Scott Merlin
Lieutenant Scott Merlin, a Human, is currently a Helm Officer aboard USS Athena.
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| Scott Merlin |
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Basic Stats
- Full Name: Scott Alan Merlin
- Nicknames: None Mentionable in Polite Company
- Race: Human
- Date of Birth: August 10, 2368
- Place of Birth: New London, Connecticut, Earth
- Age: 33 Years Old
- Gender: Male
- Telepathic status: N/A
Appearance
- Height: 6’2”
- Hair Color: Dark Brown
- Length of Hair: Short
- Eye Color: Brown
- Skin Tone: Tanned
- Biomechanics:
- Right Arm starting at Upper Arm
- Right Leg starting at Thigh
- Right Eye
- Identifying Marks: Residual scarring on right arm and leg, ending with biomechanical replacements. Slight scarring along the right side of his face, starting at his eye.
- Build: Athletic
- Off Duty Clothing: “SFMC” T-Shirt (grey with black lettering) with Jeans and Boots
- Tone/Voice: Tenor
- Handedness: Left Handed
Family
- Marital Status: Single
- Father: Tyler Merlin, Navy Historian (Retired SFMC)
- Mother: Emily Merlin, Power Facility Shift Manager
- Sister: Lieutenant Olivia Merlin, Medical Officer – USS Sarek
Personal History
Scott Merlin was born to Tyler and Emily Merlin on August 10, 2368 in New London, Connecticut, on Earth. His upbringing was surrounded by military history, given his proximity to the restored, museum converted, former United States Navy submarine base in nearby Groton, and his father serving in the Federation's Starfleet Marine Corp. Much of the early stories were fairly calm, filled with what the young Scott felt was excitement and adventure. Scott's mother provided him an environment of stability, and a loving home in which he could recover from days spent hiking along the trails and foothills near his home, joining his older sister, Olivia, once she grew to tolerate him.
Later, though, the stories became less frequent. The Federation had become embroiled in the Dominion War, which was not particularly conducive to stories to a child. His mother did her best to put on a brave face, though Olivia could not hide her concerns as well. Information still managed to find its way to Scott's ears, and while he did have some understanding of how bad things were, he also knew his father would be fine. As all young boys feel at that age, Scott was convinced that his father could do anything.
His confidence was justified, as at the war's conclusion his father returned home for the final time. Having spent long enough away from family, his father had rotated to training duties in the Sol system, where he would remain for the rest of his career. When he was not making trainees crawl through the muck, he spent more time at the submarine base museum, eventually taking on a few curator responsibilities.
Olivia reached graduation from high school, deciding to forge a path slightly different from their parents. She joined Starfleet Academy's medical program. Two years later, Scott faced a similar choice. The early stories his father had told still rung in his ears, pulling him toward joining the SFMC himself. As the Federation had not been in a conflict nearly to the same scale as the Dominion War, his parents approved.
On August 1st, 2386, Scott started his classes at Starfleet Academy, taking the Marine option from day one. He performed well in his classes, including those not Marine specific. His grades permitted him access to a few select courses, including one which discussed potential vulnerabilities of Starfleet equipment to specific computer based attacks. Scott found inspiration from the course; if Starfleet's tech could be attacked in such a way, perhaps an opponent's could be a well? While his instructors seemed uninterested in his ideas, Scott started to work on the concept in his free time. His reflexes also warranted training in shuttle and dropship piloting, in keeping with the idea of cross-training as many position as possible. Though he was initially uninterested, one particular training exercise including a high-speed run through Mars’s Valles Marineris canyon demonstrated the more fun aspects of the job.
Scott graduated from Starfleet Academy on June 7th, 2390, and was assigned to SFMC's 3rd Battalion, specifically to the platoon nicknamed "The 'Hadar Stompers". They had picked up a particular reputation during the Dominion War, and all members were expected to uphold it. Scott's platoon commander, a Vulcan Captain named Sulnir, learned of Scott's technical concepts, and encouraged him to continue development. Over Scott's first year as a squad leader, he started incorporating tricorder components into his armor to boost its computing capabilities. In time, he learned to use it to launch low level hacking attacks against enemy weapon emplacements, either shutting them down or prompting a catastrophic overload. The tech was not perfect, but it was showing some promise against more sophisticated opponents.
Scott's squad was involved in a number of campaigns over the next two years, seeing action in various hot spots. He kept in touch with his family as much as he could, even spending six months stationed on his sister's ship as additional security. All looked well, and his career was very promising.
All that changed on July 20th, 2393. Scott's platoon was chasing down a group of Orion Syndicate members during what was called the War of Shadows, and had tracked them to an abandoned mining facility on Sardonis IV. The Syndicate had already moved on, but they had left behind a few 'presents'. Using material recovered from the Klingon Invasion of the Romulan Empire in 2389, they had turned several anti-personnel mines into potent anti-armor weaponry. Several marines were lost, including a member of Scott's squad, and Scott himself was severely injured. His armor kept him alive, but he lost his right arm, leg, and eye. All three were replaced with biomechanical components.
