Caleb MacDolan

Lt. JG Caleb is the Assistant Chief Tactical Officer on the USS Odyssey.
== Early Life ==
Born only a few years before the Borg Conflicts and Dominion war came to an end, Caleb was raised on stories of Starfleet heroes. Men and women who gave their all, including their lives for the good of all. Needless to say the young boy, growing up in what was once Ireland, was rather starstruck with the stories he was told. Through his entire childhood, through schooling, hardship, and more, his one goal was to join Starfleet when he was of age.
He was not an only child however. At the age of twelve, his younger sister Mary was born. He was extremely protective of his younger sister, and his somewhat loud and curt personality was muted around her, replaced with seemingly limitless patience. He was rather sad to leave her behind when he enlisted in Starfleet, and the six year old Marie at the time was positively heartbroken. Little did he know, he would see her again, when he least expected it.
Unsurprisingly, as soon as he hit eighteen, he enlisted directly into Starfleet, as a Tactical Enlisted Personnel, specifically a Phaser Crewman. His job was to work with a whole crew of people like him to operate the phasers and fire on target, matching the Tactical Officer's orders from the Bridge. 
== First Assignment, The U.S.S. Hypatia ==
Caleb's first duty post was aboard the Vesta Class vessel, The USS Hypatia. Assigned to a phaser crew in control of one of her forward banks, the young crewman was astonished with the pure technological might behind the vessel. His first year was rather uneventful, spending most of it learning to work with his fellow crewmates. He was a rather outspoken individual, and that both helped and hindered him in the long run. His first year definitely taught him to curb his tongue a bit, but it was a year he would always look on fondly.
He was stationed on the Hypatia for nearly eight years, climbing up the ranks slowly until he was a Petty Officer Third Class. During the last outing that he would attend on the Hypatia, he finally saw some action he thought he wanted. 
It was at the edge of the Vega System, home to a rather large trading colony. A massive asteroid was hurtling through the sector, on a collision course with said colony. Unfortunately, no ships were nearby to assist, and the Hypatia's tractor beam just didn't have enough juice to sufficiently drag it off course. That was when the then twenty six year old had an idea.
PO3 MacDolan nervously approached Lieutenant Commander Harrel, his palms sweating from the stress of the situation. He was worried, yes, but he believed he could fix the situation.
"Commander. Sir. I think I can solve the problem in front of us."
The older, more experienced officer spun to face the young NCO,
"Lets hear it."
Caleb audibly swallowed before speaking.
"Well scans of the object revealed a large deposit of frozen hydrogen, specifically to one side of the asteroid. If we hit it with a single, well placed phaser burst, the resulting explosion of gas should make it slip by the planet's gravitational field with just kilometers to spare."
Harrel rubbed his chin thoughtfully, before finally speaking.
"The problem, Petty Officer, is that the asteroid is spinning at nearly fifty six rotations a minute. With the delays in our weapons systems, and the system of targeting, it would be near possible to hit that target head on in the time allotted."
Caleb's eyes grew steely, and his front of nervousness was swept away by pure confidence and determination.
"I can do it Sir. I just need control of one of the forward banks. I can make this shot."
Harrel sighed in resignation. They really didn't have any other real choices, and time was running out.
"Alright Petty officer. Show us what you can do."
Thankfully, the young MacDolan wasn't talking out his ass. He was able to detonate the deposit of hydrogen, saving the colony and the few civilians that hadn't evacuated yet. For this impressive act, he was promoted to Petty Officer Second class. This turned out to be his last tour of duty on the Hypatia.
== The Long Patrol, The U.S.S. Berlin ==
The Petty Officer, Now more seasoned, was reassigned to the USS Berlin, an Excelsior class vessel commonly sent to patrol the Romulan Neutral Zone, Now dissolved due to the Romulan Supernova. Instead, the Berlin now spent most of its time patrolling the remnants of the neutral zone, keeping an eye out for any Borg remnants, as the Borg were active until 2399, and, then,  Petty Officer MacDolan's posting began in 2397. However they would never encounter any Borg forces, but that's not to say they didn't keep busy. They mostly handled any minor conflicts with Romulan Remnants, while also occasionally escorting any civilian ships trying to get through the zone.
Three years into his voyage, he had successfully made the rank of Chief Petty Officer, and commanded a full phaser crew of his own. During this time, he was also being vetted for a position as a managing chief of multiple banks, and having on the job training of full ship to ship tactics. This was stressful, as he was also part of the several tactical members who doubled as security on the vessel, and his schedule was rather full. He would serve in a few petty engagements with scraggly pirate bands, but more importantly, his demeanor and personality began to finalize throughout his term on the Berlin. 
