[OOC] Star Trek: To Boldy Go

[Ruby]

Vash

Name: Vashara Vaella
Age: 26 (Human years)
Rank/Position: Captain/CO of the USS Orion
Race: Vulcan/Romulan
Appearance:



Personality:

Vashara Vaella is an overachiever; independent minded and determined. Though her early life on Vulcan was that of a taboo outsider as a mix of a Vulcan and Romulan origin, 'Vash' would prove quite socially capable once she entered Starfleet. Brilliance in multiple fields is weighed down by a strange nature, necessity has brought Vashara Vaella to the Captain's chair--not desire. This strange nature often manifests in behavior many in Starfleet would find unusual for a ship's CO: whether it's thrill-seeking in a holosuite, smoking cigarettes and talking micro-M/ARA assembles with engineers, or tinkering furiously in her own little work shop in her private quarters. This oddness creates a distinct advantage in combat operations: few living Starfleet captains show Vashara's resourcefulness, and none may match her ability to think outside the box in a fight.

History:

Vashara comes from an exceedingly bizarre pairing: a Romulan noble father that felt an outsider upon his home world of Romulus, a man that would leave the Star Empire to explore ancient stories and forgotten sites. While her father would change his name, he would drop the Romulan structure of his name but yet keep the name that meant the most within the Empire: his family name, Vaella. Hailing from an ancient noble line that had been on the wrong side of political in-fighting too often and seen it's fortunes fall in recent times, Artos Vaella found himself entranced by a unique soul he came across in his travels, a Vulcan woman that rejected the teachings of Surak.

The love affair would not last. The Vulcan woman would leave Artos and the newborn child, and disappear just as quickly as she'd come. Desperate for help raising the halfling child, Artos arranged a meeting with a merchant from Vulcan, a meeting that would eventually lead to the self-exiled Romulan noble to Vulcan itself. On the surface, Artos Vaella would become a trader stationed at Vulcan, leaving for extended periods of time, agreeing that Vashara would be best if she were mostly in the care of Vulcan tutors.

Despite Artos' best intentions, there was no easy upbringing for a half Romulan on the surface of Vulcan. Her earlier years were difficult, rejected by peers and harassed for her bloodlines, many times over did Vashara question the wisdom, let alone sanity, of her father to be a Romulan run-a-way that settled on Vulcan, of all places. Even if it was a struggle, Vashara benefited from the education Vulcan provided; going so far as to be accepted into the Vulcan Science Academy, though only after intervention from several forward thinking Vulcans.

Halfway through her time at the Vulcan Science Academy, Vashara Vaella made history: becoming the first VSA student to transfer from the VSA to an Earth based educational institute, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, Vashara would find herself more comfortable than she ever was on Vulcan itself. After graduating the top of her class in Astrophysics, Vashara would go on to Starfleet Academy, focused on becoming an Engineer for Utopia Planitia. But war would have other plans for Cadet Vaella.

While on live field exercises with Gold Squadron during her time with the Advanced Tactical Training school of Starfleet Academy, the Defiant class vessel Gold Squadron operated came under surprise attack from a group of Breen. Vashara's Senior Instructor, Cadet Commander, and Cadet Executive Officer were all dead in the first minute of the Breen attack. Chaos and fear spread through the remaining Cadets like wild fire; forcing Vashara in the command chair with a hobbled Defiant against two Breen attack craft.

One Breen vessel was destroyed when it cloaked, losing the protection of shields--allowing Vashara to find the small traces of radiation emitted from it's older cloaking device. The other Breen vessel was destroyed with a weapon Vashara built during the battle with assistance from several Engineering major friends: nick-named the "Toy Box Bomb", Vashara took every plasma mine in the Defiant's arsenal, stuffed them in torpedo casings, added transporter remote tags to each, and teleported the seemingly single large bomb in front of the Breen vessel. The Breen awaited the explosion, diverting full power to the forward shields--just as most any starship commander would, and just as Vashara hoped the Breen commander would. Just then, Vashara and her fellow Cadets activated the transporter tags upon each mine. After the quick fire bluish-white light of the transporters finished, the Breen vessel found itself surrounded by plasma mines...mines the remaining Gold Squadron cadets remotely ignited. Such an explosion across the entire surface area of the Breen vessel overwhelmed the shield grid; Vash and her fellow cadets were ready with pulse phasers, blowing the Breen vessel into space dust.

The instructor, Cadet Commander, and Cadet XO were buried upon the return to Earth with full honors. After Academy officials finished an investigation, an Admiralty Board cleared Vashara and her fellow Cadets of any wrong doing, instead awarding them medals for bravery. Each survivor would graduate the ATT with the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade--save Vashara, who was awarded the rank of full Lieutenant and given command of a small patrol vessel, the USS Hawk, assigned to an area near the Cardassian/Breen border. Lieutenant Vaella would register a quick string of combat victories with the Hawk, showing Starfleet Operations Command the Gold Squadron incident was no accident.

After suffering grievous losses of experienced starship captains, Starfleet Command directed Starfleet Operations Command to recommend a dozen junior officers who had shown exceptional starship combat command potential for immediate promotion and assignment; Vash was promoted to Commander, having already been given a field promotion to Lieutenant Commander by her Wing Commander. She was assigned the USS Cairo, an old Excelsior taken out of mothballs for the war. Though the ship wouldn't survive, Vash and her crew would, commandeering a Breen attack vessel, and use it to complete a mission given to them by Starfleet Intelligence Command; coming to the assistance of a Romulan Warbird under attack by Cardassian and Breen forces.

The Tal'Shiar aboard the vessel recognized the name Vaella, and quickly put two-and-two together: this Starfleet Captain was the daughter of Artos Vaella. Despite the Tal'Shiar's standing kill on sight order for her father, the Romulan Star Empire expressed faith in Vashara Vaella to Starfleet Command, leading to a new mission and a new ship: newly minted Captain Vashara Vaella was to take command of the USS Orion, on a mission that came directly from the Office of the Federation President.

Skills: Advanced Starship Tactics, Tech Specialist, Guitarist.
Other: N/A

[Chev]

My Hider

Name: Sta'l Haliv ((True last name unknown.))

Age: 33.

Rank/Position: Engineer ((Lieutenant))

Race: Romulan
Appearance:

Personality: Unlike most Romulans, Sta'l tries to avoid being dishonest and as such is brutally honest when it comes to dealing with the facts and dealing with people. In truth, his personality seems to be more Klingon then Romulan as he believes a person should keep their word no matter what. He hates the Dominion with a passion and has a very strong dislike of the Romulan senate as well.

History: Sta'l was born under less then ideal circumstances aboard the Imperial Romulan Warbird T'vex when it was under fire from a Cardassian Keldon class cruiser after attempting to capture it after it had infiltrated Romulan space and had stolen Romulan data-files from a Romulan observation station on the boarder between Romulan and Federation space. His mother was a member of the T'vex's security detail was was his father. Despite managing to deal a crippling blow to the Keldon and eventually destroying it, the survivors of the T'vex were forced to evacuate when they were unable to stabilize the artificial singularity that powered their vessel. Fortunately for the few survivors, they were rescued by the Federation star ship Gorkon, but when were disowned by the Romulan Empire and were forbidden to return for failing to capture the Cardassian vessel. Many of the survivors committed suicide by taking their own lives with their Honor blades including his parents shortly after leaving Sta'l in the Gorkin's med bay.

