EDUCATION:

SERVICE RECORD:

DECORATIONS:

BACKGROUND:
Val'aqris Qo'tar was born on October 21, 2344, or the Klingon equivalent thereof, on the Klingon Homeworld of Qo'noS. Her father was a craftsman, specializing in intricate and ornate design work for temples, and such revered buildings as the headquarters of the famed Klingon Honor Guard.

As a young girl, Qris, as she was often called, would acompnay her father and his team to their work sites. This was a necessity as her mother, Valeda, had been killed only a year after her birth. Valeda had been a member of the Honor Guard and was assassinated in an attempt to kill the then Ruler of the High Counsel, K'empec. Val'aqris was raised by her father, and his often carrousing friends.

Qris grew up in a Male world, and developed a tough outward demeanor, often besting her father's friends at drinking games and wrestling once she entered her teenage years. When she was fourteen, however, she began to explore her feminine side, including a sexual liason with one of her father's workers.

Ofcourse, her father was outraged, and, in his enterpretation of defending the honor of the house of Qo'tar, he killed the man in single combat. But, much to his dismay, his daughter turned soundly against him. While her father had felt he was defending her honor, Val'aqris felt as if she had been violated and dishonored. By her feelings, her father had taken from her the right to control her own choices, and her own body, as surely as a slave would be controlled by a master.

The fifteen-year-old Val'aqris challenged her father to single combat, with Bat'leth. Reluctantly, the senior Qo'tar accepted, and was subsequently, and soundly beaten by his own daughter. In the rules set forth before the match Qo'tar was to make a public apology to his daughter for robbing her of her honor, and killing a valiant warrior of a good house without any honor of his own.

After Val'aqris' father's public display, he was dishonored, and his business fell on hard times. He began to drink and was dead of alchohol consumption, and other vices, within the year.

Val'aqris, in the meantime, had earned a reputation for being spunky and even a bit dangerous. She was invited by an older male friend to enlist in the IDF, and did so with glee. As a cadet she excelled, especially in the areas of tactical and security procedure; and upon her graduation she was posted to a Warship called the Heg'ta, commanded by Captain Kurn, of the House of Mog.

Qris served on the Heg'ta for four years, until she was transfered to a Klingon starbase designated Qo'lag Du'kor. Here she was given the position of head of security and served an equally successful tour of duty.

Her life in the IDF was essentially uneventful. She was young, attractive, and without a mate, so she found herself on the recieving end of many a male's attentions; which she welcomed and returned willingly. Popular among her crewmates, her years in the IDF went smoothly. She served in her next posting, as tactical and weapons officer aboard the Mog've; for seven years. As long as many a posting on a Starfleet ship.

During her time on the Mog've, she was decorated twice, including receiving the Klingon Medal of Honor; the Deg'batlh for her destinguished service. She also took a mate; K'mtek. They were married by the ship's Commanding Officer in 2374. Two years later, she gave birth to their son, Maqless.

But, in 2377, K'mtek died, in a routine skirmish with the remnants of the Breen. Val'aqris went into mourning, and wa ssubsecquently transfered to the explorer-ship Qor'van. Her son was taken to live with his father's house on Qo'noS. Val'aqris was heartsick, over not only the death of her husband, but at losing her son at such a time. After she recovered from her grief, however, she was able to convince the commander of the Qor'van to allow her to bring Maqless aboard with her.

They lived together as she served aboard the shp for another four years.

But, the death of K'mtek was too much for her in some ways, and she lost the flair. The fire behind her eyes, as it were. She left the IDF in 2382, and decided to ply her trade in civilian life. First she worked as a mercenary and bodyguard for one or two dignitaries off the Homeworld. She even spent some time in the guard of the training fascility on Praxis. But she had a son to care for, and needed a more sedintary environment, in her opinion, in which to raise him.

So, she took to a skill she had always had, and had honed over the years. Cooking, and keeping a large, and happy larder. She opened a restaurant on Galon II, called "qul tuq" after a favorite Opera. But, the family of her deceased husband was in an outrage. They felt Maqless was not being raised as a true Klingon and demanded he be returned to them.

Unfortunately for Val'aqris, the Counsel agreed, and Maqless was sent to live with his father's people, as Val'aqris went on, alone, trying to find a home for herself, and waiting for the day she would be reunitied with her son, aside from the occasion visits on Qo'noS; when he would come of age.

