Captain Taegan Quistra

Name Taegan Quistra

Position Commanding Officer

Rank Captain

Character Information

Gender		Female
Species		Betazoid
Age		40
Posting		U.S.S. Challenger

Physical Appearance

Height		5'8"
Weight
Hair Color		Red
Eye Color		Black
Physical Description

Family

Spouse		None
Children		None
Father		Edvar Quistra (Deceased)
Mother		Lexani Quistra
Brother(s)
Sister(s)
Other Family

Personality & Traits

General Overview
Strengths & Weaknesses
Ambitions
Hobbies & Interests

Personal History		Quistra was born aboard USS Dostoevsky as her family fled Dominion-occupied Betazed at the height of the Dominion War. She's the daughter of Edvar Quistra, a Betazoid noblemanwho stayed planetside to fight the Jem'Hadar. Expectedly he was killed in battle when the Dominion made their landing. Taegan and her mother, Lexani Quistra, escaped aboard the Dostoevsky, where Taegan was actually born. Her human name comes from the ship's commanding officer, Captain Taegan O'Halloran. The two made their way to a temporary residence on Andor, where they spent three years. Growing up without a father, Quistra's sole male role model was her family's loyal manservant, Mr. Nunv, who saw to her early education. In 2378 Taegan and her mother returned to Betazed, where the girl began her education in earnest. Inspired by the stories of her father's life and death, she dedicated herself early on to living a life that he'd be proud of her for - were he alive.Once she reached her mid-teens she turned to the study of military history. At the age of six she was bonded and betrothed to Rael Wyxini of the Fourth House of Betazed, a young nobleman a couple years older than she. The two only met once, as children, and would not meet again until later in life. Ultimately Quistra's desire to honour her father's death led her to Starfleet Academy in 2392. -- EARLY CAREER Quistra majored as a tactical-track cadet and proved herself more than competent, ranking relatively high in her program without reaching the top of her class. An inherently social woman with a warm demeanor, Quistra quickly established herself as one of the popular girls at the Academy. Nevertheless her performance during her fourth-year cadet cruise, a six-month run aboard the Nebula-class starship USS T'Kumbra stood out thanks to her practical skills. Following graduation in 2396, Quistra was posted as a security officer aboard Starbase 409, a small outpost close to Breen space set along a minor trade artery. Her years as an Ensign were mostly spent dealing with petty crooks and small-time pirates and keeping order aboard the Starbase's promenade, honing her instincts by hassling the station's resident shifty Dopterian bartender. After uncovering a smuggling ring running through the station she was promoted to Lieutenant, junior grade in 2398. A strong service review led to a promotion to full Lieutenant in 2400. The newly-minted Lieutenant Quistra was transferred to an Akira-class cruiser, USS Spector, as a tactical officer and security team leader. The ship operated largely along the Klingon border, giving Quistra her first taste of real action. The ship followed its patrol route for two years, thwarting Klingon patrols through a series of chess-like positional ploys, before being diverted to Atacar II for a surprise raid on a Klingon ground facility supposedly involved in weapons research. Quistra was part of a six-person away team sent down to eliminate what Starfleet Intelligence identified as a trilithium torpedo plant. The team completed its mission with no casualties and successfully destroyed the plant. The action earned Quistra a Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry as well as a promotion to Lieutenant Commander based on a glowing recommendation by the CO of the Spector, Vaughn Allard. -- ROMULAN FRONT Quistra was transferred in 2403 to the Galaxy-class starship USS Dnieper, serving as chief security officer. The ship, on the tail end of an exploratory tour through the constellation Hydra, had lost many of its officers to Reman attack. Though the primary mission for the Dnieper was exploration, it regularly encountered Romulans and Remans, sometimes violently. Quistra's two years aboard the Dnieper helped open her eyes to the wonderful world of exploration, and she mellowed a little as a result, becoming a more rounded Starfleet officer. She gained her field science certification in 2404 and her advanced tactical certification a few months later before going on to pass her command officer examination. In 2405, the Dnieper responded to a distress signal outside the Cantara Nebula. It turned out to be a Hirogen ambush, and the ship was quickly disabled and boarded. Most of the surviving crew were beamed down to a nearby jungle planet to serve as prey for the hunter race. The capture began a month of hell for Quistra as she fought to survive in the wilderness even as members of the Dnieper crew died one by one. She was able to keep ahead of the Hirogen, but she had to make more than her share of cruel decisions as the crew was slowly whittled down to a scant 31 survivors from its original 400. Eventually the USS Vercingetorix tracked down the Dnieper and discovered the handful of surviving crew, mounting a successful rescue of Quistra and 34 others. When Quistra returned to civilization she spent time with Starfleet counselors recovering from the experience. Upon being deemed mentally fit for duty she was given a four-month posting to a border patrol ship to test her ability to cope. Though she went about her duties more guardedly than before, she nevertheless proved more than competent, and she was phased back into the command track, mostly due to Starfleet pining for manpower. -- USS SWIFT CURRENT In late 2405, Quistra received a promotion to Commander and was