Chief Petty Officer Barin Tirad
Name Barin Tirad
Position Damage Control Specialist
Rank Chief Petty Officer
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Bajoran | |
| Age | 43 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 69" / 175cm | |
| Weight | 160lbs / 72.5kg | |
| Hair Color | Light Brown | |
| Eye Color | Blue | |
| Physical Description | Barin is a lean, sinewy figure forged out of years of combat and training. His hair is generally kept short, so as not to require much maintenance, while his face bears the lines and marks of one who has known stress and difficulty for nearly their entire life. Frequently, he can be found with a trace of stubble when he hasn't had the opportunity to shave...or has simply forgotten. Of note are also the marks of a life without access to modern medical capabilities: an eight centimeter long light scar beneath his left ear and another eighteen centimeter long scar extending from his left shoulder blade down the left side of his back, in addition to significant skin scarring running from his left shoulder to nearly his wrist. |
Family
| Father | Barin Plinor (Deceased) | |
| Mother | Barin Mecora (Deceased) | |
| Other Family | Barin Trinal (deceased) |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | After twenty years of war, Tirad has grown extremely tired of constant conflict and struggle. In the view of his counselors, since the war he has significantly matured and managed to find a variety of methods of releasing the anger and turmoil he's been forced to wrestle with since his youth. Still, he wrestles with the loss he has faced and has not forgiven himself for those he is convinced he could have saved. Tirad remains something of an introvert, preferring to maintain many walls between he and his comrades in case he should be forced to deal with their losses, too. Many find him very difficult to approach or converse with, but those who remain persistent and attempt to break past the barriers eventually can do so. When Tirad does let others in now, they become very dear friends to him, ones for whom he is willing to live and die. |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | After so many years of experience, Barin has developed strong leadership skills and has become highly proficient at both administrative and resource management duties. This, combined with his detailed applied technical knowledge, makes him a veritable master at damage control and crew oversight. Despite this, however, his knowledge of theory and underlying principles remains somewhat behind the average officer of equivalent experience. Given proper time to study such materials, Tirad can work his way through them with full understanding, but it does take him somewhat longer than what might be readily expected. Tirad also possesses an immense reserve of tactical and combat knowledge, making him a highly proficient war veteran and field leader. However, he does not like to discuss his experiences or apply his knowledge and skills in this way if he can possibly avoid it. He will educate others if called upon to do so, but only in the hopes of passing along knowledge that can save lives. Finally, Tirad lacks refined social skills after his years in the Bajoran Resistance and an enlisted Marine. This ranges from formal dinner etiquette to the fine art of "small talk." He is, for lack of a better term, a straight-forward, blunt crewman who has little patience for nuance and subtlety. |
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| Ambitions | Barin accepts whatever twists and turns his career encounters and follows it wherever his course may go. Rather than attempting to achieve some particular definable goal, he instead seeks validation in his work, to the extent that his counselors fear it may be his only driving motivation. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | Barin has enjoyed crafting woodworks since his youth on Bajor. He prefers to use hand tools and has become quite proficient at constructing not only sturdy pieces, but also relatively beautiful works as well. This is an expression of his love of building just about anything with his hands, being given to activities that result in a physical proof of the effort rather than intellectual pursuits. For physical recreation, Barin can be found frequently running the corridors of his latest assignment. While he has been encouraged on more than one occasion to make use of the holodeck for his runs, he finds their artificial nature distasteful and prefers real surroundings. He also enjoys rock climbing, when he gets the opportunity. Like his running exploits, he refuses to utilize the holodeck, instead climbing through jefferies tubes. |
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| Languages | Bajoran, Cardassian, Federation Standard |