One of the Gorkon's engineers and his wife ending up adopting the child shortly after his parents were found dead in their guest quarters and Sta'l's life in the Federation began. At first it was difficult for the couple to deal with the needs of an infant Romulan child but they eventually managed to get the hang of it. As Sta'l grew up aboard the Gorkon, he came to realize that many of the other children didn't want to play with him and certain adult members of the crew seemed to watch him very carefully when he was around the other children. He was a teenager he heard a teenage child mutter the words "Green blood," under his breath at him that he came to his parents and asked why the other children seemed to want nothing to do with him and why certain crew members would seemingly glare at him. It was that day that he found out that he was a full blooded Romulan and that a very uneasy peace was in place between the Romulan Star Empire and the Federation with boarder skirmishes flaring up every so often. He also learned that the Romulan Empire refused to allow him to return to Romulus and what had happened to his parents.

As Sta'l took in the information he rose to his feet and embraced both of his adopted parents and thanked them for telling him the truth about his origins and the fate of his biological parents. He then immediately asked if he could apply to Starfleet academy when he came of age to show that just because he was born a Romulan didn't mean he followed their beliefs. When he came of age, he joined starfleet academy and showed great interest in the engineering and tactical courses. He also developed a mild obsession with the Kobayashi Maru scenario and after his first few attempts using standard techniques, he was able to come up with a number of unusual solutions to the scenario. He was unable to beat the scenario but on one occasion he came close to beating it by grabbing the Maru at warp speed with the tractor beams and attempting to fling it across the border and then dealt with the simulated warships by attempting to use the warp core of his vessel as a massive anti-matter projectile. It was a good idea but the explosion ended up destroying his ship as well. After the simulation, he was approached by his instructor who asked him how he got the idea to fling the Maru across the border.

Sta'l simply said he got the idea from watching old episodes of the Klingon entertainment series "Battlecruiser Vengeance." When asked how he had gotten the idea from the show which had never made mention of such a maneuver, he simply said that "something clicked in my head" He graduated from Starfleet academy as third in his engineering class and was assigned to the USS Dragos, a Miranda class starship as an Ensign and he quickly made himself at home in the Engine room. In other words, he took to engineering like a Horta takes to stone. He was eventually promoted to the rank of Lieutenant after nearly two years of serving on the Dragos and coming up with creative approaches to both hypothetical problems posed to him by the Chief Engineer and actual problems that the Dragos ran into. He was eventually transferred to the USS Orion after the Dragos had to put in for a three month overhaul on it's spaceframe where he continues to happily work in Engineering. In his spare time, he can usually be found reading up on the newest Federation engineering news articles in the mess hall.

Skills: Advanced engineering training, Basic tactical knowledge and his ability to come up with creative solutions to problems on the fly.

Other: Doesn't really mind Klingons or other species due to his upbringing. While most Romulans are highly distrustful of other species, Sta'l doesn't mind getting to know new people. His dream is to one day serve aboard one of the new Sovereign class star-ships but he knows it most likely won't happen anytime soon.

Sample Post:

Sta'l grunted as he forced himself forward through the uncomfortable insides of the jeffries tube and grinned as he found the stuck hatch. He reached into the belt on his pouch and pulled out his specially modified P-38 and held the instrument next to the hatch and activated it. He watched with satisfaction as the hatch seemingly shuddered and then the broken hatch swung open, nearly smacking him in the head. It was at that moment that he realized why the hatch hadn't closed all the way.

A small part of the side of the hatch was slightly warped. Sta'l muttered under his breath and reached into the pouch once again and grabbed a plasma torch. "Sta'l to engineering." He said with a smile "I've found the problem. Looks like something warped the edge of the hatch. I'm going to see if I can even it out a bit with a plasma torch until we can get a replacement."

"Sounds good, Lieutenant. Let us know if you need any help. Engineering out."

Sta'l smiled as he activated the torch and began to work. He was looking forward to the end of his duty shift. The newest issue of Technology Today was going to be released in a few hours and he was looking forward to reading it in the mess hall later. He was glad that he was away from the ongoing front-lines of the conflict between the Federation and the Dominion. He didn't consider himself a coward and he would fight to the end it he had to, but he would rather be studying technical manuals then repairing battle damage.

[HalfOfLancelot]

@Blue Demon HOPE HE'S A-OKAY!

Chief Science Officer

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_{^{⚫ ⚫ ⚫} Name}

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⦊ William Terry Hackett

_{^{⚫ ⚫ ⚫} Age}

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⦊ 36

_{^{⚫ ⚫ ⚫} Position and Rank}

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⦊ Chief Science Officer

⦊⦊ Lieutenant

_{^{⚫ ⚫ ⚫} Race}

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⦊ Human - Earth

_{^{⚫ ⚫ ⚫} Appearance}

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⦊ Quite, undoubtedly tall - 6'2" mass of lean muscle - even for a man of his origin. William provides a clean cut figure, looking pointedly less like he does research and more like he's toiled around in a bed of hay. If not for the formal attire concerning the Federation's dress code, plaid would likely feature in just about every article of clothing William has. Fortunately, he's resigned to the stark blues standard for his division. That somehow doesn't aid for how much he contrasts with everyone around him. Most would peg him a rancher from the hard callouses of his hands, the perpetual tan that colors his skin a gradient bronze.

Grins are commonplace, as is the dopey, laid back look of his face even as it is mottled with lines and light pock marks. The wiry, curly hair on his head often remains tamed in a short cut so as not to waste time better spent working. Still, it finds ways to flop and budge from its pressed pomade in loose strands that hang over his head. If it's at all possible to forget a man like William, it's quite difficult to forget his face, at the least, as it's distinct in its length and hard lines even as they smooth into a natural nonchalance.

If William ever cared for opinions, he likely would have toned down a long while ago. Even in his middle age, he has yet to quiet himself and remains a boisterous man with a voice as distinct and loud as possible. It draws off his tongue in smooth, southern grace with every bit the spitfire hidden beneath the lazy summer heat of his presence. Annoying, probably. Worse when alcohol is involved? Definitely.

_{^{⚫ ⚫ ⚫} Personality}

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⦊ William has no issues with his directness. Like most of his family, William doesn't appreciate beating around the bush and often comes off as blunt. Rude, though? Definitely not. Manners have always been a commonplace with William and even in his heightened mood, whether agitated or carefree, he often does so with respect at the forefront of his mind. It's easy, though, to befriend a man like William who often lacks any wherewithal to hide anything - maybe even insofar as wearing his heart on his sleeve. He likes people. He loves feeling the full range of emotions and refuses to hide that fact about himself. Honesty means just as much as respect.

The thrill of discovery often drives William in both his life and his work - often both at once. It's the chase William seeks: a distant feeling of enlightenment that opens his eyes just a wink more. Backing down from that chase, knowing when the depth plunges too far for any one person to traverse isn't something William does easily. It's not the credit he seeks, but the feeling of disappointment hear fears when falling upon a drastic failure. Failure itself doesn't scare Willaim. After all, trials and errors make the entirety of science. But knowing he'd stepped so close into the light, yet falling just an inch short. Like having the perfect sentence itching your fingertips and then losing it to a stray thought.

William festers with potential possibilities, outcomes, and suffers from a racing mind. White noise doesn't register to William, as he takes great care in keeping his thought process clear cut. William terrifies in his efficiency and the sheer will he pushes himself through. Suddenly the lines on his face seem a lot darker under the constant stress he pushes himself through.

