[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/qmpgyzV.jpg[/img][/center]
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[color=4A486D][u][b]Name[/b][/u][/color]
Xiril Poxx
[sub](Zeer-uhl Pocks)[/sub]

[color=4A486D][u][b]Age[/b][/u][/color]
44

[color=4A486D][u][b]Rank/Position[/b][/u][/color]
Helmsman, Lieutenant Commander

[color=4A486D][u][b]Race[/b][/u][/color]
Beta-Cephanian
[sub]The Cephanians are an aquatic humanoid species from the planet Cepha, that have evolved into two distinct groups; Alpha-Cephanians, a hard shelled, crab-like humanoid species, and Beta-Cephanians, their subjugated fish-like cousins. Hailing from a completely submerged planet, all Beta-Cephanians have mucous-producing skin, gills, webbed fingers, and other characteristics suited to an aquatic environment, while their crustacean cousins have a thick exoskeleton and mandibles over their mouths.

Whereas Alpha-Cephanians are usually boisterous and warlike, Beta-Cephanians are a quiet, private people known for their humorlessness and brevity, which are results of their neural biology and selective breeding than of learned behavior. Despite being a warp-capable civilization, Cephanians have a very primal culture with little room for sentimentality -- Elderly or injured Beta-Cephanians are usually devoured to support their colony's sustenance, for example, whereas Alpha-Cephanians frequently murder one another over perceived slights.[/sub]

[color=4A486D][u][b]Appearance[/b][/u][/color]
Most say Beta-Cephanians all look alike. As the only differentiation between male and female Beta-Cephanians are that one is blueish purple and the other is purplish blue, this is not entirely without merit. Though Commander Poxx has dark blue stripes lining most of his body, this is hidden by his uniform, leaving the rank-denoting stripes on his sleeve the only face-value distinction between himself and any other Cephanian, though his ear-frills are said to be somewhat long. His skin is a blueish grey similar to a dolphin's, and his eyes are a much lighter [i]greyish blue[/i], while his ear-frills and the webbing between his fingers and toes are translucent pink. Additionally, the commander also wears a respiration device that allows him to breathe outside of his usual aquatic environment, which resembles a metal collar that covers most of his neck. Though not especially short or tall, Commander Poxx's Cephanian biology leaves him with very little fat, giving him a thin, muscular physique.

[color=4A486D][u][b]Personality[/b][/u][/color]
Commander Poxx's mannerisms and personality are fairly standard for his race. He keeps most interactions as brief as possible, spends most of his time off alone in his quarters, and has little patience for galas and ceremonies. He frequently goes out of his way to seek out advice from other nonhumans on human culture, a subject he finds fascinatingly foreign, though even in these interactions he keeps a quiet distance. Other than his work, Commander Poxx has three hobbies; swimming, underwater horticulture, and [i]Judo[/i], the latter of which earns him a spot on many away teams. As Cephanian culture is extremely different than human culture, with Poxx only ever having served previously on the USS Highlander, which had very few humans, Poxx is one of the aliens aboard the Orion that experiences a great deal of culture shock. Hot beverages, for example, are a subject surrounded by mystery to Commander Poxx, as well as things like figures of speech and most forms of art.

[color=4A486D][u][b]History[/b][/u][/color]
Xiril Poxx was hatched on Cepha, spending his youth absorbing the culture and knowledge of his people while working on one of his planet's many algae farms. His father, Luril Poxx, eventually bought his family's freedom from their master during Xiril's late infancy, and went on to starfleet academy, which fostered Xiril's interest in joining Starfleet from a young age -- Most of Xiril's childhood memories of his father are the brief stories he would tell him through a holophone about his ongoing studies. Xiril went on to join Starfleet Academy when he became old enough, Cephanian biology maturing at a similar pace to a human, and was put onto an expedited path to becoming an ensign aboard the USS Highlander after graduating third in his class. Though originally eager to become a science officer like his father, Xiril switched divisons after his second year to piloting, and has proudly worn Tactical Red ever since. After serving aboard the USS Highlander for several years, during which he did little more than smoothly coast through his career to his current rank, Lieutenant Commander. Six months ago, he was transferred to the USS Orion, where he now serves as the ship's Helmsman.

