Kira Nerys

Kira Nerys is a Bajoran female who served in the Bajoran Resistance during the Cardassian occupation and then as an officer in the Bajoran Militia following the withdrawal of Cardassia from Bajor. She is known for her role as Executive Officer of the Starfleet administered Deep Space Nine from 2369 to 2375, and as Base Commander of DS9 from 2376 onwards, replacing then Captain Benjamin L. Sisko in that capacity after his ascension to the plane of the Bajoran Prophets.

Early Years
Kira was born to Kira Taban and Kira Meru in November 2343 in the Dahkur Province of Bajor during the Cardassian occupation.

Kira and her brothers were often cared for by Tir Ramara a woman their father Taban took into the family after her own family was killed by the Cardassians. The Kira family received extra rations to compensate for Meru being taken to Terok Nor to serve as one of Gul Skrain Dukat's comfort woman.

When Tir Ramara found out about these extra rations (but not why the family was receiving them) she stole them and gave them to the resistance to be given to those needier. When Taban caught her she accused him of being a traitor and ran away. The Kiras were subsequently forced to give up their additional rations to avoid being hounded as collaborators. Nerys held this against Tir for years to come.

Growing up, Nerys learned about the Bajoran Prophets from close family friend Prylar Istani Reyla. This was the beginning of Kira's life-long faith in the Prophets and in her love of the Bajoran people.

The Resistance
Kira joined the Shakaar Resistance Cell when she was only twelve, and spent most of her early time with the cell running errands and cleaning weapons. In 2357, just after her fourteenth birthday, Nerys and the Shakaar cell liberated the labor camp at Gallitep before the now-depleted mines laborers could be slaughtered by Gul Darhe'el, the Cardassian overseer of Gallitep. Nerys and her cell accomplished this infiltrating the Bajoran science ministry and accessing their transporter system, allowing the cell to bypass the camp's formidable security system and later transport the Bajoran laborers out. While at the ministry, Nerys managed to destroy the files on a prototype defense system that would allow the Cardassians to track and destroy any unauthorized Bajoran air-traffic.

In 2366, she snuck aboard the quarantined space station Terok Nor to gather information on the Double Helix virus that was infecting the station. She later assisted the Starfleet medical team, which was allowed to travel to the station by the station's Prefect, Gul Skrain Dukat, in finding the source of the virus on the surface of the planet Bajor.

In 2367, she infiltrated the Plin Syndicate criminal organization at the Doblana Arctic Base on Bajor in order to kidnap Cardassian Glinn Gundar. The operation cost the life of Kira's brother, Kira Reon, whose sacrifice gained the resistance a chip which enabled them to monitor all Cardassian communications on Bajor.

Deep Space Nine
After the Cardassian withdrawal in 2369, the Bajoran Provisional Government asked for relief efforts from the Federation, which took over command of Terok Nor through Starfleet and renamed the station as Deep Space Nine.

Kira was assigned to the space station as Executive Officer under the command of then-Commander Benjamin L. Sisko with rank of Major.

At first, Kira did not care about Sisko or the Federation, believing them to be no different from the Cardassians. It was only after the discovery by Sisko of the Celestial Temple of the Prophets (also known as the Bajoran Wormhole), and the revelation from Kai Opaka Sulan that Sisko was the foretold Emissary of the Prophets, that Kira warmed up to the Federation. In 2370 Kira commanded the Danube class runabout USS Amazon on a mission to rescue a Horta, Ttan, who had been kidnapped by the Cardassians. Kira used her knowledge of Cardassian tactics to great effect on the mission but also had to adapt her techniques to Starfleet team functions, working hard to be less impulsive.

In 2371, Kira helped her old resistance cell leader, Shakaar Edon, ascend to the office of First Minister following a brief civil uprising when Kai Winn Adami threatened to plunge Bajor into a civil war in a dispute over soil reclamators.

Dominion War
When the war with the Dominion and their new allies in the Cardassian Union started in late 2373, and the Federation was forced to evacuate the Bajoran sector, Kira stayed aboard the station and started a new resistance movement that helped the Federation retake Bajor and the station.

In late 2374, Kira was promoted to the rank of Colonel and given command of Deep Space Nine, when Sisko took an extended leave of absence on Earth after the death of Jadzia Dax. Kira learned about the responsibilities of the captain's chair by standing down a Romulan fleet, intent on placing weapons on a Bajoran moon. Kira resumed her duties as first officer when Sisko returned a month after.

