Thaustin

Political Information

• Affiliation: Starfleet, United Federation of Planets

Family

• Mother: Megra, Starfleet Captain (retired)
• Father:  Chessick, Starfleet Captain (retired)

Biography

Early Life

Thaustin was born during a rare period in his parents’ lives when they were both stationed on Azati Prime itself. At that point, both of his parents had established careers in the fleet, both Lieutenant Commanders, his mother working for Starfleet Science and his father working for the Starfleet Corps of Engineers. His birth was somewhat unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome.

When he was three, he moved with his parents to Deep Space 4. Unlike most children in that situation, though, he developed above-average socialisation skills and found interacting with other people his age easy. His grades in school were not especially remarkable, as he was usually more focused on his social life than his grades. His academic achievement was a source of contention for his parents, who both had advanced degrees and expected him to do exceptionally well in the Federation education system. There was always an expectation that he could do better, no matter what sort of grades he brought home, and this frustrated Thaustin often. By his secondary school years, he did begin to show a talent for athletics, languages and logic problems, but he lacked his parent’s raw abilities in the science and engineering fields. When his mother was offered command of her own vessel, and his father (who had left to command a repair facility in the Vega system), Thaustin had to choose which parent he would join. He picked his mother, as she was given command of a brand new Obena-class ship.

During the last few years of his schooling, he found his first forays into the romantic arena to be without much significant success. One night after being caught in a compromising position with his mother’s first officer’s son, his mother sent him to stay with his father at the repair yard he commanded. Though it was not really child-friendly, Thaustin did enjoy attending a proper school planetside on Vega. Two of his teachers inspired him to do better with his grades and after a lot of cramming, he left school with decent grades. He spent the next couple of years working at the yard his father was in command of. Naturally working within Starfleet, convinced him he should pursue a career within the fleet and follow his parents.

Starfleet Career

Early Career

As a Starfleet Academy cadet, he quickly discovered that his natural looks and charms would not allow him to slip through the cracks of the system, as had more often been the case in his prior schooling. This was a good thing, though, and when forced to apply himself his intelligence was actually quite impressive. His talent for logic puzzles became a talent for cryptology and mathematics, while his natural charisma caused him to do well in leadership exercises. While at the academy, he enjoyed the cultural studies lecturers led by one of his professors, Rio Canção. Her stories from commanding a number of ships and meeting new races and people inspired him to carry on pursuing this line of learning.

He continued to excel in athletics and physical training exercises. He did pick up boxing and hand phaser marksmanship as his chosen combat training options, though, and managed to gain great proficiency in both. In many ways, Thaustin was a diplomat and not a fighter, preferring to talk to new alien cultures, not to shoot them. Despite this, he did recognise the need for Starfleet as the Federation’s primary line of defence. Hearing old war stories from Canção made him realise however important it was to speak first, there were those in the galaxy that didn’t always want to talk or listen. Nevertheless, his passion for getting to know others remain constant and he developed a reputation for becoming quite the playboy. In his fourth year, Canção (who was transferring to the Mellstoxx III campus), suggested to Thaustin that a change of scenery would do him good. After almost failing one of his final exams in the third year, Thaustin agreed and went to Mellstoxx III. More focussed on his work, Canção’s suggestion worked and even when he entered into a relationship with a fellow cadet, Craigen Flemen, for the first time he remained loyal and enjoyed being in a stable relationship.

When he came to graduate in 2391, he and Craigen both mutually agreed to end their relationship. It was short and sweet, but enjoyable. Thaustin achieved top marks in his chosen major fields, Interstellar Relations and Cryptology, and by the time he graduated as an Ensign, he was fifth in his class.

USS Artemis (NCC-83011)

His first assignment as an ensign was as a diplomatic support officer on board the USS Artemis, an Obena-class that was once under the command of his mother. Though she had recently retired with his mother, serving on board the Artemis gave him a slight edge compared to the other junior officers due to some of the senior officers there giving him the slack due to who his mother was. This didn’t bother Thaustin at first. For the next three years, he worked hard and began dating a Bolian woman named Trishna (an engineer). The two became serious and Thaustin was considering asking her to marry him, but devastation hit him when she died during an away mission while helping to evacuate a science station under the besiege of a plasma storm. Trishna’s loss affected him badly and Thaustin considered leaving the service. However, with some help from others, he turned himself around and went on to become the assistant chief diplomatic officer with the promotion to lieutenant junior grade in 2394.

While still on the Artemis, he took up the opportunity to undertake the advanced tactical training course and in 2396 was promoted to the full rank of lieutenant and made responsible for taking on duties as the Gamma Shift Officer of the Watch. In 2398, while the ship was engaging Breen forces that had attacked a Federation trading outpost, several of the bridge crew were killed and Thaustin ended up assuming command temporarily while the captain was being treated. He was able to outsmart the remaining Breen ship and save not only the ship, and the outpost but also captured the attacking ship by being able to hack their communication device and seize computer control. After towing it back to the nearest starbase, where its crew were taken into custody, Thaustin’s captain gave him a promotion to lieutenant commander and made him a chief diplomatic officer and second officer. He remained in the spot for a few more months before he was approached by his former mentor to join her on her new command.

USS Triton (NCC-80106)

When Captain Canção requested him to join him as her first officer, he was slightly reluctant at the offer at first, but after she insisted he took the bridge officer’s exam (even though he didn’t need to do it), she proved to him he was ready to become her Number One. At the end of 2400, she promoted him to the rank of commander and the two became a well-oiled machine as the ship travelled and explored the Delta Quadrant.