| Personal History | Childhood: Barin Tirad was born to Plinor and Mecora in the Nakura Refugee Camp, Kendra Province, in 2343. Raising a son in the extreme poverty of the Cardassian Occupation, Plinor and Mecora scratched out the most meager of livings performing manual labour for their oppressors. Three years following Tirad's birth, a Resistance raid upon the local processing center killed ten Cardassian soldiers and destroyed a shipment of uridium ore. This, in turn, led the local overseer, Glinn Rivor, to make an example of twenty labourers, including Tirad's parents. Following their deaths, family friends were able to transport the young child to his only surviving relative, his uncle Barin Trinal, a prylar in Rakantha Province. Trinal, a man of extreme faith and piety, remained unassociated with the Resistance for all his life. He believed faith in the Prophets and a life of peace would eventually outlast the Cardassian aggression. To this end, Tirad was raised for a time in the local monastery, learning the teachings of the Prophets. However, shortly after he reached his thirteenth year, a Cardassian unit searched the monastery, searching for suspected members of the Resistance. Two of the senior ranjens, including Tirad's master teacher, were executed before the others of the assembly, despite no connections to the Resistance. Several prylars, enraged that the Cardassians would commit such unwarranted savagery in their hallowed halls, chose to denounce their robes and take up arms against the unit that had assaulted them. Against Trinal's wishes, Tirad chose to join them as they began their small Resistance cell. Four days later, five of the eight who left the monastery were killed in a raid that killed all twelve Cardassian soldiers who'd defiled their sanctuary. Occupation & Resistance: The remaining three fighters, including Tirad, were accepted into the far more organized Dekuri Resistance Cell. Tirad, intensely curious about all things technical after knowing only the monastery, immediately took up with the technicians within the cell. He quickly demonstrated a natural aptitude for engineering, though his lack of education - like many other Resistance technicians of the time - caused him to learn more practical applications and much less theory. By the time he had reached the age of twenty, like so many other youths raised during the occupation, he'd become a veteran fighter of the Resistance and a respected engineer. During a raid in 2363 on a Cardassian shuttle facility in, he and four others was assigned to sabotage the fuel supply station while others of his cell provided a distraction nearby. Unfortunately, the unscheduled transfer of another platoon through the facility brought about unexpected complications and they were forced to detonate fuel tanks far earlier than expected. Two of Tirad's companions were fatally injured in the blast, while Tirad and his remaining companions were severely injured. Tirad, a piece of shrapnel lodged in his shoulder and having narrowly avoided decapitation, helped carry one of those comrades back to their shelter. While that fighter later died of their wounds, the last two survivors of the raid were praised as local heroes, having destroyed the station and killed not only the administrative and technical staffs, but also the relief platoon. Unfortunately, both Tirad and his remaining companion, lacking advanced medical treatment, spent nearly six months in recovery before they were able to return to fighting their occupiers. Shortly after he joined the Resistance, Tirad had decided that he'd take his revenge on the man who'd robbed him of his parents. In 2365, he received that opportunity when he learned that now Gul Rivor had been appointed magistrate for the Rakantha Province. On the day that Rivor assumed his post, his cell launched an assault on his shuttle just as it arrived at the administrative compound. Eight members of his cell died in the attack, but they were successful in capturing Rivor and spiriting him away to their headquarters. In one of the darkest moments of his life, Tirad executed the man in cold blood. The next day, the Cardassian guards at the administrative compound found Rivor's lifeless body just outside the compound, yet another message from the Resistance. During major festivals and holidays, Tirad always returned to the monastery of his uncle, where Trinal had been raised to ranjen. Trinal had always frowned upon his nephew's path, constantly discouraging him from it and requesting his return the monastery. The considerable friction this raised between the two generally resulted in Tirad leaving the monastery in anger, upset that his uncle could not see that he was fighting for his world, rather than hiding behind robes and prayers. Trinal, on the other hand, believed that Tirad was lashing out at the Cardassians in anger and hatred, which would lead him away from the path of the Prophets. While the truth most likely lay between the two, neither would admit the validity of the other's point of view. Nor would either admit the respect and love they held for the other. On the eve of the Cardassian withdrawal, several parties were sent in search of the remaining Tears of the Prophets. The Cardassians had received reports that one of