Ba'yaQ Khan was born and raised on Cappella IV. Cappella is a harsh and unforgiving planet.It is mostly desert, the area of Ba'yaQ's clan is a rocky and severe badlands situated in high mountains with only scattered vegetation. There are rich Topaline deposits on Cappella IV. Gravity is 1.5 Terran Standard making air pressure fade much quicker as you increase in altitude. Broiling hot temperatures during the day and below freezing during the night, have inured Cappellans to the harshest extremes. Deep wind carved canyons, ancient arroyos and shifting sands in ochres, golds and browns were the canvas on which his childhood and early life were written.
Ba'yaQ was born the second son of his Clan's Chief. He lived his early life as all traditional Cappellan warriors have. Intensive training in martial arts both armed and unarmed, mental disipline to prepare them for the privations of war and life, and survival in the unforgiving environment of Cappella were all part of Ba'yaQ's early years.
Cappella was invaded prior to the start of the Cardassian War by Cardassia. They wanted to secure the Topaline mines. Cappellans believe that only the strong should survive so they did not ask for help from the Federation.
His sister was widowed early in the Cardassian invasion and it was found that she was pregnant. Because she had been touched and made "unclean" by a non-Cappellan no one would marry her. So according to Cappellan custom she committed suicide after her child was born. Ba'yaQ blamed and still blames Cardassians for his sister's ritual suicide.
When the war started Ba'yaQ took his manhood name, Khan. It was the name of a terran leader and warrior who still inspired fear among the Federation, he hoped that some of the name's power would transfer to him. During the war Ba'yaQ was a fierce and implacable foe ambushing and killing scores of Cardassian military and mining company workers. By the time he was 15 he was a war leader, plunging into ever more daring and bold raids on the invaders. A sudden flurry of motion from a patch of sand that couldn't hide a Rock Lizard and Ba'yaQ and his warriors would attack with fists, feet, knives and Kligats. The warriors would then disappear into the desert.
Miners were too terrified to leave the mines and Cardassian Patrols were constantly ambushed or led into the trackless badlands for weeks with nothing to show for it. Still it was clear that the Cappellans were losing the war. No matter how many they killed or injured there were still more soldiers and more miners willing to come for the Topaline. The clan could not gather their traditional foods because of the need to stay out of sight and had to resort to eating captured Cardassian field rations. They were starving. Ba'yaQ's father was desperate seeing his children and clan dying. When the Federation liberated Cappella.
After the Liberation Ba'yaQ's father ordered him to apply to Starfleet. His father believed that Cappellans need to learn to adapt to technology or they would be easy prey in future wars. Ba'yaQ first attended the newly reopened Federation operated Educational Institute on Cappella IV. After two years he applied to the Starfleet Academy.
He only made it through the Academy by constant hard work and study he still only made Ensign by the skin of his teeth. He had a Vulcan student tutor for the Technology classes and found S'Tel to be entirely to his liking. Vulcans are polite, reserved and are not "touchy-Feely", they have strong ethics and a nearly pathological aversion to lying. Like all Cappellans Ba'yaQ has nothing but contempt for lying or dishonesty.
He was very dedicated to study during his academy years and his only outside interest was learning about human culture. He found some of it very entertaining as well as informational. The holo program, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" was his favorite. Cappellan's enjoy shadow puppets and he believed that it was supposed to be taken as a serious play. He was surprised to learn about "fiction" and that the puppets on his favorite show were supposed to be automatons.
Due to the War and because Cappellans are so reserved in their marriage and courtship, (you cannot touch a member of the opposite sex unless they are family or you are married) Ba'yaQ has never had a significant female relationship. He is deeply interested in women but also extremely shy in a personal sense. He was the subject of good natured teasing by some Risan female Cadets at the Academy when they discovered his remarkable ability to blush a deep gold when embarrassed. The Instructors put a stop to it when they found out, without ever telling Ba'yaQ they knew about it. In professional situations he has learned to control his anxieties it is only in personal situations that he still has real problems.
He graduated with the recommendation that he checked in with a Counselor at least once a month. It helped him to get over his shyness and has given him the confidence to function as an assistant instructor at the Academy. He was assigned to the USS Seattle a Science vessel as a Security Officer and was quickly found to be very useful in "away team" assignments.
He later was transferred to the USS Awkalat an Exploration Vessel. He was recommended to be an instructor at the Academy by the Awkalat's Captain. She believed that his experience fighting the Cardassians would be invaluable for the War effort. After the war Ba'yaQ found that he wanted to get back on a ship and has since been assigned to the USS Maelstrom. On a lighter note, Ba'yaQ has "adopted" a pet cat "Tom". He is fascinated with domestic animals, Cappella has none.
The rest is still to be written...............
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