Lieutenant Oskar Ruseka
Name Oskar F. Ruseka MD
Position Assistant Chief Medical Officer
Rank Lieutenant
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Human | |
| Age | 45 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 178.2 cm | |
| Hair Color | Silver Grey | |
| Eye Color | Blue | |
| Physical Description | Oskar is a tall and lean male human with silverish gray hair and piercing blue eyes. His posture is as close to textbook perfection as one can get without being as disciplined as a Vulcan, though a certain Vulcan in his life from his early years is to blame for this. He is not what one usually thinks of when they see junior grade lieutenant rank pips. He's a man of ripe age though not wrinkling with time yet. He's well past the academy and medical school days but has never kept to a rather mundane service record. He had a broad and warm welcoming smile. | |
| Physiology | Oskar is in fit condition. He has not had any serious health issues to note and in a few cases has a leg up on individuals his age. |
Family
| Spouse | Dr. Kiernan Gallgher VII | |
| Other Family/Pets | Otis - Kiernan's pug |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | First and foremost, Oskar is a man of principle. He is strong-willed, bold, and especially confident in all that he does. It does not mean he is right all the time, but he knows how to defend his position and will only admit he is wrong if hard facts are presented against his position. Opinions are fine, but he wants more to back up that opinion, and that is something he teaches his students. Oskar is also the epitome of masculinity, he is handsome, tall, broad-shouldered, and his voice is deep. He fits the mold on what it means the stereotypical human male, however, that is where that stops. Inside is a man who is tender and has a good heart. His compassion knows no bounds and he will do whatever it takes to help those in need. He is also easy going and makes friends easily. He is easily ready with a story and has a magnetism about him that draws in people. He likes to be around people; however, he likes his alone time as well. Some of his fondest memories is just sitting alone in the arboretum or the hydroponics bay, just being quiet and taking in the lush beauty around him. To him, this is sacred, and it is not very often he will share this experience with someone. Being an only child has produced this dichotomy of wanting to be around people and wanting that precious alone time. His personality also comes from this, his father was not around much, and his mother juggled between bitter and distant depending on the day. He believes his parents loved him, but they just never showed it, and he had vowed he would be different, and he is. Starfleet was his escape from all of that, and he never really looked back. Occasionally his mother will contact him, but the messages are short, and typically involve a complaint of some sort. Overall, Oskar would be considered a decent human being. He is passionate about his work and activism and compassionate toward all living things. He is quite happy with his life and is optimistic about what his future holds. |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | Just like with any humanoid species, Oskar has plenty of strengths but plenty of weaknesses as well. Oskar firmly believes that weaknesses are what make him human and that weakness is just a way to learn about oneself. His many strengths lie in the fact that he does embrace his humanity, the good and the bad. His kindness and compassion are some of his top strengths. He also feels it is this compassion that brings out the best of his humanity. He is also a hard worker and takes being a professor just as seriously as being a lieutenant in Starfleet. He is honored to be able to do both professions and feels lucky to be a part of an organization that allows him both to teach and to explore. On the flipside of that, his humanity can always bring out the worst. There are times he can get frustrated, angry, and non-compliant. A lot of his has to do with the fact that through a human lens, he sees a universe that should be free of war, disease, and poverty. This is very human-centric thinking and he acknowledges this, but there are times he can be quite vocal in his activism against those who are unjust and bigoted toward others. He has more than once spoke his mind, sometimes he is listened to, other times not so much. However, he will always persevere and try to be a voice for the voiceless. One of Oskar’s primary weaknesses is that he tends to lack patience. This is not always the case, but sometimes when the gears are slow moving, or there is a mound of red tape to get through, he can tend to lose his patience quickly. This comes especially when there is something unjust that is happening. He also does not have a lot of patience for stupidity, ignorance, blind faith, and his parents. Oskar also has some minor weaknesses, but nothing that affects his work or his career in Starfleet. Despite being an organized person, his quarters tend to not be as organized. He sometimes does not always present in a clean-cut state. He also tends to talk to himself. None of these are bad things, nor does he actually consider them weaknesses, but to some, he knows they can be annoying habits. |