_{^{⚫ ⚫ ⚫} History}

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⦊ Hackett Ranch likely supplied the largest plot of land in central Mississippi. Owned by Martha and John Hackett, the ranch cost a fortune, but quickly earned its deficit back steadily with its supply of cotton, as well as its teeming livestock. Technology made quick work of the fields, automated to plow and sow and harvest at specific intervals of time - leaving most of the work to engineering, of which consisted mainly of John's expertise. Most hard labor went with caring for live animals, of which their kids knew plenty.

Diligence was a near necessity in the ranch, luckily halving with the amount of people living there and the ranch hands hired to assist. Still, John believed hard work could take one far and drilled those ideals into each of his kids. William, of course, came first, a young, strapping boy that grew into his own boots quickly and without much fuss. To be fair, none of the Hackett kids caused much of a racket, especially with the last two, Judith and then Harold, fairing a bit quieter and more reserved than their eldest brother.

Early on in their lives, it was to be expected that the ranch get passed down every generation, or so. Either among the three of them, or to the eldest, that being William. None of them could refute such wishes, especially at such a young age. Even then, each children got only the finest in education, often in the form of personal tutors, though each gladly attended private schooling.

Unfortunately for both parents, each child quickly found a passion within just the first few months of their high school years. William had always been drawn to curiosity. Learning became an important aspect in William's early life. It could never be as simple as his father made it - everything William learned, he learned as far as the depths of his own resources could take him. When it came to education, those depths never truly ceased if one looked hard enough. William's drive and motivation pushed him not only to succeed, but to excel farther than anyone around him.

That uncanny knack for simply wanting to achieve and discover propelled him fast in his studies. Among many, organic chemistry, as well as quantum-physics had ranked top in William's list of priorities. It quickly became evident to both parents that William's eyes were set not on the ranch, but an area far more dangerous than was suited. His first insistence that he join Star Fleet during his sophomore year had been utterly denied, yet William continued. And continued. And eventually, upon turning eighteen and completing high school within the top 1% of his classmates, he took the leap without prior consent from his parents.

This drove a sharp rift between the family, especially as it caused a domino effect within the other two children. With their eldest brother taking the lead, both Judith and Harold applied to Starfleet Academy as soon as they were able. Though, William's own four year tenure at the academy came with enough ups and downs, he eventually allotted himself among a ship's own science division quickly after graduating. He jokes that he ran out of luck once they admitted him among the top ranking in his section on his first try ('cause the psych test went nearly catastrophic).

Most of William's time was spent in ship labs and working on discovering valuable uses of technology. Mostly, though, his work mainly consisted of researching the possibilities behind wormholes and the potential behind harnessing that kind of power. Unlikely to come up with something, though, William often went back and forth between projects, dedicating quite a bit of his time assisting head officers in their endeavors rather than attempting to complete his own research.

Unfortunately, even though his time in Starfleet was anything but fleeting, William eventually hung low after both of his parents passing due to an unknown, chronic ailment. Having just heard of their state and their recent death, William returned home out of a sense of duty and obligation. Mostly, his heart ached. None of their children left on a swell note and he had been among the ones that had dropped all forms of contact out of idiotic stubbornness. This lead to a swift decline in William's own state of mind and eventually he settled down on his home ranch in order to regain himself.

Studying in engineering, and simultaneously mostly failing in it, William did his best to keep the ranch running. He tended to the livestock, to the fields when he could, attempted to keep a few of the old hands hired and running things he couldn't. In fact, William spent an entire two years in complete shambles, running himself into the ground trying to run some kind of business he had no idea how to run. Working for his father and mother had been one thing, certainly, but owning everything? Allotting finances, paying bills, buying the required equipment, repairs - how he even managed to stay afloat was a mystery he wasn't willing to solve. Eventually, it finally came to having to sell the ranch in itself and find someplace else to settle down. It took months to get everything finalized and doled out, but eventually, and with a heavy heart, William let everything go. Or, at least, he tried to.

Yet, William had come to miss the exploration he'd grown fascinated with. Hard labor, economics, business, none of that seemed interesting to William. In fact, it only ever piled stress after stress onto his still exhausted shoulders. The decision to come out of his own, rather early retirement hadn't been a hasty one, but when news of the USS Orion requiring a crew and the ongoing war with the Dominion raging above, William figured both sufficed as worthy signs.

This was something he lived for and even if his parents could understand it now, they couldn't then. It was enough to drive William forward. With them gone, he found his drive only increased ten fold - he'd like to think they'd have been proud. Even if he didn't quite do as they wished.

_{^{⚫ ⚫ ⚫} Skills}

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⦊ William had always been a brilliant mind, that much had been evident during his time at Starfleet Academy, surpassing many of his fellow classmates and ranking among the top in his classes. Odd, when you look at him, but William's own drive and motivation never lacks, whether in the face of adversity or at risk of a good night's sleep. Most of William's expertise lay in organic chemistry, chemistry, and quantum-physics - mainly in the study of the Einstein-Rosenberg bridge, or wormholes. He's dabbled in theoretic concerning black holes, though a lot of his own experiments and data consists of things less... oblivion inducing.

Still, even though William's expertise lay along the border of theoretical and practical physics, some of his work is usually outsourced to the medical team. Though his biology and xenobiology is rather iffy, his knack for chemistry provides him ample skill in aiding with manufacturing medicinal products, cures, and antidotes. If needed, he can work rather closely with the medical division on most any ship, though his heart lies in one of the four fundamental forces of the universe. Or maybe all of them. He hasn't had the chance to study up on his thermonuclear dynamics - though, don't ask him to actually build anything 'cause he'll likely blow something up. As long as the question is, "How does it work?" and not, "Can you make it work?" then everything will remain in mostly one piece.

_{^{⚫ ⚫ ⚫} Sample Post}

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Dust Trails - Two Years Prior

⦊ ... And, in light of recent events, the latter half of Martha and John Hackett's will shall be doled out on Hackett Ranch twenty miles west of Madison, Mississippi. Attendance is required for the effects of...

Crumpled paper made a distinct noise. Every single time William's hands clenched and squeezed the paper hard in his palms, it felt as his heart did. That distinct crunching sound ached in his ears, even now with the paper unfolded and the words, wrinkled and jumbled together, staring back with an equally heartbroken gaze.

Dumb.

William shook his head. Words don't have eyes. They bore into his soul all the same. He—

A knock. "Room service!" followed after. William crumpled the paper one last time, shoved it onto his desk and stood. The door slid open with a curt 'shnickt', slicing like William's thin smile. He let her in and just as quickly she came and left, a plate of food in her place. William stared at the door, let the hum around him settle the drumming against his ribs.

He straightened the paper and read it again - left his food cold.

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Dust blazed beneath the sleek exterior of Ford, painting the blue chrome of its doors in a harsh grey brown. Clinking reverberated against the metal, shuddering as the car did along a fixed path through barren farm land. The road stretched straight from the dusty highway two miles to a plantation style home that carried a wide berth against the farmland, a stretch from the house to the shed where his father kept most of the animals and feed. It stood grey against the purpling, bruised clouds that loomed in the distance that dominated even the stacks of towers that served as a background.

The truck halted, first among most - the only one, William had to remind himself. Sister and brother found themselves either across the galaxy or across the world. He wouldn't begrudge them, as his circumstance came with a bit of fortune behind it. Or, well, misfortune, perhaps.

