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LIEUTENANT AREX comes from the planet Edos. His appearance is at first
startling...for Arex is tripodal, having three legs, three arms, and
three fingers on each hand. His uniforms are specially tailored for him,
and he is a rather strange sight in motion. As might be expected, he is
not at all clumsy. His reflexes are quick, and he can move with great
speed when necessary. In an emergency, he can operate the complex
helm-navigation console by himself.
Arex's complexion is reddish. One soon becomes used to the homliness of
his bony face and begins to see the compassion and sadness in his eyes.
Arex is a thoughtful being, given to long silences. There are times when
he retreats to the solitude of his quarters to deliberate...or perhaps to
worship the many gods of Edos. One never knows, for Arex never speaks of
these moments of isolaton.
Unlike M'Ress, Arex has been in Starfleet for many years. He is known as the
best navigator in the Fleet. Before he entered the service as a technician,
he spent ten years in the merchant space fleet. Arex's people are long lived, and
Arex knew from the very beginning that he wished to spend his long life in space.
While Arex is an officer, and a good one, he is not a product of the Starfleet
Academy. He worked his way up through the ranks, becoming an officer via a
"field commission" during a battle involving the Klingons and the small cruiser
aboard which he was then serving. All the officers were killed in the fray, and
Arex took command to effect a temporary retreat and then a return action which
took the Klingon ship by surprise and allowed Arex to disable her and bring her
in to face Federation charges. It is not fair to say Arex has never been to
Starfleet Academy. He spent two years there some time ago... as a space
navigation instructor. One of his high scoring students was a young Russian
named Pavel Chekov.
Arex's home planet, Edos, is not a member of the Federation. Rather, it
remains in loose alliance with the Federation, coming under its agreements for
trade, science, and aid in an emergency. Edos lies in the Triangulum
constellation, on the rim of the galaxy. It is a jumping off point for science
teams studying the great energy barrier beyond the rim. It is also a peaceful
planet which has never been involved in a war. The technology is as advanced as
Earth's; the architectural style of its cities is strictly functional rather
than esthetically pleasing. The society has no class levels. All beings on
Edos are equal.
Arex has no brothers or sisters. In fact, it is highly unusual for there to be
more than one child per family. The population must be kept down due to the
longer life factor. As a result, all children are precious, and families are close.
Ancestral records are kept in great detail, dating back for centuries. Arex's
line can be traced for three thousand years.
Aboard ship, Arex often keeps to himself. However, when the mood is right, he can
be pursuaded to play a flute-like instrument called a sessica. (It is native
to his planet.) While the music may be lively or romantic or plaintive, all of it
relates to story-songs which tell the history of his race or his family. Arex also
can be pursuaded...at very rare moments...to display a special proficiency in
sleight-of-hand, a trick he picked up while in the merchant space service. With
three hands, sleight-of-hand becomes very interesting indeed!
While Arex appears to be a quiet, efficient, junior officer, Captain Kirk knows
the Lieutenant is entitled to wear three decorations for bravery and has a
Starfleet Citation for Conspicuous Valor. Arex himself would never mention them.
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Introduction.