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| Ambitions | As with most officers in the Starfleet science corps, Oskar is truly not that ambitious. He feels ambition is a young person’s game at this point. His main ambition is to impart knowledge on his students and maybe even learn something himself along the way. On most of his starship assignments, he has been a general science officer and, in some cases, the lead botanist, but never the chief of any of the science nor medical departments. Some would say the lack of ambition has caused this, but Oskar does not believe this at all. He became a toxicologist and botanist to study the various plant life he would encounter, not be a pencil pusher behind a desk. In general, Oskar is content with where he is at in his career and is fine with where his future will take him career-wise. | |
| Languages Spoken | Federation Standard |
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| Hobbies & Interests | Since Oskar is not a bland person by any means, there is a lot in the universe that interests him. He is an explorer at heart, but being in the botanist field, his love is truly with the flora a fauna that can be found on any type of planet. He is an environmentalist and doesn’t feel the destruction of plants and animals for humanoid gain is right. He often will follow news feeds in the environmental sciences to see what is going on in the known regions of space. With being an environmentalist, Oskar also loves the outdoors. He likes to work with his hands, and over the years has learned to build things from a canoe to a cabin. It is his dream to retire someplace remote and build a home and be one with nature. This is why he enjoys short term starship assignments; it leaves him plenty of time planetside to pursue this interest. Oskar also has more day to day interests like cooking, yoga, meditation, and is an avid reader – he especially loves old noir mystery novels. These day to day interests are important to him, and they are what sustain his mind, body, and soul. He lives a clean lifestyle to help keep a healthy mind, body, and soul. In general, Oskar will try just about anything, though he is also fine with the mundane, day to day as well. |
| Personal History | One Mom to Rule Them All Academic scholar, author, and level-headed scientist, Dr. Oskar Ruseka was born in the coastal city of Kotka in the Kymenlaakso region of Finland on Earth. Oskar's conception was modern Federation science and medicine at work; Alina Ruseka was a Federation news reporter, an investigative journalist who had been struggling to settle down and start a family. Her fertility levels were nominal, and she had not had a romantic partner in her life since finishing grad school. For several years, quite probably several years too many, her career had taken precedence in her life. A Federation fertility clinic provided the assistance that Alina Ruseka needed. With the donation a genetic material from a close male confidant, Alina Ruseka was artificially inseminated, and the pregnancy took. She carried the child to term, taking leave from work to have her son and begin the process of raising him. Though she did return to FNS she made the transition from infield news reporter and investigative journalist to news anchor. The desk job as a presenter of a program was cushy. It was not exactly ideal for someone with a strong investigative journalism background, but she did it for Oskar. She continued to hold down the news anchor position for a few years until she decided to close that chapter in her life. Retiring to a life of writing in another form, Alina Ruseka earned a small following as a Detective Holonovelist under a more masculine pseudonym. It may have been the 24th century, but there were still lingering prejudices that women had 'their place' in writing and the detective fiction genre was not one of those pre-approved feminine genres. Her work led her to traveling the Federation worlds and outside of the Federation for ideas. She became so heavily involved in her research that it would take her away from home for months at a time. She would by default have to take young Oskar with her; However, not everywhere Alina Ruseka went was "friendly" or the least bit "hospitable," and as such she would leave Oskar aboard a Federation space station or outpost for a few days or a couple of weeks if necessary. Homeschooled Education had been a problem that reared its head often for Alina and Oskar. She was moving him around a lot. This meant enrolling him in schools and yanking him out after some time and packing their luggage. A stable home was nowhere in sight. Remote education was an avenue that they pursued, but even with subspace lessons, it took the "human" element out of Oskar's education in his formative years. Alina tried to take over Oskar's education herself, and though she has educated thoroughly herself, she was finding herself fumbling with his education. Her son had a strong proclivity to the physical sciences; It was chemistry in particular that seemed to captivate Oskar for hours on end. He was more advanced in the sciences than a child his age, not by leaps and bounds yet a notable margin. Truth be told, science was not Alina's thing. She completed the necessary science with good grades throughout her schooling and higher education, but her strengths were social sciences, composition, and history; It was by no means chemistry. Alina sought to find a private teacher for her son. One who could not only