Tiernan Keyes

Ensign Tiernan Keyes, a Terran, is currently the chief science officer aboard the USS Independence.

Stats

• Full Name: Tiernan Keyes
• Age: 26
• Current Rank: Ensign
• Race: Terran
• Date of Birth: 236412.12
• Place of Birth:
• Gender: Male
• Telepathic status: See Telepathic/Empathic Scale

Appearance

• Height: 6ft 0in
• Weight: In pounds or kilos.
• Hair Color: Sandy Blonde
• Eye Color: Azure

Family

• Spouse: None
• Children: None
• Parents
  • Father: Jador Keyes
  • Mother: Neria Keyes
• Siblings: Unknown

Personality

Despite all of his gifts, he is quite the hypochondriac. His hypochondriasis is especially amplified by anxiety, specifically anxiety over performance in circumstances were exposure to an unknown agent might result in illness (e.g., away teams, hazard duty, etc.). This inner perception of frailty when it comes to health has further manifested itself in a low pain threshold. Keye cannot tolerate pain, as it leads him directly to thoughts of agonizing death.

Chronological History

Ages: 1-12

Keye was born in a time of relative peace for the United Federation of Planets. Any military or political troubles that did arise were far removed from his reality. Despite this ideallic childhood, he was not accustomed to luxury, either. His parents maintained highly traditional views and believed in hard work and discipline. They were also extremely vested in higher education, as both parents taught at the prestigious University of Alpha Centauri. Keye's mother, Neria, was an associate professor of astrophysics, and his father, Jador, was a lecturer in exocultural literature. Tiernan was an only child.

His childhood was far from lonely; however, he was identified as a "intellectual" from a young age. Although he did not dislike social interaction, he preferred productive social interaction, and he became involved in many extracurricular programs designed to encourage for creative and imaginative thinking. At the age of six, he tested into the gifted program at the primary school that he was attended, excelling in the portions of the test that measured abstract thinking and higher-order reasoning.

Ages: 12-18

As Keyes began to mature, additional pressure from his parents to excel at his academics began to affect his social aptitude. At the age of thirteen, his parents decided to participate in an expedition authorized by the Federation Science Council. For the next seventeen months, he would be isolated from others his age, and his parents became his instructors. Initially, the adolescent began to rebel. In fact, his rebellion reached a point of critical mass until month twelve of their journey.. His father contracted some sort of aggressive infection during one of their stops, and he became gravely ill. Keye became nearly obsessed over his father's condition, to the point that he became paranoid about contracting a serious illness himself. This led to his hypochondriasis that he battles even as an adult.

Given their distance from a Federation medical facility, his father grew exceedingly weak. It became his responsibility to not only care for his father but to help his mother maintain the ship that they had been assigned for their journey. Eventually, the ship reached a Federation medical facility, but the infection had done serious damage to his father's spinal cord. The physicians were able to take care of the infection, but he was paralyzed from the waist down.

Keyes realized, after returning to Alpha Centauri, that he had enjoyed the role that he played on this voyage. He also discovered that there was far more to life than academics. He continued to excel, and he developed into a masterful young man. But, he started to look beyond years of academic studies; he wanted to make a difference - in the here and now.

Keyes was not completely disinterested in pursuing academics; after all, they had been an important part of his life for fourteen years. Once he graduated from secondary school, he decided to "get the most bang for his buck". That, combined with his fascination with service in space, led him to apply to Starfleet Academy. Given Keye's excellent problem-solving skills, he did quite well on the entrance examination, and he was admitted after his first attempt.

His parents, however, were not thrilled. Both his mother and father wished for him to pursue an advanced degree for a prestigious university - the University of Alpha Centauri, the University of Betazed, or the Vulcan Science Academy, for instance. Never-the-less, after Keyes had made his decision, they supported it despite their personal feelings.

Because he possessed great problem-solving abilities and also showed technical acumen, his advisor recommended a career within engineering. At first, Keyes was hesitant, but after he took the introductory courses in engineering, he found that this field was far beyond maintenance and repair work. He elected to specialize in warp theory and propulsion, and he never looked back from that point on. Rather quickly, he accepted the name of "engineer" with pride.

The transition to life at Starfleet Academy was an easy one for Tiernan. Because he grew up on a Federation member world, he was accustomed to the great cultural diversity of Starfleet. As soon as he could, he signed up for the Starfleet Academy Parisi Squares team, a sport of which he was quite fond and had often played as child (despite the inherent risks of playing the game at a young age). The friendships that he developed with his teammates were a critical piece that made the transition smooth.

Tiernan selected the engineering branch, an arena in which he had always shown interest and aptitude, as his major field. He was strong academically and highly focused. His second semester into his branch program, however, he met Cadet Christopher Mitchell. Mitchell was a Human with southern charm, a native of Tennessee who fancied himself a miracle worker and ladies man. Although the latter was questionable, the former was proven in his performance in the engineering department at the Academy. Keye and Mitchell were assigned to the same problem in applied theories of advanced propulsion, though they were not partners. Their assignment was to work independently and then present their solutions to the class; the person with the best solution would receive the best grade. Both Keye and Mitchell came up with creative, adaptive solutions to the problem. With both equally sound, Keye's personal charm and magnetism helped him sell his solution, and he beat out Mitchell. The two became friends; however, it is one that is very odd, based on constant competition and 'oneupmanship' . This has threatened their friendship many times because Keye does not have the competitive streak within him that Mitchell does.

At the end of his junior year, Keye had the option to submit a proposal for research. The person whose proposal was the most sound and valid would have the opportunity to conduct the research in the field as a part of his or her cadet cruise. Dozens of proposals were submitted by his classmates, including Cadet Mitchell. After a fierce competition that included defending the proposals to a research committee, Keye's thesis proposal in warp field theory was selected.

Character Description

Keye is a cadet who is close to graduating Starfleet Academy. He has a fear of illnesses but yet is a skilled, albeit young and inexperienced, engineer..

Physical Description

This young man has the quintessential appearance of a military officer. His sandy blonde hair is cut short and straight, and he has a square cut jaw. Brilliant azure eyes are ever-intent and ever-focused. The intensity of his eyes and seriousness of his expressions provide a strong counterbalance for his youthful appearance, suggesting that, despite his age, he is likely seasoned and intellectual. Although he appears to be Human, he is actually a native of Alpha Centauri.

Backstory/Timeline

1. 232001.01: Event.
2. 232001.02: Event, etc.