After completing her primary education, Soleta attended the Vulcan Science Academy. Her fields of study focused on botany and science. As a natural extension to botany, she also studied research medicine. Later, Soleta settled into a quiet lifestyle which focused heavily on botanical research and the occasional lecture to first year Academy students.
Tragedy struck Soleta when she reached the age of 28 and answered the compelling and irresistible call to ponn farr. She was escorted to the appointed place to meet with Tal, her betrothed and the bonding ceremony was conducted in the traditional way. Her mind was permanently linked with Tal's.
The day progressed with family and friends and at dusk, the couple were escorted by their parents to their new home. When the time came to consecrate the union, Tal suffered a massive coronary. Soleta, although a trained medic could not do more than flounder as she was caught up in the excruciating pain her mate was experiencing. Terrified and melded to Tal, Soleta's cardiac muscle also suffered damage. Tal, aware on some level that his mate would perish along with him managed to halt the meld moments before his death. Soleta was spared.
Although the damage to her cardiac muscle was repaired, no amount of psychological treatment could repair the damage to Soleta's psyche. Her fear of bonding had caused her to completely withdraw from any kind of intimate relationship.
It was several years later that Soleta met Keri Chandra. Keri had been on leave with her mate and was using the VSA labs for a personal research project. Soleta was researching a particularly rare strain of Tyrellian fever and Keri was able to supply Soleta with some helpful facts on the subject. The two women became friends and kept in touch via subspace messages. Keri would often relay to Soleta the assignments of the Intrepid and on more than one occasion suggested to Soleta that Starfleet may be a good career choice for her. Although Soleta found Keri's life to be interesting and obviously rewarding, she never did take Keri's suggestions seriously until she was invited to speak at a botanical bioengineering conference on Earth.
Once in San Francisco, events transpired that took Soleta to Starfleet Academy. She found she enjoyed the variety of races and the intellectual stimulation provided by so many different viewpoints. Soleta applied and was readily accepted as a cadet into Starfleet Academy.
Although Soleta is a full Vulcan, it soon became apparent to her instructors and fellow classmates that she did not quite conform to the stringent, non-emotional mold from which most of her people were cast. Rather, they discovered she had a very unique sense of humor and irony. In many cases, her natural curiosity outweighed her Vulcan sense of propriety. This caused a slight bit of consternation at the Vulcan embassy and several appreciative chuckles from Keri when she read her communiques. Soleta, after years of internal struggle and deep feelings of guilt, had found her niche.
She graduated with honors in the field of science and also took minor courses in quantum mechanics.
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