act as his primary educator but one who she felt safe leaving him with for brief periods of time. Nevertheless, a mother's worry and scrutinizing failed to yield a steady individual for the position. Her and Oskar went through a dozen of individuals of various species, ages, and genders over the course of a few years. When Oskar hit thirteen years of age, Alina began to notice changes in Oskar's personality. They were still family and they were still close, but Oskar was pulling away more often more frequently and throwing tantrums. Of course, counselors and physicians told Alina the same thing. Her son was just becoming a young man. He was a teenager now and for the next handful of years, he was likely going to be a bit turbulent and aloof. Oskar's behavior was becoming increasingly problematic. He was doing things he normally would not do and began hanging around "the wrong crowds" as Alina would lecture to him about, but of course, the last thing any teenager wants to hear is his parent telling them that they can't be friends with X, Y, or Z. When her thirteen-year-old son went "joyriding" with some fifteen and sixteen-year-old teenagers in a stolen shuttle, she came down on him hard. His grades were starting to be affected and Alina was not having it. The Nanny from Vulcan T'Falah was an athletically fit and slender woman with piercing eyes and a hawkish nature without intentionally meaning to be hawkish. She was more of a robotic cop than a nanny or private teacher, but she taught Oskar a lot of things quickly and effectively. T'Falah was a Vulcan as they came when she first entered Alina and Oskar's life. She was highly intelligent, especially in the sciences and mathematics. T'Falah never insisted on it, but Oskar was corrected every time he addressed her as Ms. and she'd reply "Doctor" that she had practically a lifetime (at least by human standards) of education and had earned a doctoral degree from the Daystrum institute with her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Vulcan Science Academy. He learned to address her as Doctor T'Falah if he was going to survive her tutelage. Dr. T'Falah did more than brings his grades up back to normal levels. She demanded respect and ensured he gave it with nothing more than factual information and cold hard Vulcan logic. Her shady stare made him feel like she judged his poor posture, and that alone was more than enough to ensure that he did not slouch and that he set the tables properly. T'Falah took the derailed teenager, put him back on track and ensured that he did not deviate. At first, he hated her with so much vigor and resentment, but over the course of the next few years, he came to see her as a god sent. She protected him from all dangers including the dangers of himself. Even when Alina went to some risky places such as moons and planetoids within Orion space that had ties to the syndicate, she permitted Oskar to come along under the condition that he did not leave Dr. T'Falah's side. Oskar had initially thought it was a sign that his mother trusted the stoic Vulcan nanny to protect him. That was true; However, the truth often has layers and there was a deeper truth that Oskar came to realize. Though his mother had never outwardly said it, she brought T'Falah along because she enjoyed the Vulcan's companionship. It was not like T'Falah smiled or sang a thousand bottles of whatever on the wall or told campfire stories, but her coldness seemed to subside over the years to become a lukewarm stone or a cool breeze. There were changes in his mother as well. She was more relaxed and at ease. She did smile more. She laughed more, and she and Oskar were getting along like they used to. It left him with a lingering thought. Is this love? He did what any son of an investigative journalist would do. He followed the clues and investigated the case in search of answers, and when the time came he sat his mother down and grilled her. "You love her" those words alone when his mother was faced with them caused her to tense up and dodge his line of questioning. She did her best to dismiss him, but Oskar was relentless until she broke. He was not the only one to notice. Alina had been questioning it herself for some time. She had looked at her son when she countered "And so what if I do?" Relationships between humans and Vulcans were not unheard of, but they were truly on the next level of complexity and left many who were outside onlookers of the relationships sufficiently perplexed. That; however, is where Alina’s story and Oskar’s diverge. He was becoming his own man though still youthfully unphased and recklessly full steam ahead into the next chapters of his life. Oskar departed from his mother’s side striking out on his own journey of self-discovery and adventure. Though his adventures would begin in the classrooms and lecture halls back on Earth close to where he had grown up. He had returned to Finnish soil after being accepted at Karelia University of Applied Sciences. There, as an undergraduate he pursued his passion for science and environmental conservationism. At Karelia University in his program of study, Oskar learned about the past, present, and future in regards to environmental science. Though his interest were not limited to the land and air, but to the stars above. Warp core principles and theories were essentially required in any Federation University even if some