Minister of Public Health

(And Governor Styraan's Personal Physician)

Name: Shani Vesh
Species: Joined Trill
Sex: Female
Age:  (host) 45 (symbiont) 271
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 147
Hair: Light reddish brown
Eyes: Green

Languages: Federation Standard, Vulcan, Bajoran, Trill.

Hobbies: Swimming, Playing Piano, Surfing, Gardening, Mystery novels, Hang-gliding.

Background:
Shani Vesh has had a relatively easy life. Her parents were well-to-do members of the Academic subculture on Trill, where she was born. The flame-haired Shani was born on September 21, 2341 (by Terran calendars) to Eran Tel and Driel Von, two of Trill's leading minds in biology, and art respectively.

As she grew, her parents tried to teach her all that they knew, sometimes treating the young girl more like one of their pupils in the Initiate Institute, rather than their only child. This didn't give Shani much of a fun childhood, and to this day she spends her free time trying to make up for it, being rather the party-girl.

At age 16 she was enrolled in the Trill Initiate Institute by her father, who had high hopes of her succeeding his seat on the faculty board. Shani took to her studies immediately, and became enthralled at the idea of acquiring a symbiont. She had hoped for Odan, or Dax, but during her entire time at the institute, when a symbiont became available, her name was never called.

Immediately she was assigned to the USS Aragon, under Captain Smallwood, as a medical technician. During an attack by the insect-like Zzippitti, however, Shani was forced to act as a medical officer, and she did remarkably well. She set up a triage unit in the ship's lounge, and, when the senior medical officer was killed, she assumed his duties tending the wounded and performing surgery, working around the clock until the ship reached a starbase . Smallwood awarded her with a citation and a promotion to Lieutenant, Junior Grade.

This act of bravery, and devotion to her duty, brought her several additional rewards. A few months after her promotion she was called back to Trill to receive a symbiont, finally. She was awarded the symbiont Vesh, one of the most revered of all the Trill. Vesh had lived 6 previous lifetimes, and two of those had been as officers in Starfleet, with stellar service records.

One of them, Telle Vesh, had served as Chief Medical Officer under Captain Hikaru Sulu on the USS Excelsior, and gone on to teach at the academy before his death.

Acquiring the promotion and the Vesh symbiont brought Shani to the attention of Vulcan Captain Solak, of the USS Sovereign, and he immediately requested her for service aboard his vessel. Shani Vesh accepted the transfer with renewed enthusiasm.

Shani served three years aboard the Sovereign before the vessel's de-commision in 2375. After taking severe damage in a battle with the Dominion, the Sovereign was taken off duty indefinitely and her crew reassigned. Solak received a promotion to Fleet Captain; Science Officer SA-3-16, Vesh's closest friend aboard, was transfered to an out-of-the-way Starbase; and the rest of the Officers went their separate ways.

Shani returned to Trill, and even surprised herself by accepting a job with the formidible initiate institute. Her Starfleet record, and the reccomendations of now-Admiral Solak carried a great deal of weight with the stoic administrators of the institute, and she was soon admitted as a Medical Instructor.

It was a position she held proudly, and served well in for over a decade.

She taught several young Trill, some of whom, even in her first graduating class, went on to become well-known in the field of medicine; some of them even serving in Starfleet.

In 2386, however, her academic career came to an end. Not, however, with any scandal or negativity as so often occured within the initiate institute. Shani was contacted by her former commanding officer, Captain Smallwood; now an Ambassador for Starfleet. Smallwood had been involved in the negotiations with the Stagnorian empire, to establish the first Federation/Stagnorian colony within Federation space.

Smallwood had been tapped by the Colony's governor-elect, Trysta Styraan, to assist in assembling her cabinet. To this end, the aging officer had drawn from those who had served under him at some point. And one of those was Shani Vesh.

Offered the position of Minister of Public Health, Shani accpeted gladly. Here was an oppertunity for her to do some real, medical good; for a broad spectrum of people, as one of the premier medical authoirites in a virtually new and untested society.

And, also, Smallwood promised her that if Governor Styraan pulled a few strings Shani might even be able to teach at the Colony's newly establiched university, where they were sadly lacking in the medical department.

Shani resigned her position on Trill, and, after saying her goodbyes to her family, set off for the challenges of the New Edinburgh colony.

Personality Profile:

A red-haired Trill with soulful green eyes and a soft, lilting voice, Shani was joined to the 200+year old symbiont, Vesh, on June 14, 2375. As the first female host to Vesh in over a century, Shani has found it a bit hard to cope with some decidedly masculine traits of her previous hosts sneaking into her personality. Once refined and demure, Shani now has come to enjoy tossing back a whiskey, playing a round of poker in a smoke-filled bar, and even hitting on a female every now and again, though this side of her new personality has her quite confused. She still loves a tall glass of Tullaberry wine, but thanks to her previous host she now enjoys it with a steaming bowl of Terran chili with chicken and as many chopped Jalapeno peppers as the chef can cram in the bowl.

An outgoing lady, with the playfullness of a 20-year-old in an exotic, erotic 40+ body; Shani is somewhat of a gadabout. She's always looking for a party, when her medical duties permit, and she is quite quick with an almost cynical wit. Distrusting of  too much organized authority, she is likely to rock the boat of the chain of command, especially if   the chain is undermining the good of one of her patients.

She is very devoted to her medical work, and loves treating her patients. Her bedside manner is excellent, optimistic and friendly. She can easily make herself seem more like your buddy than your doctor.

In her new position at New Edinburgh she has an opportunity not only to treat patients, including the colony's governor, but to involve herself in administrating the colony's medical facilities. It's quite an important position and Shani is drawing on everything she has learned from 7 lifetimes, including her own, to make sure she does a good job.

Not one for romance, or falling in love, Shani is more experienced in the "one-night-stand" school of dating, having gone out with an unsavory character or two at the academy. Leary of getting into a relationship, she may shy away if someone gets too emotional with her, preferring to stay friends, but have fun.

A lover of good books, soft music, and a flickering fire (of course, contained in a fireplace) Shani Vesh could almost be considered an old-fashioned girl. But one who has, through the memories of her symbiont, seen more than her share of the seemier side of life, and finds herself quite unphased at a room full of drunken Nausicans and high-stake gambling Ferengi ready to sell her into prostitution over a hand of dabo.  Just right, or so she hopes, for an outer-rim colony that could, itself, fill up with a few flamboyant barflies given the right opportunity.

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