Bravo Fleet
Summary
Lieutenant Commander Daniel Michaels, Starfleet, is the Tactical Systems Officer and Chief of Security aboard the Cyclone-class exploratory cruiser USS Cyclone (NCC-90001). Handpicked by Fleet Captain MacLeod following Operation Iron Veil, Michaels is a disciplined, even-tempered officer known for his steady judgment, precise tactical execution, and ability to maintain complete control in volatile situations. He is reliable, methodical, and quietly formidable.
Appearance
Michaels, standing 6’0″ tall, is a broad-shouldered man with a clean, athletic build shaped by years of security training rather than vanity. His hair is dark brown and kept short in a practical cut. His eyes are a muted blue grey. His posture is firm without being rigid, and his movements are efficient, controlled, and deliberate.
Personality
Michaels is quiet, disciplined, and difficult to unsettle. He avoids theatrics, preferring clear communication, steady logic, and precise action. His leadership style is calm and structured: he expects preparedness and professionalism, and he gives the same in return.
He excels in high-stress environments, where his controlled demeanor becomes a stabilizing anchor for his department. Beneath his professional reserve lies a dry sense of humor that emerges only with people he trusts. He works hard, expects excellence, and never mistakes aggression for strength or noise for authority.
History
Daniel Thomas Michaels entered Starfleet service with a reputation for precision and control, traits that defined both his early career and the officer he became. Born in 2368 in Denver, Colorado, Michaels grew up the son of a firefighter and an aerospace technician—two professions that taught him, in very different ways, that calm consistency saves lives. He brought that mindset with him to Starfleet Academy, graduating with concentrations in tactical operations and shipboard security doctrine.
Michaels spent his early tours on smaller vessels where tactical officers learned fast or failed fast. He was known for disciplined firing solutions, clean threat evaluations, and an even temperament that steadied junior officers during high-tempo patrols. These attributes drew the attention of Captain Richard Wellborn, who selected Michaels to join the USS Chimera as Tactical Systems Officer and Chief of Security.
Under Wellborn, Michaels thrived. Chimera’s pace was relentless, and Wellborn demanded officers who could execute his aggressive operational style without losing their composure. Michaels became the anchor point on Chimera’s bridge.
Michaels was in the center of The Raeyan Incident: coordinating shipboard security, managing volatile detainee situations, and overseeing tactical responses that required judgment as much as precision.
Chimera survived Raeya III, but it did not emerge unchanged. Wellborn was relieved of command in the investigation that followed, and the crew was scattered. Michaels, who had stood by Wellborn through the thick of the crisis, found himself in a torturous limbo: too competent to lose, but carrying the weight of a ship whose fate had become a cautionary lesson.
It was Fleet Captain James MacLeod who stepped in. When MacLeod reorganized his staff following the events of Operation: Iron Veil, he personally arranged Michaels’ transfer back to frontline duty.
Michaels reported aboard the Typhoon-class USS Cyclone shortly after Iron Veil, taking up the dual billet of Tactical Systems Officer and Chief of Security. Where other officers saw the shadows of Raeya III, Michaels treated it as a challenging experience, paid for in full, and not to be wasted.