chose to avoid space travel all together. On a trip to Hekaras II during his second year, Oskar attended a symposium in which Hekaran scientist Serova and Rebal lectured about the ill effects of warp core fields, even those in use by Federation starships at the time. The Hekarans were seeking to put warp speed limitations into place and as members of the Federation, the Federation Science Council later evaluated their concerns and agreed to the placement and lightly enforcing the limitations by Federation starships. Oskar continued learning about renewable energy sources, intergalactic biological economics, communication, and forestry. His program was well rounded and robust by design, giving undergraduate students a sufficient taste of environmental science through various lenses; However, the nature of the course’s design left a lot untouched and only unearthed things at a surface level. It did not provide a mastery of knowledge, but enough of a sampling to keep his mind sharp and engaged. After four years of study, Oskar earned his Bachelor of Natural Resources from Karelia University of Applied Sciences. He left the Finnish soil and traveled briefly to the rainforests of Earth before settling down on the North American continent. Oskar was accepted by John Hopkins University for their graduate program in Biochemistry. A historic university on Earth renowned for producing some of the most incredible minds in medicine, Oskar was not necessarily looking to pursue a career in medicine; However, John Hopkins had the program he was looking for, a program that would allow him to study both plant and animal life through the scope of chemistry. It was during these three years of his life that he became more heavily fixated on plants, more specifically plants of the Solanaceae family and other extraterrestrial plants with toxins. He would take some time and though he was greatly challenged by the rigorous course materials, Oskar completed the program and earned his Master of Science in Biochemistry. The Dominion War Some choose Starfleet immediately after finishing their standard schooling, opting the Starfleet Academy life over colleges and universities. Others who either aren’t quite academy material or are so damn gung-ho jump right into uniform and enlist. Then there are some who find Starfleet after earning an undergraduate or graduate degree. This happened to be Oskar. Nobody in his immediate family had served in Starfleet, not even his mother’s siblings, her parents, their siblings, or their parents. In fact, his own little investigating yielded only a few sporadic instances in which anyone blood related wore a Starfleet uniform. He had to go back several generations to the era of Captains like Sulu, Kirk, and Pike to find blood relatives that served. Fortunately, when one has accredited degrees earned outside of Starfleet, that spares them from having to go through four years of Starfleet Academy to become an officer. It does not; however, mean they are entirely free from said torture of basic training and several intense weeks of Officer Training School, which is very much like Starfleet Academy condensed. It was a baptism of sorts. Oskar had to prove he was willing and able to serve like those who went through the academy by more traditional avenues. After successfully doing so, he earned his uniform, communications badge, phaser certification, and the rank of a commissioned Starfleet officer. It was during the Federation’s darkest hour. Starfleet had lost a significant amount of starships, personnel, and the Federation was losing resources left and right. The Dominion War had been background scenery on Earth as a civilian. You knew it was going on, you saw the images, and heard the news reports from the front lines; However, you tried to keep it out of sight and out of mind. That was what Oskar had done or at least lied to himself so many times that he could when he could not. Perhaps that was truly what brought him into the uniform? The associates he wouldn’t call friends because he kept them at arm's length when he knew they were enlisting or going through the academy. He had lost them one way or another. Though he wanted to use Starfleet as an avenue to continue his education, pursuing a doctoral degree with their support; Now was not the time. Through OTS he was considered an officer candidate. With his newly commissioned rank of Ensign, the pip on his collar was as shiny as a bar of gold pressed latinum, Starfleet Command had given him orders to report and an assignment. His first posting was aboard the USS Grace Hopper, an Intrepid class starship that was as new off the line as Oskar was out of OTS. Only one of them; however, would survive their time together. Only a few months into service and the Grace Hopper was ordered to the Chin’toka system with a fleet of Federation and allied starships. Oskar was one of the lucky survivors of the battle. The starship was not as lucky. When his escape pod was recovered and after he was treated for his injuries and released, the battered ensign was given another assignment. Though this one was ideally safer. He was assigned to Deep Space 2, an old Federation starbase on the Federation-Klingon border. He was stationed there as a science officer and lead botanist. Starfleet Medical Academy The war was over, but the reconstruction period was still going strong and it would be for years after. It