A dread circled him. Stepping out of this car meant some kind of finality William wasn't willing to come to terms with. Questions and scenarios played in his mind with malicious intent, slashing at his will one by one. If's and but's, when and why. Then the sudden, quiet realization that time was fleeting,

William slammed a hand against the steering wheel and nearly rolled out of the truck as he shouldered the door open. Emotion boiled beneath William's skin. It pulled and pushed, demanded - didn't care for his own feelings. The car door slammed shut, and William immediately turned with his fists clenched. He stalked toward the garage door, his fist hitting the white surface with an aching crack. Those same fists gripped the handle and thrust up, shoving the garage door out of the way for William to trudge in to find the old convertible still untouched under the heavy tarp.

So many of his things scattered the garage: this car was his, his telescope shoved in the corner, his bike, his school uniform, baseball equipment, old ensign uniforms. William wanted it all and simultaneously wanted none of it. The pain in chest amplified with every step he took, yet his eyes only looked for one thing. The pile of science equipment, makeshift chemistry sets, robot parts and metal shoved from their spot on the table. They clattered against the concrete floor, glass shattering and metal pieces clanging against the side of the car. William took to grasping everything he could and throwing it across the room with substantial force.

Boxes and boxes of family memorabilia piled one over the other. They'd stuffed half of the garage full of their things already, mainly things not quite labeled in the will, most likely. All of it piled and mixed with things that were once his.

Flashes of memories surfaced every moment he'd catch a glimpse of something he once held dear. A number of journals he kept; Halloween costumes stuffed alongside useless plastic toys; a box full of medallions. William shoved the heel of his hand into his eye, leaving it puffy and red and further irritated. He growled and threw what he could to the side. When he eventually hit the bottom with absolutely nothing to show for, William let out a dismayed howl, his foot finding the side of a box again and again and again until he found himself flinging objects and boxes until the garage's clean, tidiness fell to shambles. A hurricane couldn't have done worse.

William plopped down against to the bare wall, stripped of the stacks and piles of belongings all neatly packed and organized. He brought his knees to his chest and settled his head between them, biting back a sob and another, until something in him broke. Crying hadn't been something he'd become accustom to, then again, it wasn't very often he felt a black hole rip his innards to shreds. They'd spaghettify them, he corrected himself.

Hours maybe passed - William didn't bother to figure out the time. Outside it had grown dark from the heavy clouds overhead. He hadn't realized exactly when it started raining, though he figured it'd been awhile if he hadn't bothered to hear the thunder rattling the old house against its bearings. The door that lead inside creaked open to reveal a lady in a pressed suit and a high bun. Her heels clicked against the concrete, Williams eyes drawn to the slick black curve of them. A hand hovered in front of him, waiting for William to take it should he need to.

"It took an entire day to get everything organized," she sighed. She didn't have to gesture; he knew what she was talking about. "And it took you close to three minutes to tear it all a part." Without another word, she turned back and made her way inside. William followed behind, closed the door, and let the rest happen without so much as a thought clouding his mind. Sobbing made things clear. They also gave him the worst hiccups.

"If you'd have come inside first, instead of thrown a tantrum, I would have given you the rundown of everything owed," she held up a thin, transparent pad with words gliding down the sleek surface. Her manicured nails clicked against the hard glass. William almost crumpled, like the paper he so carelessly tossed, when she read off the words along the screen.

"And to our eldest, William, goes a third of our savings, all land and property for his own use, and his father's lock box which includes: the official deed to the house, insurance policies including both house and car insurance, ownership of his father's Ford Thunderbird, and official documents for the licensing and ownership of the ranch's livestock. Oh, and the keys to said car, house, and the padlock to the farm shed."

William found himself seated facing the sliding glass doors. The words hit, sure, but even in light of everything, he felt drained and exhausted. Too tired to sleep. And yet he closed his eyes, let it all sink in, and released it in a breath. Suddenly all of his outburst seemed so unnecessary - what he'd been searching for he got. But for what reasons? William sighed, closing his eyes in order to listen to the heavy patter of rain, coming in waves as the wind picked up. A steady pattern against the wooden deck of his parent's patio. Too many memories. He wanted them as memories - most of all, he wanted the picture he knew they'd hidden beneath all the paperwork. Two: one of his parents, young, on their wedding day; one of the them all, Judy, Harold, their three dogs and one cat. Just things, pieces of himself that he left here longer than he meant to.

"Since your siblings aren't here to claim their share of the land and deeds, I'm afraid they'll only be sent part of their parent's fortune," she interrupted his reverie after she deemed it enough time to contemplate. William merely nodded and watched her pack her things. "That concludes everything, I suppose," she sighed, "I still need to make everything official. We'll call you when we can." And then she began walking toward the door, a briefcase at her side.

She paused, and turned, "I'm assuming since this house now belongs to you, that you intend to clean the mess you made."

"Yeah. Yes."

"Good," she stopped again, half-way through the door and gave William a softened look, a contrast to her sharp features, "I hope your evening turns out better, officer."

"And you, as well, ma'am."

Better, by any standards, meant just a little less worse than before. That didn't mean things actually were better. Williams evening flat lined, a dull grey cloud with just one silver lining. Even the vacuum of space wouldn't let him forget his own misgivings, even if his parents did. Even if they'd forgiven years before he'd been willing to accept that as a viable option. Regret suffers no fools lightly. At least memories like these lasted a life time - or at least, until the money ran dry.

[MiddleEarthRoze]

@Blue Demon

Illyria Kan'Dosha; Chief Security Officer

Name:

Illyria “Lyra” Jadan Kan’Dosha

Age:

27

Rank/Position:

Lieutenant; Chief Security Officer

Race: Avalian;

<sub>From the planet Avalia (Located in the Idini Star Cluster; achieved warp capabilities 100 years ago, and while not a Federation Planet, has a steady alliance with the Galactic Federation of Planets), these feline-like humanoids are known to be great hunters and predators. While their technology has developed to an advanced point, they still do things such as hunting or fighting in their traditional ways, so as to not lose their natural skills. Feline attributes include dexterous limbs (Of which the legs and feet are half-Digitigrade, to accommodate for climbing, jumping, and moving both quicker and quieter than that of a plantigrade animal - such as a human) and enhanced reflexes and flexibility.

Strength does not necessarily exceed that of a human, but as most on the planet hunt to eat, higher muscle density is common. Long furry tails add to their agility when traversing difficult environments; and their senses have heightened to that of a natural hunter – enhanced night vision, sensitive taste and smell receptors, and feline like ears atop their head pick up sounds and frequencies a human would miss.

While one would not consider them to be claws or fangs, Avalian nails and teeth are far more durable and sharper than that of a human; the former to use as grip when climbing or to use in a fray; the latter due to their status as obligate carnivores (Their canines specifically are longer and sharper than the rest, to a slightly noticeable extent.).</sub>

Appearance:

Standing at an – Avalian average – height of 5’4, Lyra has a slim and lithe figure, as is the norm of her kind. Her hips and waist are visible, although not particularly pronounced. Her skin is a pleasant tanned colour, although the colour had diminished somewhat with the lack of UV rays available on a star-ship. Said skin is littered with mostly minor scars, most from some forms of sharp object like claws or fangs; and too many to list, from various skirmishes as a child. However, this is the norm on Avalia, and she does not see scarring as something ugly as some races might.

