Quinn Reynolds/Personal history

Crew of the USS Independence A
Quinn Erin Reynolds

Childhood

Quinn was born in Columbia Hills, Mars. From a very young age, it was obvious that she was an exceptionally bright child and intelligence testing showed that she had a phenomenally high IQ. The Reynolds family already had some experience with gifted children - her cousin Hayden was also remarkably intelligent - and so it was decided that she would be home schooled with private tutors in order to provide her with a tailored program of education that was best suited to her abilities. While there was a strong emphasis on mathematics and the sciences, her father, Stephen Reynolds, also ensured that she had access to the arts and Quinn quickly fell in love with music. Playing the piano quickly became one of her favourite hobbies and one she would take with her into adulthood.

Her childhood years were marked with several traumatic events. First, there was incident involving her mother that finally prompted the decision to place Sarah Reynolds in the care of psychiatric professionals - of which Quinn still bears the scars of today. The later months of her eighth year included a visit to Delta IV which left the girl with a lingering distaste of Deltan culture and a phobia of water.

At the age of ten, Quinn undertook the final examinations required to graduate from High School and passed them all with flying colours. Under pressure from her grandparents, Susan and Martin, she applied to the Daystrom Institute of Technology to read a Bachelor of Science in Physics. She found life at the institute a struggle, having difficulty relating to her fellow classmates, all of whom were several years older than her and as a result became increasingly isolated during her time there. It was directly due to her solitude that she finished the degree a full year earlier than the norm.

Notable Relationships

1. Hayden Reynolds: Quinn's cousin Hayden was another child prodigy and one of the few people that understood the difficulties that came packaged along with it.
2. Sarah Reynolds: Though they were separated when she was five, Quinn has some extremely vivid memories of her mother; especially the last few months when Sarah (due to her mental illness) took to physically abusing the young girl.

Full Timeline

1. 235902.14: Born.
2. 236403.02: Mother is institutionalised, Quinn is cared for by her mother's husband, who later formally adopts her.
3. 236709.14: A disastrous trip to Delta IV (with the intention of introducing her to Deltan culture) leaves Quinn with a permanent phobia of water.
4. 236906.23: Graduates from high school, begins study at the Daystrom Institute of Technology.
5. 237106.09: Completes a BSc in Physics.

Teenage Years

Life as a teenager was considerably more settled for Quinn, barring the incident that resulted in a three month stay in the same hospital as her mother. In her early teenage years she continued to study, now applying her prodigious intellect to the study of a physics doctorate and later, post-doctoral studies. Though still isolated from many of her peers due to the significant age difference, she had by then learned to cope with her loneliness; she threw herself into her studies with almost alarming intensity, rarely taking holidays unless coerced into it, and if she wasn't working, she was playing the piano or tending to the multitude of plants she kept around her.

Quinn's prior applications to work with the Theoretical Propulsion Group at Utopia Planitia had been refused, but once she reached the age of sixteen she was finally offered a position as a Junior Research Engineer and moved back to her father's home on Mars. She found the work she undertook interesting, but it was a continuing major source of frustration and disappointment to the young woman that her ideas were frequently dismissed due to her youth. Growing dissatisfaction with her job and ability to contribute made Quinn consider a change in profession and so at the age of twenty, she made her application to Starfleet.

Notable Relationships

1. Tildaen Ethelwin: An exchange student from Earth, Tildaen was offered a place to stay by Quinn's father. At first she was wary of the Betazoid, due to her intense discomfort around telepaths, but over the next eighteen months the pair slowly became good friends.
2. Esteban Sanchez: A member of the Theoretical Propulsion Group, Doctor Esteban Sanchez is probably the closest thing to a mentor Quinn has ever had. He was one of the few people that didn't treat her as a schoolgirl in above her head and took the time to listen to her theories and suggestions, no matter how outrageous. It was from Esteban that Quinn learned practicality in engineering and when to reign in her sometimes wild ideas.

Full Timeline

1. 237203.11: The beginning of a three month stay at the same hospital as her mother.
2. 237401.02: Completes PhD in Warp Field Theory.
3. 237501.01: Joins the Theoretical Propulsion Group at Utopia Planetia shipyards.
4. 237601.15: The USS Kestrel, the ship her cousin Hayden serves on, vanishes along with all hands on board.
5. 237701.02: Completes PhD in Applied Subspace Theory.
6. 237704.17: Tildaen Ethelwin, a Betazoid exchange student, moves into the family home during his internship on Mars.

Academy Years

Quinn had never expected Starfleet Academy to be easy, but she had not anticipated just how hard it actually was. She had little trouble with the classes that require pure academic work and theory; always in the top percentile, if not at the very top itself. But when it came to more practical endeavours, she struggled, especially when it came to classes oriented around combat and tactics. Her marksmanship was poor and she still feels today that there was a significant element of luck involved when she scraped a pass mark the various self-defence classes.

Her difficulties did however bring about some self-realisation; Quinn discovered that she had previously unknown reserves of determination (or perhaps plain stubbornness) and she refused to give up, even when at her lowest. Tildaen, who was also in the same year as she, also helped her through the bad times - although he unknowingly also sometimes made them worse with his attempts to find her a significant other.

Notable Relationships

1. Tildaen Ethelwin: Quinn and Tildaen met again at the Academy, sharing many of the same classes during their first year. It was during this time that he managed to drag Quinn out to several San Francisco nightspots and (with much reluctance on her part) introduced her to orbital skydiving.

Full Timeline

1. 238003.05: Enters Starfleet Academy.
2. 238401.27: Graduates from Starfleet Academy.

