Bravo Fleet
Summary
Sam is a highly intelligent counselor and commander. Obsessed with the need to learn, he strives to understand the people and the world around him. Every person is an onion to peel away and expose, every situation a puzzle to solve. This attention to detail and insightful serves him well, though to some he may appear lackadaisical. Everyone sees a bit of a different side of Sam; it is what helps him connect and interface with them. Plus, he prefers it that way. However, behind the soft eyes and the easy smile, there’s a brain always analyzing and calculating.
History
Samuel Reynolds was born to Maria Reynolds, a schoolteacher, and Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds, a dedicated Marine, in 2346 during a shore leave on Earth. His father, an enlisted man turned “mustang”, was stationed all over the Cardassian border during the war, which forced Sam and his mother to relocate throughout his childhood. On the one hand, this prevented Sam from forming close relationships with many people. On the other hand, this forced Sam to learn how to read people quickly, and assimilate into a new culture. This thirst for knowledge, in addition to his mother’s coaching, stayed with him throughout his life, even after his father lost his life during a skirmish. The melting pot of cultures on the border helped Sam stave off the resentment and hatred that many of his fellow Federation citizens felt.
Sam entered the Academy with aggression, wanted to absorb and understand everything he got his hands on. He double-majored in counseling and psychology, and threw in a tactical minor in small group tactics for kicks and giggles. Though he graduated only third in his class, his enthusiasm allowed him a large range of first assignments. He chose the frontier, hoping to explore and understand as many new experiences as he could. He jumped from ship to ship, going where he felt his talents were best served. His longest tenure was on the USS Monitor, where he served throughout the Dominion War. In one particularly harrowing experience, he was serving on the bridge during the Tyra offensive, and was forced to take over Tactical after several consoles exploded. Sam, along with the helmsman, managed to hold off the Jem’Hadar long enough for the Monitor to limp away, being one of the 14 surviving ships of the Seventh Fleet…out of 112.
However, the fire was sparked. Sam had a chance to lead, and didn’t want that spark to go away. Plus, what better way to rebuild after the Dominion War than leading by example? His next assignments allowed him to do just that. It culminated in a personal recruitment for XO of the Cleveland. Sam was beyond the moon. It was his dream assignment.
However, all dreams end. Or in this case, a rogue freighter detonated several tons of high explosive too close to his ship while he was in command, crippling it, killing hundreds, and forcing them to abandon ship. That hurt.
Though cleared of wrongdoing, Sam took a leave of absence to clear his head and refocus. He rejoined Starfleet as an Academy instructor, deciding that the best thing he could do was to teach the next generation. And he was very happy doing so. That is, until rumor of a new training ship began to float around the academy. That spark was reignited. And so Sam, before he knew what he was doing, was submitting his personnel file for transfer…