those remaining unaccounted for was being held in Trinal's monastery. The resulting assault was both decisive and bloody, a minor massacre that left nearly forty monks dead. Among them was Trinal. No orb was found in remains of the temple. Starfleet Marine Basic Training & Starfleet Marine Technical Extension School: With the arrival of the Federation relief effort and with no home to return to, a heartbroken Tirad sought to flee the place that held so much pain for him. He immediately enlisted with the Starfleet Marines, leaving Bajor for the first time in his life. His training on Earth proved a very different challenge than any he'd faced before. No longer in constant peril or living the life of a freedom fighter, Tirad had some difficulties in adjusting to the more secure life of the Federation. During his basic training, he clashed several times with those he viewed as "children playing war." Years older than his fellow recruits and having grown up a soldier, his drill sergeants recognized he was already prepared for war, but instead needed to learn discipline and how to adapt to a more regimented life. One drill sergeant in general, Staff Sergeant Joseph Cortez, took a particular interest in Tirad. Like the Bajoran, he'd grown up in a society in chaos - the failed colony Turkana IV. Three weeks into his training, Cortez had already recognized that Tirad was suffering from a similar situation to that which he'd faced when he'd first enlisted. After a brutal, physical, and thoroughly effective demonstration that Tirad wasn't alone, Cortez began guiding Tirad's development for the remainder of his training. Thanks to his efforts, Tirad graduated in the upper quarter of his class, despite his many initial infractions. Subsequently, he earned the initial advancement in rank to Private, First-Class, as well as a sufficiently high priority for advanced training. Given his options, he chose to attend the Starfleet Marine Technical Extension School and train to become a field technician. Like Basic Training, the MTES proved more difficult than he'd expected. While his practical experience was considerable, his lack of formal education and understanding of underlying principles initially hindered him greatly. Two weeks after his assignment to the MTES, Tirad was referred for three months of remedial training in basic sciences and mathematics before being permitted to continue with the regular training program. Determined not to fail, Tirad threw himself into his studies and was able to continue with the MTES course load. Specializing in field communications, Tirad found himself highly capable once the training program progressed beyond the theoretical components and into application. Tirad also used the opportunity to begin studying basic propulsion systems, earning a secondary specialty in impulse systems. Upon graduation, Tirad was awarded the customary advancement to the rank of lance corporal and was posted as an assistant field technician with the USS Raleigh's detachment. Starfleet Marine Corps: Thanks in no small part to the efforts of Staff Sergeant Cortez, Tirad found it much easier to integrate himself into his new unit than he'd previously had. Serving with others who'd had actual combat experience - including several senior enlisted Marines who'd served in the Federation-Cardassian Wars - gave Tirad a community more in touch with his own experiences. His skill with quickly servicing and repairing equipment in the field also made him feel more respected within his department. In recognition of his experience and capabilities, his commanding officer recommended him when a senior field technician position became available on the USS Zhukov in May of 2372. The appointment approved, his commander's final act on his behalf was to advance him to the rank of full corporal. As the Zhukov Marine Detachment's field technician, Tirad was responsible not only for providing technical assistance in combat situations, but also for training his four assistant field technicians in various fields of operations. Realizing he needed more experience with a wide variety of systems to do this, Tirad began assisting the engineering and operations departments aboard ship. There, he began to learn about isolinear and bio-neural computer systems, sensor operations, warp propulsion mechanics, and a variety of other fields. While this made him by no means an expert, he became sufficiently proficient to begin training others in them. When the Zhukov's Marines were thrust into the conflict against the Dominion in April, 2374, the detachment's platoon sergeant was killed in action against the Jem'Hadar. Realizing how Tirad's combat experience could prove valuable to the unit in the war, Major Anderson - the detachment commander - granted him a field promotion to sergeant and appointed him the platoon sergeant. There, Tirad proved himself a capable leader. After several months of combat, Tirad began to withdraw emotionally. His detachment saw heavy combat and the constant stream of casualties and reinforcements