Ensign Callin Mastrel

Character Information

Gender		Male
Character Quote		"If 'to have another language is to have a second soul,' then I wish to have all souls someday."
Species		Betazoid
Age		26

Physical Appearance

Height		5'11"
Weight		165 lbs
Hair Color		Dark Brown
Eye Color		Black
Physical Description		Callin is of average height, and won’t be getting any taller, much to his dismay. He’s fit though with a dancer’s build. Toned and dexterous, he has lean strength coming out of the Academy. Though easily mistaken for human at first glance beneath his thick eyebrows is a gaze shining black - Betazoid. His dark hair is as long as he could get away with as a cadet. Callin has a tattoo on the right side of his ribs, a mantra in Ancient Betazoid that translates as, “The weight of truth is heavier than a mountain when not true to oneself.”

Family

Father		Daew Mastrel
Mother		Alaradanazi Mastrel
Brother(s)		Reshix Mastrel
Sister(s)		Fwellasanax Mastrel, Uvelaslixti Masterel
Other Family		A small extended family mostly located in Cataria Canyon, and a pet rock lizard back home named Sir Quilly.

Personality & Traits

General Overview		Curious and open-minded, Callin is driven by the pursuit of revelation. Whether it is a revelation into the nature of reality or life or a spiritual experience does not matter so long as it furthers his understanding of truth. Starfleet is the best way for him to gain these experiences, to explore, and to expand his own understanding of the universe. Though he appreciates the use of scientific methodology, Callin also believes that some things just can’t be explained by reason. As such, he is both a scientist and a spiritual person, which sometimes causes him a bit of difficulty when his beliefs and his data conflict. Patient and highly adaptable, Callin is able to weigh in on discussions in various fields and is a good choice for someone to explain things to people outside of the Science Department. Communicating with others comes naturally to him, and he likes to think of himself as warm, kind-hearted, and welcoming both to friends and strangers alike. Sometimes he may be a bit too eager with his superiors, but he generally means well, wanting to impress not for the sake of his ego but to show that he can do more. Callin seems to lack a certain sense of tact at times, but not often out of malice; rather he was raised in a culture where openness is the norm, and may forget on occasion that other races don’t appreciate such straightforward honesty. He strives to be a good leader, studying the works of famous people of the past and his own superiors around him. For the most part, Callin has a good head on his shoulders, and he works to uphold the principles of Starfleet, the Federation, the Betazoid people, and his own, still-developing moral code.
Strengths & Weaknesses		Callin has full Betazoid telepathic abilities, trained not just to know how to use his mental talents, but also when. He can transmit his thoughts to other telepaths with ease, and can pick out surface thoughts or emotions around him with focus. It takes more effort to actively search another’s mind, and it is not something he does lightly. Like most Betazoids, Callin understands the need for privacy among other races, and only with permission or just cause will he go deeper than the background presence from other minds. Callin’s telepathy has supported, rather than defined, his keen insight into alien cultures, sociology, and languages. Callin’s childhood gave him a fair amount of knowledge on farming and modern hydroponic techniques, from the agricultural aspects of food production to a background in equipment maintenance. This technical background serves him well in his career, and he’s capable of running diagnostics, performing maintenance, and engaging in minor repairs of the equipment used in his department. Callin has basic understanding of most research fields common on scientific vessels, such as geology, biology, computers science, mathematics, and physics - but only so much as he can man a station or monitor sensors to find something important for the real specialists to look at. If he could be said to have any true specialties Callin’s talent of working with the Universal Translator and polyglot status top the list, with a decent grasp of sociology coming in second, botany a distant third. Some phenomena have been known to interfere with Betazoid telepathy, from certain alien brains to deep space dilemmas. Even a temporary loss of his mental abilities can be severely debilitating, the same as if one had lost one of their major senses. As a consequence of his telepathy, Callin is very slow to violence even when the need arises. Fighting while maintaining his mental shields is extremely taxing, as he can begin to feel the pain of others, especially the pain he is inflicting on someone. Coming from a matriarchal society Callin finds himself deferring to females even if he holds a higher rank or believes himself right. This causes him some difficulty in his desire to become a better officer, but is something he may overcome someday. However, a childhood illness affected Callin’s spatial awareness permanently, and limits his ability to operate in EVA, a difficult weakness for life in space. At times, Callin can get carried away with some hedonistic tendencies. Always tempted by things that stimulate his senses and mind, he can let this urge get the better of him. Self-control doesn’t come easy when he’s off the clock, but so far Callin hasn’t let this reflect too much on his training or duties.
Ambitions		Callin sees himself commanding a ship of exploration and discovery someday, and works hard to improve his abilities both as a scientist and as an officer. If he sees someone who has a talent he wants to develop himself he has no qualms about asking them for help or training. Newly graduated, Callin knows he has a long way to go, and isn’t exactly in a rush, but may let his ambitions get the better of him from time to time.
Hobbies & Interests		Growing up amidst the jungle cliffs and canyons, he has a lot of experience exploring certain environments. If the mission requires rock climbing, spelunking, trekking through dense jungles and forests, or identifying dangerous or edible plant life, Callin can help lead the way. He is definitely not a fan of cold weather. His faith is important to him, the rituals a part of a well disciplined mind among such alien influences and not just for religious purposes. Callin is glad to share his people’s beliefs if asked about them, but otherwise his practices are private. Callin would like to continue to study even more exotic languages to see about making the Universal Translator live up to its namesake. Callin is often glad to participate in other race’s expression of culture, from art to sports, food to music, history and philosophy, religion and especially their languages. Music and dance are especially interesting, as Callin feels they are languages in their own right as well, and while he isn’t a prodigy of either, he isn’t shy to give it a go or practice at it till he gets some skill.

