Alana Tovan


Alana Tovan.jpg
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Basic information
Assignment
Lieutenant Alana Tovan is a Starfleet officer serving as the chief engineer of the USS Nimitz.


History

In 2362, a Romulan defector seeking asylum arrived at the Federation Starbase 314. Sublieutenant Khavek had fled the Romulan Star Empire due to a differing opinion of how the empire was being run. Starfleet attempted to gain intelligence from Khavek, who happily supplied what he knew in exchange for asylum. At this time, the Romulans were still very isolationist, and there was very little news coming out of the Empire.

While he was on the station, Khavek met one of the researchers, a civilian theoretical physicist named Dr. Melissa Tovan. The two very quickly fell in love, and were married by the end of the year. They had a happy life together on the station. Melissa continued her research, and Khavek helped where he could, even offering help with the Romulans after they rejoined galactic politics. By the end of 2364, the pair had a daughter and named her Alana.

For the first several years of Alana's life, the family lived happily together. Khavek would often tell her stories of his life on Romulus, and Melissa would share tidbits of her research. Alana mostly resembled her mother, and was even bit by the technology bug. Even at a young age, she liked to tinker, sometimes taking apart her toys to see how they were put together. By the time she was seven, their life changed.

In 2371, Khavek revealed his true intentions. He was never a Romulan defector after all. While some of the information he had supplied to Starfleet over the years was true, most of if was not. Instead, he was after information from Starfleet, including the research that Melissa Tovan was involved in. Without warning, Khavek fled the station, involving a firefight with security personnel. He offered no excuses to his family, and transported away to a cloaked Romulan ship. It would later be determined that Khavek was a member of the Tal Shiar all along, and had been in contact with the Empire secretly since his original “defection.” Alana and Melissa were devastated. Inquiries were held regarding Melissa's involvement with Khavek to determine if she had been supplying him with detailed information on her research. It was ruled that she did not help him willingly and no charges were filed. She did, however, lose her grant, and left the station to return to Earth.

Growing up on Earth was not easy for young Alana. As news traveled throughout the Federation of Khavek's betrayal, people on Earth looked at mother and daughter as traitors and untrustworthy, especially young Alana. She tried to hide her dual heritage as much as she could, even claiming that she was half Vulcan and making up stories as to why her father was not with her. He kept her hair long to cover up her pointed ears, hoping that that would somehow avoid questions. That didn't always work.

In 2381, she decided to apply to Starfleet Academy. Because of the ridicule that she and her mother faced after Khavek returned to Romulus, Alana felt like joining Starfleet would be the best way to redeem herself, and prove that she was not her father. Much to her surprise, her technical talents impressed the application board, and she began her Starfleet academic career in 2382. Over the course of the next four years, Alana did everything she could to be better than her father. Forming interpersonal relationships was still difficult, but she found some solace that she was more accepted here then she had been in the small town growing up. Her fellow cadets and instructors respected her for her academic merits. She joined Red Squad as an engineer in 2385, and by her graduation in 2386, she was considered one of the top engineers in her class.

Alana's first assignment was aboard McKinley station. Her knack for tinkering and repairs made her a great candiate to lead repair teams on visiting starships. She enjoyed her time there, but she still didn't feel like it was enough. Station bound work did not suit her, even if much of her work took place on docked starships. Part of her secretly wondered if she was kept near Earth on purpose, so that she could be easily watched. While this was not true, it was a paranoia inherited from her father. After twelve months of service, Alana requested a transfer to a starship. Her request was granted, and she was transferred to the USS Adams.

During her time on the Ambassador-class Adams, Alana quickly impressed the command staff. It was not out of the ordinary for her to be found in an access tunnel upgrading systems or conducting maintenance well ahead of the normal schedule. Alana took on these extra jobs without being asked, showing a lot of initiative. This did not go unnoticed by the ship's chief engineer, and when the assistant chief went on to a new assignment, Alana was recommended to take his place. As the assistant chief engineer, she was responsible leading the engine room during the later shifts, and would in part set the maintenance schedules. With her help, the Adams was running more smoothly than she had during much of her service life. Her speed and efficiency drew the attention of the temporary commanding officer, Commander Jaeih Andorzai. When he was offered command of the USS Nimitz in 2389, he asked that Alana be transferred to his new ship.

Service Record

2382 – Entered Starfleet Academy 2386 – Finished Starfleet Academy. Assigned to Earth Station McKinley 2387 – Assigned to USS Adams 2388 – Promoted to Assistant Chief Engineering Officer, USS Adams 2389 – Assigned to USS Nimitz as Chief Engineering Officer

Personality Overview

Alana had a difficult time growing up. The daughter of two worlds, she often found herself judged for her father's actions, though only unofficially. This usually caused her to work harder through school and the Academy, making feel like she had to prove herself in order to rise above her father.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Alana is very good tackling problems, often by throwing effort at a problem until it is solved. In some situations, this can lead to lack of sleep, but Alana feels like she has to prove herself everyday, to prove that she is not her father. She is very self conscious about her heritage, and will try to hide the Romulan side of her as much as she can.

Ambitions

Alana strives to prove to her colleagues that she is the best that she can be. Her father's betrayal left her and her mother in a difficult situation, and her mother has not been treated with the same level of respect since. Alana hopes to overcome this, and make a name for herself through Starfleet. Although she knows that it is not her place, she secretly seeks to bring her father to justice for what he did to his wife and daughter.

Hobbies & Interests

Like her mother the scientist, Alana has always loved to learn and tinker. In her spare time, she likes to build and program, repairing plasma manifolds or working on new warp calibrations. She does enjoy reading, though her guilty pleasure are holonovels. She sometimes likes to tweak the parameters of the simulations, but only if she can get away with it.

Physical Description

Alana is of average height and build. Her long jet black hair nearly always covers the pointed ears that she inherited from her father. She looks more like a Vulcan in appearance, having pinkish skin and slanted eyebrows. She lacks the distinctive forehead ridge of her Romulan father, but does share his copper based blood.

Family

Father: Khavek (Romulan citizen)
Mother: Dr. Melissa Tovan