Her eyes are a peculiar golden colour; an almost honey-like hue, with flecks of darker amber within. Her pupils – as with all Avalians – are more oval than circular; a process of evolution away from vertical slits found in felines, as their eyes looked millennia ago.

Lyra’s natural hair is a mess of long, dark, mahogany curls – for work, they’re usually seen tamed into a bun or ponytail after being attacked by straighteners. In her downtime, it hangs loose, and for more sociable events, the curls can be seen as more elegant than wild, sometimes adorned with delicate plaits or decorations. The fur upon her feline like ears and tail are the same shade as her hair.

Personality:

What should be noted about Avalians, is that they have no real concept of “appropriate behaviour” or personal space; at least by most species’ standards. Touching or hugging people; regardless of relationship or familiarity, is a norm for Avalians, and by default, Lyra. Even after nearly ten years away from her home planet, she has not fully grasped this. If she were among a crowd and unable to see something, she would not hesitate in climbing up a taller comrades’ back to get a better view. The only real thing she has learnt is to avoid doing this with strangers, or people she has only just met.

As for her immediate personality, she is immensely curious. Never afraid to try a new thing, and showing an almost childish wonder at new things, Lyra can come across as very open-minded. Nothing particularly falters her, even if a thing is surprising or extremely different from she is used to. This has come from an acceptance seen as uncommon among her people, and adaptation from her change in cultures. Her philosophy is this: Why be afraid of something new, when you can learn something from it?

However, this should not diminish her ferocity and protectiveness. Being an apex predator, and a strong and wilful fighter, Lyra is ready to protect herself and others from enemies, no matter the cost. Becoming Chief Security Officer aboard the USS Orion has only reinforced that fact; her life, before anyone else’s, from the Captain to the lowliest Crewman.

Outside of duty, Lyra retains both her curiosity and protective side; she enjoys hearing stories from her workmates, particularly amusing ones; and to expand her knowledge in other species’ cultures. Also, if a friend of hers is being harassed, she will respond in the only way she knows – this can often come across as being over-protective, or an over-bearing attitude; she has been known to address people, even her superiors, with an aggressive attitude in the mind of keeping them away from harm. This has gotten her into trouble in the past, and will likely do the same in the future – because while Lyra can accept other cultures and people, she often finds it hard to understand why they do certain things; why a Human will do something life-threatening just to prove a point, or a Klingon being happy with death as long as it is a “good” one.

History:

Lyra was born as Princess Illyria Jadan of Clan Kan’Dosha; third in line to the throne that ruled over the continent of Aldaan. The Kan’Doshans had ruled over Aldaan for centuries before they achieved warp capabilities, and were constantly at war with their sister continent of Ieslyaa, ruled by the Fortun Clan. A shaky peace treaty was only created twenty years ago, achieved with the aid of neutral Starfleet negotiators.

Lyra had an easy-going and straight-forward life; being third in line to the throne after her eldest brother Kadan, and older sister Eldaya, she had no real responsibilities. Kadan was groomed to be the future King, and Eldaya to be the “back-up”. Lyra and her younger siblings were not focused on as much in royal terms, instead being allowed far more freedom than their two eldest siblings. She spent her days as a child in play; which, for an Avalian, involved far rougher activities than a human child would endure; hunting animals in the wilds surrounding the cities; “play-fighting”, as it was called, although often involving some form of mêlée weapon, or simply just tooth and claw. However, as a Princess, she was expected to take part in certain other activities at a young age. A study of alien languages (Mostly focused on English, being the most Universal language of the Federation); elocution (at least, elocution by Avalian standards), and history; mainly that of her own world. However, even at a young age, Lyra was far more interested in other planets, and their own histories. While her tutors and parents were happy to stem her curiosity at first, they soon grew more stringent in their teachings upon realising her enthusiasm on the subject. The last thing her parents, the King and Queen, wanted was for Lyra to think too much about outside cultures. That meant she could potentially question her own culture, and it would be most problematic for a Princess to do so. Instead, they tried to channel her eagerness into more practical uses – fighting and hunting skills, taught to all children upon their planet, regardless of kingdom or social stance. And for a time, this worked. Lyra channelled all of her will into learning new fighting and hunting styles, wanting to best everyone – even her older sister, with whom she certainly felt very competitive against.

However, over time, her wanderlust returned, and she yearned to know more of outside planets. Her parents attempted to stem this somewhat in sending her on diplomatic visits to Ieslyaa – of which she was only too happy to do, what with her being the most companionable of her siblings when it came to their previous foes – but it wasn’t enough. The brief visits into the upper atmospheres, or moons of Avalia arranged by her parents weren’t enough for Lyra. She needed to see more of the universe – after all, they were not a true part of it! Why should she not see more?

As the years went by, Lyra and her parents warred; they, attempting to stem her curiosity without losing her to the stars; and she, wanting to go further, but without losing the love of her parents. For despite their differences, she did love her parents, and they loved her; perhaps, too much to avoid losing her. However, this all came to an end when she turned 16, when both her mother and father died. A supposed accident; solar flares from their twin suns knocking their shuttle towards a moon off course, wiping out life support and killing all on board. It was a time of grieving for their entire continent, for the King and Queen had been much loved – and so, any potential nefarious acts went unnoticed. That is, until the newly crowned King Kadan also mysteriously died – a hunt gone wrong. While it was not uncommon for Avalians to die on a hunt, it was still strange – for him to die so soon after his parents.

At least, that’s what Lyra concluded. Especially with Eldaya’s reaction to such events; of which there wasn’t much of one. A public speech, moving in her farewell to her dead family, and a promise of being a just and fair ruler, but in private, there was nothing. No words of comfort or assurance to Lyra or her younger siblings, as Kadan had done when their parents had died; just a stony, almost smug ascension to Queen-hood. And as Lyra turned 17, she knew something was truly wrong, as an engagement came up. Her engagement, arranged by Eldaya without her knowing.

It was to a Prince from the third, smallest continent on their planet, known as Y’diin. Being far less powerful and further away from the two main continents, Y’dinn had never been involved in the fighting between Aldaan and Ielsyaa, never creating alliances with either of them, even after peace was found. However, in the past decades, the smaller continent had excelled in their technology; building a stronger and bigger army than was ever expected. And Lyra knew what her sister planned with this alliance – the two continents would join forces, to wipe out Ielsyaa for good. Eldaya had always scorned the peace treaties, saying that they could never be allies with a people they had been at war with for so long. However, Lyra would not allow such a thing to occur.

Rebelling in the only way she could, Lyra stole a small star ship from their docks in the dead of night, fleeing the planet and galaxy as fast as the ship could manage. Without her, the marriage could not go ahead – The Queen herself could not marry someone from another realm, and her younger siblings – being all boys additionally – were far too young for such arrangements. While a treaty could still occur without her present, it would be shakier without a marriage cementing it.

With nowhere else to go, Lyra directed her shuttlecraft towards the thing that would help her achieve her dreams since being a little girl; Starbase 82, located in Federation space. Upon arriving, she claimed asylum, and askance to enter Starfleet. From there, she was given transport to the closest Federation Planet, being Betazed. After living out a year there on the planet; her situation being processed by those “on top” in Starfleet, she was finally allowed to enter the Academy, under one condition; she was to forego her title on Avalia, and not bring any of the politics into Starfleet. Her loyalty was to be to them, and not her planet – which she was only too happy to give. Not only had she defied and denied her traitorous sister of what she wanted most, but Lyra was finally achieving her dream, to see the Universe and meet new races and cultures.

