(Darryl Neil)  Security chief of starship Maximillian at the time of her commissioning.  Sonak is a Vulcan born in the city of ShiKahr on planet Vulcan in 2278.  He is the son of Vulcan priestess T’Mrei and Doctor Solok of the Vulcan Science Academy, and was named after their good friend and colleague Commander Sonak of Starfleet, who was tragically killed during a transporter accident aboard starship Enterprise some seven years before.  Sonak is also cousin to Starfleet officer Tuvok, who is fourteen years his elder.

     Sonak was exceptionally gifted when it came to Vulcan psionics, and was also somewhat aggressive by Vulcan standards.  By the time Sonak was eight years old, T’Mrei, feeling that his natural abilities and his temperament made a potentially dangerous combination, believed he would be disciplined in the ways of the Kohlinar.  While at the Gol Plateau, Sonak excelled in his studies, and quickly mastered the Kohlinar discipline.  He had spent much of his childhood with the priests and priestesses of Gol, believing that he had mastered his aggressiveness.  By the time he was eighteen, however, Sonak became restless, believing that there was more to the universe for him than just pure logic.

     When Sonak was fifteen, his older cousin Tuvok had entered in the Kohlinar discipline, abandoning his Starfleetcareer.  Over the next three years, Sonak grew to admire and respect his cousin.  Eventually, Sonak left Gol to pursue a more contemporary education at the Vulcan Science Academy, where he majored in computers, and minored in forensic science.  During his first year, he had met his future wife.  During his next pon farr cycle in 2299, the two were mated.

     They would have a satisfactory life together, and in 2300, Sonak and his wife had a son named Skol, who, at age 25, would become captain of starship Maximillian from 2325-2331.

     In 2304, Tuvok had abandoned his Kohlinar training.  Considering Sonak a close friend as well as a relative, Tuvok requests Sonak to attend his marriage ceremony to T’Pel.

     The years had passed, and in 2318, his son, Skol, had entered Starfleet Academy.  At first, Sonak resisted Skol’s desire to enlist, but he eventually came to respect his son’s decision.  He logically concluded that Starfleet provided him the best opportunity to pursue his profession in Xenobotany.  The training was intense for his son, but nothing he couldn’t handle.

Starfleet Career: Though computers were an interest to him, he felt that Starfleet Security would allow him to vent the restlessness he had felt throughout his life.  Not wanting to take a four-year officers’ program at Starfleet Academy, Sonak decided to go the enlisted route.  In 2320, Sonak finally enlisted into Starfleet as part of the security branch.  By the end of the year, Apprentice Sonak was assigned as a security specialist aboard Potemkin.  He had learned quickly, and performed his duties well.  During the following year, he was promoted to security specialist third class.

     In 2322, Sonak’s son, Skol, graduated from Starfleet Academy, and during his leave time, Sonak traveled to Starfleet Academy in San Francisco watch his son’s graduation and commissioning ceremonies.  The two kept in touch throughout their careers.

     In 2323, the year before the end of his first enlistment, Security Specialist Third Class Sonak transferred to starship Seattle, where he filled the position of Security Armor, receiving a promotion to the rate of Security Specialist Second Class.  Sonak found working with hand weapons aboard Seattle interesting, so he extended his service contract.

     In 2325, Security Specialist Second Class Sonak heard that his son, Skol, was promoted to captain, and was posted to command starship Maximillian after a disasterous incident during a survey mission to planet Delvos Morae II.  Later that year, Maximillian returned to Earth and Seattle was within the communications range, Sonak sent a congratulatory message to Captain Skol, despite the fact he only received his command due to the death of the captain and first officer.  His son was now a starship captain.

     By 2327, Sonak met the qualifications for the Starfleet Drill Instructor Program.  His commanding officer, noting that Sonak was a fine NCO, allowed Sonak’s transfer off Seattle to pursue this opportunity.

     By the fall of 2327, Sonak had completed the Drill Instructor Program, and was assigned to Starfleet Academy as one of several enlisted drill instructors for the class of 2331.  Being a drill instructor was the perfect job for Sonak.  His typical Vulcan apparent lack of emotion and his aggressive nature generally put the fear of God into his cadets.  Since joining Starfleet seven years ago, he had learned that officers who served time in the enlisted ranks were generally somewhat more efficient than those who were commissioned directly from the academy without any prior enlisted experience.  In his company he had two such individuals.  Cadet Richard Kilgore, and Cadet Robert Lyon.  He saw talent in both cadets, and for four years, he had drilled them extra hard, pushing both beyond their limits.

     In 2331, after Lyon and Kilgore earned their commissions, Sonak volunteered for Starfleet Special Operations Training School.  There, he learned everything from piloting to demolition; from hand-to-hand combat to the use of heavy phaser batteries.  Upon graduation, Sonak was assigned to starship Lexington as a squad leader.  In 2335, Lexington was dispatched to planet Avataan II where terrorists tok 24 Federation citizens hostage, and threatened to destroy the world’s capital city with a fusion bomb should their demands not be met.  Sonak’s platoon was dispatched—their mission to free the hostages and disable the bomb.  First squad was assigned to create a diversion for the terrorists; second squad was assigned to free the hostages; and third squad, led by Sonak, was assigned to find and disable the bomb.  Though combat ensued, the mission was a success.  The hostages were freed, and Sonak was successful in neutralizing the bomb.  Despite this success, the platoon leader was among the casualties.  As a result, Sonak was advanced in rate to chief petty officer and assumed the duties of platoon leader.  For their part in the Avataan II mission, Sonak and his personnel were decorated by Starfleet Command.

