Lieutenant Roark Sograni

Name Roark Sograni Ph.D.

Position Counselor

Rank Lieutenant

Stats

2 Mission Posts

Last Post

Wed Jul 6th, 2022 @ 9:25pm

Basic Info
Personality
History

Character Information

Gender		Male
Sex		Male
1st Person		he
2nd Person		him
3rd Person		his
Sexuality		Pansexual
Species		Nicati (Nicat Prime)
Age		50

Physical Appearance

Height		6'3"
Weight		190 lbs
Hair Color		Red
Eye Color		Blue
Physical Description		Tall and lean with shoulder-length red hair, there’s a gentleness to Roark that’s almost immediately obvious. He’s got a sense of color and can be a bit adventurous in what he wears off-duty. Physiology (Species): Maturation Cycles: The Nicati undergo two maturation cycles, the first is physical (puberty) and the second awakens telepathic abilities. Roark has been through both cycles. Telepathy Can receive thoughts passively or actively; however, when he is probing your thoughts intentionally, his eyes will turn completely black. Thoughts can be perceived in a number of ways – images, remembered conversations, internal dialog. Someone who is focused on wrong doing will often transmit images of what they are doing unintentionally. He would be receptive to that just as he would be receptive to surface thoughts projected unwittingly by a non-telepath (ordinary stuff in that case, not deep, dark secrets). Surface thoughts, which are projected, can be read passively (what a person is currently thinking about) so long as the person is within ‘hearing’ distance, i.e., if he can hear your voice, he can hear your thoughts. A disciplined person, one who is very much in control of themselves, would be hard to hear and would require active listening (eyes go black) though success is uncertain and depends on the situation. If the person the Nicati is trying to read is actively fighting the contact, it becomes a contest of wills. The Nicati would have to work at gaining access and might take more than one attempt to succeed. Someone who is under emotional/psychological stress would be easier to read; however, the thoughts would be more fragmented/disjointed so it would take more effort to understand what’s being projected. As a psychologist, he has had training in how to read such people – by spending time with them, passively listening, and coming to an understanding of what’s going on. Has had training and is capable of fighting contact even ejecting someone from his mind. He practices meditation as a way of processing the contacts he makes with other minds. If the contact is traumatic enough for him, he can go deep inside himself (would appear similar to catatonia) which he processes what he’s received. Communal Sharing When he's active/dark eyes, he can enter a mind that's basically non-telepathic and while there, that person can communicate. It becomes a shared bond while he's there. Not perfect but something he's done a time or two to assuage the need for sharing of thoughts/experiences, etc. Generally, this is done as part of a more intimate relationship and requires the willing participation of the other party; it's not something he would force on anyone. Note that there’s always the possibility of an adverse reaction – an individual who thought they were okay with it but couldn’t handle it when it happened. Memory/Experiences The Nicati perceive memories/experiences as chains with one memory or experience linking to another. In that way, a telepath entering a Nicati mind could find the start of one of these chains and follow ‘the path’ to learn more. It would not be instantaneous and the Nicati would be there with them. Should the individual attempt to follow a memory chain that the Nicati does not want to show, they can be stopped/ejected through a process that is taught to Nicati children and enhanced through years of training. It is possible to breakthrough/overwhelm the Nicati but it wouldn’t be easy to do. Rebirth A Nicati experiences rebirth within the same familial line. Individuals are expected to ‘gift’ memories of their lives (which are transmitted/housed within a memory crystal). These memories allow the individual, after rebirth, to experience memories of their past lives. What’s contained in those memories varies from person to person – they do not impart training or skills, more memories of events and bits of wisdom they have learned along the way. A sequestered monk, for example, might ‘gift’ just one perfect memory that he believed summed up his life. The rules are – once you ‘gift’ the memory, you are not permitted to take it back. It belongs to succeeding generations. There is a ceremony, when the individual comes of age, where they are guided into discovering their past lives and receive unlimited access to those memories. Intimacy Intimacy involves a shared emotional experience, an immersion of two separate minds into one, requiring at least one of the partners to be experienced and able to guide the interaction. The Nicati are possessive of their life partners, around mating time, though they are slow to make that commitment. There is a strong mating drive that requires them to sequester themselves for a few days. Most couples have some sort of getaway spot established before they even have the ceremony -- it’s that essentia Physically Can see in low light conditions. Otherwise, senses are human standard.

