaros studied for the entrance exam secretly, and her sister, Seisi, helped her out. The younger Bezet sister had always enjoyed a bit of rebellion– much more than Maaros had at that age– so she was glad to assist. It all paid off, however, because Maaros passed the exam on her first go-round. Her parents weren’t surprised when they found out– she had always been focused– but they weren’t pleased either. It didn’t matter much, though, because Maaros was eighteen and she was allowed to do what she wished. She left Betazed for Earth on shaky terms with her parents, but she was determined to forge ahead.

Starfleet Academy
Living away from home wasn’t easy, at first– she had never been away from Betazed. But Maaros knew her parents still cared about her greatly, even if they didn’t support the occupation she was taking up.

She was also completely in the dark about which division to choose once she entered the Academy. There wasn’t a way around it– she was really and truly clueless. She had friends from all divisions, and she involved herself in a few different on-campus activities, but she still couldn’t decide. It wasn’t until the second semester of her first year that the answer became clear.

Her instructor for her mandatory combat class was also a Betazoid. The first thing he noticed when he met Maaros was her lack of awareness on how to use her telepathy; he was right, of course. Her parents had never really taught her how to use it properly, and as such she had simply… elected to ignore it whenever it tried to make itself known. It wasn’t a healthy approach, and her instructor knew it, so in addition to the class she was taking he also tutored her in how to properly use her mental abilities. They were average, like the empathic abilities of most Betazoids, but what he really noticed was how her mind worked in more traditional ways.

Maaros was naturally very analytical. In having to control herself down the most minute movement, she had learned how to pay attention to the smallest of details. She also had an excellent memory, and she had retained a level of athleticism she took pride in. Her instructor suggested she try out the tactical division– it seemed to fit her abilities, and would give her a chance to use those skills well.

She took him up on that offer, spending the next three years of her Academy career taking the classes necessary for the Tactical track. It was very much worth it for her; she found she greatly enjoyed putting her mind to the test in high-risk situations, and she felt like she could really make a difference. She graduated at the age of 22 and received her first posting shortly afterward.

USS Wiles
Maaros’ first posting was on the USS Wiles. She was pleased to be assigned any ship, really, but the Wiles was especially exciting. Being an escort vessel, it rendezvoused with several other ship types and classes all over the quadrant. Maaros was able to both use her newfound Tactical skills and see much of the galaxy at the same time.

Her first major mission was assisting an away team from the USS Luxrow. It was a primarily science based mission, but once the team had beamed down to the planet they were surveying, a group of pirates who were present to sell off the special plants on the planet captured the team. Maaros volunteered to assist in the rescue effort, and once on the planet she was a great help in convincing the pirates to let the officers go. When it came down to it, however, she was also excellent in her combat and weapon utilization when one of the pirates tried to sneak out with a phaser.

The second mission she remembers very clearly was an onboard affair– it was a joint security operation to weed out a crew member believed to be trading Starfleet secrets. Maaros spent days conducting interviews, investigating logs, and eventually chasing down the offending officer in a runabout with two other officers. They apprehended him after disabling his ship, and brought him back to the Wiles for proper processing.

USS Hurricane
After her time on the Wiles, she was transferred over to the USS Hurricane. She had an excellent and spotless service record, so obtaining good favor wasn’t difficult.

One particular mission that stood out among her sea of actions while onboard was to retrieve a probe from a prewarp planet. Maaros took great care to ensure the other members of the team followed the Prime Directive, and she herself was instrumental in bringing the probe back abroad without alerting the people of the planet.

Another mission of note was a skirmish with the Borg. That was one of the things Maaros had been most counting on– she knew a heavier battle was due in her career at some point, and now she was getting it. The combat lasted for days, with the Hurricane as one of four ships fighting the cube. Eventually, they were forced to retreat after one ship was destroyed, but not after Maaros had significantly assisted in the effort. She went about the situation with a level head, suggesting that instead of all-out firing on the cube, the ships arrange themselves to fire on strategic weak points. While one ship, the Hurricane, served as the primary distraction– firing the larger payloads and torpedos– the others would continuously hammer from the other three sides. It was a good plan, and worked for a while, but unfortunately it was overruled by the retreat order once one ship was destroyed.

Starbase 82
For a three year gap between starship postings, Maaros served on Starbase 82. It was not an unwelcome posting; she enjoyed the atmosphere of the place, and getting to stay some sort of grounded after so long in space was refreshing. She took some of this time to really delve into further training, honing her skills and working on new ones as well.

She also spent much time assisting with the development of weapons and Tactical readiness, from the slightest phaser modifications to streamlining evacuation plans. She wasn’t an engineer by any means, but she knew when something felt right or would work at its best. Her “desk work” alongside the other tactical officers while at the Starbase had positive effects on the tactical division as a whole.

Earning her certification as a shuttlecraft pilot was another goal she set for herself while onboard the starbase. She trained and practiced and eventually passed, feeling that she had truly rounded out her skill set.

USS Verona
After three years, however, she decided her Starbase life was over. Maaros’s transfer to the USS Verona came with a promotion to ACTO, a position which she held for all four years she served on the vessel.

As ACTO, her duties did change from what she was used to– she had more responsibility than before, but she was happy to take on the challenge. By this point in her career, her perspective had well and truly shifted from when she was a child. She took on an almost parental role in the department, spending much time assisting the junior officers in honing their own skills. While on the Verona, she developed a more accessible firing range and assisted the CTO in signing off on other department projects.

One event on the Verona which earned her favor occurred while Maaros was on bridge duty. It was a long-winded one– while on a routine patrol, scans picked up a Romulan warbird floating aimlessly in the wrong area of space. At first, it seemed disabled, but as the Verona neared the ship it began firing upon them. They engaged in a quick battle, with Maaros handling the Tactical orders from her station. After it was confirmed that the ship was disabled, further scans were run, where several lifesigns were picked up huddling in one area of the warbird. An away team was dispatched, with Maaros taking the lead. They beamed over to the ship, armed and prepared, and began searching for the people still alive. Around the ship were the bodies of the crew, though it appeared many of them hadn’t died in the firefight with the Verona. They had been killed by onboard weapons.

Eventually, the away team found the life signs, but it was not the rescue they’d hoped for. Once the remaining Romulans were freed, they immediately began to attack the away team. Maaros and the other combat trained officers took charge, taking down the Romulans. As the last Romulan died, however, some kind of energy left its body and transferred over to one of the other members of the team. That team member became hostile and agitated, beginning to attack Maaros. She incapacitated him, and demanded a transport back to the Verona under quarantine to determine what was wrong. It was discovered that the being was sentient, and was attracted to the warmth of bodies. When inside another creature, it caused them to become angry and aggressive. The science and medical teams managed to free the creature, and Maaros was praised for her handling of the situation.

USS Phoenix-C
After four years spent on the USS Verona, Maaros was offered a promotion to the position of CTO on the USS Phoenix after the previous one stepped down.