     Sonak remained aboard Lexington as platoon leader for the special Ops detachment until 2340, when he as offered the opportunity to attend the Command Chief Petty Officer Training Course on Earth.  This training alone would allow him to hold postings as department chief petty officer on starships or starbases.

     Sonak did well in the course, and was assigned to starship Berlin as the internal security section chief petty officer.  Chief Security Specialist Sonak remained aboard Berlin until 2345, when he was transferred to Starbase 412 as their security department chief petty officer.

     In 2349, Sonak received word that his cousin Tuvok, had returned to Starfleet, assigned to starship Wyoming.  Whenever Wyoming would port at Starbase 412, Sonak would often spend his off-hours with Tuvok.

     In 2350, Sonak desired to return to starship duty.  When he had heard starship Maximillian needed a security department chief petty officer, he took the posting immediately.

     Once aboard Maximillian, Sonak immediately felt as if he was at home.  This was the very starship his son had commanded before he retired from Starfleet.  Captain Ghaman promoted Sonak to the rank of warrant officer, placing him as supervisor of enlisted personnel in the security department.  Maximillian had been in battle for several years now, and the ship began to show her mileage, but Sonak knew this ship was in good hands.  Sonak’s contact with his cousin Tuvok became limited, however whenever Maximillian and Wyoming were in the same sector, Sonak would attempt to contact and get together with his cousin.

     In 2351, Maximillian fell under attack by Cardassian warships.  Captain Ghaman was killed, and the ship’s first officer, Commander Nighthawk took command.  Maximillian with heavy battle damage and high casualties from the Cardassian attack, limped to Starbase 211 for repairs.

     Upon the vessel’s arrival at starbase, Admiral Tyler gave Commander Nighthawk a field promotion to the rank of captain and permanent command of Maximillian.  After three weeks’ repair, resupply and crew rotation, Maximillian rejoined TacFleet in various operations involving military strikes and defensive posturing against Tholian, Talarian, and Cardassian task forces.  In 2353, Maximillian’s first officer was killed in battle and Commander Robert Lyon came on board as the ship’s new first officer.  Sonak was pleased that one of his former cadets was successful in his career, rising to the posting of a starship’s second-in-command.  Since Vulcans have no ego to bruise, the adjustment of reversed roles between Lyon and Sonak was relatively easy.  The working relationship between Sonak and Commander Lyon added to the efficiency of Maximillian in combat.

     In 2355, Maximillian returned to Earth for another series of major systems repair, crew rotation and tactical upgrade.  When Lyon took command, Sonak was promoted to chief warrant officer, and was given a great deal of authority regarding the enhancement of the tactical systems of this aging Excelsior class starship.

     After a year of systems repair and upgrade, Maximillian returned to service rejoining Starfleet Battle Group 47 of the 4^th Fleet in the Cardassian/ Federation Conflict.  In 2360, however, Captain Lyon called Sonak into his ready room and asked him why he was still aboard Maximillian.  He advised the Vulcan for enlisted liaison aboard Excalibur, and that he would highly recommend Sonak to Excalibur’s captain for the job.

     Sonak took the captain’s advice and transferred to Excalibur, where he would accept the rank of chief warrant officer of operations.  After five years serving aboard Excalibur with a great deal of authority and responsibility, Sonak applied to Starfleet Academy under Captain Lyon’s sponsorship. 

     Sonak graduated among the top ten in the class of 2368.  Upon his commissioning, he was assigned to starship Endeavor as a security officers.

     In 2370, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, junior grade and accepted transfer to starship Maximillian under command of Captain Turock T’Kill.

     In early 2371, Lieutenant Sonak received word over official Starfleet channels that the starship Voyager was lost with all hands during a mission in the Badlands.  Sonak would miss his older cousin, and felt that it was his duty to contact Tuvok’s wife, T’Pel, about the loss of Voyager, her crew, and Tuvok.

     Lieutenant Sonak served aboard Maximillian as a security officer until her destruction in December of 2372.  Lieutenant Sonak found T’Kill interesting, especially with his half human, half Romulan heritage.

     Like with most surviving officers of Maximillian, Sonak served under T’Kill again at the San Francisco Fleet Yards orbiting Earth.  Sonak received a promotion to the rank of lieutenant, and until the 24^th of May 2373 he served as the tactical systems director.  Upon commissioning of the Sovereign class USS Maximillian, he became chief of security under the command of Admiral T’Kill.

     During the events that stranded Admiral Lyon in the past and the Sovereign Maximillian in the far future, Lieutenant Sonak was killed during a battle with the Gorn.