Oddas Aria
| Embassy/USS Thunder-A | ||||||||||||||||
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| Oddas Aria | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Chief Engineer | |||||||||||||||
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander | |||||||||||||||
| Species | Bajoran | |||||||||||||||
| Gender | Female | |||||||||||||||
| DOB | 237003.25 | |||||||||||||||
| Age | 31 | |||||||||||||||
| Birthplace | Hathon, Bajor | |||||||||||||||
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Lieutenant Commander Oddas Aria is currently serving as the Chief Engineering Officer at the Embassy and the USS Thunder-A.
Appearance
- Height: 1.67M
- Hair: Blonde, Shoulder Length
- Eyes: Brown
Clothing
No matter what she is wearing she continues to wear her Grandmother's blue and silver earring on her right ear.
She has also taken to wearing a watch given to her by Irina on her left wrist.
On Duty
Aria takes great pride in her uniform and tries to wear it with distinction. She passed every uniform inspection as a cadet and continues to hold herself to the same exacting standards now that she is in the field.
Off Duty
Aria wears clothing that is comfortable, but feminine. Skirts with jackets and sensible shoes in a variety of colors. Her clothes tend to have pockets where she keeps a PADD or two so she can pull out a book or other work for when she gets bored.
Family
Parents:
- Oddas Gura, Father
- Often described as more at home with the higher ranks of military and intelligence officers. Behind his back he is sometimes called the politician's soldier, something he regrets and sometimes tries to make up for by being 'more soldier than soldier'.
- General Oddas Umize, Mother
- A front-line solder through and through. She never wanted Federation membership for Bajor and has earned the respect of every soldier around her.
Siblings:
- Oddas Ushow, Older Sister
The Oddas family is of the ancient D'jarra, the Va'tello, consisting of Sailors, Pilots, and slimier professions.
Background
Aria was born on Bajor in the city of Hathon. She grew up hearing stories of how her extended family were executed by Gul Pirak during for not showing loyalty. Growing up she continued to hear more and more stories from friends and remaining family of heroes, ordinary people who fought for the survival of her planet. Her father and mother both were members of the Resistance and, later, the Bajoran Militia. Aria decided to break the family tradition and join Starfleet, not a popular choice in the Oddas house. Her sister stayed behind and joined the Militia, but Aria saw Starfleet as a way of bringing the Oddas tradition of standing up for your beliefs to the galaxy, instead of confining it to the planet of Bajor.
Aria found herself learning of her affinity in Engineering when she looked around one day and realized that most of the people in her immediate surroundings were much more interested in being soldiers than actually making things working, and that her neighborhood was crumbling. The militia was good and crime was low, but things like basic infrastructure did not make it down to the 'street level', and people still assumed that picking up a phaser was the best way to fix things, and to be a 'hero to Resistance'.
One day, at the age of 15, she found a Replicator that seemed beyond repair, and everyone told her it never would be. She scavenged parts and got it running well enough to feed the neighborhood for 2 years before it was eventually replaced. During her scavenging efforts she met the Resistance's engineers who kept the ships running, their weapons repaired, and kept a low profile. She realized there was more than one way to stand up for what was right.
Other Important Relationships
- Ijo Alea
- A girlfriend, Bajoran, who had planned to attend Starfleet at the same time as Aria. During a hike the year before they were scheduled to leave for the academy Alea as crushed under a rock slide during a hike. Aria's family had hoped, not secretly, that Ijo's death would weaken Aria's desire to go to Starfleet, but the opposite happened. Alea had planned to go to the academy alongside Aria and unbeknownst to Aria's parents the couple had exchanged betrothal bracelets in the days leading up to Ijo's death. When her parents pressured to stay on Bajor after the death, Aria realized that her desire to go was stronger than ever.
- Ijo Cada
- The mother of Ijo Alea, and someone who had stepped in as sort of a 'surrogate' mother figure to Aria after the death of Alea. Aria calls her 'Mother Cada' and is more likely to write her or visit her when thinking of home.
- Cole Melchor
- One of the few close friends made during her years at the academy due to her studies. Cole had never been off Earth before joining the academy. Theirs is a true friendship despite being different species, world experiences, study disciplines. He teases her about being stuck in books and engines, she teases him about only pushing buttons. They stay in touch as often as they can.
- Irina Pavlova
- Irina and Aria recently found each other during the wedding of their commanding officer. Each trying to avoid talk of romance, love, and other related things, they found those same things with each other quite by accident and without trying. The relationship is young but they are committed to finding out where such a thing leads.
