Ensign Galdar

[Feathers]

Character's Name: Galdar
Position: Shuttle Pilot

Stats

Age: 30
Place Of Birth: Ferenginar
Gender: Male
Species Of Origin: Ferengi
Hair: None
Eyes: Brown
Height: 4'10"
Weight: 140
Skin Tone: Orange
Telepathic and Empathic Status: None but very resitant to the abilities of others due to the four lobed Ferengi brain
Body: Short
Face: Round with sharp teeth and large lobes
Marital Status: Single
Children: None

Habits: As with many of his species he has a tendency to twitch in a seemingly random uncontrolled fashion. This is normally only evident at times of stress or when he's agitated. It's partly due to his extremely sensitive hearing - at the first sign of overly loud noise, his hands are jumping to his ears before conscious control cuts in.

Quarters: Neat and uncluttered. He associates clutter with an over-concern over possessions and goes out of his way to avoid that association.

Likes: Grubs! Eating is a pleasure and his diet is one of the few Ferengi traits he claims to have truly inherited.

Dislikes: Most Ferengi, overbearing parents, chocolate.

Ambitions and Goals: Within Starfleet, his interests focus on one day taking the helm of a Starship

Temperament: Generally even handed but prone to bouts of selfishness which he puts down to a "species imperative"

Hobbies: None known.

Family
Mother: Dusha
Father: Baj
Siblings: 1 older brother, 1 younger sister

Character History:
Born to a traditional family, Galdar grew up on Ferenginar with his parents, big brother and little sister.

At the time of his birth, his father was a successful trader in the futures market, demonstrating an almost innate understanding of the intricacies of finance involved. Having sold the family warehouse business a decade before Galdar was born, he spent the majority of his time in the Tower of Commerce, successfully increasing his fortune year on year even during the downturn of the Dominion War. Investigated on at least three occasions by the FCA, he survived each time with an unblemished record and an increased purse. Early indications were that Galdar's brother had inherited his fathers 'natural' abilities.

Galdar, however, preferred ships to Beetle Snuff futures and would not be persuaded otherwise depsite Baj's best efforts. When it became clear that he would not follow his father into business Baj initially washed his hands of his youngest son, only relenting at his wife's insistant pushing. Even though Galdar wasn't the eldest, Baj had had plans for both his sons (and their future profits) and was frustrated by Galdar's lack of talent/ability.

In his education, he did well enough but always lacked the spark required to excel. Whether this was an actual lack of ability or simply a lack of real interest, no-one was ever able to determine. He had some business skill but how sharp it really was, was something he kept to himself. This frustrated both his teachers and his parents (who had paid for his education and expected Galdar to pay them back sooner rather than later).

To a point, he did his best to keep everyone happy. Deep down, his father's approval was important to him but that did not extend to the point where he would subdue his own desires for his future to those of his parent. This led to a lot of friction within the family and despite his mother's peacemaking efforts, the badly masked anger of his father and the scorn of his brother was plain.

At 18, tradition dictated that he was old enough to strike out on his own. He'd had enough of Ferenginar and enough of his family so gathering together what latinum he had managed to acquire, he bought his way into an apprenticeship aboard an old and rather dilapidated Glantor class transport ship under the aging Damon Glem. He wasn't exactly running away - his family knew where he was going. They didn't seem to care that much, however, and neither did he. In his father's mind, Galdar didn't want to do what 10000 years of history should have prepared him for and was settling for second best. In Galdar's mind he was seeking out a career in an area he loved and in which he could excel. Space travel.

The final insult to his father was the fact that he never held an Attainment Ceremony as he should, simply leaving the planet with the ship and ostracising himself from his family. Why Glem agreed to take him in this manner isn't known.

For the next seven years he worked aboard the transport within the alliance and beyond, developing skills as a pilot and engineer. When operating in the Alliance it was rare that Galdar would leave the ship, preferring to stay aboard and perform routine maintenance tasks. He was quite willing to visit planets in any of the other systems they traded with, if a little nervous in dealing with the different species living there.

At the age of 25, on Altair VI, he was 'spotted' by a Starfleet Commander on leave. It was he who suggested that the Ferengi join the Academy and then the fleet to provide him with the best outlet for his new-found skills. It took a few meetings over a week long period ashore to persuade him, but once Galdar had overcome his now habitual nervousness and realised that he had more than worked out his indenture, he agreed.

He remained on Altair VI long enough to sit the Academy entrance exams before enlisting in the Starfleet Academy class of that year. He made his way way from Altair to Earth aboard the Miranda class U.S.S Reliant shortly afterwards.

On graduation, at 29, Ensign Galdar was assigned to Starbase 416 as a shuttle pilot.

[Feathers]

Galdar was not a good Ferengi. He'd been told that countless times by his father and could still hear the scornful tones in which the line was usually delivered.

He smiled.

For many, such parental disapproval would have acted as a millstone round their necks but for Galdar it was simply another incentive to succeed.

"Computer, lights!" he mumbled and waited for the illumination to reach an acceptable level before moving. His hearing was excellent (of course) but he wished his genetic inheritance had provided him with a little more acuity in the eyesight department.

Over time he'd reached the point where it had become a matter of selfish pride NOT to be a good Ferengi and he was honest enough (with himself, at least) to realise that his membership of Starfleet was simply another expression of this pride. All Ferengi were selfish, he was simply expressing that part of his character in an extremely abnormal fashion.

He rolled out of his bunk and accross to the shower cubicle passing his neatly laid out uniform en route. The normal morning routine wouldn't take too long, he judged, giving him plenty of time to report to his duty station before his shift was due to start.