In late 2375, Kira was granted a Starfleet field commission to the rank of Commander. Along with Constable Odo (with whom she was having a romantic relationship) and the Cardassian exile Elim Garak, she traveled covertly to Dominion occupied Cardassian space in order to help Cardassian Legate Corat Damar form a Cardassian resistance against the Dominion occupation. The group eventually found itself on Cardassia in the final days of the war.

After the war, Captain Sisko ascended from linear existence and joined with the Prophets and command of DS9 was again given to Kira.

Commanding DS9
In April of 2376 the station was attacked by a group of rogue Jem'Hadar. Their ships were destroyed in battle but several Jem'Hadar were able to transport aboard the station. One, Kitana'klan, was discovered by the station's Science Officer, Shar, and claimed to have been sent to the station by Odo as an envoy from the Dominion.

This was not the case, however, as a true envoy, Taran'atar, had been sent by Odo to DS9. But Taran'atar remained shrouded so that he might track down the rest of the rogues to prevent them from destroying the station. Kitana'klan's lies were eventually revealed when he attacked the guards assigned to watch him and made his way to the fusion core to try and destroy the station. Kira and a security team followed close behind and in the ensuing conflict Kira was severely injured by Kitana'klan, breaking two ribs, fracturing her humerus, and receiving a severe concussion which bruised her right temporal lobe. She was fortunate not to have suffered any permanent damage. Kira managed to stay conscious just long enough for Taran'atar and new DS9 Executive Officer, Commander Elias Vaughn to help her get to a workstation and issue the command to eject the fusion core from the station, thus allowing it to explode at a safe from DS9.

Ohalu Prophecies
Also in April of 2376, Istani Reyla was murdered aboard the station after removing a book of prophecies from the ancient ruins of B'hala. The prophecies, written by the heretic Ohalu, were more accurate than any accepted prophecies, but were considered heretical by the Vedek Assembly for their description of the Prophets as teachers rather than Gods. The Vedek Assembly wanted the book suppressed at any cost.

Kira, believing that the Bajoran people could handle another interpretation of the Prophets' teachings, uploaded the entire book onto the Bajoran comnet. The next day she underwent an Orb experience with the Orb of Memory, which inspired her to visit B'hala in the past, where she uncovered a massive tomb, the proof of one of the prophecies.

Despite her finding this tomb the Vedeks still considered the prophecies heretical and for her act of defiance, the Assembly, at the behest of Vedek Yevir Linjarin, had Kira Attained. As such, Kira was forbidden to enter any Bajoran temple, read any prophecies, look into an Orb, pray with other Bajorans, or even to wear her earring.

Kira's Attainder created a schism in the Bajoran religion, with a new religious sect, the Ohaluvaru arising under the leadership of Vedek Solis Tendron. The Ohalavaru attempted to recruit Kira, but she retained her own faith.

Gateway Crisis
During the Gateways crisis, Kira lead the evacuation efforts at the world of Europa Nova when a Gateway leading to the Delta Quadrant emitted a radiation that was poisoning the planet's atmosphere. She and Taran'atar then travelled through the Gateway to encounter the Malon tanker that was dumping radioactive waste through the portal. There, she and Taran'atar found the Malon crew dead, killed by a Hirogen hunter. While Taran'atar battled the Hirogen, Kira erected a force-field generator that protected Europa Nova from further pollution.

After being forced to travel through another Gateway, Kira recieved a vision of ancient Bajor from the Prophets, which further convinced her that releasing the Ohalu prophecies was the right thing to do, and also allowed her to step out from Captain Sisko's shadow as station commander.

Parasite Crisis
In June, Kira was contacted by First Minister Shakaar during a tour of Federation worlds as part of renewed efforts for Bajor to be admitted into the United Federation of Planets and formalizing peace with the Cardassian Union.

When the peace process with Cardassians was seemingly being blocked by Shakaar's Second Minister Asarem Wadeen, Kira learned from Asarem that it was Shakaar himself, behind the scenes, that was preventing the peace proceedings from succeeding. Both Kira and Asarem found Shakaar's behavior puzzling and out of character, and could not explain his actions.

In August, as Shakaar prepared to thumb the agreement that would bring the world of Bajor into the Federation, he was murdered on the station's promenade by Trill Security Officer Hiziki Gard.

