- Player Name: Rafe Ball
- Player Email Address: rafe.ball@geis.ge.com
- Character Name: Michael Valerian
- Race: Terran
- Age: 24
- Birthplace: New Melbourne, Luna (The Moon)
- Birthdate: April 23rd
- Marital Status: Single
- Family Status: Father - Simeon Valerian (Starfleet Diplomatic Corp), Mother - Celeste Valerian (nee O'Donnel)(UFP Diplomatic Advisor)
- Height: 5 feet 10 inches
- Weight: 180 pounds
- Hair Color: Dark Blond
- Eye Color: Blue
- Skin Color: Caucasian
- Physical Characteristics: Slim, athletic build; Short, well-groomed hair; very small scar above right eye (looks like a thin vertical strip of eyebrow is missing) from sparring accident
- Position on the Intrepid: Operations Officer
- Rank: Ensign
- Academy Major: Starship Administration, Operations
- Academy Minor (if any): Diplomatic Relations
- Cadet Cruise: USS Yeatley
- Tour of Duty One: USS Intrepid - Operations Officer - Ensign
- Background - Childhood:Michael was brought up on one of the Lunar
cities, New Melbourne, on the shore of Lake Armstrong. His Mother and
Father met whilst at a diplomatic conference on Rigel. Both were on a panel
discussion regarding the use of force; whereas Celeste was a staunch
pacifist, Simeon's military background saw him arguing for the unfortunate
necessity of the use of arms. The heated 'discussion' which ensued could
well have resulted in the two becoming staunch enemies, especially
considering the red-head Celeste's temper, but Simeon's calm nature and
admiration for O'Donnel's beliefs lead to them continuing the discuission
outside of the panel. Once Celeste's temper cooled, the pair realised they
got along well, and that their conflicting temperaments actually balanced
the other out. One thing lead to another, and after a short engagement the
two were married.
Michael enjoyed a happy childhood, spending many a summer fishing and sailing on Lake Armstrong. He would often sit and listen to his parents debating, but rather than posit views he would often just sit and listen to the arguments offerred without comment. Being brought up in such an environment, it was not surprising that Michael should have an interest in diplomatic relations. However, he surprised his parents by developing a stronger interest in the direction of philosophy than politics. Perhaps due to his parent's disparate beliefs, he sought to see things from many points of view, and took many philosophy classes at school and college, ranging from Classical Terran philosophers such as Plato, through the Vulcan IDIC and Bajoran religious beliefs to the Klingon way of the warrior. Michael was known for immersing himself in the cultures in question whilst he studied - the decor of his room changed regularly, one month his room was a minimalist meditation chamber, a few months later a hard metal Klingon sleeping pallet sat in the corner. This also lead to Michael developing a hardy constitution - in his investigations of other cultures he has studied numerous physical disciplines, from Vulcan metabolic control techniques to the Klingon martial art Mok'bara. Indeed, the small scar above his eye came from a sparring match with a visiting Klingon diplomat's son - in a moment of carelessness, Michael failed to block a Bat'leth blow and barely managed to pull back his head in time to avoid having it chopped in two. Rather than have the small scar removed, he opted to keep it as a reminder of his slip. - Background - Academy:Simeon was pleased when Michael decided to follow in his footsteps, enrolling at Starfleet Academy. Michael enjoyed his time here immensely, meeting members of species from across the Federation and learning about their cultures. Although he still kept up his diplomatic and philosophical studies, Michael actually found himself drawn towards Ops as his specialty. The organisational nature of the role appealed to him, and although for a while he was tempted to pursue a career in counselling he decided to aim for ops. Michael performed well in his classes as the Academy, excelling in the ethics courses in particular.
- Background - Cadet Cruise: A cadet cruise during the Dominion War was never going to be easy. Short on men, but still unwilling to post inexperienced cadets to ships likely to be involved in offensive actions, Michael found himself assigned to the USS Majestic, a Saber class ship forming part of the garrison force in the captured Chin'Toka system. Unfortunately, the Breen/Dominion alliance saw the system recaptured by the Dominion. Badly damaged, the Majestic attempted to retreat. Severe damage to the ship's system caused one of the nacelles to malfunction during warp. The crew barely managed to collapse the ship's warp bubble before the nacelle exploded, and many did not make it to the lifeboats before the core also gave out. Michael was the only occupant of his pod, and the ship's explosion knocked him off-course as well as wrecking the pod's guidance systems. It was only his experience with Vulcan metabolic control that allowed him to survive long enough to be rescued by a passing Ferengi merchant (and thanks to his knowledge of Ferengi 'philosophy', Michael was able to negotiate transport back to Federation space at a 'reasonable' price). After this, he was granted some home leave which he spent with his parents in New Melbourne.
- Personality Profile from Starfleet Medical: Counsellor Vivian Burke (Starfleet Academy): Michael Valerian is a psychologically stable person. He is calm tempered, open minded, tolerant, and level headed. He is by nature extremely inquisitive, especially where other cultures are involved. Michael is a quiet person, though by no means introverted, who prefers to listen and evaluate thoroughly before venturing an opinion. His tutors at Starfleet Academy noted that Cadet Valerian often needed to be prompted before voicing an opinion, and often wondered whether he would otherwise just sit there and listen. They did however note that when he was prompted, his responses were often insightful and valuable. This penchant for observation and evaluation rather than action may cause Michael difficulties in the future if not overcome. ADDENDUM: Counsellor Jednea Varr (New Melbourne): It is too early to fully assess the psychological impact of the events onboard the Majestic on Ensign Valerian. The notes of Counsellor Hadrian Jackson (who unfortunately died in the Majestic incident) indicate that he had adjusted well to the ship and its crew, but I recommend further monitoring to the counsellor on Michael's next assignment.
- Hobbies and Interests: Michael has spent many years studying other cultures and philosophies. He enjoys debating the finer points of philosophy with others. He is also a keen water sportsman, having grown up on Lake Armstrong, and is a strong swimmer as well as a good sailor and fine fisherman. When not practicing these activities on the holodeck, he can often be found practicing one form of martial art or another, and is always on the lookout for new people he can learn from (Michael has learnt that from the Ancient Japanese through to the Klingons, a culture's martial art provides great indight into the culture that originated it).
- Notes: Michael has maintained contact with Garn of the house of Mo'tokh, the Klingon who gave him the small scar above his eye. Garn was impressed with Michael's Bat'leth skills, and that he chose to wear his scar rather than have it removed. Although they have not met in several years, the two still keep in contact via occasional sub-space communiqués.
