A 24the century Indiana Jones, but with considerably more selfish motives, Vash is the very model of a femme fatale.  An archaeologist by trade and an adventurer at heart, Vash uses her alluring charms, her survivor's instincts and her love of profit to scour the galaxy for whatever ancient artifacts will net her the biggest prize.  Any emotional connections always come second to her desire for gain.  With cunning worthy of a Ferengi, she is able to give such formidable men a Captain Picard and Q a run for their money.  Making a living by, as Q puts it, "setting Federation ethics back 200 years," Vash makes the galaxy a far more interesting place in which to live.

Vash first encounters Picard on the resort planet Risa while she is searching for the legendary artifact known as the Tox Uthat.  She finds the Uthat, but involves Picard in a second, phony quest in order to fool her Ferengi adversary Sovak, who is also seeking the Uthat.  She quickly steals Picard's heart and the two develop a romantic relationship, one in which Vash develops sincere feelings for the Captain.

A year later, Vash visits Picard when the U.S.S. Enterprise hosts the Federation Archaeological Council's annual symposium.  Q transports her into a Robin Hood scenario and "casts" her as Maid Marian in order to get Picard to admit his true feelings for her.  Vash realizes that though her feelings for Picard are genuine, she can't and won't change her nature enough to suit him.  Q offers her the chance to explore the galaxy with him, and much to Picard's surprise, she accepts.

Vash eventually grows tired of Q's arrogant and overbearing nature, and after two years spent exploring the Gamma Quadrant, Vash returns to the Alpha Quadrant.  On Deep Space Nine, she partners with Quark to auction off several valuable items she had found, including a quarts-like object that turns out to contain an embryonic creature that almost destroys the station.  She decides to return to the Daystrom Institute on Earth as a guest speaker, only to be tempted by Quark into scouring the ruins on Tartarus V.  After all, as Vash herself says, "When it comes to choosing between science and profit, I'll choose profit every time."