He became rather serious, and his command position resulted in him developing a more straight and matter of fact way of speaking. He also grew a hard edged sense of sarcasm, mostly directed towards a situation rather than a person. This persona would stay solid throughout his time on the Berlin, giving him the reputation as a hard but fair NCO.
The most dangerous moment of Caleb's tenure on the Berlin was also easily one of the more harrowing exchanges of his life. It involves a rather ballsy, and rather small fleet of Orion pirates, and easily the bravest, and dumbest maneuver of his adult life, and it was one of the few times he did something impressive outside of ship to ship combat. 
The Berlin had been in the middle of a routine patrol, seemingly uneventful. Caleb himself had been at his crew station, performing diagnostic checks over the bank of Type Eight phasers, when the entire ship shuddered, going into red alert only moments later. Apparently a group of Orion Pirate vessels had sprung an ambush on the older vessel, targeting the Warp Nacelles and communications in the first strike. The damage was rather superficial, but what caused Caleb to panic, was the sudden loss of contact with the bridge. The Chief then engaged in one of the wildest runs of his life
The Chief's breathing was fast and short, due to the fact he was sprinting as fast as he could down the hallway, beelining for the nearest turbolift. He trusted his crew to hold out on their own, but with the bridge down, they weren't getting any information from the tactical officer or captain. Caleb was terrified, worried that the senior staff had been placed completely out of commission. 
As the grizzled Phaser Chief rounded the last corner before the turbolift, he was greeted with a shocking sight. Standing in the middle of the hallway, facing away from him, was a male Orion. Standing near seven feet, and definitely fifty pounds heavier, or more, than Caleb, the being was extremely intimidating. It must have beamed aboard during the chaos, and to make matters worse, it was currently pointing a disruptor pistol at the head medical officer. Caleb immediately decided to act. 
The Irishman's plan was as dangerous as it was crazy. Speeding up his stride, he booked it straight for the unaware Orion male. The Chief collided with the hulking mass of muscle and malice, spearing him in a tackle at the waist. With a loud metallic thud, both men went crashing into the ground, the disruptor skittering off out of reach. 
Caleb's adrenaline was peaked out, so much so that he barely felt the massive fist that collided with his face, snapping his head off the deck. As his vision was clearing, he heard a soft metallic rasp, causing the hair on the back of his neck to prickle. He immediately locked eyes on the pirate again, catching a look at the gray blur being swung at him. Holding his left arm up in defense, Caleb bellowed as the knife was jammed into his forearm, causing a crimson splash onto the deck beneath their feet. Immediately backing away, Caleb's ears were pierced by the shrill sound of a disruptor firing. All he saw was a sudden green burst. 
Caleb grunted as the corpse of the Orion fell on top of him, shifting it to the side with his good arm. He was greeted with easily the most welcome sight he'd seen in his life so far. The dropped disruptor was clenched in the Medical Officers hands, the end letting off a soft trail of plasma smoke. Moments later, the captain's voice graced the comm system.
The boarding raid was short lived, with minimal casualties to the crew. The bridge only suffered a minor blackout, and the staff was safe. Chief MacDolan was cited for bravery, and recovered from his wounds rather quickly. The chief, who was now into his thirties, was given a direct commission, skipping a one year tenure as a Warrant Officer, and was sent directly to Starfleet Academy, Earth. 
== Starfleet Academy, Calm Before The Storm ==
MacDolan's tenure in the academy was rather docile, although eventful. His courses were mostly focused around tactical command, and a secondary focus on ground utility. While it was odd for him, being an experienced NCO surrounded by young cadets, he adjusted rather quickly. He stayed rather isolated in the academy, preferring to focus completely on his studies rather than socialize. He did rather well in the Beam Technology and Basic leadership courses, having already experienced the basics as a Phaser Crew Chief. 
After his four years were up, he was not chosen for a training cruise, instead immediately put into the pool of candidates for Tactical Officers to assignment. He had only been graduated for three weeks, before being assigned as the chief tactical Officer of a Miranda Class Light Cruiser.
== U.S.S. Antares, Days of Strife ==
The new officer was immediately thrown into a Chief Tactical Officer position on the USS Antares, a rather small Light Cruiser of the Miranda Class. Serving as a junior officer under a rather fresh crew, Caleb was quite excited to begin his new position in command of a Division, even though it was rather small. The ships motley crew of two hundred was originally going to be used as an exploration crew into the fringes of the Beta Quadrant. That was, until the Klingon War broke out.
These proved to be trying and turbulent times for the mustang ensign, pushing his limits. Most entries into his file are rather brief in this period, plus he left very little of his own logs. The Antares was regularly stationed on the front line, and saw multiple heavy engagements with Klingon forces. The Ensign was cited with multiple acts of bravery, along with equal amounts of trips to the medical bay. His record lists dozens of minor burns and wounds from risky maneuvers redirecting energy to the phasers, and nearly blowing himself to pieces from energy overflows into nearby grids. 
