Lieutenant Commander Lae'or Tahlin
Name Lae'or Tahlin
Position Chief Science Officer
Rank Lieutenant Commander
Character Information
| Gender | Female | |
| Species | Bajoran | |
| Age | 36 Terran years |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 1.68 M; 5 feet, 6 inches, old Earth measure | |
| Weight | 65.77 kg; 145 lbs, old Earth measure | |
| Hair Color | Blonde | |
| Eye Color | Green | |
| Physical Description | Slender of build, yet atheletic, Tahlin is slightly taller than average for a Bajoran woman. She displays typical indicators of her species--nose ridges, etc. She keeps herself fit through rigorous martial arts and the annual Starfleet Jeffries Tube Marathon. However, this fitness is more out of a personal wish to, and wanting to be on away teams when reasonable. |
Family
| Spouse | Amanda Richardson (civilian author, living on Earth; lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland) | |
| Children | Two; adopted daughter Alexandra, age 12, Emily Richardson, age 5 | |
| Father | Lae'or Moxin | |
| Mother | Laen Cindrie | |
| Brother(s) | None | |
| Sister(s) | One--deceased | |
| Other Family | Various relatives, including two sisters-in-law and their partners/children |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Generally sociable and likeable, Tahlin is considered welcoming and friendly. She is, however, very very dedicated to her work, and sometimes has to be reminded to take a break. Off-duty, you can find her socializing with her crewmates--she makes friends easily and speaks a half-dozen languages, or engaged in various activities. |
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| Ambitions | Command of a science vessel Eventual teaching post at the Academy, although she doesn't plan on leaving ship service any time soon |
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| Hobbies & Interests | Martial arts--mostly Vulcan and Klingon, although she dabbles in Bajoran work as well Literature--mostly influenced by her wife. Anthropology--although she didn't specialize in it at the Academy, Tahlin has a deep and abiding interest in other peoples and cultures. |
| Personal History | Born by the old Earth callendar on June 21, 2343, Tahlin spent the first sixteen years of her life on her father's freighter, hauling various goods for both Federation and independent civilian interests. Starfleet occasionally used the freighter for supply runs as part of larger convoys, particularly as conflicts with the Tzinkethi, Cardassians, and Tholians heated up in the 2350s. Meanwhile, Tahlin's mother served as a Vedek at the freighter's home port of Caelos II. This ecclectic childhood fostered a deep interest in other cultures and people. By age 13, Tahlin had mastered Federation Standard, Bolian, Bajoran, and was working on one of the common dialects of Klingon. Tragedy struck in 2359. Tahlin's sister and father were both killed by a group of rogue Klingon pirates, and Tahlin was captured. (These pirates were considered highly dishonorable, and not above capturing women for unsavory purposes). Unfortunately for the Klingons, the ship had managed to get off a distress call, and sixteen-year-old Tahlin had learned enough Vulcan martial arts to be a serious problem. When the Miranda-class USS Kestrel arrived three hours later, the away teams found Tahlin holding the captain at bladepoint, and a group of the pirates other female prisoners behind her. For her actions, Tahlin was decorated--albeit in absentia--by the Klingon High Council. After recuperating at Starbase 97, Tahlin went to live with her mother. Upon recommendation of both the CO and XO of the Kestrel--both in command of larger vessels by 2361--Tahlin applied for Starfleet service. She entered the Academy in 2362, and reunited with the woman who would become her wife when she arrived in San Fransisco. Although Amanda Richardson was the daughter of two Starfleet officers--the captain of the Kestrel was her mother--she did not follow her parents into the fleet. Instead, she had enrolled at the San Fransisco Academy of Arts and Letters, a friendly rival to the Penington School in New Zealand. Tahlin's time at the Academy was somewhat undistinguished, considered how she had come to the attention of Starfleet. She pursued studies in both Science and Command, with an eye towards command of a science vessel one day. As a Junior, she won the Academy Martial Arts competition, and as a Senior, she won the United Earth Interscholastic Marathon. Upon graduation in 2366, her marks were good enough to place the now Ensign Tahlin aboard the USS Xiniang, a Nebula-class starship. She spent the next three years as a junior science officer while the ship performed various duties near Breen space. (A recent treaty had allowed the Federation and Breen Confederacy to settle a certain number of colonies in this area). Tahlin received a commendation when her linguistic skills proved pivotal in stopping an incident from spiraling out of control. A Breen cruiser and the Xiniang were surveying the same system at the same time, and the Breen captain was rather belligerent over asserting the Breen's sole rights to this space. In 2369, Tahlin transferred to Deep