began to weigh heavily on his mind. He began to erect barriers between him and those around him, to decrease the pain he'd been forced to live with all his life. After a time, he stopped looking at casualty reports, learning the first names of his subordinates, or socializing with his fellow veterans. Matters only became worse when his commander died at the hands of the Jem'Hadar, leaving Barin with the dubious honor of a field promotion to staff sergeant and temporary command of his platoon. When the Federation's alliance finally achieved victory at the end of 2375, Tirad had seen nearly twenty years of war. For him, it was enough. Starfleet Engineering and Operations School: In December, 2375, Tirad requested a transfer to the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, which was quickly approved due to the pressing need for engineers for the reconstruction effort. Granted the fleet-equivalent rank of petty officer, second class, Tirad was immediately assigned to the Starfleet Engineering and Operations School on Vulcan. At SEOS, Tirad received far more thorough training in engineering than his ad hoc training aboard the Zhukov. His endeavorus aboard that ship, though, did give him sufficient experience and knowledge to train at the same level as those with a more formal education. His instructors noted that his previous technical experiences gave him a remarkable ability to get equipment functioning under a wide variety of difficult situations, but also left him inclined to "jury rig" systems rather than fully repair them. A note was added in his file that while a master of immediate repairs to bring systems online, "Mr. Barin should never be placed in a permanent maintenance role until he learns every situation does not require swift attention." Tirad graduated from the school a year later and was appointed to the USS Dalian as a damage control specialist. USS Dalian: While his engineering career was getting under way, the officers under which Tirad served were growing concerned with his emotional state. He remained very reserved and distant from his crewmates. Many noted that he often seemed to take additional shifts to avoid situations in which he might be required to interact with others on a social basis. Eventually, the matter was brought to the Dalian's counselor, Lieutenant Chiang Chen. It took Chen some months to get Tirad to open up regarding his history before Starfleet and his experiences during the war. He was surprised to discover that, unlike other Bajorans he’d met, Tirad did not hold much faith in the Prophets his people so revered. The constant loss and pain he had encountered had been the end of his belief in religion. While convinced that Tirad was fit to continue service and not a threat to himself or others, he did order the engineer to continue sessions on a regular basis. Utopia Planitia Shipyards: His next tour, at the Utopia Planitia Shipyards on Mars, went well, though his past seemed to continue to haunt him. He proved to be an excellent engineer, serving as a refit section leader for the full tour, supervising the overhaul and repair sections for no less than eight vessels returning from duty. His introverted nature remained strongly intact, but his skills and efficiency in the completing the tasks assigned to him earned him excellent reviews. USS Ayutthaya: In 2385, Barin was reassigned to the USS Ayutthaya as its damage control section lead. Returning to the more insular, compact nature of a starship’s crew proved rather difficult for Barin, with his counselors noting once more that he seemed to overwork himself frequently as a way of avoiding social interaction with his peers. Despite this, he was awarded excellent marks and, when the Ayutthaya put in for refit two years later, Tirad was transferred to the USS Iapetus to fill their own vacant damage control billet. |
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| Service Record | 2369: Enlists in Starfleet Marine Corps at rank of Private; Graduates from Starfleet Basic Training with advancement to Private First Class; Assigned to Starfleet Marine Technical Extension School. 2370: Graduates from Starfleet MTES with customary advancement to Lance Corporal; Assigned to Marine Detachment, USS Raleigh as Assistant Field Technician. 2372: Advanced to rank of Corporal; Transferred to Marine Detachment, USS Zhukov as Field Technician. 2374: Advanced to rank of Sergeant; Appointed Platoon Sergeant. 2375: Granted transfer to Starfleet Engineering with rank of Petty Officer, Second Class; Assigned to Starfleet Engineering and Operations School on Vulcan for retraining. 2377: Graduates from SEOS; Assigned to USS Dalian as Damage Control Specialist, Second Class. 2380: Advanced to Damage Control Specialist, First Class. 2382: Transferred to Utopia Planitia Shipyards and assigned as Section Leader, Refit Section 9-13; Advanced to Chief Damage Control Specialist 2385: Transferred to USS Ayutthaya as Damage Control Division Leader 2387: Transferred to USS Iapetus as Damage Control Division Leader |