Tear Al'Terra

## **Physical Description**

* **Height**: 1.77m
* **Weight**: 67.80kg
* **Eye Color**: Brown
* **Hair Color**: Black

## **Species Information**

* **Race**: Human
* **Age**: 33
* **Gender**: Female
* **Time of Birth**: August 9, 2343
* **Place of Birth**: E'Toria II, a Federation Frontier Colony

## **Starfleet Service**

* **Rank**: Acting Ensign
* **Career Track**: Operations
* **Department**: Engineering
* **Current Position**: Chief of Engineering U.S.S. Sarek

## **Service Record**

* **2361-2363**: Attended Starfleet Technical Services Academy, Mars (EPS Technician)
* **2363-2365**: USS Cairo, Engineering Department
* **2365-2367**: USS Majestic, Engineering Department (Xeno-Torpedo System Project, Citation for Engineering Excellence)
* **2367-2370**: Starbase 364, Achieved Petty Officer status, Flight Department
* **2370-2373**: USS Valiant Engineering Department, Chief Petty Officer achieved
* **2373-2375:** Lt.Cmdr. Lance Muller v. CPO Tear Al'Terra, Insubordination Trial (Acquitted)
* **2375-2376**: USS Imjin, Master Chief Petty Officer, Chief of Engineering
* **2376-Present**: USS Sarek, Acting Ensign, Chief of Engineering

## **Personality Profile**

* **Hobbies**: Reading Financial News, Studying Alien Technology, Praying, Writing Engineering Papers
* **Talents**: Spirit of Discovery, Studious, Personal Effects, Veteran
* **Traits**: Human

## **Family Information**

* **Parents**: **Father**: Salim Nafs Al'Terra **Mother**: Julanar
* **Siblings**: Devon Al'Terra (Older Brother), Luna Al'Terra (Older Sister)
* Unmarried

## **Background**

Born on the Frontier Colony of E'Toria II to the parents of Salim Nafs Al'Terra and Julanar, a Mercantile and Procurement family. Tear was far less interested in the ebb and flow of assets, liabilities, and all the poli-social machinations in between; instead, she had an interest in how things worked. She took apart and rebuilt many of the colony's gear for the cost of a warm meal and good company. Her charitable repair service worked against the interests of her family, but she cared only to better her understanding of technology. Eventually, she found her practical experience on the colony was lacking her scholastic ambitions; so, she looked to Starfleet. With no great or broad education to rival other officer candidates, her knowledge highly specialized: she instead enlisted to train as an EPS technician at the Starfleet Technical Services Academy on Mars.

Her first posting was aboard the USS Cairo, working as part of an EPS maintenance crew team and serving as a damage control crewman as need arose. She proved to be an eager study and frequently spent her free time taking part in cross-training courses and reading Starfleet Engineering documents to further her knowledge. She learned a lot about Federation technology overall during her time on the Cairo, and learned to trust in the technology she was surrounded by. It was not until her time aboard the Cairo that she was able to use gear without having to check it over front-to-back to make sure it was ready for use every time.

After her years aboard the Cairo the Chief of Engineering, a Vulcan named Satel, suggested she take up a posting with the USS Majestic: a Miranda class ship that had a lot more room for advancement and was on technical missions that would push her more than the mission profile the Cairo was on. With a reccomendation and good service record as a crewmen on a ship like the Cairo, getting a post on a smaller ship like the Majestic was an easy task. During her time aboard the USS Majestic, Tear Al'Terra performed the first major achievement of her career that would put her name at the fore-front of Engineering reports for many years later.

During a mission aboard an Alien Craft, then Crewmen 1st Class Tear Al'Terra, was part of an away team that discovered a strange weapon system that could boost torpedo range to extensive distances. The officers in the team argued over if they should take it and use it or not. She suggested that the alien weapon system be brought aboard ship, she and an engineering team could examine it and possibly reverse engineer the device and adapt its technology to the Majestic. She offered that they could still turn the tech over to Starfleet Command and get a weapons upgrade. She did not sleep for 2 months before getting it working. As a result of her hard-work and initiative, she and her team was able to fashion one of the best ranges for torpedo fire for any Miranda made to date. Because of her work, torpedo technology across the fleet improved and she and her team were recognized with a Citations for Engineering Excellence.

After being promoted to Petty Officer 3rd Class, Tear was transferred to Starbase 364 aka "Narendra Station". What surprised her wasn't that she was being transferred, but that her transfer request was for the Flight Department of the Starbase. She had an eye for studying and quickly understanding alien tech and getting it to work quickly, making her a great small craft mechanic for the various guest species that came and went from the Starbase. During her tour there, she learned a lot about how to fly starships from Starfleet Officers, independent pilots, and alien ones alike.

After three years of service, Tear achieved the rank of Chief Petty Officer and had proven to be an expert of Warp Field Dynamics, EPS, and computer systems while showing to be one of the most talented Engineers in the Enlisted ranks. She was offered a posting on USS Valiant (NCC-75418) in the hopes of advancing the Master Chief Petty Officer. However, during her tour aboard the Valiant, Tear Al'Terra faced the lowest point in her career, where she was accused of insubordination to a superior officer in the face of the enemy.

The superior was Lieutenant Commander Lance Muller, Acting Captain of the USS Valiant; he had ordered her to push the engines past safety limits of the ship for too long; her experience and training told her that if they did that the impulse manifold would melt and the Valiant would be adrift during a fleet action. She told him what she thought and Muller made it an order; Then Al'Terra replied that she refused to obey an order that would endanger the ship needlessly. She suggested, instead, to reroute power from secondary systems; the Valiant would be less fast than Muller wanted but they would still be moving faster than normal. Muller attempted to have Al'Terra replaced, to which she replied "I am the only qualified engineer on this ship that can do the work. Replace me and you won't just risk an impulse manifold melt but guarantee it." In the heat of battle, Muller decided not to argue further and took up Al'Terra's suggestion. After the combat she was arrested for insubordination. She spent two years defending herself from the charges and was eventually acquitted. She was unofficially recommended -strongly- that she transfer to a different ship. Al'Terra decided not to argue after nearly being thrown out of Starfleet.

Al'Terra got a posting aboard the **USS Imjin** and quickly outshone the rest of the enlisted engineering crew with a passion for her work after having been pulled away from active duty for so long. She made Master Chief Petty Officer just before the Imjin lost its Chief Engineer to scandal and arrest. Leaving Al'Terra as the most experienced engineer aboard ship, with the remaining staff being Ensigns and Lieutenant Junior Grade. Until a proper replacement was found, Al'Terra found herself to be the Acting Chief of Engineering for the ship, thought her tenure was cut short by the destruction of the Imjin.

The crew of the Imjin was transferred over to the **USS Sarek** and in the bustle and chaos of changing ships, a rapidly changing Tenth Fleet, and the various personnel shiftings: Tear Al'Terra was made a permanent Chief of Engineering and assigned the task of mentoring and further training the engineering staff aboard. From then on, she was invited to senior staff meeting and served aboard the bridge of a Federation Starship for the first time in her life. In quick order, she distinguished herself with excellent service and showed herself willing to safe her ship, stand by her Captain, and advise her superior officers with little fear of their rank or privileges. For her service and loyalty to ship and crew, she was reccomended by Captain Rolan Starex to the rank of Acting Ensign, pending officer training and passing of the enlisted-to-officer transition exams.

Currently, she serves aboard the USS Sarek as Chief of Engineering.