Mourad

Character History

Born to a pair of independent Orion traders, Mourad was born on a ship and fully expects that someday he’ll die on one.  He showed a knack for mechanics and engineering as a young child and much of his early education was the “hands on” of helping his parents keep their freighter running.  Unfortunately, the Orion Syndicate doesn’t look kindly on traders that aren’t under their thumb, and Mourad lost his parents to a pirate raid in his preteen years.  He was taken captive and put to work turning wrenches for the Syndicate.  As a “skilled” slave his lot was better off than many, but the loss of his parents and the inhumanity he witnessed while serving the Syndicate quickly soured him on the organization.  Still, Mourad was savvy enough to  “keep his head down” and wait for his moment.

That moment came late in his 17th year, when the raider he was serving on came under fire from the USS Cairo under Captain Edward Jellico.  Mourad sabotaged the ship’s shields, allowing it to be easily disabled.  When the crew was taken prisoner, Mourad eagerly handed over everything he knew of their operations to his new captors.  He expected to be carted off to a Federation Prison, but Captain Jellico instead gave him the opportunity to attend a remedial education program designed to funnel individuals with unusual backgrounds or origins into Starfleet Academy.  Knowing a good deal when he saw it, Mourad accepted.

Mourad excelled in the program and performed well at Starfleet Academy.  His practical knowledge of shipboard mechanics gave him a head-start on an Engineering specialty, to the point where he had the highest performance in the Engineering Program during his last two years at the Academy, though not in the Academy overall.  He went on to perform admirably on several starfleet vessels, eventually landing a slot at Utopia Planitia, where he was part of the team that constructed the first wave of the Akira-class vessels.  He later found himself assigned as deputy-chief engineer aboard the USS Thunderchild during the Battle of Sector 001, and after surviving that battle the Thunderchild would join Operation Return, and later fight with distinction in the Battle of Cardassia Prime.  With his promotion to Lieutenant Commander, Mourad was selected to serve as the chief engineer of the USS Forger, though it required some wrangling and favor-pulling by Admiral Andrew Park as Mourad’s skills were in high-demand among several Starship captains.

Mourad’s outward persona is of a sociable, somewhat lackadaisical fellow with a sardonic sense of humor and a touch of roguish charm.  He does seem to have a knack for finding unusual items and mild contraband that he’s perfectly willing to share with the crew.  In short…he’s what most people expect of an Orion.  His command style is informal and while looking argumentative on the surface is actually highly collaborative (“Directed chaos” as one of his former Captains described it).  Beneath the surface, however, Mourad is grateful to Starfleet for giving him a better path in life, a dedicated team-player, and a hell of an engineer with a real genius for jury-rigging, and he knows the Akira-class better than nearly any other engineer in Starfleet.  He’s not proud of many aspects of his past but he’s perfectly willing to leverage what he can of it for Starfleet’s benefit.

Art by MaxsIllustrations