Character Background

Personal History		Being born to a rather low-caste family isn’t all that bad in the late 24th Century Betazed. Callin had every chance to excel in school, while around him his world was rebuilt and revitalized for the modern times. He was a baby during the Battle of Betazed, but he recalls the look on the adult’s faces and the feelings in their hearts as they taught the history of what happened. Nevertheless, Callin and his generation were raised on hope, not fear, that together they could repair their damaged world, in fact make it better.. His home was a fascinating place, a city split in twain, built on opposing sides of a deep canyon, lush with jungle life and comforting in its tropical heat. Verdant vines provided curious young minds endless places to search as they grew across the ancient sandstone edifices, were cut down, only to regrow with new paths and hidden crannies. The strong air currents that whipped through the rock faces and buildings were his playgrounds, children daring one another to leap across voids where the wind could send one to safety or danger. It was all this and more, the fanciful architecture, the sweet-smelling temples with their burning incense, and the never-ending flow of tourists that wanted to see this recovering paradise for themselves that came from all over the Federation, that introduced Callin to the joys of exploring. Those tourists helped unlock his skill and love for languages as well, at first a proud amusement for his parents as he brought home curious new words for them that he had overhead, then later, as Callin’s ability to understand people grew, the skill that ultimately helped him leave home behind to explore further. From modest means, living on a farm and hydroponics lab, Callin was very much a farm boy. While other kids might be learning about physics, politics, or history, he was raised with agricultural and botanical sciences, his experiences less egalitarian than others. Despite this, Callin was always bright and when he wasn’t out with his friends exploring and playing, he worked hard to fill in the blanks in his education. It took many years of long nights spent in libraries and attending extra classes, but in the end he earned his spot at the university. After graduating with a dual focus on Ancient Betazoid and his big project, comparative linguistics using an upgrade for the Universal Translator he’d tested as his presentation to the college and inspired by the experience he had living in a tourist hotspot, the next step in Callin’s path was Earth, and Starfleet Academy.
Service Record		The Academy was one of the most formative parts of Callin’s life. Taking a boy who was inexperienced and even naïve, his instructors helped him bring together his various skills and accomplishments, to take his love of figuring out the why of things and make him into a scientist first. Methodology, logic, reasoning, Callin’s mind was challenged and expanded. With his impressive talent for language, Callin managed fluency in his first dozen by the end of his second year. His biggest achievement at the Academy was successfully programming the Universal Translator to adapt Tamarian metaphor into Standard language, after a painstaking research project that required him to expand his xeno-linguistics into areas of history and sociology, a joint effort between himself and a number of other cadets, as well as the Tamarian ambassador’s harried but eventually grateful staff. Along with his scientific schooling came the leadership training expected of an officer. Callin was given plenty of chances to lead his fellow classmates on assignments and simulations, boosting his confidence and helping him to realize that someday down the road he’d like to trade in the blue uniform for a red one. Getting to Command by way of the blue shirt was not unheard of, but was a challenge he looked forward to. Knowing how to communicate with people was just part of leading, and so too was listening to them, and Callin had that in spades, and his instructors didn’t lack in effort for the talks they’d offer about duty, responsibility, and the costs of leadership. He took in as much as he could, a young and idealistic mind full of heady ideas and ideals, and a tongue that could twist itself in over twenty languages to tell you all about it by the time he graduated.
Languages		Betazoid, Ancient Betazoid, Federation Standard, Klingon, Romulan, Vulcan, Andorian, Tellarite, Tamarian, Deltan, Bolian, Risian, Angosian, Catullan, Trill, Zakdorn, Bajoran, Cardassian, Zeppolite, French, Japanese, Mandarin, German, Russian
Academy Graduation Year		2397 There was a big party that night Callin and his squadron found out their assignments, the day before a graduation he attended with a hangover the hypospray hadn’t helped with much and a mouth full of Human cotton from too much Human tequila. USS Elysium? This was big, in more ways than one, intimidating and exciting to head to such a ship to begin his life in space.

