Lorelai MacRae

Posting:	USS Miranda, NCC-77000
Position:	Engineering Systems Specialist
Species:	Human
Gender:	Female
Date of Birth:	stardate 2346.1218
Birthplace:	Stirling, Scotland, Earth
Height:	5'7"
Weight:	138 lbs
Eye Color:	Green
Hair Color:	Red

Senior Chief Petty Officer Lorelai MacRae (Born: Stardate 2346.1218) is a senior NCO currently serving under Lieutenant Jamus Jaxom as an Engineer's Mate (Engineering Systems Specialist) aboard the USS Miranda (NCC-77000).

Personal Details

Lorelai, or Lori to her friends, has a family history rich in engineering. Since the first day that ships we built on the River Clyde her ancestors have been present in one way or another in the trade of naval engineering.

Lorelai was the first child born to Angela and Scott MacRae and her father, who was himself a naval architect, was somewhat disappointed that his eldest child was a girl. Long had he dreamed of taking his eldest son out to the spaceport to watch the ships take-off and land, as had been the case for the six previous generations of the family, and he felt cheated that this chance had been denied to him. Despite this, however, he vowed to be a good father and support Lorelai in what ever she chose to do.

Their next child, Sean, was born two years later and Scott swelled with pride. He finally had a son to pass the torch too. He'd take his son out to the shuttle pads and show him the different types of vessels that were traveling to and from the planet surface, leaving Lorelai at home with Angela.

Lorelai was an inquisitive child, growing up she was always looking for the reason behind things – much to the torment of her mother. Leaving her alone for even a few minutes would result something being partially disassembled, from her toys to the video-screen controls nothing was safe from the adventurous young girl. Things were not even safe from her at school, her parents were called on several occasions because the young Lorelai had been caught doing something she shouldn't. The teachers did always note, however, that the item was was never broken, merely that it had been tampered with.

As Lorelai grew older and progressed through her studies she found that she had a natural aptitude for physics and mathematics, nothing too exceptional but she felt they were two of her stronger subjects. She also, on the days when her brothers would be out with their father and her sister was playing with her friends, would often find herself alone in the house and became fascinated with some of the books in her fathers collection, details on ships he had designed, technical manuals and schematics for ship systems. She made a point of, in addition to her school studies of trying to read as many of these as possible. She found the interlocking and interlaced nature of the intricate diagrams captivating.

When her studies were finished she told her parents that she wanted to become and engineer, and that she thought the best place to do this was Starfleet. Her father, trying to be supportive even though he thought of engineering as a mans job, said if she must go into this kind of work then she should at least become an officer, make something of her career and gain a degree and position of authority, rather than waste it in some low grade technical position. Lorelai said she would think about it.

In fact, she thought of nothing else as she walked out the door to the local Starfleet recruitment office to sign-up for basic training. She didn't have time to spend four years training, she had to get out there now.

Following her year of basic training she was assigned to the USS Jerusalem as a fabrication technician. This was the first real test of her skills in terms of turning a theoretical design into the finished product, her apprenticeship lasted two years during which time she learned the skills necessary to progress into the role of a hull maintenance technician. Still serving aboard the Jerusalem she spent a large amount of the following three years 'in the walls' of the vessel. Checking, maintaining and repairing the various ducts and conduits that made up the superstructure of the vessel. This work gave her a more intensive insight into the interior working and construction of vessels but it was her subsequent posting to the USS Fury as a damage control technician where her skills truly lay.

Having been a student of ship systems since an early age, she now found her knowledge tested under some of the most high pressure situations. As a member of the damage control team, Lorelai was required to move quickly and come up with innovative and effective solutions to ensure the ship could function, often under combat conditions. This skill was tested to its extreme during the Dominion War, having to not only make on the spot repairs but also trying to get those repairs to interlink with each other without compromising the ship.

Following the end of the Dominion War Lorelai was transferred to the USS Loki to act as a warp core technician. It was a fairly mundane posting as far as they went, running warp core tests, providing maintenance...having long arguments with science teams who wanted to run experiments in it. Given the normally stable state of the core this position allowed her a greater freedom to pursue and investigate areas of her work that, until now she had seldom touched upon.

In 2377, following an attack by a rogue Breen vessel, the hull around the engineering section of the Loki was heavily damaged. Lorelai, who was still working as a warp core technician at the time, spent a great of time working closely with the damage control teams. It was here that she meet Alex Roth, waiting for the remaining repair crews to bring the equipment they needed, they sat in front of the destroyed section of the hull, nothing but the unseen forcefield separating them from the stars as the ship sat in space. It was a moment that touched them both deeply and they began to spend more time with each other off duty, eventually culminating int a relationship.

