Karrik
Captain Karrik is the current commanding officer of the USS K'Ehleyr, the flagship of Task Force 72. He has a long history in Starfleet, but has largely demonstrated slow, steady competence rather than particular brilliance. He is the ideal flag captain because he has few ambitions of his own, and is content to handle shipboard operations in the place of Task Force 72's commanding officer.
History
Early Life and Vulcan Science Academy (2304-2330)
Karrik was born in the southern hemisphere of Vulcan in 2304. He had a relatively uneventful childhood, being the third son of a pair of scientists. His parents both studied xenobiology, so it wasn't surprising at all for him to enter the Vulcan Science Academy at age 20, where he, too, would study life on other worlds. Karrik was noted by his instructors not for being particularly imaginative or innovative, but for dutifully following the scientific process methodically and minutely. After six years at the Vulcan Science Academy, Karrik was preparing to join a lab on Vulcan, before he considered that Starfleet would give him better opportunities to actually meet life from other planets.
Early Starfleet Career (2330-2348)
Despite already being a very competent scientist, Karrik had no experience with starships, and so he matriculated into Starfleet Academy as a cadet in 2330, so that he could fill out his education as a Starfleet Officer. Being around non-Vulcans for the first time in his life was strange, as he'd had an incredibly sheltered adolescence on Vulcan. He found this experience so disconcerting, that following graduation he requested a posting to a starship with an all-Vulcan crew. He was granted this request by being posted as an Ensign to the Excelsior-class starship USS Selar, which was assigned to survey missions in the Beta Quadrant.
The Selar was Karrik's home for 14 years, where he advanced through the lieutenant grades by 2348. Because his family wasn't of any particularly high social standing, he didn't have a betrothed, so it was also here that he met his wife: V'Len, a flight control officer on the Selar. The two of them took a leave of absence from 2348 to 2355 when V'Len became pregnant with their first child.
USS Adelphi (2355-2362)
Following his leave, Karrik applied to rejoin the fleet, while V'Len elected to stay home on Vulcan with their child. Karrik was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and was assigned to the starship Adelphi as its Chief Science Officer. Unlike the Selar, the Adelphi was a mixed-species crew, which took a lot of getting used to for the Vulcan commander, but he acquitted himself well when he realized that the same techniques he used to study unknown lifeforms could also be used to analyze his subordinates to decide which stimuli would achieve the desired results with them.
During this time period, the Adelphi surveyed a number of previously un-charted M-class worlds, which allowed him to publish a number of papers on unique organisms and proper specimen collection techniques. As with his time at the Vulcan Science Academy, though, Karrik was noted for being precise and dutiful, but someone who tended to wow anyone. This slowed his advancement, but Karrik himself wasn't particularly eager to enter a starship command role.
Science Station V-21 (2362-2378)
In 2362, Karrik accepted a posting to science Station V-21, which was located in orbit over a Class-O pelagic planet, which was noted for having among the highest levels of biodiversity ever recorded by Starfleet. From this station, as executive officer, he would lead a number of studies into the aquatic life forms found on the planet below. This posting allowed his wife, V'Len, and their son, Lest, to join him, an arrangement that he found to be agreeable. In 2370, Karrik was promoted to commander and became the commanding officer of the base, a role that he would serve in through and beyond the Dominion War. His station was largely untouched by the conflict, but he found himself frequently short-handed and under-resourced to complete his primary mission, but he appreciated having a role that kept his family out of harm's way.
In 2378, Karrik retired from Starfleet and returned to Vulcan with his family. During this time, he continued publishing papers on his experience from V-21, which helped him develop a reputation as an expert xenobiologist. If the Romulan crisis of the 2380s hadn't developed, it's likely that he would have continued on as a civilian scientist for the remainder of his life, but when Utopia Planitia was destroyed in 2385, he volunteered to return to service.
USS ShirKahr (2385-2393)
Due to his command experience, Karrik became the executive officer aboard the USS ShirKahr, an Atlantia-class ship which was assigned to relief missions along the Romulan border. While the Federation Council's decision to halt the rescue effort following the attack on Mars, the ShirKahr still spent the majority of its time tending to refugee worlds and former Romulan worlds that were now part of Federation space, following the collapse of the Romulan Star Empire in 2387. As this ship was not a science vessel, Karrik was forced to develop quickly as both a logistician and a diplomat, given that they were often dealing directly with refugee settlements. After a long career as a scientist, Karrik had thought himself to be past the point where he needed to learn new skills, but he slowly began to find satisfaction in the challenges associated with command.
In 2390 at the age of 86, Karrik was promoted to captain and assumed command of the ShirKahr, when it was diverted to a new theater of operations on the other side of Federation space, to help colonies in the Former Demilitarized Zone in the face of the True Way crisis.
USS K'Ehleyr (2393-Present)
In 2393, Karrik was selected to command the brand-new Resolute-class starship K'Ehleyr. This heavy cruiser was predominantly assigned to transport ambassadors and flag officers during Karrik's command, which is a task that he was well-suited to. He was content to remain outside of the spotlight, making sure the ship completed its mission effectively, but allowing whichever VIP the mission was assigned to to take the lead. He continued in this role when the ship was assigned as the flagship for Task Force 72 in 2399.
Service History
| Date | Position | Posting | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2330-2331 | Science Cadet | Starfleet Academy | Cadet Fourth Class |
| 2331-2332 | Science Cadet | Starfleet Academy | Cadet Third Class |
| 2332-2333 | Science Cadet | Starfleet Academy | Cadet Second Class |
| 2333-2334 | Science Cadet | Starfleet Academy | Cadet First Class |
| 2334-2336 | Xenobiologist | USS Selar | Ensign |
| 2336-2340 | Xenobiologist | USS Selar | Lieutenant Junior Grade |
| 2340-2348 | Xenobiologist | USS Selar | Lieutenant |
| 2348-2355 | Leave on Vulcan | ||
| 2355-2362 | Chief Science Officer | USS Adelphi | Lieutenant Commander |
| 2362-2370 | Executive Officer | Science Station V-21 | Lieutenant Commander |
| 2370-2378 | Commanding Officer | Science Station V-21 | Commander |
| 2378-2385 | Leave on Vulcan | ||
| 2385-2390 | Executive Officer | USS ShirKahr | Commander |
| 2390-2393 | Commanding Officer | USS ShirKahr | Captain |
| 2393-Present | Commanding Officer | USS K'Ehleyr | Captain |
Captain Karrik In-Play
- Captain Karrik makes sure the trains run on time, which makes him really great as a flag captain, because he can competently handle running the ship while the flag officer makes decisions about the wider galaxy.
- Karrik values following protocol and respecting hierarchy.