In the Fleet: The Triumphant

Quinn's first major mission, the survey of Musca III, had several revelations for the fresh-faced Ensign Reynolds. It was the first time she had to deal with a less-than-pleasant superior officer and a significant threat to her life when a Gorn computer virus seriously damaged and disabled the Triumphant. Despite the rocky start, Lieutenant Commander Walter Brunsig and Quinn grew on one other and they managed to work together to save the Triumphant from being destroyed in a nearby plasma storm.

During the Asterospolis mission, Quinn was promoted to Chief of Engineering - a position she found extremely difficult to deal with. After one crewman disobeyed a direct order and another requested a transfer due to the "performance of the department head", she suffered from a severe crisis of confidence and considered a transfer to a research outpost or other low-stress environment. Her confidence was restored a little when she successfully commanded an away mission to the USS Yellowknife - a crippled colony defence ship - and assisted the Triumphant in battle. Ultimately, the Yellowknife was destroyed when Quinn was forced to ram the enemy ship.

The end of the Asterospolis mission was also the end of an era for her; Captain Rhys Bejain was reassigned as the Federation Ambassador to Bajor, the Triumphant was retired from the front line and the crew was split, reassigned through the fleet. Quinn was posted to the USS Independence as the Chief Engineering Officer, along with Tildaen; while her friends Nick Parks, Galvin Prox and Walter Brunsig were assigned elsewhere in the fleet, much to her distress.

Notable Relationships

1. Walter Brunsig: Something of an odd couple, Quinn slowly discovered that she and Walter Brunsig had more in common than initial appearances would imply.
2. Tildaen Ethelwin: Quinn's old friend from Mars and the Academy was transferred to the Triumphant, much to her delight.
3. Nick Parks: Initially brought together as a research partnership, Nick and Quinn's work together formed the basis of a friendship that continues to evolve.
4. Galvin Prox: Despite her normal aversion to telepaths, Galvin Prox is slowly growing on Quinn and she is making a concerted effort to be friendly toward him for Tildaen's sake, if not her own.

Full Timeline

1. 238401.31: Posted to the USS Triumphant, as an engineering officer.
2. 238404.14: Returns from a future timeline, on board the NX Class starship Constitution.
3. 238405.17: Aboard the USS Triumphant when it departs on a shakedown cruise and routine planetary survey mission to Musca III.
4. 238406.15: Promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade.
5. 238406.25: Aboard the USS Triumphant when it departs for Asterospolis on a diplomatic mission to the Free Trade Union.
6. 238407.07: Temporarily named Chief Engineer of the USS Triumphant.
7. 238408.30: Promoted to Lieutenant.

In the Fleet: The Independence A

The Euphrates mission held several revelations for the newly-minted Chief Engineer. For the first instance in her career, Quinn experienced the loss of personnel under her direct command; rather than deal with how it affected her, she chose to ignore it, distancing herself from the situation. Toward the end of the mission, she experienced fresh emotional turmoil in the form of a burgeoning relationship with David Cody.

The medical relief mission to TE-IV left a permanent impression on the young engineer; caught in the explosion of a sabotaged generator, Quinn came truly close to death. The experience left her with some serious scars; physical, in the form of constant pain in her left leg and mental, as she is subsequently plagued with nightmares. She also found that her cousin was intending to marry Lily Ventu and struggled to deal with the unexpected and uncharacteristic jealousy that accompanied the discovery.

Shortly before the Independence was pulled the Galactic Barrier, Quinn found herself thrust into a teaching role as a tactical officer with no formal engineering training was assigned as Assistant Chief Engineer. It was not a position she was particularly comfortable with and whenever possible, she delegated it to other crew members. During their time at the Galactic Barrier, Quinn was frustrated with her own unusually short temper, the nightmares still present and including flashbacks from the battle where she commanded the Yellowknife.

Notable Relationships

1. David Cody: Somewhat to her surprise, Quinn's initial attraction to the former Chief of Security, now First Officer, was mutual. Despite her initial reservations, the pair began a tentative relationship that continues to deepen.
2. Hayden Reynolds: Rescued from his pocket dimension, Quinn was initially thrilled to find Hayden had been assigned to the Independence. Though she has come to learn that her cousin is not the same man she remembers, his reassignment to the USS Tiger has left her feeling as though she has lost him once again.
3. Sidney Riley: Quinn has come to (somewhat unfairly) blame the former First Officer of the Independence for many of her troubles that stemmed from the events on TE-IV, a feeling which may remain unresolved with Riley's reassignment to the Tiger.
4. Lily Ventu: Transferred from the Triumphant together, Quinn has come to view Lily Ventu as a good friend and confidante. While she still coming to terms with her emotions regarding Lily's relationship with Hayden, Lily was transferred to the Tiger, leaving Quinn virtually alone once again.

Full Timeline

1. 238409.04: Transferred to USS Independence as the Chief Engineering Officer.
2. 238409.17: Aboard the USS Independence when it departs to Sector 301 in search of the USS Euphrates.
3. 238411.24: Aboard the USS Phoenix when it departs to the Triades-Episolon system to deliver medical aid to the colonists of TE-IV.
4. 238501.18: Awarded the Purple Star.
5. 238502.05: Aboard the USS Independence when it, along with the USS Ursa Major and USS Ronin, are pulled through a wormhole to the Galactic Barrier.
6. 238504.18: Aboard the USS Independence when it departs on a survey mission to the Igloo Cluster.
7. 238505.06: Remains assigned to the Independence when the USS Tiger is recommissioned, under the command of Commander Sidney Riley.