Name: Tal’Ara
Race: Romulan
Gender: Female
Age: 46, born in 2334
Birthplace: Ki Baratan, Romulus
Sexual Orientation: Romulans are a highly passionate people, and are capable of working up a lust for just about anybody. That being said, Tal’Ara tends put intellectual stimulation over physical attraction. She likes to play cerebral games of cat and mouse with her potential mates before giving it up. And because she is such a meticulously controlled and calculated person in her daily life, she tends to be very sexually submissive - it is the only place where she can let go and be totally vulnerable.
Appearance: She is very tall, slender, and has a boxy, rigid frame. Her skin is a very pale, with a hint of greenish-grey. Above her grey eyes, she has the classic Romulan eyebrows and forehead V shape, but it is accented with an elaborate tattoo that takes up a good portion of the right side of her face. Her dark maroon hair is kept very short, exposing her pointed ears. While on duty, she strictly adheres to dress code, but while in the comfort of her quarters, she prefers to wear nothing at all.
History: Tal’Ara was born in the capitol of Romulus during the Romulan-Federation Cold War. Her parents, Koval and N’Alae, were important members of the Continuing Committee and the Senate, respectively. With a family as politically connected as Tal’Ara’s, she attended the best academies on Romulus and quickly rose through the ranks of the Romulan Military, until she was approached to join the Tal Shiar in her mid 20s. Her career in the Tal Shiar was impressive from the get-go, leading several successful missions of subterfuge against Klingon and Federation targets. When she was 27, her father was assassinated. She spent the following year on a personal vendetta, obsessively hunting down the assailant. When she finally apprehended him, he turned out to be in the employ of a political rival of her father. After dispatching the assassin, she decided to use this information to her advantage, rather than retaliating. And with some clever blackmailing and manipulation, she was able to ruin the career of her father’s enemy, and simultaneously advance her own. As she got older, she shifted more from hands on espionage to strategic planning. When the Romulans joined the Dominion War in 2374, she was a military strategist working with the Romulan-Federation alliance, for which her efforts were highly praised. After the war ended, an open dialog finally began between the Romulans and the Federation. And in a gesture of good faith, Tal’Ara was sent to join the Federation on an exchange program, making her the first Romulan ever to serve in Starfleet.
Personality: She can come off as somewhat cold, snobbish, condescending, arrogant, guarded, and dismissive. A lot of this is due to growing up with overwhelming affluence and privilege; she never had to share anything and got everything she ever wanted. That, plus a life working for the Romulan shadow government, she generally keeps her cards close to her vest. However, those she does become close with get to see that deep down in her chest, a small, grey heart probably longs for some company. She generally has an open mind, and as a cultural liaison, is willing to try new things, but she still tends to approach everything with caution and suspicion, just to be sure. Her sense of humor is very, very dry - like the fine Romulan Ales she so enjoys.
Skills: Tal’Ara is a brilliant military tactician and a genius with personality profiling and analysis. She has the ability to know immediately if someone is lying, and she can predict peoples actions with the accuracy of a computerized chess master. As a child, her father had her read the writings of the Vulcan philosopher Surak, text that was usually shunned by most Romulans. But he insisted that learning how to control her mind and conceal her feelings would be useful in her line of work. As a result of this, her deceptive capabilities are equally as impressive; she has a stone cold poker face, and is nearly impossible to read. She has a thirst for competition and gets off on toying with and defeating opponents on the battlefield. She is also rumored to be unbeatable in arm-wrestling.
Disadvantages: The constant stress of double and triple lives have left Tal’Ara with a nasty drinking problem. She would never jeopardize a mission by drinking on the job, but while off-duty, she can almost always be found with a bottle in hand. While she doesn’t get drunk and rowdy, she does get drunk and mean. Her extremely competitive nature has a downside - she is a very sore loser; yet another reason she doesn’t have many friends. She also suffers from OCD, which leaves her constantly washing her hands and counting patterns in everything, from footsteps to chewing.
What Brings Her To DS15?: The Romulan Star Empire and the United Federation of Planets agreed to have Tal’Ara serve as the Executive Officer and Romulan Liaison aboard DS15 as a part of the new Romulan-Federation peace talks.
Possessions: Tal’Ara is a minimalist and keeps but a few personal treasures and weapons. However, she does have a very impressive collection of rare vintaged Romulan Ales.
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