Family

Spouse		None
Children		None

Personality & Traits

General Overview		For the most part, Roark speaks softly with a naturally deep voice that is almost seductive in tone. He genuinely cares about people, is very social, and employs a variety of techniques to draw people out. He’s honest by nature and while he’s non-violent, he is by no means a coward. As is true of the Vulcans, he employs techniques that can subdue a person without harm and he’s a good shot with a phaser as long as it's on stun (IF he brings it with him and IF he is convinced that shooting is the only way to go). He enjoys tea and would like nothing better than for someone to visit him and share a cup. He’s a good listener and a better storyteller.
Strengths & Weaknesses		Strengths: Telepathic. Ph.D. in Psychology with emphasis on xenopsychology and criminal behavior. He’s highly intelligent and not easily fooled. Artistic. Primarily, pen and Ink drawings as part of a journal he keeps and has kept through every lifetime. Good at reading body language. Because there are so many worlds/species/cultures, he sees it as a bit of an ongoing project. If he doesn’t know, he’ll do the research so that he’s ready and can better understand the visual clues presented by those he sees. Weaknesses: Requires regular meditation to process the shared telepathic contact with non-Nicati. Can go deep inside himself, similar to catatonia, if the shared contact is traumatic enough. He will exit on his own once he has finished processing but can be brought out though he would be hard to reach. Telepathic contact is important to his well being. Not having that as part of his day to day is something he’s had to get used to (similar to a city person who lives alone in the country – takes adjustment).

Personal History		2235 Born on Nicat Prime Roark’s father was a diplomat and the family traveled from posting to posting which meant that the first fourteen years of his life were spent primarily on alien worlds. While he and his sister, Valerian, had private tutors, he was also permitted to take art lessons in the local schools. It wasn’t always easy and not every child was welcoming to the outsiders, but it was, in Roark’s opinion, far better than the isolation of life inside the embassy. Art became the bridge he used to connect with others; he began to explore, to investigate, to question and make friends. For a time, things were good but then his father was transferred, and the process would start over again. There were family discussions about the need to move from place to place. His sister wanted permanence. He found himself enjoying the challenge that went with exploration and discovery. Over time, and with frequent moves, he found it easier and easier to get comfortable in a new place. His mother, who saw the danger in this, argued for a need to keep the family grounded in Nicati traditions which meant that he returned to the homeworld with his mother and sister each summer to spend time with extended family and immerse himself once more in his own traditions and culture. He started keeping a packed bag in his closet. When he was fourteen, he and “Valli” (as he called his sister) came down with a life-threatening illness on one of his father’s postings. Many of the locals died before a treatment was found and his sister was one of those that didn’t make it. It was during that time, in the last days of his sister’s life as he listened to her talk about her fear of dying and the dreams she had once had, that the seed was planted though it would be some time before he came to the conscious realization. At the age of sixteen, he underwent his second maturation and returned home for training and a series of rituals that would introduce him to his past lives. Over the next two years, through the rituals, he was introduced to each of his former lives. It was a transformative time for Roark, one which left him with many questions. He wanted answers and so, he set his sights on university. Celoem University at Beresante, Nicat Prime During his first year at university, his natural curiosity, his need to understand, led him to electives in philosophy, comparative religions, agriculture and even one that looked at cultural norms on different worlds. He had yet to figure out what he wanted to do with his life; he lacked direction. That was the year that F’lessan died during the first of his rituals. The crystal could have been damaged but more likely, he was unable to handle the memory the crystal contained. A debate had ensued that reached the highest levels of government – some wanted a ritual master to attempt contact with the crystal to determine if it was safe while others thought that the crystal should be destroyed. There were also those who were against the destruction of any memory. It was argued that a ritual master could guide contact with that specific memory, join in the process, and thereby provide protection while others saw that as a violation of sacred tradition. The debate raged on and, as is the way of things, passionate students became involved. There were demonstrations on campus, which Roark attended, and some turned violent. It was during a particularly violent demonstration that Roark happened to touch a disturbed mind. While he sought help for the young woman and helped prevent the murder she had intended to commit, the thoughts stayed with him for some time. His meditations, under the care of a counselor, helped him to see the path he wanted his life to take.
Service Record		2253: Entered Celoem University at Beresante, Nicat Prime. 2257: Graduated with an equivalent to a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology 2257: Enrolled in Secondary Degree Program, Celoem University at Beresante, Nicat Prime 2261: Graduated with an equivalent to a Ph.D. in Psychology 2261: Taught courses at Cambridge University, Earth. After graduation, Roark accepted a teaching position at Cambridge University on Earth. He loved the people and immersed himself in the culture. He was content and would have spent his life there had not Nicat Prime made contact with the Federation and entered into negotiations for Federation membership. He was no stranger to life off-world, thanks to his Father’s postings, but this was something different. The small community of worlds that Nicat Prime knew and had trade agreements with were nothing when compared to the vastness of the Federation. 2263: Entered Starfleet Academy - Counseling as Major/Diplomacy as Minor 2267: Graduated Starfleet Academy. 2267: Stationed at Starfleet Medical on Earth.