Pete Cromwell

Born to a flight instructor and a Starship engineer on Mars, there’s no overstatement to say that Pete Cromwell was born to the stars. It learned to fly before he learned to drive, and was always obsessed with exploring the stars around his home planet. Pete did well in school and was generally liked by his class mates. He started working with his mother in the engineering wing at Utopia Planetia Ship Yards at the age of 17, but left to join Starfleet Academy as soon as he was old enough. His parents were sad to lose their son to the fleet, but both understood his wanderlust and that Starfleet held the most opportunities for him.

Pete did exceptionally well in the Academy, earning early accolades in Engineering and Flight Control and managed to grab the second highest success rate in the Kobayashi Maru test (without cheating). Graduation came with a lot of recommendations and commendations and the USS Baleford sought Pete out for his crew.

While serving aboard the USS Baleford, Pete met the woman who would be his wife, Grace Fallon. She worked as an Engineer alongside him day by day in the Jefferies Tubes. The two of them were fast friends by day one, sharing passions and stories, and more than a few laughs. It wasn’t long before friendship became a close and deeply loving relationship. Within the year, the CO had the pleasure of marrying the two of them.

Tragedy struck the Baleford, though, as it was called in to help at the battle of Wolf 359. The ship was utterly destroyed, leaving only a handful of the crew alive. Thankfully, Pete and Grace were among those few. Pete struggled after 359, and it was only Grace’s loving hand that kept him above water until he could stand on his own again.

Once they’d had time to recover, they were both assigned to the USS Knoxville. The two of them served happily together on the Knoxville for five years, during which time they gave birth to their daughter, Meghan. Everything was going well until 2373. The Dominion War broke out in full force and the USS Knoxville was set to be deployed to the front lines. Pete wanted to be where the action was, but refused to put his family in danger. Calling in a favor, he had his family transferred to the USS Valley Forge, a relief ship working out in deep space ensuring that the furthest colonies never lost their supply lines.

In 2375, when the Dominion War ended, Gracie and Peter made the tough choice to stop serving together. Meghan was getting older and needed more stability than they felt ship life could provide and so, after great debate, Gracie decided to return to Earth where she grew up and raise their daughter there. It was hard, and the time apart was painful, but neither of them wavered in their love and dedication for each other. Pete made sure to never miss a call with his daughter as she grew, and was present for every event he could make it back to earth for. He regretted the years he missed, but did the best he could. Gracie never spoke harshly about him, and always made sure their daughter knew how much her father loved her.

Pete continued to serve in Starfleet for another two and a half decades, reaching the rank of Captain and commanding his own ship, the USS Raleigh. He dodged promotions as long as he could until there was no other option. He found himself looking at a box with a Commodore’s pip and a desk job. Pete panicked. He wasn’t ready to step away from the ship life, nor the center chair. It felt like death. He called in every favor he could until finally, the USS Lafayette was his.

Now aboard, the Commodore is setting out on his last adventure, and hoping to prove he’s the stuff of legends.