It was soon discovered that Shakaar's psyche had been consumed by an alien parasite that was hoping to use Bajor as a base in their species aggressions toward the planet Trill.

Kira's Starfleet rank of Commander was reactivated by Fleet Admiral Leonard James Akaar, and she was temporarily assigned to the USS Gryphon in pursuit of Shakaar's killer. Soon after, the ship was commandeered by a parasite that inhabited the body of the ship's Executive Officer, Commander Alejandro Montenegro. The Montenegro-parasite killed Captain Elaine Mello, and made the Gryphon set a course for Trill.

Before dying, Captain Mello transferred command of the Gryphon to Kira. Kira then took command of the ship, and defeated the parasite before the ship could launch an attack on Trill. During the Parasite crisis, Kira tracked the Parasites to the monastary at Ashalla, home of former Kai, Opaka Sulan. With aid of Odo, who had recently retuned to the Alpha Quadrant, Kira infiltrated the monastary and confronted the queen parasite in the vault containing the Orbs. Kira flung open all of the Orb's arks at once, unleashing the power of the Celestial Temple on the queen, removing her from linear existence and causing the return Captain Sisko to this plane of existence.

Federation Membership
Bajor finally officially entered the Federation a few weeks after the Parasite threat was ended on September 29th, 2376. Kira was prepared to relinquish command of the station to Sisko, but Sisko refused, opting instead to take a leave of absence and spend time with his wife, son and new daughter on Bajor.

Following Bajor's induction into the United Federation of Planets, the Bajoran Militia was absorbed into Starfleet and Kira was given the Starfleet rank of Captain]], in command of Station Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant.

Typhuss James Haliwell
In 2377, stardate 54973.4, Kira started to date Typhuss James Halliwell and became engaged a week later. On January 7, 2378 Kira married Typhuss James Halliwell on Deep Space Nine.

In 2379 their first child, Hoshi Sato Nerys, was born.

Federation New Republic War
Later that year, Kira fought in the Federation-New Republic War, which was fought for 10 months. In the closing days of Federation-New Republic War, Kira fought in the final battle, the Battle of Tyra.

Hand of the Prophets
On the final day of the year 2377, Kira was stabbed through the heart by the Jem'Hadar observer, Taran'atar, who was being controlled by an outside force. As Dr. Julian Bashir struggled to save Kira's life by replacing her destroyed natural heart with an artificial replacement and Commander Elias Vaughn pursued the renegade Taran'atar on the Defiant, the comatose Kira experienced another vision sent to her by the Prophets.

The vision foretold of the coming threat of the Ascendants and of Bajor's need to find allies in the coming battle with them. Kira also gained insight into the minds of the Eav'oq, a race from the Idran System on the other side of the wormhole that also had a relationship with the Prophets.

In the end, Kira accepted her role as the Hand of the Prophets and her place in the coming ordeal.

Xindi-Suliban War
In late 2377, the Xindi and the Suliban attacked the Federation, forming the Xindi-Suliban Alliance. Members of the Xindi-Suliban Alliance are the Xindi-Reptilians, the Suliban, the Xindi-Insectoids and the Xindi-Aquatics.

In 2383, a Federation fleet led by Captain Typhuss James Nerys destroyed the Xindi fleet and starbase inside the Briar Patch. The Xindi later betrayed their peace treaty with the Federation with an attack on the Federation and their allies, including Deep Space Nine. 50 starships, led by the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E, made the Suliban fleet retreat from Deep Space Nine.

In 2383 the Breen attacked the Federation colony on Jestra V, signaling their entry into the Xindi-Suliban Alliance. The Federation and their allies have been fighting the Xindi-Suliban Alliance since 2379.

Second DS9 Refit
In 2380, DS9 underwent a major refit and received extensive improvements and structural expansions. The habitat, promenade and docking rings were thickened and expanded, six more docking pylons were added, and its internal systems were brought to state-of-the-art levels.

Vanguard Command
In 2385, Captain Nerys and Deep Space Nine were attached to the newly formed Vanguard Command, under the overall leadership of Fleet Admiral Maximus Hunter. This change in command line was a welcome development for the personnel and residents of DS9, as it saw the return of the Bajoran "Emissary" Benjamin L. Sisko, now a Rear Admiral (lower grade), to active duty. His new command, the Yamato class Heavy Battleship USS Dauntless, and Task Force Dauntless were assigned the new and improved DS9 as base of operations.