Family Background
Torrel is the daughter of Kellal and Zaroh. She is the third of five children the couple have, and the second of her siblings to join Starfleet. Her mother Kellal is a civilian doctor on Denobula. Her father Zaroh is a senior member of the Federation Diplomatic Corps. Torrel's older brother and sister were born in 2368 and 2370 respectively. Her younger brother and sister are twins and were born in 2383. Zaroh is Kellal's first husband, but she also has two other husbands. Zaroh married his second wife, Fiyoran, in 2378. The other spouses of Torrel's parents and their extended families were a regular part of Torrel's life while growing up on Denobula.
Childhood on Denobula
During the Dominion War and for several years after, Torrel and her siblings stayed on Denobula with their mother while Zaroh was away working with the Federation Diplomatic Corps. Torrel attended public school on Denobula and spent many afternoons after school by the river watching boats ferry passengers and cargo through the Kaybin District. While Torrel originally wanted to be a doctor like her mother, learning about the less pleasant side of practicing medicine changed her mind. For the most part Zaroh's trips to other worlds were taken alone. However, Torrel and her siblings were occasionally allowed to go on assignments with him depending on the specific circumstances. These occasional trips left Torrel with experiences from cultures across the Alpha Quadrant and a fascination with non-Denobulan languages that she heard during travels with her father.
Torrel got along well with her older siblings and was quite protective of her younger brother and sister born in 2383. In 2368 her brother moved to Earth after being accepted into Starfleet Academy as a security officer. The two would stay in touch throughout his time at Starfleet Academy. She was first introduced to the fields of engineering and programming on Denobula by her father's second wife Fiyoran. Fiyoran served as an engineer aboard a passenger ship that carried passengers between the two Denobulan continents and gave her a personal computer terminal so that she could learn to program for her tenth birthday.
Bajor
In late 2386, Zaroh was assigned as the consul for the Federation Consulate to Bajor. His assignment was scheduled to last for one year. Torrel was desperate to go with him and, after much pleading, arrangements were made for her to join her father on the station and transfer to the Federation school there. Torrel befriended several of the Bajoran children living aboard the station and became well-versed in Bajoran culture and literature. Torrel's closest friend during this time was a Bajoran girl named Aira. However, Zaroh's assignment as consul ended as scheduled and he moved back to Denobula with Torrel. Aira and Torrel remained pen-pals.
Returning Home
Torrel transferred back to Denobulan schools in 2387 to finish her education. Even as she was walking out of the doors of her school for the final time she had no idea what she wanted to do. Fiyoran pushed her to attend a trade school where she could receive better instruction in programming and engineering. Torrel also briefly considered joining the Federation Diplomatic Corps like her father. However, everything changed for her when she visited her brother on Earth where he was positioned as a security officer aboard Earth Spacedock. The complicated workings of the base were fascinating to her and she got to talk to multiple members of the base's operations staff. Before their shuttle even left the shuttlebay on the return trip to Denobula, Torrel asked her mother about the requirements to apply for Starfleet Academy.
As part of a group of six, Torrel took the Starfleet Academy Entrance Exams at a Starfleet facility on Denobula. She narrowly passed at the top of the group, with her response on the Other Cultures and Species Test being less than ideal. Her attempts to speak Klingon after encountering an angry Klingon officer in the corridors was less than perfect. However, she excelled on the other portions of the exams and was allowed to enroll at Starfleet Academy.
Starfleet Academy
At Starfleet Academy, Torrel signed up for the Com/Ops major with a minor in Helm/Nav. In addition to her required operations and piloting classes, Torrel took all of the programming courses offered by Starfleet Academy. This was when she discovered that in addition to the coding talent that was fostered by Fiyoran's instruction, she also possessed a skill for writing holoprograms. Torrel and her Academy roommate even wrote a holonovel set during the Earth-Romulan War. Torrel enjoyed her time at the Academy. Her only major disappointment was when she applied to join Falcon Squadron. Instead she was assigned to Phantom Squadron as part of the Fifth Academy Training Wing. Otherwise, Torrel performed well at the academy and was assigned to the USS Columbia upon graduation.
First Starfleet Assignment
Torrel's arrival on the USS Columbia was less than ideal. During her first day on the ship, an accidental collision in the corridor led to her pouring orange juice on her new CO, Captain Whittaker. Despite this early bad luck, Torrel enjoyed her time on the Columbia. She primarily worked in operations and communications rather than flight control. Torrel earned a certification as a transporter operator and was frequently involved in the supervision of storage and movement of cargo. She was on the bridge at the Operation station when the ship lost power and helped the bridge crew restore the ship to working order. Her first away mission was a boarding party sent in a shuttle to rescue an away team fro, a species called the Shanshuri. Torrel served aboard the Columbia until it was decommissioned.
Path to the Atlantis
After Torrel's service on the Columbia, a recommendation from a Starfleet Academy instructor helped her secure a position at the Mures Vol Research and Development Center on Trill. She applied her expertise in holographic technologies and holodeck programming to the development of new training simulations for students at the Academy. However, an embarrassing run-in with the facility's senior staff did start the assignment on a sour note. Torrel continued to work at the lab for a few months until feeling a longing to be out exploring the frontier. She applied for a transfer and was assigned to the USS Atlantis. With hope that the curse of bad luck had been broken, Torrel packed her bags and made her way to the Par'tha Expanse.