was, however, time for Oskar to get what he truly wanted out of the Starfleet experience. He attended Starfleet Medical Academy in pursuit of a doctoral degree. What he was not expecting was that he would finally decide to deviate from scientific science and cross over into medical science. Four years of medical school through Starfleet Medical Academy added gray hair to a head already rather prematurely starting to turn gray. He became more tolerable to facial hair, allowing it to grow out more before shaving it all off until, towards his last year in med school, he was encouraged to keep it because it made him look more mature. Anatomy, pharmacology, biochemistry, microbiology, and pathology were a few flavors of classes that Oskar had taken over the course of his four years of med school. It was the forensic sciences that he had taken to the most of all the flavors though. He had never really thought about practicing medicine, and that still held true. As much as he enjoyed the companionship of people, he found himself seeking refuge among plants and objects that were inanimate. After finishing his four years, he would need to undergo several years of residency. He opted to pursue an Anatomic pathology residency on a rather remote Federation world. He worked alongside physicians for an additional four years before taking a proficiency examination in which he passed. This along with three letters of recommendation moved him forward to a Forensic Pathology Fellowship on Napea for one additional year. Finally, came the capstone. He was closer to officially being recognized as an MD. He returned to Earth working at Starfleet Medical in a Medical Examiner’s office for two years, assisting in autopsies. By now, Starfleet recognized him more by title than by rank. However, he did hold the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade by this point in his career. When he was ready, he took the licensing examination. He successfully passed his first attempt though with a score much lower than he had hoped for. Dr. Oskar Ruseka, MD, Starfleet Medical Examiner had quite the lengthy yet accomplished ring to it. Transitioning From Starship to Classroom Dr. Ruseka was then later assigned to the USS Clea Koff, a Federation Olympic class hospital starship. He served one year aboard the Koff as the starship’s Assistant Chief Medical Examiner, but the Koff’s duty assignment brought more bodies on slabs than it did patients into Sickbay. It was everything and more than Oskar had prepared and trained for. He was beginning to feel as though the past several years of his life were a misstep, a blunderous mistake made by a man far too intellectually driven to see the glaring hole in the horizons ahead. Debating on whether or not to resign his commission, another doorway opened up; an exit window to be more precise. Starfleet Academy was looking for instructors and Dr. Oskar Ruseka was superfluously overqualified. This actually made his request for the position well welcomed by the Academy Commandant. He taught various sciences courses to science cadets and those on a pre-med track. During his downtime, he himself remained a student on the side earning a certificate of medical toxicology from the Vulcan Science Academy. USS Nightingale Dr. Ruseka taught his last lesson at Starfleet Academy, parting ways on good terms in order to return to starship life aboard another Olympic class starship; The USS Nightingale NCC-70026 had an opened position for a toxicologist within their Laboratory Sciences section. It was an appealing posting for Oskar using his education and expertise thoroughly, traversing the stars, encountering new lifeforms, and perhaps most relievingly not having to deal with deceased service members on body slabs. He could stay conveniently in the science labs while on duty and focus his studies on plants and animal life containing venoms, toxins, and various cocktails of poison. However, his brief time aboard the USS Nightingale led to a chance encounter. One of his fellow science officers aboard the USS Nightingale was of interest to Oskar. Kiernan Gallagher served aboard the Nightingale where he was a division lead, Chief of Environmental Sciences. Oskar saw a lot of potential in Kiernan and the two became close friends. Their friendship blossomed and more serious feelings began to spring up in their place. The two began a relationship that ironically was nearly cut short because of Kiernan’s potential. Not wanting to stand in Kiernan’s way, Oskar encouraged Kiernan to accept the position of Chief Science Officer aboard the USS Crazy Horse. Not wanting to risk losing out on what felt like his only chance at happiness, Oskar endeavored to follow Kiernan to the Crazy Horse, but it was easier said than done. In order to pull off the transfer, Oskar needed to surrender working in the Science Department and instead would make a return to the medical field. |
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| Service Record | Service Record USS Grace Hopper - Junior Science Officer | Biologist Deep Space 2 - Science Officer | Lead Botanist Starfleet Medical Academy - Medical Student USS Clea Koff - Medical Officer | Assistant Chief Medical Examiner Starfleet Academy - Science Department Instructor USS Nightingale - Laboratory Science Officer | Clinical Toxicologist USS Crazy Horse – Medical Officer | Assistant Chief Medical Officer |