She entered the Academy down the security route, deciding that her mind and body borne from years of strategic and tactical hunting would make her perfect for the job, and she certainly did well in the field. After three years, she excelled her peers in training, only failing when it came to certain rules and norms that she hadn’t yet grown used to. By her fourth year, she was serving on starships; by her fifth, she had received the rank of Ensign. It took another four years of hard work – and swapping between several ships – for her to receive the role of Lieutenant, a rank she is very proud of herself for receiving. However, she was still surprised to become Chief Security Officer onboard the USS Orion, having assumed someone older, and with more experience, would have been taken on.

Skills:

While Lyra considers that others may have been better suited for her role aboard the Orion, she diminishes her own talents. Not only has she plenty of experience in high-tension, fighting situations – from hunting on Avalia (While the prey there is easy enough to kill, the forests of her world are teeming with other predators anxious for a meal – she’s fought them off more than once.) – but she has received extra training in fighting styles through her time at Starfleet. Martial arts, both from Earth and other Federation Planets, have been taught to her in almost record time, as she has picked the skills up extremely quickly.

In addition to this, one should consider her strategic mind. The hunting on her planet is not only a necessity; it is a sport, a skill, even an art. Some forms of prey are so illusive, it is considered a great honour to be able to hunt and kill such magnificent beasts. Lyra is lucky enough to count herself among those lucky few – not from her speed and strength, but from her tactical mind. She is shrewd in thinking up a quick plan to gain the advantage in a situation; often using her enemies’ attributes and personality against them, or utilising her environment. Also, she knows when would be the best time to use force. Although Chief Security Officer, she does not always fall back on the offensive when it comes to giving advice to her Captain – her mind is good enough to offer up more peaceful ways, if she believes it would prove advantageous.

Other:

Firmly insists to those who ask that she does not purr like a cat – but if you hit the right spot beneath her ears or on her back, she’ll be going like a little tabby-cat in no time.

Can’t eat much in the way of vegetables or fruit – not through preference, but because of her digestive system. It simply prefers proteins over fibres – a damn shame, in her eyes, because she freakin’ loves strawberries and cherries. Over-consumption of such things will give her terrible stomach cramps.

She went on a night out with a group of friends as a cadet once; it was themed bar, meant to emulate a Earth one from the very early 21st century, playing their music. Since then, she’s been obsessed with that particular era of music, even branching her interests into the late 20th century era.

Although fluent in English, she still retains a slight accent from Avalia – the best similarity would be one of Italian, on Earth.

Has a sweet singing voice, but doesn’t particularly show it off much in public. Stage fright, and all that. However, get a few pints of Romulan ale in her and she might just give you a bout of crooning.

Sample Post:

Lyra inhaled the sweet scent of the tree’s leaves deeply, closing her eyes as the wind brushed against her face. The air circled through the towering fauna, branches and leaves rustling out a melody for her alone to enjoy.

This was the feel of home, only without everything else – no responsibilities, no arranged marriages, and no family; dead, traitorous, or otherwise. Just her, the land and the sky.

Except, it wasn’t home. It was the holodeck, emulating as best it could what Avalia was like. And she had to admit, it had nailed it pretty well. Even the unique, spicy scent of the Balderan trees, seemingly unknown to other species unless they had visited her home planet – and that hadn’t happened very often. The Avalians were not known to be overly fond of outsiders; it was a miracle they had accepted a human to organise peace talks all those years ago.

Shaking her head ever so slightly, Lyra removed those thoughts from her mind. She was not at home; nor was she among Avalians. This was the Starship Orion, and nostalgic thoughts of home would not help her fit in among her fellow officers.

“Exit.” She ordered, turning around as the doors of the holodeck appeared in the middle of the forest she stood in; opening to reveal the corridors beyond. Stepping outside of the simulation, she brought an end to the programme, and began making her way to her quarters. She would need an early start tomorrow; her first day on the bridge among the other senior officers, and of course, her new Captain. It brought two thrilling sensations through her; one of excitement, the other of nervousness. Lyra had no idea what these people would be like, but she only hoped they would be the decent sort.

[Blue Demon]

@Chev@HalfOfLancelot@MiddleEarthRozeYou guys are busy bees. I'll review these sheets after work.

[Teddyinahat]

Hope I still have time to be in the running for XO. Here is a proof read version of my character from the interest check.

Nick Tylin

Name: Nick Tylin

Age: 43

Rank/Position: Commander, First Officer

Race: Human

Appearance:

Big Photo

At 178cm, or 5"10', Nick was of average height, and had an average yet physically fit build. His hair was greying and he kept a thinnish beard which was strangely scruffy and tidy at the same time. Off duty he wore glasses while preferring to wear contact lenses while on duty, he refused to have the simple corrections done to his eyes by starfleet medical, often heard saying "It's in the family tradition to wear glasses".

Personality: Straight talking, what you see is what you get with Nick. He does not hide his thoughts if he thinks they will have any impact on the situation. Extrovert without being arrogant or overbearing. One thing that people always notice is how Nick makes friends very easily, and this is usually attributed to his sincerity and open nature.

History: Growing up in rural Ireland, Nick was always known to the other kids as a bit of a nerd. He didn't fit in with the other farmers' kids in the area, more interested in books than tractors. Well, that was not entirely true, the tractors were the only part of farming he did like. After going to school in the nearest town and doing well in mathematics and physics he decided to, at the annoyance of his father, leave Ireland and head to Star Fleet Academy in San Fransisco where he Majored in engineering with minors in astrophysics and astronavigation.

Despite a few of his fellow Academy attendees becoming very well known within star fleet in later years, he never met any of them until years later when he met Commander Sisco (now Captain) during a visit to Deep Space 9. Other notable attendees during his time included Commander Riker and Lieutenant Commander La Forge, but Nick has never met either of them.

His First assignment when he graduated was on the Geo-Terraforming Vessel USS Strata where he performed well in the engineering department being quickly promoted to Lieutenant Jr. Grade after suggesting actions which led to the saving of the warp core during an overload during a freak electronic storm.

After reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander he was offered the Chief Engineering post on the USS Dublin during its construction at Mars. He spent more time in the drydock than on the actual ship but it was a post that he enjoyed greatly. It was nearing the end of construction when he was promoted to Commander and given a list of ships requiring first officers while also being offered the command of Starbase 185 which was on the edge of federation space. He didn't like the sound of being so far from everything so he applied for the First Officer position on the USS Orion for which he was accepted.

When the Dominion War broke out many ships were lost but the tough little Miranda Class survived, as it had for many years before, and was now being sent to Romulus with Ambassador Spock to talk to the Romulans who had mostly kept to themselves for many decades.

Skills: Engineering skills from past experience as CEO of the Steamrunner class USS Dublin. Diplomacy skills from base personality. Marginally above average phaser rifle marksman skills but below average, yet passable sidearm phaser skills.

Other: He likes cats, and enjoys strategy games.

Sample Post: One Week after promotion, USS Dublin, Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, Mars

"Lieutenant Commander Tylin, I am very happy to see this promotion to the rank of Commander, your work on the Dublin has been exemplary and the ship should be ready to launch within a few months."

"Thank you, Sir." Tylin replied to the Admiral with a smile on his face, he already knew the schedule for the launch but he did not comment on this to the high ranking man.

