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General Information Full Name: Aeryk Tallaan Nicknames: Aer (pronounced like "air") Place of Birth: West Leranna, Morakka VII Current Home: Ashalla, Bajor Race: Human/Bajoran Rank: Lieutenant s.g. Current Position: Sensor Specialist Age: 28 Gender: Male Height: 5'9" Weight: 145 pounds Hair Color: Light Brown Eye Color: Brown
Personal Information |
At present, he's a bit more closed-off and reserved than usual, due largely to being on the other side of the Federation from his home and from his bondmate Lucas Carlson. Occasionally, the strain of this casues him to speak more harshly to his new crewmates than he would otherwise be inclined to do. He is dealing with depression caused by this situation, and it sometimes shows on his face.
Appearance: Aeryk is of average build. He's not especially muscled, nor is he scrawny. Being half-Bajoran, he has the usual ridged nose of a Bajoran, but it is less pronounced than it is with full-Bajorans. It's not uncommon for him to be mistaken as a full-Human by those who don't look closely. Other than the nasal ridges, the only noticable characteristic of his appearance are his hands. His fingers are unusually long and slender, and he has precise control over them. Because of the number of people over the years who told him he had "surgeon's hands," he considered becoming a doctor before finally deciding that Science would be more fulfilling to him.
Physical Health: Excellent. He is rarely ill, though when he does get sick it tends to hit him harder than most people. He does have a tendency to appear slightly ill when in full uniform, as Starfleet Standard environmental settings are considerably warmer than he's used to and thus he has a tendency to perspire with even light effort.
Mental Health: Slightly above-average. His mind is sharp, and he multi-tasks well.
Emotional Health: Like most native Morakkites, he is very well-balanced. The exceptionally open-minded nature of the planet's diverse peoples means that he's been exposed to a myriad of cultures, religions, and races ever since he was young. This has made him more open to new ideas, ways of thinking, and customs than people from less diverse backgrounds tend to be. He is currently under some strain, caused by being assigned far from his home and from Lucas. He should probably be seeing a counselor for his mild depression, but is too stubborn to admit that he might benefit from someone else's help in that respect.
Posts and Assignments in Starfleet:
USS Kinkaide, Junior Science Officer
USS Ptolemy, Junior Science Officer
Bajor Fleetyard, Sensor Technician
USS Dragonstar, Sensor Specialist
Promotions, Awards, or Commendations:
Promoted to Ensign after two month training cruise on USS Kinkaide
Promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade aboard USS Ptolemy
Promoted to Lieutenant Senior Grade at Bajor Fleetyard and reassigned to USS Dragonstar
Important Events in his Life:
Aeryk Tallaan was born on November 23rd, 2353 on Morakka VII. His mother and father split their cultures' naming traditions, placing his names in the order most common in Amanda's culture, but using his father's family name as his last name.
His early years were largely uneventful, due to Morakka being located in a relatively quiet part of the galaxy. Skirmishes between Federation starships and Cardassian warships made the news occasionally, but even those events occurred dozens of lightyears away and were of little interest to the majority of the planet's people, and therefore he, as a child, took little note of them either.
He progressed on through his school years as an average student, not showing any exceptional promise in any particular area of study, but doing well in most of them. He started becoming more interested in galactic happenings after the starship Coridian sent the local newsnets into a flurry of activity when it nearly crashed on Morakka after experiencing engine problems in orbit. He was 12 at the time.
Three years later, he watched, spellbound, as the 100th anniversay of Morakka's founding was marked in the capital with an elaborate ceremony attended by dignitaries from all over the Federation. Several notable starships were present in orbit as escorts for the ambassadorial couriers, and Aeryk studied everything he could find about them. He came to understand that "Starfleet," which he'd heard references to but never really understood, was in fact the exploratory arm of the Federation, and he became enthralled with the idea of travelling to new worlds, meeting new people, and in general increasing his knowledge of "what's out there."
He thereafter dedicated himself to becoming a part of that endeavor, and gained admission to Starfleet Academy in 2370, at age 17. Once again, he neither excelled nor failed in any particular area, though his interests and skills did indicate a leaning toward a scientific field. For a time he considered going into Medical, where his steady, precise control over his hands and fingers would be a definate asset, but in the end he chose to focus on Science. He found himself fascinated with sensor technology and the various methods the Federation had of gathering ever-more-detailed information from ever-greater distances.
Accellerated crash programs instituted at Starfleet Academy when war with the Dominion appeared to be inevitable meant that he graduated in February of 2374 and was posted as an acting Ensign to the Saber Class starship Kinkaide, on what was supposed to have been a safe training mission. He was thrust into the darker side of Starfleet's role when the Kinkaide was ambushed by three Jem'Hadar Attack Ships less than five weeks later. The Kinkaide would have been lost with all hands were it not for the timely arrival of the USS Discovery, which destroyed two of the attack ships and chased the third off before returning to assist the drifting Kinkaide.
A few weeks after that, Aeryk was made a full Ensign. After repairs, the Kinkaide spent the next few months with the Ninth Fleet, serving as a light escort vessel for the much larger battlecruisers of that fleet. It had a few close calls, but came through relatively unscathed.
