Name of Officer: Jariel Camen
Rank: Honorary Starfleet Rank of "Ensign"/ Bajoran Vedek
Age: 40
Species: Bajoran
Birth World: Bajor
Home World: Bajor
Marital Status: Unmarried (involved)
Previous Assignment: Bajoran Ambassador to the Federation, member of the
Vedek Assembly
Current Assignment: Retired (Former Ship's Chaplain, USS Serendipity)
Physical Description:
Height: 6"0"
Weight: 195
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Permanent Starfleet Record: (Also see Bio of Zanh Liis)Jariel Camen's (last name first, in the Bajoran tradition) parents were murdered by Cardassians during the occupation of Bajor. Camen grew up in the home for war orphans at the monestary at Altaan Province, Bajor. He was four when he got there.
Zanh Liis arrived three years later, and he immediately took her under his wing. She often says that if it hadn't been for him, she would "certainly have starved to death."
The Vedeks at the monestary groomed Camen for the ministry from a very early age- beginning his training as soon as he arrived. Over time realized that his spirituality was something he would have to pursue on his own, and that his fate was intrinsically tied to that of Zanh Liis, it was with her that he belonged.
Camen was trained from boyhood
to minister to the people of Bajor
to minister to the people of Bajor
Camen is an excellent listener, and able to be a calm and steadying influence in any crisis. Has a natural ability for botany.
As a Bajoran priest, he keeps of all the traditional Bajoran religious rites and customs.
Once his main ambition was to become Kai (spiritual leader of the Bajoran people) so that he could use the office to help more people than he otherwise could but realized soon that politics and religion mix very badly.
Things he likes: Nature, maybe just maybe a huge bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream with whipped cream. But only if nobody is looking.
Things he dislikes: Letting technology run your life rather then supplement it, corruption in roles where strong men and women are needed.
Camen strongly believes that people need to keep some sort of root in humanity, the Bajoran religious sector is so hopelessly overrun by ambitious politicians that it is better for each individual to find their spirituality in their own way, if at all. Still keeps with the traditions of Bajor, but on his own, without the false sincerity of the religious community.
Jariel's limitations lie in the fact that he's a lover, not a fighter.
Of special note, Vedek Jariel is currently unable to speak vocally- a side effect he believes of his many Orb experiences.
He "speaks" by means of USL (Universal Sign Language) which is represented in posts by text enclosed in [[these symbols]] (double brackets).
Even without the use of the spoken word, Camen can offer sound advice, and apprciates that "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" when asked to make sacrifices.
Special skills: Trained in the interpretation of Orb experiences.
Notes from his psychological profile: "Jariel Camen talks to plants. What is more, he claims that the plants sometimes talk back. On a much more serious note, he also believes he will remain without the power of vocal speech until, quote: "The Prophets feel I have been humbled, and see fit to restore it."
Jariel has no formal Starfleet training. After being raised to become a Vedek, he found his true calling in his love for Zanh Liis and devoted himself to healing the pain she felt from many lifetimes of losing him during her Temporal Investigations exploits (refer to Zanh Liis bio).
He spent several years as an ambassador for Bajor, and is a skilled negotiator, adept at diffusing tense situations (and people) with skill and speed.
Jariel has some unusual skills, and is often called a "man of many and varied talents" by Zanh Liis. Most people (even those who may have known him for years) usually have no knowledge of these abilities until a situation demands them, as Jariel is very humble and does not like to brag about his gifts or show them off.
Not the least of these talents is an ability to get in and out of places quietly, a gift for 'slight of hand' tricks such as juggling and making small objects disappear, and many survival skills picked up during his youth in the child protection system of Bajor.
In the past, Jariel chose to leave the prestigious office he held as one of the most influential Vedeks on Bajor to become the keeper of the arboretum aboard the USS Independence. He did this for one reason: in order to stay aboard and be with Liis. Eventually, he believed it was the will of the Prophets that he return to Bajor, and she returned to Temporal Investigations. The two of them parted company for some time physically, but never emotionally.
He spent some time living on Deep Space 23. He journeyed there following a vision from the Prophets that told him that he must go, only to find Zanh was there, and that their fates were still completely entwined- no matter how either of them tried to deny it or how far they ran away from it out of fear and insecurity.
It was while Jariel was on DS23 that he suffered a massive stroke- brought on, he insisted, by Pagh'tem farr (after-orb-experiences visions from the Prophets). After months in a rehabilitation hospital on Bajor, he eventually regained complete health with the exception of his speaking voice, as mentioned above.
As Zanh made her way back to the ship where they had lived together previously, Jariel returned as well with plans to once again resume the role of gardener so he could stay with her. But fate (or he would say, the Prophets) had bigger plans for him than tending the flowers.
He served as a de facto Counselor aboard ship (as their Counselor is was MIA) but after his heroism during the Bajoran Plains Disaster, he was offered the official position of Ship's Chaplain by Starfleet and accepted wholeheartedly.
Aboard the Serendipity (Updates in progress)
In 2388, Camen would, along with others aboard the Sera, be effected by contact with an alien race of telepaths called the Sylph.
Not only did they give him knowledge of the life he had lived in an alternate, past timeline, but they also restored his power of vocal speech.
Left so unsettled by the events surrounding these experiences and the shocking revelations they brought crashing down upon him, Camen returned to Bajor seeking answers.
Seeking to find himself.
The discoveries he made there would rewrite not only his personal history as he knew it, but his beliefs about love, faith, and all of his hopes for the future. (more updates coming soon)
Notes from his CO's and Collegues:
"Thank the Prophets he's finally out of my hair! Boy is like a kicked puppy dog when that woman of his isn't around." -Prylor Chem of the central assembly run hospital on Bajor.
"He is a good friend and a confidant. In the event he were to throw a celebration, my wife and I would certainly provide the largest benefaction, with the attached correspondance reading: 'Thank you for being a friend.'" -Commander Salvek, Chief Engineer, USS Independence.
"He is, quite simply, the most honorable, kind, trustworthy and thoughtful man you will ever meet, anywhere, at any time. Believe me, I know." ~Captain Zanh Liis
"The Vedek? He's a man of few words. Specifically, none." ~Lt.Commander Dabin Reece