This was his chance to move out of the Sol system and see more of the galaxy. He had been here too long for his liking and hoped there was a ship willing to have him as First Officer. He had been offered the commanding position on Starbase 185, out beyond Romulan space, but would only take that as a last resort.

The Admiral continued, "We have reviewed your request to join the USS Orion and it has been approved, your application has now been sent on to the Captain of the ship." he held out a had and Nick shook it. "I wish you good luck, they will be lucky to have a First Officer with such skills as yours."

The Admiral left him standing in his own office on board the Dublin where he stood for a moment thinking about the spontaneous visit. The first he had heard of the Admiral's visit was that morning, when the admiral's ship had left Earth orbit, sending the message of the upcoming inspection as it did. Everyone on the Dublin was rushing to get things in order for the Admiral's arrival and Nick knew he was not the only one shocked when the Admiral had asked to speak to him in private. Admiral Velinov had not been present at the awarding ceremony for his promotion the week before but had been present throughout the construction of the Dublin and had been on board for inspections many times.

He was not on duty now, the Captain would now be leading the Admiral on the inspection tour of the Security and Armament departments so Nick could relax. He would, of course, have to be present for the Engineering Inspection later but that was not due for a few more hours so he headed to the transporter room and beamed to the mess hall in the surface facility below for a quick lunch, he knew engineering was in order and was not worried about an inspection this late in construction.

[Teddyinahat]

@Blue Demon Will you be playing a character? I see Ruby is going for Captain, I expected you to reserve that role :p

[Blue Demon]

@Teddyinahat You can take out: "I hope this is enough to compliment the picture". Other than that it looks good to me. Per the same song and dance, I'll let you know later who gets the position.

@Blue Demon

@Blue Demon Will you be playing a character? I see Ruby is going for Captain, I expected you to reserve that role :p

@Teddyinahat

Yes and no. I'll be playing NPCs mainly and most of the antagonists. I'm more of a traditional GM where I don't take on a player character.

And the captain's role was always available which was why it was in the list of positions for people to take. :D Anyone can feel free to contest Ruby's claim to it.

[Teddyinahat]

@Blue Demon If I had realised that I would have made Nick Captian... oh well. I'm not too bothered. I like XO position.

Oh, I thought I did take that out. sorry. I'll edit now

[Ruby]

Yesssss. Challenge Ruby; she likes the challenges.

Muwahahahahahahaha.

Right, except for:

@RubyYou'll just have to wait the prescribed 24 hour period for any contest to the position.

@Blue Demon

Oh, look, it's been 24 hours since CS posted. ^_^

[Ruby]

Skills: Engineering skills from past experience as CEO of the Steamrunner class USS Dublin. Diplomacy skills from base personality. Marginally above average phaser rifle marksman skills but below average, yet passable sidearm phaser skills.

@Teddyinahat

The more you know...

Chief Engineer abbreviation is CHENG, not CEO.

[HalfOfLancelot]

<Snipped quote by Teddyinahat>

The more you know...

Chief Engineer acronym is CHENG, not CEO.

@Ruby

That begs the question: which is CSO? Chief Science Office or Chief Security Officer?

*hopes it's CSEC for the latter; mmm Mass Effect*

[Ruby]

<Snipped quote by Ruby>

That begs the question: which is CSO? Chief Science Office or Chief Security Officer?

*hopes it's CSEC for the latter; mmm Mass Effect*

@HalfOfLancelot

Chief of Security (COS), Chief Science Officer (CSO).

Sorry to disappoint. ;)

[HalfOfLancelot]

<Snipped quote by HalfOfLancelot>

Chief of Security (COS), Chief Science Officer (CSO).

Sorry to disappoint. ;)

@Ruby

*Shakes fist to the skies*

MY HOPES AND DREAMS.

Damn, though. Heh, at least I get the CSO. >:D Eat my dust you COS losers.

[POOHEAD189]

Neil Edwards

Name: Neil Edwards
Age: 23
Rank/Position: Ensign Engineer, and former First Sergeant in the Federation Marine Corps.
Race: Human
Appearance: Of Average build with short dark hair, Neil isn’t exactly the most unique specimen. He is fit but not noticeably so. He isn’t big at all, but he is also not small. He has a face girls can find cute, but not exactly dreamy. All in all, other than the twinkling of his eyes and the trademark grin (or soft smile), he is normal in most respects. He has dark eyes and very dark brown hair, enough to be considered black in most lighting. He's about 5'10 and 165 pounds.
Personality: Neil is quick witted and downright silly at times. He enjoys excitement and loves a challenge. He has a warped sense of right and wrong, but that doesn't mean he's without morals. He has a tender heart truth be told, an intuitive mind, and a deepness to him, once you get past the jokes and sarcasm. People often underestimate him, but he has an iron will, a fair intellect, and he's downright tough to what some might describe as a sociopathic degree. He laughs in the face of danger, and at least on the outside, his main motivation is to have fun, and kick ass. He quite enjoys explosives.
History: Born to two loving parents, with two older sisters that constantly messed with him, Neil had a fairly average life growing up. It was pretty boring, he soon realized. His mind went all over the place, giving him a knack for fixing and building things because he needed something to do, and a quick wit in conversation. The southern heat he experienced growing up in the northern part of Florida never really bothered him.

After causing quite a few problems at his school growing up, his parents sent him off to the military academy, where he was to be enlisted in the Federation Marine Corp. He gave his Staff Sergeant one hell of a headache. Daily. The punishments meted out to him didn't seem to phase him too much either. In fact he'd often laugh when others would start crying or complaining. However, they gained a (somewhat) healthy respect for one another, and Neil rose to be a Sergeant himself, though he never saw actual combat (unless you could in fighting between recruits, and gun mishaps. Woops).

Deciding that this was now boring again, and he was old enough to be independent on what career path he chose, he decided to demote himself to Ensign as an Engineer in Star Fleet, passing the required tests and making it into the USS Orion. Pretty women, adventure, things to fix, guns to shoot, why not? He made a good accounting of himself when things would go wrong, but had a real disinterest in the dress code or the protocol. Eventually he decided to play by the rules once it became clear that continual disobedience would have him kicked off. He'd wait until such time when it died down to make a ruckus again. Good thing he was a fine addition in most every way save conduct.
Skills: Fine Engineer, Good with Explosive, charming, a fair shot and combatant.
Other: Ladies~ He's very agile and balanced, earning the title 'monkey boy' from various women.
Sample Post:
The blow torch gave off sparks that illuminated his goggles, revealing the signature, roguish grin he had stamped on his face as he realized that he was just about to fix the Warp Engines. The calibrations had already been set by his superior, but they needed a grease monkey's expertise on the matter, apparently. A few of his red shirt colleagues had expressed the opinion that he had no idea what he was doing, but they'd just see about tha- wait...shit.

"No no no no no," he chuckled in desperation as sparks began to fly, grabbing a wrench and yanking out a plug with it. He could feel heat blasting on his face, knowing if he didn't think quickly he'd be more irradiated than was safe for...anyone. "Come on baby, rev up for me, pleeease." he said, inserting back in one of the older 6/7.8 models. Suddenly the lights on the rotor before him lit up like the 4th of July, and his grin grew wider as he marveled at the genius he was. "It's alive... It's alive!" he said to himself like some mad scientist full of glee.

His next words were yelled to his crew mates in the next room. "Hey guys! I think I did something significant!" he called. ..."_{You did something significant}..." ... "_{I just backed talked myself.}"

[Jb]

@Blue Demon Any chance my favourite Romulan can get back in on this at all?!