He was rather well regarded, even though he was the lowest ranked in the senior staff. One of the few direct audio logs from his stint on the Antares is actually an interaction between Ensign MacDolan, and the captain, Captain Hassad.
"Ensign. I heard you disrespected Lieutenant Harkin. Would you like to tell me why you breached protocol and challenged the authority of our Chief of Security."
The captain stared intently at his CTO, and even though Captain Hassad was a slender man of only five foot nine, he made the heavily built tactical officer almost squirm in his seat. 
"Captain, sir. I was not trying to be disrespectful, I only had the safety of the crew in mind. I admit I stepped out of line, and I apologise, and will submit to any disciplinary actions deemed necessary. However, if I may speak in my defense, sir?"
The experienced captain narrowed his eyes slightly, before nodding his head ever so slightly.
"You may Ensign." 
MacDolan let out a short sigh, centering himself before beginning.
"I have nothing but respect for the lieutenant, but his insistence to have a team from security board the War Bird was unsafe, and hazardous. We would not only have to drop shields, we would also be sending lives into a dangerous situation with enemy combatants, and for what? Hostages? Prisoners of War? Sir the Klingons would just try to blow our ship to smithereens so their kinfolk can 'die honorably.' I do not deny I spoke out of turn, but this war has claimed enough lives. If I can save a few, my rank and position be damned, I'll try!"
Caleb caught his escalating tone, although far too late. He averted his eyes slightly, embarrassed by his unprofessional behavior, but still standing by what he said. He was sick of watching people die. 
Captain Hassad stared at the grizzled ensign pensively, before finally speaking.
"Im going to record this as a minor reprimand, with an attached info data package. I don't think someone of your merit and intelligence needs to be punished anymore than that. However this is the only time I will be lenient with you Ensign. Are we clear?"
Caleb locked his gaze with the captain, the understanding evident.
"Aye sir."
"Dismissed."
MacDolan served on the Antares for all of the Klingon War, and the Iconian Conflicts, and saw heavy combat. Logs show events like direct combat with an Undine ship, and even participation in a Dyson sphere assault. The logs don't tell much, but psych reports state that Caleb seems to refuse to talk about the events, and tries to drag focus away from the Antares. However, after ten long years, it was finally time for a new posting. He was given a short leave first.
== Short Rest after a Long War ==
Caleb was able to return to his family on earth for roughly a month. He unfortunately was not able to see Mary, but he did see his parents after over twenty years of separation. It was jarring, to say the least. His leave was extremely short, before he was notified of his new posting. He spent one last dinner with his family, before heading to Earth Space Dock.
== And now, the Present ==
Caleb reached the ESD quickly, and was finally given his full new assignment. Which included a promotion in rank, but a demotion in position. He was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade, and was to be the Assistant Chief Tactical Officer under a Half Vulcan named Sa'val Stryker, on the USS Odyssey. The rather odd change in position was due to both Caleb's request for a less strenuous position with such responsibility, and a counselors recommendation to start him back slow, due to the rather intense posting on the Antares. From the files Caleb was able to get his hands on, it seemed like it would be a good and fulfilling post. All that is left now, is to finally get aboard the Odyssey.
== Appearance ==
Standing at roughly 6'3, and weighing in at 200lb, Caleb cuts a rather impressive figure. He's fit, more than the average starfleet officer, and has a rather intimidating look about him. He naturally seems highly focused from his facial expressions and body language. His eyes are a dark, smoky grey/blue in color, and his hair is a darker, crimson tinted blonde. He has a rather large slash scar on his left arm.
== Other information ==
* Caleb has a decent amount of skill at hand to hand and other forms of ground combat from his time on the Antares and Berlin, but his hand to hand is more instinctual and primal than the common forms used by those that took the course. His favorite color is green, he loves 'classical' music from the late twentieth century, and has a habit of cracking his knuckles.
* Likes: He has a fondness for alcohol, old baseball, late twentieth century classical, and training and exercise. He can often be found in boxing simulations on his off hours. 
* Dislikes: He has a distaste for shellfish, and rudeness. He doesn't respond well to disrespect. He also hates talking about the Antares, and won't unless he trusts the person he's talking to completely, or he's ordered to.
== Photos/Art ==
File:Caleb Rage.jpg|Art by Lavender
Category:Characters
Category:Odyssey Crew
Category:Tactical
Category:Lieutenant JG
Category:Human
Category:Male
Category:Junior Officer
Category:Assistant Department Head
Category:Haldon