In 2386, Val'aqris' restaurant ran onto hard times and was shut down. Luckily, she found a new home for her culinary skills, and her own brand of Klingon "lodge keeping". She moved her business, all and sundry, to the new border colony, New Edinburgh. It was a thriving colony; Federation, as well as Stagnorian. She knew some Stagnorian from a waiter who had orked for her early on, and she felt it was a worthy gamble.

Within a few months she had revived the qul tuq on the campus of the New Edinburgh University. An institute of higher learning on the planet. Setting up an atmosphere friendly and comfortable for students and faculty alike, Val'aqris' establishment soon became a very popular place on campus, and the lovely Klingon woman found herself hardpressed to keep up with a suddenly busy schedule.

Personality Profile:
Val'aqris Qo'tar is a proud woman, sometimes almost haughty in her outward demeanor. She is strongwilled, and almost overconfident at times. She still clings to her Klingon ways and values, even though she has forgone most Klingon styles and customs for a more relaxed, almost Human civilian lifestyle.

But, inside she is lonely. She has not gone on to mate again, and has not known love since K'mtek's death nearly 10 years ago. And she misses her son terribly. Maqless. Her only link to K'mtek, and her own lifestyle and several Klingon laws governing the raising of children, keep them apart during the most important and formative years of his life.

She deals with her conflicts and her inner demons which are few, but sometimes powerful, by throwing herself into her work. Her restaurant is open the full day on New Edinburgh, and each day of the week, the NE equivalent of "24 / 7" on Earth. They serve a variety of dishes, usually prepared by Val'aqris or by one of the two cooks who works for her. In the short time on the planet not only several members of the college faculty, including Archeology Professor Parker Tamarin, as well as a large number of the students (some of whom she has become close friends with), but also New Edinburgh News Editor Qas Lorak have become regular patrons.

Aside from her life as a restaurateur on New Edinburgh, Val'aqris still keeps herself in training. She is muscularly built, with a firm, and well-endowed physique. She still turns many a head, and is willing to go farther than turning heads, but avoids affairs of the heart at all costs. Her heart is still given to K'mtek, no matter what she does with her body, and as far as she is concerned it will always be that way.

Qris lives in a modest apartment behind her restaurant, and decorates it with weapons and momentos from her days in the IDF. Her medals are displayed proudly in a case decorated with the traditional Klingon symbol. Her Dak'tagh, and her two Bat'leth hang on wall-hangers in her bedroom. Her apartment is always smelling of incense and anyone wandering into her living quarters would think they had stumbled into some strange ritual given the fragrances, and the odd Terran music she often listens to.

Val'aqris is someone fiercely loyal to her friends, and a terror to her enemies. She is not one to forgive easily, especially if a friend or someone she cares for deeply is hurt or injured in any way. She does not take such great offense at things directed at her, personally, but at those she cares about. And she is quick to react with a fist or a Bat'leth if a loved one is harmed.

Her hatred of the Breen runs deep, as they took her K'mtek from her, and she is likely to pummel any Breen who might wander into her place within an inch of his life.

Usually dressing in exotic, or, contrastngly sloppy Terran clothing, Qris can be seen in sheer, revealing silken clothing just as often as she can a pair of worn denim pants and a sweatshirt. She often goes barefoot, and enjoys sunbathing, usually in the nude. She also likes to ride Horseback, and is an accomplished equestrian. She has a stable of three horses on the grounds of the University and will often take her friends riding in the nearby forests.

At least once a year, Val'aqris will go to visit her son on Qo'noS. He is being raised by a good, and honorable family with a proud history, and inside Qris is happy he can have such an upbrining. She is never happy, for long, however, on Qo'noS. The memories of her years with her father, and how it all came to end are still fresh in her mind and even the trainng center on Praxis can often make her feel ill at ease.

But despite all this she is a Klingon, and a proud member of her house. Val'aqris is the senior member of her house and has been since her father's death. But, she only returns to Qo'noS to see her son. She is hoping someday, when he is old enough, they can be reunited fully and spend more time together. But, she knows also that he must follow his own bent.

Comfortable around Humans and Stagnorians alike, Val'aqris has found, she believes, a home on the New Edinburgh colony. A home that she feels she can help others to find as the colony expands, and students come to the university, looking to broaden their minds with studies in the rich Stagnorian culture and customs that are so much a prevelant part of life on New Edinburgh.

Val'aqris is no teacher. But, she has learned alot, and there is also always the need for a warm bowl of stew, and a willing ear for a trubled collegiate. Especially in a college that is just begining to open its doors, and has a few lessons to learn itself.

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