Leyar Zera

Character Information

Gender		Male
Species		Bajoran
Age		43
Date of Birth		2352
Place of Birth		Bajor
NPC Author		Alex

Physical Appearance

Height		5'10
Weight		164 lbs
Hair Color		Dark Brown
Eye Color		Blue
Physical Description		He hardly does a thing to his hair, and pretty much lets it do what it wants. His most prominent features would be the ridges across his nose. If ever caught shirtless, he has countless scars on his body from the Occupation.

Ship Identification

Duty Shift

Alpha

Family

Spouse		None
Children		None
Father		Saajik Yiyarn (Deceased)
Mother		Ebea Zera
Sister(s)		Nadian Zera Isiwe Zera
Other Family		None he cares to mention

Personality & Traits

General Overview		If Zera doesn't like something, he will say it and not really care how it comes out. While it's not always intentional, he can come off as rude or pompous. He's very much the person who wants direct communication, and doesn't have the patience for people beating around the bush. His personality comes from a deep-seeded anxiety of letting people in, because those he cared about got hurt during the Occupation. Once someone gets to know Zera, he's actually fairly mellow unless he's trying to solve some work problem. Someone would have to really prove their trustworthiness to Zera in order for him to open up about the Occupation. More often than not, Zera might try to casually change the subject if the Occupation is brought up.
Strengths & Weaknesses		+ Not many friends + Will protect his crewmates, despite his apparent rudeness + Good detective skills - Not many friends - Despises (and somewhat fears) Cardassians - Doesn't like telepaths peeking into his brain - Still somewhat stuck in the past
Ambitions		He hopes to one day return to Bajor, but otherwise he's just trying to put the past behind him.
Hobbies & Interests		Drinking and really anything that will work up a sweat.
Sexual Orientation		Heterosexual
Language(s) Spoken		Bajoran, Federation Standard

History

Personal History

Leyar grew up on Bajor during the Occupation, and it was all he had ever known. Raised to serve the Cardassians and every request. At the age of five, he was pulled away from his family and was raised by the same man who imprisoned his mother, father, and two sisters, a Cardassian named Gavril Reja. He raised Leyar with the intention of molding him into a soldier, someone who could keep his peers in line when he was old enough. Leyar was put into education with a class mostly made up of Cardassians, and because of their views of Bajorans at the time he was picked on constantly. Another Bajoran named Birin (who was Leyar's crush back then) saw this frail boy being picked on and stepped in to defend him. They later became friends, finding some good in the Occupation within themselves. Gavril heard of the bullying and trained Zera to defend himself. Being barely nine and as skinny as a pole at the time, there were many times when Leyar would faint from exhaustion. It wouldn't stop Gavril, however. The second that the boy was able to stand on his own two feet, they'd begin again. It was around age ten when Leyar realized that he could have an opinion, and thus began his rebellion phase, questioning orders and trying to gain confidence to stand up to Gavril. His Cardassian superior saw this, and decided to create what later became 'Discipline Sessions,' where he'd beat sense into Zera, literally. This happened for the next couple years, and the boy kept trying to stand up for himself, which resulted in Zera getting thrown into prison at twelve. It was there where he met a Vulcan named Delvok, and the latter taught the boy the practice of meditation, which helped calm the teenage raging emotions. The rebels released them about two weeks later, and it was shortly after that Zera became aware of the entire situation, that the Cardassians were using the Bajorans and basically treating them like slaves, not just holding them prisoner. The boy then made a promise to himself that he would find his family and free them. He joined one of the resistance cells to try and get back into the Prison Facility, and no matter how hard he tried his family was never found. He got recaptured about three months after his liberation, which earned him some long and painful discipline sessions. Gavril saw that these sessions were hardly working anymore, so decided to try a new method. He forced Zera to attend interrogation sessions with fellow Bajorans, and initially insisted on having Zera try some of the techniques. If he refused, he would be punished, so Zera unwillingly opted for the less painful option. Over the next couple years, he became skilled at interrogation and reading people, but what he didn’t expect was the emotional drain that came with the suffering he caused to his people. Zera escaped from Gavril's grasp a couple more times, and after the fourth time he was recaptured, Gavril decided to teach the boy a lesson. So following one of their sessions, the Cardassian brought in the Bajoran's father and killed him right in front of Zera. He was only 16 at the time, and that moment sparked a rage for the Cardassian that Zera would never forget. As the Occupation came to an end, Zera tried to assist with rebuilding the towns, but was quickly identified as a conspirator with the Cardassians and thrown into prison for collaboration. It was more for his safety, however, since the populace expressed great hatred toward him. Because of the skills he learned during the Occupation, he was able to escape, but it ended up making things worse for him, because he was “caught” again (more like officials finally caught up to him) and he was put on trial for crimes against his people. Zera fought the claims, saying that his actions were coerced, but the council ultimately sided with the people and sentenced him to exile from Bajor. Zera, however, tells the story as if he left willingly. In a shuttle with a small bag of his personal items, some rations, and a bruised ego, Zera decided to turn to Starfleet in an attempt to get away from his past and all that he did during the Occupation. He got into Starfleet Academy when he turned 19, and he graduated after four years as a security officer. He found that the stricter order of things in Starfleet reminded him too much of the Occupation, but stuck with it for about five years to make sure it wasn’t a temporary feeling. After five years in Starfleet, Zera finally handed in his resignation, finding the enlisted life too reminiscent of the Occupation for him to successfully move on. He spent the rest of his years being security for various freighters, which he found was more his style than Starfleet.