Vekelse

Non Player Character
Vekelse
Affiliation:	Starfleet
Rank:	Lieutenant
Assignment:	USS Quantum Fury
Position:	Chief Engineer
Race:	Tholian
Gender:	Male
Age:	78

Vekelse is the Chief Engineer on the USS Quantum Fury. Vekelse is the only Tholian currently serving in Starfleet. In 2390 he was sentenced to death by the Assembly for contacting a Federation scientist (he was accused of espionage for humanoids). Vekelse was able to flee before the sentence was carried out and arrived in Federation space where he was picked up by the USS Shanghai. After an appeal for asylum was granted Vekelse decided to join Starfleet.

Due to his physiology joining star fleet was an immense difficulty. Vekelse was forced to wear an environmental suit every day to protect his carapace from the (deadly to Tholian) low temperatures on Earth. However, in 2394 scientists were able to create an enamel like coating for Vekelse' carapace that protected it from the temperature variances allowing him to move around without the aid of the suit. However, the protective enamel gives him a blue glow instead of the fiery orange normally associated with his kind. He prefers this change however.

Prior to joining Starfleet Vekelse already had a great deal of knowledge about Starfleet, Romulan, and Klingon technology. He attributed this to his task in the Assembly. Vekelse informed starfleet officials that he was a technology adviser to the Assembly. When he completed his work in the Academy he was assigned to the USS Pontianak as Engineering Officer.

In 2401 he accepted promotion to Lieutenant and accepted a new assignment aboard the USS Honokaa as Assistant Engineering Officer. When asked if he would like to serve on the USS Quantum Fury as Chief Engineering Officer he jumped at the chance. The mixed technological design greatly interested him.