Lijaro Nabam

Lijaro Nabam was a Bajoran Starfleet officer.

Background and early life
Lijaro's paternal grandparents, Lijaro Valon and Marto Sarana, grew up on Bajor in the early days of the its domination by the Cardassians and fled the planet as young newlyweds shortly before the official beginning of the Occupation. Both were members of the Mi'tino D'jarra, a caste of merchants and landowners. In 2326, Valon and Sarana “borrowed” a small transport ship, the Peldor (Gratitude), belonging to the Lijaro family and set off from Bajor. Eventually, they acquired their own freighter, which they named Kejal (Freedom), and began smuggling refugees off their home planet, an activity they would continue through the birth and childhood of their son, Lijaro Essami.

It was in one of the camps they traveled to that Essami met Akta Ayren, a young woman who had been born in the camp and orphaned there as a child. The two fell in love and Essami implored his parents to allow Ayren to join them when they left the camp. The Lijaros relented, and the four soon set off again. Shortly thereafter, it was discovered that Ayren had become pregnant prior to their departure. Several months later, Ayren and Essami's son Lijaro Nabam was born. He spent his early childhood with his family aboard their ship. Essami, Ayren, and Nabam later settled on a colony planet in Federation space where he quickly showed himself to be an exceptionally bright student with a talent for piloting and navigation. At the age of fourteen, he applied to Starfleet Academy, and after requisite testing as well as additional observation and an interview, was accepted into the class of 2373.

Starfleet Academy
Lijaro left his parents and traveled to Earth in 2369 to begin his studies at the Academy. His roommate was Alistair Barlow. Lijaro thrived in his new environment. Soft-spoken and respectful, he was well-regarded by his instructors and most of his fellow cadets, although, due to the age gap and his natural introversion, he socialized little. He spent most of his time studying and exploring his new home.

Lijaro succeeded academically, even among the advanced atmosphere of the Academy, and, in his fourth year, emerged as a contender for the top position in his class. By nature, he was not a very competitive person, but Lijaro always wanted to perform well and was eager to earn a prestigious distinction. Another high-performing cadet, equally talented and driven as Lijaro, was a Vulcan science student named T'Ral. Since they each had distinct and differing professional interests, they had not had much contact until their final year. As time went on, it became clear that either Lijaro or T'Ral would be valedictorian. They became locked in a bitter rivalry which continued until graduation, when Lijaro finally but narrowly surpassed T'Ral. The atmosphere at commencement was tense, and neither could bring themselves to congratulate the other. After parting ways following graduation, they would not see each other again for three years.