Alken, Edward

PRC	STAR FLEET PERSONNEL COMMAND FILE  SECURITY RATING 3, CONFIDENTIAL

Alken, Edward
Career Occupation
Position:	Science Officer
Assignment:	USS Artemis, EX-11000
Rank:	Midshipman
Time on Site:
Biographical Attributes
Full Name:	Edward Alken
Species:	Human
Gender:	Male
Height:	180 cm (5 ft. 11 in.)	Weight:	77.1 kg (170 lb.)
Eye Color:	Blue
Hair Color:	Chestnut Brown
Hairstyle:	Short. Carefree.
Physique:	Athletic
Complexion:	Pale
Voice:	Resonant
Affiliation:	United Federation of Planets
Birthplace:	Alpha Centauri
Born:	(N/A) 00.00	Age:	40
Familial Relationships
Father:	James Alken (Deceased)
Mother:	Ruth Alken (Status Unknown)
Siblings:	Reuben Alken (38), Lt. Naomi Willis (35)
Marital Status:	Seperated
Spouse(s):	Jen Alken
Children:	Alice Alken (19)

Personal History

The son of James and Ruth Alken. Farmers from Alpha Centauri. Oldest brother of Reuben Alken and Lieutenant Naomi Willis. Married at 19, husband of Jen Alken, and father of Alice Alken.

Edwards' mother Ruth left the family home under abrupt circumstances whilst her children were young. It is unclear what motivated that departure, nor her final destination. James Alken refused to allow the children to mention her from the moment she left. Edwards siblings, Lieutenant Willis has been assigned as a security officer with Starfleet, whilst Reuben Alken currently works as a lawyer on Vega.

Edward devoted himself to the family farm on completing schooling. It was whilst his brother Reuben was at University, that Edward was introduced to one of his brothers’ fellow students, Jen West. At first there was little chemistry between the law student and the farmer, but over time a relationship started to blossom. Two years later the pair were engaged to be married, and a year later they tied the knot. Leaving the farm to allow Jen to practice law, the pair relocated. It was the first time that Edward had moved away from the family home. Whilst Jen practiced law, Edward would work as part of a horticulture dome project studying the early life span of trees. Here he would find that passion rediscovered for botany, and at the age of 21 they begin their family. Alice Alken was a surprising but welcome addition.

To the shock of the family, Edward inherited the Alken family farm at the age of 30. Edwards' father James died from a farming accident whilst tending to the crops. The same incident that gave Edward the scar on his arm. He refuses to remove it as a reminder of that day. To their dismay, Edwards' young family had been bestowed an unproductive homestead and debt ridden farm. Following difficult negotiations with planetary authorities, James was given a small grant to regenerate the business, but was unable to find significant investment towards the homestead. James added a new irrigation system to better prepare for additional future harvests, but all in vain. The four years that followed brought disappointing and meager crop yields, nowhere near sufficient to make the homestead viable. This added stress and complex challenges over the next year as James turned 24, leading to the collapse of his marriage.

The devotion to the Alken homestead was at the cost of indifference, if not complete neglect, towards family life. To Edwards own confession, he had been a poor husband and father. Jen Alken left Edward that year, taking their daughter Alice who was 15 with her. They migrated from Alpha Centauri, choosing to make a new life on Earth. They would settle in New York. Whilst it has been four years, the separation has yet to be formalized in divorce. Edward has not had any contact with Alice, despite repeated efforts on his part.

Erratic weather patterns across the northern regions of Alpha Centauri in the spring would lead to mass flooding across the new irrigation system, and subsequent financial ruin. The cause of these erratic weather patterns was attributed to rare power fluctuations in the planet's weather control network. The statistical odds of such a failure of the planet's weather systems are thought to be rare. As such Edward has always maintained that the flooding of the family farm was a matter of sabotage, employing the weather network for that specific purpose. Whatever the reason, he has never presented any proof to support those claims. As everything was washed across the farm's plains, the weight of a life collapsing led Edward towards the nearest bar; The Red Rocket.