In 2379 Lorelai was promoted to Chief Petty Officer and made the engineering systems specialist on the Loki. This 'jack of all trades' style position, together with her new rank, afforded her a greater level of respect among the engineering crews and she found herself becoming the go to person for the enlisted members of the department who were struggling with problems. Also, a month after her promotion, Alex proposed to her. They made plans to transfer together to Utopia Planitia, feeling that their relationship may be stronger if they were on a static facility closer to home. They planned to serve three years there and then see what the future held for them both.

Alex never made it to Utopia. In late 2379, while the Loki was doing a solar survey on a newly discovered star, a blast wave from a freak solar flare struck the vessel causing a large amount of damage to several of the decks systems. Alex was on the crew assigned to make the repairs – what the crew did not realize was that the cargo deck below contained canisters of Nyocene Gas which the force of the blast had caused to partially rupture. The crew was almost finished their repairs when the canisters failed, spilling the gas into the area they were working in. The forcefields were still in place to maintain hull integrity and to prevent people getting into the damages area of the ship and, as a result, the gas was contained – subjecting the repair crew to a lethal dose killing them all.

Lorelai was devastated, she thought about leaving the service, taking time away on compassionate grounds but she realized that she had very little else that she could do. She was an engineer and she loved her job, she could have gone anywhere but she would still be an engineer and without that she would truly have nothing - so she resolved to stay. Her transfer orders, however, had already been processed so she was set to join the assembly teams at the busiest shipyard in the fleet.

She threw herself into her work, anything to keep her mind busy. One project in particular, the construction on the USS Redemption, caught her up. Seeing that big, empty space filling up over the years gave her an immense feeling of pride. The day before the ship was launched she did the last thing she knew she had to do. She went to the bridge of the ship and removed the bulkhead panel where the dedication plaque was to be placed and concealed the engagement ring that had once belonged to Alex behind it, finally setting the memory of him free. Following the successful completion of the Redemption, Lorelai was promoted to Senior Chief and given her own team to supervise.

One month remained of her current term at Utopia Planitia when the USS Miranda, under the command of Victor Murdock, was docked for its major 10 year refit. Lorelai and her team were assigned to carry out part of the refurbishment. As she worked she could feel the air around the ship, the feeling of excitement, a feeling she had not felt since her earliest days in the fleet. Spending time with the ships own crew it felt like she already knew the ship inside out, like she could hear the life blood of the ship pulsing as every day new systems and equipment, bulkheads and conduits were added to her frame. When the refit was nearing completion she found she didn't want to leave, she wanted to see what they hype was about. She filed an application for a transfer to the USS Miranda so that she could begin living her life again.

Now, four years later, a new Captain was to be appointed. A Bajoran named Elaithin Jii, was to replace Murdock as commanding officer. Lorelai could feel a whole new chapter in her life was just about to begin...

Personality Profile

Physically, Lorelai appears to be younger than her age would indicate, leading to more than one amorous young crewman to try and make her the object of his affections, although she thinks that these school boy style infatuations are quite amusing. She also caries a little extra body muscle due to the physical nature of her job. Lorelai is generally friendly and out going but is somewhat uncomfortable in intense personal situations, particularly those involving deep affection.

Lorelai sees things at a slightly different level to a great many people and has been accused of not being able to see the forest for the trees. She, conversely, believes that God is in the details and it is those details that will make all the difference.

She takes immense pride in the work she does and has little time for people who would cut corners when there is no need. She will work to the job and not the clock and has been found still toiling away at a problem long after her shift has finished. Although a dedicated professional she has always been somewhat cynical, this become more apparent since Alex died.

Special Notes

Lorelai has very few personal possessions. Those she does have include a necklace, which she seldom wears, made from her engagement ring, and a photograph of her family on the hills surrounding Stirling.

She has a taste for whisky and always receives a bottle on her birthday from her youngest brother Declan, a master distiller on Earth.

Lorelai, though she would never admit it, has an excellent singing voice and often sings to herself while she works.

Service Record

• 2364-2365: Crewman Recruit, Starfleet Basic Training Facility, Glasgow
• 2365-2367: Crewman Apprentice, Fabrication Technician, USS Jerusalem
• 2367-2369: Crewman, Hull Maintenance Technician, USS Jerusalem
• 2369-2372: Petty Officer Third Class, Damage Control Technician, USS Fury
• 2372-2375: Petty Officer Second Class, Damage Control Technician, USS Fury
• 2375-2379: Petty Officer First Class, Warp Core Technician, USS Loki
• 2379-2380: Chief Petty Officer, Engineering Systems Specialist, USS Loki
• 2380-2383: Chief Petty Officer, Assembly Team, Utopia Planitia Shipyard
• 2383: Senior Chief Petty Officer, Assembly Team Leader, Utopia Planitia Shipyard
• 2383-Pres: Senior Chief Petty Officer, Engineering Systems Specialist, USS Miranda

Uniforms

Duty Uniform

Dress Uniform

Utility Coveralls