Character Profile - Iskander al-Khalid

Iskander al-Khalid
El-Aurian Male

Place of Origin: Mahdina, Saudi Arabia, Earth

Physical Description

Swarthy complexion with black hair and dark brown eyes. Iskander’s appearance tends to be on the angular side with a lean, athletic build, narrow eyes, long, angular nose, and sharply cut mouth. He is most often clean-shaven except for an occasional well-trimmed goatee that frames his mouth. Iskander has a few assorted scars – primarily from childhood as most injuries received while on duty are treated so as to not leave any blemishes. Most prominent is a crescent-shaped scar that cuts through Iskander’s left brow on the outer edge. The mark came from a sparring lesson without his father’s permission when Iskander was young. The wound was to serve as a character lesson for the boy, but Iskander chose to use it to impress his class-mates, much to his father’s chagrin.

Personality Profile

Iskander is a man who possesses a solid faith in what he feels is right; if the world fails to agree with him, he will not waste time arguing, but will take the steps he feels are necessary to accomplish what needs doing. In the past Iskander has been known as a brash, confident fighter and pilot in his service to Starfleet. Though frequently reprimanded for taking unnecessary risks, he has never failed to earn the grudging respect of his superiors. A grand part of his appeal has been his ability to graciously accept any punishments – even loss of rank – with no protest.

Strengths: As an El Aurian, Iskander is blessed with an extensive life-line. Though well past his first century in age, he still strongly resembles a young man in his early 20’s in both appearance and stamina. He is a strong, quick learner, possesses an agile mind that wraps around problems to solve them swiftly and efficiently. For the most part Iskander is good-natured – soft-hearted, even, when it comes to personal suffering. In the past he has been quick to smile and share a joke on his own behalf, and as he works his way past the grief concerning his brother, that old self is slowly making itself known once more.

Weaknesses: Iskander’s one main weakness is a severe case of Claustrophobia. He controls the fear fairly well in the enclosed environment of a starship or a fighter – the former because the ship is so open, the latter because he has the chance to escape in time of disaster. He has managed not to allow himself to be placed in situations where his fear would take control, but every once in a while there is no escaping. At those times Iskander forces himself through, praying he has the chance to deal with the fall-out later when he is alone.

Early years Biography

Education: Grade-school: Private education. Post-graduation: Basic Academy courses, Specialized Flight and Combat Training, select courses in Flight Control, Qualification training and exams for Warrant Officer program.

Background: Born to El Aurian parents long settled on Earth, Iskander is the youngest of twin boys, barely an hour younger than his brother, Zahir. As a child he was the outgoing one, the reckless one of the two. Iskander has never been shy to jump into a fight, relying on his own supreme self-confidence to win his way out. As a child, the tendency resulted in black eyes and broken limbs as he challenged older, tougher boys. However, it established him as a force to be reckoned with. As a teenager and young adult in school, Iskander often found himself facing off against instructors and enduring extra work and discipline in an effort to curb his exuberant nature.

He attended Starfleet Academy solely to become a pilot, thriving for the freedom and sense of individuality it would give him. Rather than taking the Cadet course, Iskander branched out, taking random classes, flying whenever time allowed him, and basically making a solid name for himself as a pilot. Afterwards he applied as for certification as a Warrant Officer and successfully passed the required exams.

Thus began a long career of constant shifting between advancement and losing rank on account of reckless action or accusations of insubordination. For his part, Iskander never took offense to his Commanders’ decisions, accepting the reprimands with grace and a stoic responsibility.

This trend was highlighted in his action during the battle of Wolf 359. Serving aboard the USS Hayden, Iskander defied the orders of his commanding officer and his parents when he joined a small band of pilots determined to rescue those jettisoned souls drifting in the direct advance of the Borg cube. Though relatively unscathed, Iskander’s actions brought censure from his CO and, in an unexpected twist, severed any connection with his brother who, when he learned of the plot to skim for refugees and his brother’s planned involvement, had tried to follow him, only to have his runabout struck and disabled. While Zahir survived, he blamed his brother for the injury that left him crippled in one leg.

After the battle, Iskander was suspended from his position for a few months in which he attended mandatory counseling and tried to speak with his brother. He found it easier to deal with the insipid counselor than to break through Zahir’s adamantium shell. Unable to give the latter up for a lost cause, Iskander took a temporary leave of absence from active service. During that time he drew into himself, internalizing his grief as he projected a cool, somber façade on the outside. When Iskander returned to Starfleet, he was a different man, unable to relate to his fellow officers as before. He served out an uncomfortable service aboard the USS Akira before he was eventually transferred to the Hiroshima as Assistant Chief Flight Control Officer.

History

Iskander rose to Flight Chief under the leadership of the Hiroshima’s commander at that time, CAPT Tallik Imkahatt. As time progressed, he managed to repair the schism between himself and his brother – more or less – and was awarded a Limited Duty Commission as Lieutenant, Junior Grade, providing he remained on the Flight career track. This, however, eventually became a full commission. After a time spent as the Hiroshima’s Chief Helmsman, he switched to take over as its Chief of Operations before recently becoming its Chief Intelligence Officer.