[color=4A486D][u][b]Skills[/b][/u][/color]
Though he comes off as cold, Commander Poxx's lack of emotion help him remain calm under pressure and make logic-based, split second decisions other officers would struggle with. The Cephanian brain -- particularly that of a Beta-Cephanian -- has far fewer receptors for emotion than a human, and more for memory and problem solving; By human standards, Poxx would be considered a genius. Aside from his intelligence, Poxx is a skilled [i]Judoka[/i], a skill that fostered his initial interest in human culture.

As a Cephanian, Commander Poxx can use sonar to maneuver in complete darkness, and stun most humanoids. His youth spent underwater has given him a heightened perception of his position in three-dimensional space compared to most bipedal humanoids, which he uses to his advantage when performing tactical maneuvers. During his final few years aboard the USS Highlander, a maneuver he came up with to escape a Dominion Fleet was named after him, though he doesn't seem to talk about it much.
[sub][i]The Poxx Maneuver[/i] refers to the act of deactivating the ship's main engines and steering with emergency thrusters to mimic the appearance of engine failure on enemy scanners, while transferring remaining power to the ship's warp core to escape.[/sub]

[hider=Cepha Information]
[img]http://pre04.deviantart.net/fd4b/th/pre/i/2010/232/c/e/planet_stock_1_by_bonez621.png[/img]

Cepha is a large planet near the edge of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, which is a member of the United Federation of Planets. It has a dense core half the size of Earth's, which is hidden beneath thousands of miles of saltwater in all directions -- The planet has no dry land, though its surface is covered in its entirety with a layer of algae about a mile thick, which is farmed by Beta-Cephanians as a power source. It is the second planet in its solar system, and is kept together by its unusually high gravity, and warm by means of its thick, cloudy atmosphere. It is orbited by a relatively lifeless microplanet, which is in turn orbited by an asteroid. Other than that, there is little of note about the Cephanian homeworld; It is considered somewhat primitive and isolated as Federation planets go, and engages in very little trade.

The dominant species of Cepha are the Alpha-Cephanians, a crustacean-like race of humanoids evolved from ancient Cepha's apex predator. Culturally, the Alpha-Cephanian is not dissimilar from a Klingon; Though they live to be 200 years old, their average lifespans are about one hundred years due to widespread honor killings and duels. Alpha-Cephanians are an extremely proud race, and as such are too involved with convoluted feuds and tribal arguments to be greatly involved in the affairs of their intergalactic neighbors.

Most people have not heard of Cephanians -- They are mentioned in Federation training as one of the nine completely aquatic spacefaring races -- and as such, few are aware of the distinction between Alpha and Beta Cephanians. As such, those from Cepha are usually regarded to in a myriad of different terms; Red and Blue Cephanians, High and Low Cephanians, and Great and Common Cephanians are all terms they have begrudgingly accepted. Both races refer to themselves simply as "Cephanian" while using the Alpha and Beta labels for the other race.

An entirely separate species, Beta-Cephanians are a fishlike humanoid species capable of using sonar to traverse water too deep for light to reach, or too thick with algae to see. Subjugated by Alpha-Cephanians during "The Great Cephanian War", a civil war between the two races thousands of years ago, Beta-Cephanians have been the planet's workforce and backbone for generations. Cepha's technology is almost entirely powered by their algae, though it is fairly inefficient as fuels go, and is farmed by millions of their Beta-Cephanian thralls.

As a slave society, Beta-Cephanians have a great cultural belief in destiny, and coexist with Alpha-Cephanians with surprisingly little animosity; After several thousand years of enslavement, Beta-Cephanians have more or less accepted their position as unavoidable fate, which coupled with their being bred for passivity by Alpha-Cephanians, has led to a society with almost zero rebellions.