Career History
Academic History
Aria entered Starfleet on 239008.15 and graduated 230405.05, majoring in Engineering. While there she was drawn to all things dealing with Propulsion systems, and Subspace Theory. Along the way towards graduation she found herself also drawn towards pure Mathematics and Programming as each seemed to be required to solve harder problems.
Aria was once ordered to retake ENG121: Colossal Failures in Engineering, when she submitted a paper during a seminar (ENGSEM: Subspace Telemetry and Improvements over the Past Century) in which she argued the Argus Array could be upgraded to outperform newer equipment. She fought the decision and ultimately prevailed, but the visiting professor never accepted her premise or conclusions.
- Specializations
- Propulsion Systems
- Programming
- Minors
- Operations
- Mathematics
Postings
Aria was first posted to the Embassy on Duronis II Stardate 239305.03 and found herself taking charge of the Engineering Department. With no time to get acquainted with her new staff or surroundings she was immediately sent out on her first mission, finding herself aboard a Betazoid freighter in need of being brought out of warp with a comatose crew and deadly Terran-Betzoid telepathic cats.
Due to her handling of the mission she was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade and assumed an acting role of Chief Engineer and during the subsequent invasion of Embassy by Zalkonian and Romulan Empire forces, bringing the USS Bronwyn into battle ready shape in order to defend the embassy. During the battle and the aftermath she earned a subsequent promotion to Full Lieutenant and the post of Chief Engineer.
During following missions she proved herself capable of keeping the Embassy engineering systems running, improved, and finding time to repair and maintain both the Bronwyn and Thunder. This work, as well as research and other activities with various members of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers earned her a promotion to Lieutenant Commander on 239402.09.
Personality
Aria is driven to success, but she is not overtly aggressive. When studying a problem her eyes light up as if she is considering all ramifications. She is extremely loyal to a close knit group of friends. The quickest way to her her heart is through a puzzle, sometimes literally.
People describe her as more likely to be interested in the others around her, some engineering puzzle, or just some challenge recently faced. She will talk about herself, if people pry, but she is almost always embarrassed to do so. She is kind and caring, hopeful for the future, and brave even if she doesn't always show it immediately.
When on Bajor she mostly relied on friends to get her 'out of the house', but with the death of Alea and going to the academy, she became more reclusive. She is beginning to realize that she has the time, and desire, to socialize again. While the desire is there, her nervousness and introverted ways still often get the better of her.
Religion
An apparent contradiction to her dedication to engineering is her dedication to the prophets of Bajor. In her quarters, wherever those may be, will be a small table dedicated for prayer to the prophets. Despite her falling out with her parents and sister she still prays for the prophets to guide them, to watch over them, and for their eventual reconciliation.
Quarters
Her quarters contain a series of shelves displaying tchotchkes picked up from various places, most worth nothing to anyone but her.
She always has a crowded workbench with a project or more started on it. Currently on the workbench is a model of a Bajoran sailing ship of the type proven by the Emissary, along with plans to build her own.
A Spot of prominence is a Janirian Puzzle box given to her by Ijo Alea, never solved by another soul, containing the set of betrothal bracelets exchanged by Aria and Alea. Alongside the box is a Bajoran Shrine where she regularly prays.
Service History
| Service History | ||||
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| Insignia | Rank | Dates | Posting | Assignment |
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Cadet First Class | 239305.03 | Graduated Starfleet Academy | Engineering |
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Ensign | 239305.03 | Embassy/USS Thunder-A | Engineering Officer |
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Lieutenant (JG) | 239306.28 - 239309.04 | Embassy/USS Thunder-A | Engineering Officer |
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Lieutenant | 239309.04 - 239402.09 | Embassy/USS Thunder-A | Chief Engineer |
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Lieutenant Commander | 239402.09 - Present | Embassy/USS Thunder-A | Chief Engineer |
Awards & Service Ribbons
- For award descriptions, see: Awards and Service Ribbons
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Publications
- Oddas A. Vulnerability of Veliko Memory Sentinels on Betazoid Freighters. JSCE, 2393; 23(2).
SIM Archive
- Be My Friend (239305)
- The USS Thunder-A tries to stop a runnaway freighter from crashing on Duronis II and the Embassy 'Shadow Team' try to uncover a mole at the Embassy who has been feeding intel to the Orion Syndicate.
- Crises of Identity (239307)
- The Crew of the Embassy on Duronis II uncovers and Orion plot that would destablize the beta quadrant and works to put a stop to it.
- Turner-Waltas Wedding (239309)
- Toni Turner weds Tyr Waltas in huge celebration on Duonis II with attendees from all over the galaxy.
- Family Troubles (239312)
- Captain Waltas' son uses his telepathic abilities to take control over Toni to exact revenge.
NPC Listing · Embassy/USS Thor Crew Manifest · Crew History
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