Herak S'Prorta

Name: Herak S'Prorta

Age: 34

Rank/Position: Subcommander acting as an Ambassador to the U.S.S Orion and the Federation.

Race: Romulan

Appearance: Herak is a pretty standard Romulan male, standing at an average height of 6' 2", his flesh of a slightly green colouring, his jet-black hair cut into the usual Romulan 'bowl cut' style, and the 'V' brow-ridge present and accounted for upon his forehead.

One thing that others may notice is, oddly, that he is actually quite handsome from a certain point of view; he possesses the Patrician features of nobility - high cheekbones, a slightly hooked nose and a finely sculpted bone structure - as well as clean-limbed body with wiry muscles from decades of hard training.

In fact, everything about the way he looks could be considered hard and generally solid in a look that only a seasoned combat soldier - or rough-and-tumble fighter - can achieve.

His otherwise unmarked skin is defaced in certain places upon his torso by what look to be scarring caused by bladed weapons, a similar healing of the skin on his face (which has left a puckered scar reaching his jawline) causing the right side of his mouth to upturn, making it seem as if he is constantly sneering, smirking or generally sharing a private joke with himself.

Personality: Private, yet nowhere near as paranoid or insular as other Romulans - he has seen things during his years of military service, both on land and among the stars, giving a dimension of curiosity and wanderlust to him that most of his race severely lack. This has affected him in other ways, primarily in that he adheres strictly to rules aboard ship, is very black and white in his views, and once heated in extremely hard to subdue in any situation. Needless to say, most of his personality stems back to his upbringing, and his time serving the Star Empire.

History: The life of young Herak is a singularly uninteresting one; born into the little-known House-clan of Prorta, he came from a line of warriors and soldiers that could be traced back to the very founding of Romulus itself. They had never had a representative in the Senate, never gained command over the armies or fleets of the Empire, but those of the Prorta had never shirked their duty and had ever done all they could to further the aims of their homeland.

From the earliest suitable age he was exposed to military matters, those of open face-to-face or ship-to-ship combat, and has always held a disdain for the Tal'Shiar and their underhanded methods of warfare. As he grew older he endured tutelage from three generations of his male line, each a warrior and each with their own knowledge to impart to him, a training that would see him beaten time and again in body and mind but returning each time a little stronger than the last.

Eventually, he made his way to the Romulan Imperial War College, showing an aptitude for studying and therefore learning how best to annihilate an enemy...something well noted by his professors and training instructors, something that would have a bearing on his overall future; upon graduation he was offered the rank of Centurion and took it gladly, only too happy to try and make his family proud of him!

What he experienced for the next sixteen years of his life would leave a lasting impact upon hi,, both mentally and with quite obvious scars which he carries to this day. Conflicts against the Klingons, Dominion and the Breen seeing to it that he gathered healthy amounts of both hatred and respect for his honoured adversaries, but also making certain that he took to studying his potential enemies - such as the Federation, Bajorns and Cardassians - in much more thorough detail.

By the time an assignment was handed to him, his peers apparently far too paranoid and undiplomatic for such a task (his wounds by a bladed weapon also rendering him temporarily less effective as a fighter...), he had become a respected - if not well liked - Subcommander within the Romulan hierarchy, now being transferred to an ambassadorial role aboard a Federation vessel. A vessel carrying none other than Ambassador Spock, the envoy between Vulcan and the grassroots movement on Romulus for reunification of the species, something that Herak supported in secret but would never dream of speaking about in public.

Skills: He contributes a number of skills, but highest on the list would have to be his knowledge of all things Romulan. Especially helpful during these trying times against the Dominion, when all need to unite. Perhaps a little lower down, but no less helpful, is his extensive and personally gained knowledge of combat in a plethora of settings, situations and so forth. If a position became available where these skills may be needed, he might jump at the chance.

Other: Anything else I feel can be figured out IC.

Sample Post:

Subcommander Herak paced back and forth within the confines of his new 'accommodation' aboard the Orion, hands fixed firmly behind his back, his brow furrowed and his lips pursed tightly together; all-in-all it was the mood of someone not pleased to have been taken from what he thought of as 'proper' duties, and placed instead as some go-between for his people. Getting cut with a Klingon weapon was nothing, certainly no reason to have attached him to this primitive vessel, far away from his beloved Star Empire, his family, and most especially any sense of excitement or thrill of battle.

These surroundings, for one, were wholly inadequate!

The artistic value of the room was none, the walls a horrid grey colour, not a lick of paint or a picture visible anywhere, and, worst of all, he was forced to endure the constant whirring murmur of the engines - engines that, he swore on his father's life, must have been placed so close to this habitation deck just to annoy the mostly non-human occupants.

Then there was the Captain of the ship...the half-breed who claimed some sort of Romulan ancestry. Such a remark was to be greeted at all turns with much laughter, at least in private, for he had seen Tal'Shiar documents pertaining to each and every senior member of this crew, and he was not impressed. Not impressed at all.

The so-called Captain certainly bore the name of a notable family from ch'Rihan, it could only be a matter of waiting in these turbulent times to see if she had what it took to bear it.

[OneWayOut]

Hmm I think I'm going to sit this one out this time. I plan to follow along and read up on the IC though once it gets started. :)

[Blue Demon]

Sorry for my not being on after work. >.> Life yo.

@ChevRomulans are taking over the ship! I like him. I look forwards to seeing him interact with others on the ship. Just one point of clarification. Are you going for the Chief Engineer position? Or just a general engineering position?

@Blue Demon Any chance my favourite Romulan can get back in on this at all?!

@Jbcool

There is! Most definitely. The CS is good. I'll just have you wait the prescribed 24 hours for any contest to the position.

And now for accepted characters passing through the barricade <3
@Ruby, since your character was never contested, even with a small "I wanna be captain post" Vash is once again our Lovely Captain.

The position of Chief Medical officer goes to @bluetommy2's Guy Merritt. @McHaggis's Caelum can be his Senior Medical Officer if you so wish or you may choose another position.

@POOHEAD189Due to you applying for a position that many people can get which negates the fact someone might contest you for that spot, you sir don't have to wait the prescribed 24 hours. (Lucky you)

@HalfOfLancelotHe's Matthew McConaughey I think that speaks for itself... Which means he passes. And since I've already made you wait 24 hours, accepted.

@MiddleEarthRoze Interesting choice of characters. Reminds me of Starfire from DC Comics. _{I'm a nerd okay} But I like her. Comes with plenty of interesting plot things I can do. *Steeples fingers like Mr. Burns* Excellent. And again, since I've made you wait 24 hours, your character is good to go.

@GuntherYour character is good and accepted. You can move him over to the CS tab.

@DeadBeatWalking@TeddyinahatI'm sorry for doing this to you guys, but I'm conferring with Ruby since her character will be Captain and Captains pick their XOs, so I'm soliciting her option. I'll have the results back to ASAP.
And the results are in. @Teddyinahat the spot is yours. @DeadBeatWalking You can take up another position on the ship.

[Blue Demon]

Hmm I think I'm going to sit this one out this time. I plan to follow along and read up on the IC though once it gets started. :)

@OneWayOut

Sad to hear, but you're free to jump in after we start if you so desire.

@Gowi I see you lurking and liking things. Join us. :D

[Jb]

@Blue Demon Aye, apologies but I think I shall sit it out also. :( I'll keep an eye on it, and may Romulus smile upon you.