Space Nine--this was the first time she had seen Bajor. Amanda was able to join her on the station--they had married just after Tahlin's graduation--and these were very happy years for the two. Their lives got significantly more interesting in 2371 when Tahlin was promoted to Lieutenant, (J.G.), and they became parents. They adopted a three-year-old girl, Alexandra, orphaned after a Maquis raid went horribly wrong. With tensions rising between the Federation, Klingon Empire, and Cardassian Union, Tahlin requested transfer to a ship; this came just after the First Battle of Deep Space Nine. Tahlin spent the next twenty-one months on the Venture, with Amanda and Alexandra also present. The Venture worked in and around the borders of the three powers, making sure the Federation had a presence in the region with some teeth. Perhaps the most notable event of this period was the Battle of the Tong Beak Nebula. The Venture was pursued by a Vor'Cha-class attack cruiser and two birds-of-prey into the nebula while overseeing the evacuation of the nearby freeport on Kohoxst VIII. Alexandra was blinded by an explosion, and Tahlin assumed more responsibilities after most of the Science department's senior staff were either killed or severely injured. Although the Venture was successful in defeating the Klingons, she had to retreat to Starbase 301, and thence on to Earth, for repairs and upgrades. Amanda was a rock for the whole family during this time, and Alexandra adapted to non-visual life with surprising ease. As a bit of a lark, all of them learned Braille, and now use it to communicate amongst themselves, in multiple languages. Being an astute reader of the signs which showed the outbreak of war with the Dominion was impending, Amanda moved herself and Alexandra back to Earth. She ended up teaching at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and this gave Tahlin a home base as it were. However, while she attempted to obtain a position which would place her in closer proximity to her family, Starfleet valued Tahlin's skills too highly. They posted her to the Steamrunner-class USS Hawkins, which spent the majority of the Dominion War patrolling the Breen and Romulan borders. This did come with a promotion to full Lieutenant for Tahlin, but this was little consolation for her. Although the Hawkins didn't see much combat during the war, they did engage smugglers, a few Jem'Hadar attack ships--mostly on probing runs--and one rather persistent Romulan privateer. Tahlin spent most of her duty shifts doing analysis of communications, intelligence, etc. In fact, the Hawkins had prior warning of the Breen-Dominion alliance in 2375 which would lead to so much death and destruction across the Federation, but Starfleet did not read the report in time. The ship's captain blamed himself for this failure, and subsequently took his own life. With the Treaty of Bajor signed, Tahlin seriously considered leaving Starfleet. By this time, Amanda had had a child--after much discussion amongst the family--and although this did cheer Tahlin up, the death of her captain, as well as the impact of the War more broadly, took its pound of flesh. After taking a year's personal leave, however, Tahlin decided not to resign her commission. She was posted to the USS Intrepid as the Assistant Chief Science Officer, and gained the rank of Lieutenant Commander. She transferred to the USS Deliverance to take the Chief Science Officer position in 2380. |
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| Service Record | 2343: Born, Federation Starbase 97; non-Federation citizen notation, due to uncertain position of Bajorans born outside the Bajoran system. 2359: Involved in the capture of Ch'Vech-class Klingon starship Glorryhouse and its crew; see attached documentation from Captain Serrenimov, USS Kestrel, and also documentation and decoration from Klingon High Council, Q'Onos. 2362: Enters Starfleet Academy, San Fransisco, Earth. 2366: Graduates Starfleet Academy; posted to USS Xiniang, Nebula-class--Rank, Ensign. Marries Amanda Richardson, civilian, Stardate 43486. 2368: Commendation during incident in the Pyre System; see attached documentation from Commander Thorpe and Captain Clemens. 2369: Transfers to Starbase Deep Space Nine, Bajoran System. 2371: Promotion to Lieutenant, (J.G.); adopts Alexandra Richardson--see attached documentation from Commander/Captain Sisko. 2372: Transfers to USS Venture, Galaxy-class. 2373: Stardate 50421--Battle of the Tong Beak Nebula; see reports from Captain Vasquez and other senior staff. Stardate 50839, USS Venture arrives at Earth for repairs and upgrades. 2374: Stardate 51013--promotion to Lieutenant; posting to USS Hawkins, Steamrunner-class, combat refit. 2375: Stardate 52965--called as witness during inquiry into death of Hawkins Captain Kiran Halstead; see attached documentation from Commodore Strel and Vice-Admiral Chang. 2376: Takes personal leave. Stardate 53957--promoted to Lieutenant Commander, prior to assumption of the duties of Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Intrepid, Intrepid-class, Stardate 54006. 2380: Transfers to USS Deliverance, Dilligent-class; assumes duties of Chief Science Officer. |