Lieutenant Elsen Rava
Name Elsen Rava
Position Chief Science Officer
Second Position Chief Science Officer
Rank Lieutenant
Character Information
| Gender | Female | |
| Species | Trill (Joined) | |
| Age | 32 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5' 8" | |
| Weight | 165 lbs (75 kg) | |
| Hair Color | Auburn red | |
| Eye Color | Green | |
| Physical Description | Elsen is a Trill woman with a slim, athletic build, standing 5′8″ and weighing approximately 165 lbs. Her physique reflects strength and endurance gained through hands-on fieldwork rather than parade-ground training, with a solid, grounded presence and naturally fuller proportions. She has long auburn hair, worn just beyond her shoulders when loose. The texture is thick and naturally coiled, with soft, loose curls rather than tight ringlets, reminiscent of a wild but controlled shape. On duty, her hair is tied back neatly and practically. Off duty, she wears it down more often, allowing its natural volume and curl to show. |
Family
| Father | Jorin Teral (58) - Civilian Freighter Captain | |
| Mother | Maelin Sen (56, joined) - Cultural Archivist and Restoration Specialist (Civilian) | |
| Brother(s) | Tarin Teral (35) - Civilian Logistics Coordinator (Federation Trade Network) Kerin Teral (27) - Graduate Student, Trill Science Academy (Applied Astrophysics) |
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| Sister(s) | Lysa Teral - (19) - Undergraduate Student, Trill University | |
| Other Family | (Aunt) Dr. Sirel Vaan (61, Joined) - Retired Starfleet Science Officer; Former Starfleet Academy Instructor |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | El is naturally open and personable, someone who enjoys people without needing to dominate a space. She is curious by instinct, more inclined to ask questions than to make declarations, and tends to approach both problems and relationships with an easy, unforced interest. Around others she comes across as relaxed and approachable, capable of warmth and dry humour, and rarely rigid unless circumstances truly demand it. She is most comfortable when things are uncertain. Chaos doesn’t excite her, but it doesn’t unsettle her either. Elsen has a habit of settling into difficult situations with a quiet steadiness, observing first, then acting decisively once she’s confident she understands what she’s dealing with. She trusts her judgement, though she doesn’t assume it’s infallible, and she listens carefully to those around her, particularly when they bring perspectives she lacks. Despite her outward composure, Elsen is not emotionally distant. She feels responsibility keenly, especially when others are put at risk, and has little patience for preventable harm or careless decision-making. Since her joining, this sense of responsibility has deepened rather than hardened her. She remains capable of joy, curiosity, and genuine affection, but she carries consequences more consciously now, aware that her choices rarely affect only herself. Elsen is adaptable rather than stubborn, but once she commits to a course of action she sees it through. She dislikes posturing, unnecessary authority, and people who confuse confidence with inflexibility. In leadership roles she prefers collaboration, earning trust through competence and presence rather than rank. She is comfortable taking charge when needed, yet equally comfortable stepping back when someone else is better suited to lead. Privately, Elsen is still adjusting to who she is becoming. She is thoughtful about her own changes, occasionally unsettled by instincts that feel newly sharpened, but she does not resist them outright. Instead, she treats growth as an ongoing process rather than a problem to be solved. She is very much herself—curious, warm, grounded—but now carries a depth shaped by lives that came before her, learning how to balance that inheritance without letting it define her entirely. |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | Strengths Elsen is exceptionally sharp, not just in raw intelligence but in how she applies it. She has a natural ability to see connections between disciplines, particularly when physical forces and historical context intersect, allowing her to form workable theories quickly in unstable or incomplete conditions. She is calm under pressure, often becoming more focused rather than flustered when situations deteriorate, a trait that makes her reassuring to work alongside in the field. She leads by example rather than authority. Elsen is hands-on, willing to take the same risks she asks of others, and earns loyalty through competence rather than charisma. Her communication style is clear and considered, especially when translating complex scientific concepts into practical guidance for non-specialists. She is also quietly resilient, able to absorb setbacks without losing momentum, even when uncertainty or doubt creeps in privately. Weaknesses Elsen has a tendency to carry too much on her own shoulders. She is slow to ask for help, particularly when she feels responsible for an outcome, and will often push herself further than is strictly healthy before admitting she is struggling. Since her joining, this has occasionally been compounded by a reluctance to discuss the internal changes she is experiencing, preferring to manage them privately rather than risk being seen as unsteady. She can be overly cautious when technology removes her from direct control, particularly in situations involving transporters, which she tolerates rather than trusts. This can lead to hesitation in time-sensitive situations, not from fear of danger, but from discomfort with processes she understands too well. Elsen also struggles at times with delegation, especially when she believes her own presence in the field would yield better results, which can leave her stretched thin over extended operations. |