Medical and Psychological Information

Medical Review		Betazoid telepathic abilities are a genetic trait. The Betazoid brain possesses an area called the paracortex, which is the site for their mental abilities. A chemical called psilosynine controls the operation of this area of the brain. Additionally, the Betazoid have a metaphysical boundary known as the metaconscious, similar to the unconscious mind in most humanoids. This shields the Betazoid mind from unwanted telepathic transmission and creates mental defenses if necessary. Some medical conditions can affect Betazoid mental abilities, for example, the Psi-2000 virus, Zanthi fever, and "the phase". There are many species that are resistant to Betazoid telepathy, notably the Ferengi, Dopterian, and the Breen. The Ferengi and Dopterians are resistant to telepathy due to their four-lobed brain, while the Breen have a completely different brain structure to the Betazoids and most humanoids. Also, Betazoids cannot read the minds of animals, because animals have highly chaotic and random minds. “Callin has been fortunate to have experienced general good health throughout his life, and all that insane rock climbing and cliff jumping he claims they did certainly built a healthy young man. He is fit for duty, with just the usual case of Zixran Cliff Fever some Betazoids who grow up in the jungle catch, granting them immunity to the more rare adult case of the illness. The disease did slightly damage his temporal lobe, resulting in difficulties with spatial awareness; research pending still on regenerative therapy, I’m referring his case out to a specialist. On occasion he can experience mild dizziness, made worse by other illnesses, though with access to basic medications medical personnel can take care of his symptoms. While he scores poorly on EVA qualifications and requires extra assistance from trainers, his morale remains high and he has qualified, if barely.” Cmdr. Michelle Delacruz, Medical Officer, Starfleet Academy
Allergies/Health Issues		Anticholinergic antiemetics prescription, taken as needed for vertigo.
Counseling Review		“You want my professional opinion, as an Academy counselor? The guy’s got some charm to him, but not in the way you’d think reading the docket. Sure, he can talk in over twenty languages as if he was born to them, but it's his enthusiasm that gets to me. He really took to all those stories the old-hats like to tell, and I think he might worship Starfleet and all that rubbish about exploring the unknown, making friends out of strange aliens. Callin’s got a good head on his shoulders, though I do think he acts more like a Risian than a Betazoid at parties. Kid can hold a glass and dance like I used to... Okay, okay, the official stuff: stable personality, imaginative and bright, the right amount of ego and humility, and mental fortitude for prolonged deep-space duty, all qualified with average ratings or better. I will amend the file with metrics and notes…” LtCmdr. Harrison J. Stone, Counselor, Starfleet Academy