Later in 2374, Aeryk was reassigned to the Ambassador Class starship Ptolemy. This ship was involved in several major skirmishes throughout the remainder of the Dominion War. The aging starship and her crew earned some recognition when they singlehandedly destroyed a Jem'Hadar Battlecruiser. In the process, they saved two Romulan Warbirds that had collided after a hit to the engines of one had sent it spiralling into the other, disabling them both.
The Ptolemy was supposed to participate in the final invasion of Cardassia, but it had to drop out of the battle when its shield generator overloaded and exploded during an early phase of the fight. It was forced to back off, and had to stay behind as the rest of the Allied Fleet, along with the newly-allied Cardassian Military, sped off to Cardassia Prime in pursuit of the retreating Jem'Hadar and Breen forces.
After the formal end of the War, however, the Ptolemy assumed a prominent role in the Federation's relief effort to what remained of Cardassia Prime. Aeryk was a member of one of the first relief teams to transport down to the surface with food and medical supplies. He kept control of himself while helping distribute aid, but later on, in the privacy of his own quarters, he broke down and cried over the devastation he'd witnessed. He thought he'd never be able to forget the stench of death and decay on the surface. And the vacant, traumatized faces of the surviving Cardassians gave him nightmares for weeks.
It was during this dark period of his life that he met Lucas Carlson. Lucas was a cargo handler on the SS Atlantica, one of the hundreds of civilian ships hired by Starfleet to help deliver aid to Cardassia. Atlantica was one of 12 ships in a regular convoy to Cardassia from the relief staging area on Bajor, and Ptolemy, Aeryk's ship, was that convoy's Starfleet escort.
Aeryk met Lucas the first time he transported over to Atlantica. Lucas was on duty in Atlantica's cargo hold, and Aeryk was there to take a personal inventory of the supplies on board. The two worked together for Aeryk's entire shift, by the end of which they'd established a bond of friendship. Over the next year, they worked together frequently on the continuing relief missions to Cardassia, supporting each other through the dark times, and sharing in each other's good times.
It was Aeryk who initially suggested that they take their relationship to the next level, and though the idea hadn't occurred to Lucas until that point, he didn't hesitate to accept. Aeryk took a leave of abscence from Starfleet, and the two of them returned to Morakka for the Bonding Ceremony that had come into being there; a tradition borrowing elements from the marriage and bonding customs of many worlds and yet belonging exclusively to none but Morakka.
Aeryk's parents were overjoyed that their son had found someone special to share his life with, and though Lucas's parents were somewhat less enthusiastic about it, they were not blind to the fact that their son was clearly happier than he'd ever been previously. For that reason alone they left their more "traditional" expectations behind when they attended the Bonding Ceremony.
Afterward, Aeryk and Lucas returned to their jobs, continuing to work with the now Bajor-led relief efforts to Cardassia. Finally a member of the Federation, after eight years of struggle, Bajor found its voice in Galactic affairs and intended to prove that Bajorans were a people of compassion, even toward their former oppressors. Along with this, Bajor invited Starfleet Command to establish a new shipyard in the Bajoran system, in part to serve the needs of the relief effort, but also to expand the Federation's ability to explore the distant parts of the Alpha Quadrant, as well as the newly-reopened Gamma Quadrant frontiers.
In 2378, shortly after his promotion to Lieutenant j.g. on the Ptolemy, Aeryk requested reassignment to the newly-operational Bajor Fleetyard. His request was granted, and he and Lucas bought a small house in Bajor's capital city, Ashalla. Lucas remained employed by the captain of the Atlantica, but with Cardassia's recovery now well underway, the ship was handling more varied cargo runs, to increasingly distant locations. When Lucas returned home however, it was to Bajor, and Aeryk.
In the meantime, Aeryk was finding his new duties as a Sensor Technician to be more difficult than his prior jobs had been. In particular, the fleetyard's efforts to bring the vessels of the former Bajoran Militia up to Starfleet specs was proving frustrating in several areas, one of which were the sensory systems Aeryk was involved with. He proved to be more competent in operating sensors than in upgrading them. Eventually, when it became clear that Aeryk wasn't matched to his work very well, he was assigned to test the capabilities of the new sensors.
That proved to be a better match for him, and in 2381 he was promoted to Lieutenant s.g. and given a new assignment, to serve as Sensor Specialist aboard the USS Dragonstar. There was one problem: the Dragonstar's normal area of operation was on the other side of the Federation from Bajor. And from Lucas. Aeryk unhappily accepted his new assignment. Not knowing when he might see his home or his beloved again, he determined to stay in contact via subspace as often as possible.
Aeryk boarded the Dragonstar before it left Starbase 12 to begin its first patrol following its extensive refit and reassignment to Task Force 17. After a rather hectic and awkward first day, Aeryk was injured on duty and decided to start using up his accumulated shoreleave. He didn't return to the Dragonstar until six months later.
Friends:
Serena Wavern
Likes:
Music, chocolate, and the night sky of Bajor.
Dislikes:
Being so far from home.
Goals for Life: Aeryk's goals for his life are relatively simple. He wants to do well in his chosen field in Starfleet, and eventually retire and spend his "golden years" on Bajor with Lucas. Beyond those long-term goals, he doesn't have any specific plans for his life.