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| Hobbies & Interests | Outside of her professional life, Elsen maintains a handful of routines that help anchor her, particularly as she adjusts to being joined. She has a fondness for traditional Trill pastimes, including memory-weaving exercises and symbiont meditation practices, which she approaches with care rather than reverence. These sessions are less about ceremony and more about maintaining internal balance, helping her sort which thoughts are truly her own and which belong to the echo of previous hosts. During her time at Starfleet Academy, Elsen developed an appreciation for several Earth-based habits that have stayed with her. She enjoys long walks through natural environments when available, particularly wooded or rocky terrain, and has a quiet affection for Earth literature, favouring historical non-fiction and older novels that focus on exploration rather than heroics. She also picked up a taste for strong tea, a habit that followed her into station life. There are also interests she hasn’t fully claimed as her own yet. She occasionally finds herself drawn to unfamiliar music styles or practising basic close-quarters movement drills with more ease than expected, remnants of instincts passed down from previous hosts. Rather than resisting these moments, Elsen treats them with curiosity, allowing them space without letting them define her, seeing them as part of the ongoing process of becoming more than she was without losing herself in the process. |
| Personal History | She was an observant child, more likely to sit and watch than demand attention, but far from withdrawn. When she asked questions, they tended to linger on practical details. Why certain structures failed. Why some places were abandoned and others endured. Family travel exposed her to a patchwork of stations, colonies, and half-forgotten worlds, and she developed a quiet fondness for places that felt unfinished. She liked people, liked listening to them, and learned how to move comfortably between different personalities without needing to perform. Starfleet Academy was less intimidating than she’d expected. Elsen adapted quickly, not because she was exceptional in every subject, but because she was curious and unafraid of uncertainty. She gravitated toward courses that involved fieldwork and problem-solving, preferring messy data and real environments to clean simulations. Off duty, she was sociable without being showy, building friendships easily and enjoying Academy life for what it was rather than treating it as a proving ground. Her transport aversion became more pronounced during this time, sharpened by knowledge rather than experience, though she learned to manage it without drawing attention. Her first posting aboard the USS Caldera confirmed what she already suspected about herself. Elsen was happiest when she could stand on solid ground, or something pretending to be, and assess a situation with her own senses. She spent long hours on survey teams, documenting ruins that had been partially swallowed by shifting terrain or warped by gravitational oddities. The work was often repetitive, occasionally dangerous, and rarely glamorous. She loved it. She earned trust by being reliable, by not panicking when plans fell apart, and by knowing when to stop pushing a situation that was becoming unsafe. The transfer to the USS Halcyon came with greater responsibility and less margin for error. The ship’s long-range mission profile meant isolation, unpredictable conditions, and frequent encounters with phenomena that resisted tidy explanation. Elsen found herself leading more often than expected, not because she sought authority, but because others deferred to her judgement when things became complicated. She learned how to balance decisiveness with caution, how to listen without hesitating, and how to step forward when no one else quite knew how. Joining came late in that posting, after years of quiet consideration. Watching her mother had taught Elsen that joining did not erase doubt or smooth over uncertainty. It simply added weight. The early months afterward were subtle rather than dramatic. She noticed changes in how she moved, how quickly she assessed risk, and how deeply she felt responsibility settle when situations deteriorated. The symbiont did not replace her instincts. It sharpened them. By the time she arrived at Starbase Mojave, Elsen no longer felt the need to define herself against expectation. She remains curious, approachable, and capable of warmth, still fond of shared meals, quiet laughter, and moments of levity amid long days. At the same time, she carries herself with a steadiness earned rather than assumed. Mojave suits her. It is a place that rewards adaptability, honesty, and the ability to stand comfortably in uncertainty, qualities Elsen has been quietly cultivating her entire life. |
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| Service Record | 2396 -> 2398 - Junior Science Officer/Science Officer, USS Caldera. Promotion to Lt. JG in 2398. 2399 -> 2401 - Senior Science Officer, USS Halcyon. Promoted to Lieutenant in 2401. 2402 -> PRES - Chief Science Officer, Mojave Station Past Hosts of the Rava Symbiont 1. Kess Rava 2375 – 2401 Kess Rava was a former Starfleet tactical officer who later served as a physical training and combat readiness instructor. Their long tenure emphasised discipline, bodily awareness, and preparedness under pressure. Calm and uncompromising, Kess believed survival was built through repetition and control, influences Elsen feels most strongly during physical danger or field stress. 2. Joreth Rava 2338 – 2375 Joreth Rava served as a Starfleet security officer assigned to multiple frontline and evacuation-support roles during the Dominion War. They were killed in action in 2375 while coordinating a civilian withdrawal during a collapsing defensive engagement. What remains is not memory of violence, but the weight of responsibility when failure becomes inevitable. 3. Tal Rava 2270 – 2338 Tal Rava was a Federation peacekeeper and regional enforcement officer operating along unstable borders. Neither diplomat nor soldier in the traditional sense, Tal maintained order through presence, authority, and restraint. Their long service fostered patience and a belief that force, when used, must be decisive and limited. 4. Liren Rava 2198 – 2270 Liren Rava lived a long civilian life as a Trill cultural conservator and oral historian. Focused on memory, lineage, and preservation, Liren believed the past should be protected from both neglect and misuse. Their influence underpins Elsen’s reverence for ancient cultures and her discomfort with careless excavation. 5. Vaelin Rava 2124 – 2198 Vaelin Rava was a frontier marshal and systems enforcer during the early expansion of Federation space. Working in loosely governed regions, Vaelin relied on judgement and adaptability more than formal structure. Their legacy contributes to Elsen’s comfort in imperfect environments and her instinct to act decisively when order breaks down. |