His recovery was not easy, but with the help of one of the ship's nurses, Nurse Sekara, Scott learned how to adjust to the new limbs. He was able to regain full use of his right eye and arm. However, when performing his recertifications to return to his field duties, it was discovered that residual nerve damage in his leg caused feedback issues during high intensity activities. Multiple methods of signal boosting and filtration were attempted to correct for this, but each introduced more problems than they corrected. Procedures to correct the damage itself carried the risk of destroying what control he had. Scott even spoke with Olivia, who felt the risks did not outweigh the potential benefits. Much as it pained her to say it, she had to recommend against the procedure. In the end, the decision was made to pull Scott from front-line duty in the SFMC.
Scott’s initial though was to focus on what had originally been a secondary role; piloting SFMC dropships. While he did show aptitude, the same issue haunted him. Every marine was a rifleman, and if he could have remained a rifleman then he would not be looking for a new position in the first place. Faced with the possibility of a desk job, Scott looked for other opportunities to stay more active. The option was given for him to lateral transfer to the Fleet side of the house. While a Security/Tactical role was considered at first, issues with his leg still gave the brass cause for concern. Once again, the role of piloting came to the forefront, though this time at the helm of a starship. It would keep him from a desk, and still allow for the odd away mission to keep his combat training relevant. With the blessings of his parents and support of his sister and friends, Scott took the offer.
On December 1st, 2393, Scott returned to Starfleet Academy for six months of refresher training. From his time in the SFMC he was allowed to retain his rifle, to which he had made a number of modifications, and his armor, which was custom fitted to him on joining and would be difficult to reassign to another. As walking around with the arm of his armor would be a little conspicuous, Scott worked on refitting his old armor modifications into a newer model tricorder. This 'tactical tricorder' permitted him to continue working on the use of tactical hacking in combat. Starships, he quickly learned, were not typically as nimble as a shuttlecraft, or even a dropship. However, he started learning how to adapt certain tactics, as well as learning from as many historical references as possible to build up his new piloting skillset.
On June 14th, 2394, Scott completed his refresher training and was fully accepted as Starfleet helm officer, with additional classes in security and tactical to bring him up to speed with the latest Starfleet guidelines. Due to time in service, he was also promoted to the rank of full Lieutenant.
Hobbies and Interests
From his childhood, Scott has maintained an interest in woodland hiking. It was especially helpful during his recovery, as it gave him something positive to focus on as he relearned how to walk long distances.
Also, due to many visits to the submarine museum base, he developed an interest in Earth naval history: tactics, battles, technology, etc. This interest made a resurgence during his refresher training, as he looked for ways to use it in his new field.
His time in the SFMC instilled a strong habit of maintaining his equipment. He has the maintenance card for his armor, which he follows closely, along with his various weapons. It does not take up all of his time, but he ensures its completion.
Scott's childhood interest in music received a massive boost after his assignment within the SFMC. His platoon had a traditional love of classic Earth rock music, and the timing of Scott's arrival made him the new keeper of the platoon's guitar. The 'duties' of the position included maintaining the guitar in working condition, as well as learning a number of songs to be played upon request. He took to the role, wanting to excel in it as much as anything else, and had earned enough respect from his platoon-mates that they gave him a guitar of his own as a gift when he transferred out of the SFMC.
During his recovery, Nurse Sekara introduced Scott to a unique form of physical and occupational therapy. He started to train in the use of bow and arrow, sword and shield, and other medieval weaponry. In the time since, he continued to practice with the forms he enjoyed most, and even acquired a few pieces while on Earth during his refresher training. It allowed him more activity than he might see in a typical day, while still being below the threshold of causing him difficulty.
Service History
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| Insignia | Rank | Dates | Posting | Assignment |
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Cadet 1st Class | 239006.07 | Graduated Starfleet Academy | Marine |
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2nd Lieutenant | 239006.07 - 239201.01 | SFMC 3rd Battalion | Squad Leader |
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1st Lieutenant | 239201.01 - 239312.01 | SFMC 3rd Battalion | Squad Leader |
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Lieutenant | 239406.14 | Completed Starfleet Academy Refresher Course | Helm/Sec/Tac |
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Lieutenant | 238811.28 - Present | USS Athena | Helm Officer |
Chronological Record
- 236808.10: Born in New London, CT, on Earth.
- 238608.01: Began studies at Starfleet Academy, Marine Option
- 239006.07: Graduated from Starfleet Academy, Assigned to SFMC 3rd Battalion
- 239307.20: Severely injured in the line of duty.
- 239312.01: Returned to Starfleet Academy for refresher training.
- 239406.14: Completed refresher training at Starfleet Academy. Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant due to time in service.
- 239407.07: Assigned to USS Athena as a Helm Officer
Awards & Commendations
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NPC Listing · USS Athena Crew Manifest · Crew History
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