posted to the Trajan-class starship USS Swift Current, a high-speed destroyer operating under the 22nd Reconnaissance Wing. She picked her first bridge crew from a pool of officers she'd never met, taking special care not to choose yes-men. Her first officer, Tiell sh'Saris, got the job for criticizing Taegan's interest in mixing exploration with combat duties. The Swift Current launched on December 26, 2405, plying the Romulan front. The ship's high speed and low profile allowed it to sneak past Romulan patrols into former core sectors like those beyond Achernar. Supplying itself with the aid of resource-gathering shuttles, the Swift Current roamed from planet to planet, exploring new worlds, charting Romulan colonies and defending Starfleet exploration ship. Quistra quickly mastered the art of the assisted hit-and-fade, hurling the Swift Current out of high warp and scrambling the enemy ships' sensors before bombarding them into rubble with phaser cannons. In 2407 the relatively stealthy ship stopped for extended leave on Eta2 Hydri III, a tropical planet. It proved to be the site of a notorious moment in Quistra history. While the crew was enjoying the planet's beaches a Hirogen hunting party beamed down to the planet and attacked. They happened to beam down to precisely the spot where Quistra happened to be sunbathing au naturel. Ultimately she ended up brawling with the Alpha while still sans attire, snatching his gun and vapourizing him after an extended struggle. The fight, witnessed by most of her bridge crew, became somewhat notorious among them. Quistra had another run-in with the Hirogen in 2408 when intelligence crossed her desk regarding a potential major deal between the hunters and the Tal Shiar. On orders from Admiral Worsley the Swift Current traveled to the Zeta Phoenicis system, stumbling upon the a Tal Shiar warbird en route to the meeting. A bit of sensor deception and comm jamming peacefully removed the Romulan ship from commission and resulted in the deal never coming to pass. Covert actions aside, the Swift Current was less celebrated for its exploratory record. Quistra earned Silver Palms for first contacts with the Trenark, the Caeans and the Inthari. The ship catalogued numerous planets formerly under Romulan control, shedding light on parts of the Star Empire once unknown to Federation eyes. Also in 2408, the Swift Current encountered the wrecked hulk of a Borg cube in the Omega Virginis system, rescuing several disconnected drones from the nearest planet. Among those drones was current Starfleet officer Gisele Moury. Quistra's most visible moment came in early 2409. Pursuing suspicious Tal Shiar ship movements, she discovered a raiding party massing in the Muhlifain system, bound for Federation space. She called for help, naturally, before taking cover behind a lump of rock in the outer system. A Federation task force led by the Sovereign-class starship USS Grayling promptly crashed the Romulan fleet, and the Swift Current attacked from the flank. The attack was successful and the Romulan fleet dispersed. -- TYPHOON AND NEWFOUNDLAND Quistra was promoted to Captain in mid-2409. With the Swift Current undergoing its refit cycle, Quistra and her senior officers moved to a new ship, USS Garrett, a Hephaestus-class escort. The posting proved brief due to serious structural problems with the Garrett's nacelle pylons. The ship was returned to drydock for an emergency overhaul and ultimately mothballed, while Quistra was moved in 2410 to the Defiant-class escort USS Typhoon. The move came with major personnel changes, including executive officer Tiell sh'Saris, retiring to Andoria to raise a child. In her place, Quistra selected a Bajoran woman, Liasha Celes, as her new Number One. The Typhoon spent much of its service life on the Borg front, operating in the vicinity of Bellatrix and Tejat Posterior with regular returns to the core base of Omega Force and frequent runs to Deep Space Nine to confer with Admiral D'vak. Quistra managed to squeeze exploration missions in where possible, but the typical Typhoon mission involved using the ship's cloaking device and high speed to conduct deep strikes and intercepts against invading Borg cubes. A particular mission in mid-2410 involved the rescue of USS Sarmizegetusa, in which boarders from the Typhoon repelled Borg landers. The mission was highlighted by Quistra pushing a Borg drone into a turbolift shaft and dropping the lift on him. Despite the Typhoon's limited medical accommodation, Quistra also built up a sterling reputation for liberating Borg drones. Her medical staff under Dr. Enidia Lenzi became experts at disconnecting drones from the hive mind, and Quistra herself became fairly good at giving pep talks to people long deprived of their free will. The Typhoon crew were collectively awarded the Federation Citation of Honour for their work in liberating such a large number of victims from the Collective. Quistra was briefly reassigned from the Typhoon in mid-2011 and replaced by Captain Ohsala Rinn. Her crew was told her absence was due to accumulated leave. In fact she was requested by Starfleet Intelligence for special assignment to a venerable Sovereign-class cruiser, USS Newfoundland, jury-rigged with a cloaking device for a special mission into Romulan space. The vessel connected with a Romulan Republic sabotage crew operating under orders from Republic headman D'Tan, continuing on to conduct a clandestine mission against a Tal Shiar installation in the Algorab system. The details of the mission remain heavily classified, but Quistra ultimately returned home with 147 surviving crew, having sacrificed the Newfoundland to complete the mission successfully. A court-martial ultimately cleared her of wrongdoing, and she was returned to the Typhoon with little