Whereas Alpha-Cephanians are free to choose their careers, specific Beta-Cephanians are born for specific roles. Some are farmers of the algae that powers their planet's technology, others are concubines and servants of Alpha-Cephanians, others still are born for clerical work, and a select few are born for little else than fueling their kin during food shortages; Some speculate it is due to the lack of breastfeeding in Cephanian biology that they do not form especially close bonds with their parents and are generally void of emotion.

The language spoken on Cepha is Korqyk, more commonly referred to simply as [i]Cephanian[/i], a language nearly indecipherable by the universal translator due to its subtle uses of emphasized bubble blowing and sonar as vowels. As it can only be spoken underwater, it is also impossible to be spoken by non-Cephanians.
[/hider]
[hider=Sample Post]
[i]"Inhale red, exhale blue."[/i]

Commander Poxx stood with his back completely straight, with a fist on either hip and his legs spread far apart. The [i]horse stance[/i], the recording had called it. The voice speaking to him was a soft woman's voice, resonating with an almost maternal timbre. He had spent the morning in his room -- as he often would -- practicing tai chi. It relaxed him, and for an outdated human practice, that was fairly surprising. In lieu of his usual black and yellow uniform, he wore a simple white gi.

The lights in Poxx's room were dim, set to a deep blue color that made it seem like he was at the bottom of the ocean. Enhancing the effect, the vents in his room were currently on [i]aromatherapy mode[/i], a setting that had been tweaked and perfected by one of the engineering ensigns eager to impress the First Officer.

Poxx took a step forward, bringing his hands with him as if he were scooping up a bucket. Poxx didn't remember what the recording called the movement, but he managed to remember the movements themselves, which he felt was enough. He inhaled deeply, raising his arms. His room smelled like the sea after a storm. Poxx took a step to the side and exhaled, bringing his arms close to his chest in a circular motion, making a mental note to thank the engineering ensign he had remembered moments earlier.

[i]"Focus on your breathing. Let go of your stress."[/i]

The voice cooed to him over softer, almost inaudible recordings of undersea noises. Though Poxx was able to remain level-headed, stress was usually his only problem on the bridge. He exhaled again, feeling his limbs loosen. [i]At least I no longer have to worry about superiors[/i], Poxx thought to himself. [i]Perhaps, with a race that had evolved from a prey species, stress is simply instinctual for me.[/i]

Poxx took another step back, dropping into the horse stance position before stretching his back. After a few moments of stretching, he reclined into his normal stance, and cleared his throat.

"End session."

The sounds of the ocean began to fade, and the dim blue lights began to shift to their regular white. Poxx rolled his neck to the side with an audible [b][i]crack[/i][/b], and began to disrobe. He examined himself in a small mirror by his bedside for a moment. He was as blue and fishy as ever, and his scales showed no signs of molting, which was always good. He quickly put on his uniform that lay folded at the foot of his bed, flattening out any creases or wrinkles by hand.

When he finished dressing, he straightened his posture and attached a small metal device to his neck, covering his gills. The atmosphere in his room was kept wet enough to breathe comfortably without the device, though he would often have trouble without it on the ships air-conditioned turbolift.

He left his room, lumbering with his usual powerwalk he had honed over years to make himself appear hurried and ensure ensigns and cadets would leave him alone as often as possible. Sure enough, this would not be the case today.

"Good morning, Commander Poxx. Was the ventilation to your liking?" It was the engineering ensign he had thought about. Poxx looked at him for a moment, pausing to wonder if the ensign truly [i]ran into him[/i], or if he had been staking out by his quarters in hopes of being praised.

"Yes. I will be speaking to your Commanding Officer about my assessment of your alterations, though I believe he will find them satisfactory as well." He blinked, squeezing his sideways lenses together as he stared at the young man. "Will that be all, ensign?"

He shook his head. "Yes, thank you Commander. If there's an-"

"Excellent." Poxx turned his head and continued his march to the turbolift. He was thankful for the ensign's handiwork, but he had little time to stand by and congratulate him for it. Today would be a busy day, after all. The Orion would pick up Ambassador Spock shortly, and Commander Poxx would be standing to the captain's side when it happened. Poxx stepped into the turbolift, pressing a small blue button.[/hider]