Sharing an exchange with a stranger in a bar, Edward unexpectedly found himself expressing the pain of loss over the last year. The burden his father had placed on his shoulders, the abandonment of his mother, and his own blunders as a father and husband. All undoubtedly loosened by the alcohol.

Over the course of four hours, Edward absorbed the testimonial of this stranger that Starfleet had offered many the fastest opportunity for escape and redemption. The frontiers of space were a good place to forget problems. Before the conversation finished, Edward had settled that he would enlist for Starfleet.

Edward spent four years at the academy, with a specific focus on botany and agronomy. His lecturers gave praise for the thorough paper on the moba tree known to grow on Bajor, commending the criteria he employed to assess other potential host planets using soil samples. This combined with the work of a medical cadet, Hosea Mordar, on the nutritional wealth of the moba fruit led to recommendations for its use in two fledgling colonies. During his academy years he had no contact with Jen or Alice Alken.

Personality Profile

Academy Major(s): Science
Academy Minor(s): Botany, Agronomy
Hobbies and Pastimes: Horticulture. Moderate drinking. Romulan holo novels. Jogging. Violin. Edward is known to polish his own shoes rather than allow the replicator.
Short-Term Goals: To have research published in a scientific journal.
Long-Term Goals: To find a way to be part of his daughter's life again.
Personality: Inquisitive, impulsive, dutiful, cynical, and weathered by life.
Sense of Humor: Sarcasm, frequently employs humour to disarm.
Phobias: Lost alone deep in space.
Likes: Prefers field research over lab work. An aged bourbon.
Dislikes: All kinds of fish delicacies.
Pet Peeves or Gripes: Uninvited distractions. Arresting oversight. Dishonesty.
Bad Habits or Vices: Enjoys the occasional chewing tobacco, grown from his own tobacco plant.
Achievements: Edward graduated the top botanist in his academy year group.
Disappointments: The collapse of his marriage, and missing years of his daughter's life. Failing to carry on the work of his father's farm.
Illnesses: Suffers from mild hay fever, and is susceptible to breaking out in a violent rash with prolonged exposure to specific fungi and plants.
Strengths: Encyclopedic memory of plants and fungi.
Weaknesses: Edward can be easily distracted by scientific curiosities, at the expense of the immediate mission parameters.
Fears: Fears of abandonment and rejection after losing his mother, father, wife and daughter. Edward is not quick to trust or connect with others on a deep level for fear of loss.
Prejudices: Edward is biased and suspicious of government officials after the collapse of the family farm.
Off Duty Clothing Tastes: Casual Shirt and Jeans
Distinguishing Features: Scar on the right arm from a farming accident.
Pets: None
Friends: Hosea Mordar
Referrer: Google ‘star trek writing rpg’

Personal Paradigm Shifts

Most Painful Experience: The departure of his wife and daughter was the most painful experience of his life, and he regularly regrets the events that transpired.
Best Time: The happiest moment of Edwards life was becoming a father to a beautiful girl.
Most Crucial Experience: Edward devoted time trying and ultimately failing to make a success of the farm. The failure to do so made it difficult.
Role Model: His father was an imperfect role model, both embedding in him a sense of duty and hard work, but never conveying anything of what it looks like to maintain healthy family relationships. For better or worse, James Alken has had the most profound impact on his son.

Career History

Position	Assignment	Date(s)	Event
Cadet	Star Fleet Academy	242008.04	Graduate
Science Officer	USS Artemis, EX-11000	242008.04	Midshipman
Science Officer	USS Artemis, EX-11000	242102.01	Ensign
Science Officer	USS Artemis, EX-11000	242103.01	Role Player of the Month
Science Officer	USS Artemis, EX-11000	242105.01	Role Player of the Month
Science Officer	USS Artemis, EX-11000	242105.01	Lieutenant Junior Grade
Science Officer	USS Artemis, EX-11000	242106.01	Role Player of the Month

Medals Tally:

Achievement Medals Awarded
Image	Description	Qty.
	Role Player of the Month	3

---