fanfare, taking away a strong network of contacts in the upper echelons of the Romulan Republic. -- USS CHALLENGER AND DEEP SPACE TOUR In early 2412, Quistra and her crew were moved from USS Typhoon when the ship went in for regular refits, ultimately to be assigned to the command of Captain Ohsala again. Instead, Quistra's strong track record landed her a plum assignment, namely command of NCC-97002-C USS Challenger, third ship of the Odyssey-class after USS Odyssey and USS Enterprise. She retained many of her senior officers, including Liasha. The Challenger quickly fell under the purview of the Starfleet Deep Space Exploratory Division. Quistra's first assignment was a two-year run into the depths of the constellation Pegasus, taking advantage of a cooling of hostilities with both the Borg and the Klingons to put the Challenger's quantum slipstream drive to work. The ship vanished into the unknown for two years, keeping in contact with Starfleet through relays and reporting largely to Admiral Victoria Wu. Among the notable discoveries made by the Challenger was a detailed study in late 2412 of an extrasolar planet approximately 13.8 billion years old - as old as the universe. The resulting study revealed more tantalyzing clues as to the nature of creation and the early cosmos, and the crew collectively took home the Scientific Order of Merit for their efforts. The Challenger also made first contact with nine new species and welcomed the Bracithanc as trading partners with the Federation, allowing access to the unique chemical compounds of a plant grown on the planet Bracith, which promised progress in the march towards a cure for Irumodic syndrome. Quistra's diplomatic efforts earned her two Silver Palms, one for the Bracithanc deal, another for successfully mediating a territorial dispute between the Zarthaeans and the Te'mivor over the fourth planet in their shared star system, halting a budding in-system war between the two local warp species. The Challenger returned home from its mission in February 2014 and conducted missions in the area of New Romulus, playing on Quistra's Romulan connections. The vessel also crossed through the New Australia wormhole into the Outback dwarf galaxy and conducted some exploration missions in concert with the 26th Fleet, though Quistra never joined their ranks or reported to them directly. In April 2414, the Challenger returned to Earth Spacedock to assist with in-system defense following a major attack by Species 8472. It continued on to the Outback to join a task force in reclaiming Starbase 381 from the Undine before returning to Earth again and remaining there for some time, conducting mainly relief missions in the core of the Federation. Quistra guided the ship's crew through a major staff turnover in June 2414, as first officer Liasha Celes accepted a promotion to Captain and command of USS De Verrier; security chief Hsu Jin-Song and Romulan exchange officer and science specialist Temerek also both departed, the former to teach at Starfleet Academy, the latter to serve alongside Obisek as commander of a Reman warbird. After a difficult selection period, she granted then-current Challenger ops manager Fairuza Khamidouline a promotion to Commander and the billet of first officer, bringing on a new operations manager, chief science officer and security chief as well as hiring an Omega Force weapons specialist and several new scientists. She timed the new transfers to coincide with the Lohlunat Festival on Risa, taking her crew on a jaunt aboard a cruise liner to get everyone comfortable with each other after so significant a turnover. Shortly thereafter, the ship was transferred to the command of the United Sector Taskforce.
Service Record		2374 - Born aboard USS Dostoevsky, Betazed system. 2380 - Genetically bonded and betrothed to Rael Wynixi. 2392 - Matriculates at Starfleet Academy. 2396 - Graduates Starfleet Academy. Assigned to Starbase 409, billet of Security Constable. 2398 - Promoted to Lieutenant, junior grade. 2400 - Promoted to Lieutenant. Assigned to USS Spector, billet of Tactical Duty Officer. 2402 - Promoted to Lieutenant Commander. Awarded Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry for actions against a Klingon weapons manufacturing facility. 2403 - Asigned to USS Dnieper, billet of Chief Security Officer. 2404 - Successfully completes field science, advanced tactical and command officer certifications. 2405 - Recovered from crash site of USS Dnieper by USS Vercingetorix. Completes post-trauma counseling; assigned to USS Standfire for four-month border patrol. Promoted to Commander. Assigned to USS Swift Current, billet of Commanding Officer. 2406 - Awarded Silver Palm for first contact with the Trenark. 2407 - Awarded Silver Palm (x2) for first contact with the Inthari and Caeans. 2409 - The crew of USS Swift Current are collectively awarded the Unit Service Ribbon for distinguished action against Tal Shiar forces at Muhlifain. Promoted to Captain. Assigned to USS Garrett, billet of Commanding Officer. 2410 - USS Garrett removed from service. Transferred to USS Typhoon, billet of commanding officer. 2411 - Awarded Federation Citation of Honour, collectively to the crew of USS Typhoon, for sterling efforts in liberating numerous Borg drones from the Collective. 2412 - Assigned to USS Challenger NCC-97002-C. Billet is Commanding Officer. Awarded, collectively, the Scientific Order of Merit for study of an extrasolar planet as old as the universe. 2413 - Awarded Silver Palm (x2) for first contact with the Bracithanc and mediation efforts between the Zarthaeans and Te'mivor. 2414 - By order of Admiral Wu, the crew of USS Challenger are collectively awarded the Starfleet Medal of Valor for conspicuous effort in the reclamation of Starbase 381 from the Undine.
Medical History