Character Information

Gender		Male
Species		Human
Age		34

Physical Appearance

Height		5' 10"
Weight		187 lbs
Hair Color		Black
Eye Color		Hazel
Physical Description		The remnants of a nose broken at least several times, healed, but still evident. (I'll think of more later)

Family

Spouse
Children
Father		Mark Eldridge: Alive: A civil engineer for the city of New Berlin.
Mother		Martha Eldridge: Alive: A teacher, retired.
Brother(s)
Sister(s)
Other Family

Personality & Traits

General Overview
Strengths & Weaknesses		As an engineer, he finds inspiration in even the most-run-down engines and will even take the time to get to know every plate and weld on the ship he’s assigned to. To him, there aren’t any run-down engines, only those that need a bit of polish and elbow grease. His weaknesses: The war took its toll on him, as many other veterans. He’d seen countless shipmates, friends and mentors taken by the war. His old ship, the Hornet, always has a place in his heart. It’s the keeper of the best times of his life, and his quarters often show that…with framed pictures and photos on the shelves of his old shipmates and captain. Sometimes, when he’s alone at night and finds sleep elusive, he’ll find solace either in the Main Engineering or at the ship’s lounge.
Ambitions		To do what he can for the Federation, to help the Federation rebuild and to someday have a command of his own. Though, in the meantime, he’s content in seeing the engines on the ship he’s posted on become some of the best in the fleet…possibly even surpass that.
Hobbies & Interests		Reading, writing, fishing (more to come later)
Languages		Federation Standard, Andorian, Klingon, a little bit of Romulan

Personal History		Mike was born in the spring of 2344, born in the city of New Berlin to a civil engineer and a retired high school teacher. His childhood wasn’t boring, and it wasn’t exciting as some might believe. His father kept trying to get Mike to join the family business or at least follow in Mark’s shoes as a fourth generation civil engineer. Mike’s mother was a bit more understanding as her son had shown interest in not only tinkering, but an interest in the stars. His father though felt his son’s fascination in the stars was a complete waste, and felt his son should have his feet set firmly in the dirt. His grade school years were pretty uneventful, though Mike always impressed his teachers in his talent for tinkering. He had his fair share of bullying, but it never seemed to intrude on his studies. Those times of bullying ended shortly though as he went on to high school, and managed to graduate well enough. After high school, Mike set his eyes on the stars again and his heart wasn’t in civil engineering. There was only one option left to him, as clear as day and it was to enroll at Starfleet Academy. Mike knew his father would strongly be opposed to him joining, but he felt it was his choice. Without his father’s knowledge, but with his mother’s help, he sent his transcript and the proper papers to the Academy. It took a few months, but in the spring of 2362, Mike was accepted. Starfleet Academy was a different experience, but not an unexpected one. Mike had prepared himself as well as he’d been able to before being accepted, and had found his niche in no time. His courses were aimed mostly at engineering, with some Operations courses to add a little variety. Six months after his acceptance, Mike had been out with a few friends and his rambunctious roommate at a bar on campus or near Academy grounds. He’d taken a PaDD with him to catch up on some course reading. A bar fight had broken out over a game of darts, of all things, and it resulted in one cadet rendered unconscious with a broken nose on the ground. He awoke hours later in the Academy’s sickbay, without any charges being pressed and mostly written off as a “cadets will be cadets.” During his second year at the academy, Mike and a small group had the distinct pleasure of being transported up to the Earth Spacedock. It was a blast for him, as one of the sites had been the Engineering section of the old constitution-class ship. It hadn’t been an up-do-date engine, but their group did have more unrestricted access than tourists. It was a look into a bygone age, an age of explorers and when the Alpha quadrant hadn’t been nearly as explored as it was in the current age. He could imagine the older engineers, the likes of Scotty and his like, pacing around the engineering bay. The old intermix chamber ran the length of the dorsal connecting the primary hull to the secondary, and had provided the three hundred ten meter ship power. It must have been a different time in that day and age, with the technology they took for granted being in its infancy. The old engineering bay even had that old smell of having been worked in, of elbow grease and sweat. That old smell, he was certain, would never leave the bulkheads. The rest of his second year went smoothly, with his attention being focused entirely on engineering aspects. He’d turned his sights on the career of an engineer, and he wouldn’t let anyone stand in his way. His addiction to coffee grew that year, not that his mother could get onto him. The cadet even programmed the replicator in his quarters to have the coffee mixture on speed dial. His second year passed, with his grades remaining at a steady peak. He’d given up on dating, and his sights were now fully, unwavering on his studies. He had a few arguments with his roomy, a sophomore who loved to party and often his clothing worn on liberty-passes strewn about the room. It was an unwritten duty of Mike’s to clean up the shared quarters, unless an unscheduled inspection were given. He kept his duty station, and even their quarters clean, to the best of his abilities. He wasn’t late for any class, except for a few times when he came down with some strand of the flu. The third year came and went without much of anything to distinguish it from the first two, but a new batch of cadets were welcomed to the academy full of pranks, and eagerness…whether misplaced or completely honest. Mike ran into a few of those new cadets, and they played a few pranks on him. One evening, after the evening meal, Mike rounded a corner to one of his engineering courses when something flew out at him. The corridor was full of cadets, either cheering or jeering at two others who were busy fighting over something. A fist slammed into him, shattering his nose again and sent him careening into a bulkhead. He lost consciousness, the taste of blood in his mouth. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, when he came to in the academy’s sickbay again. A bandage encompassed his entire nose, and it was a bright red. The nose had been shattered and had required surgery to repair it. The rest of his third year passed uneventfully. His fourth year came, and went. The prankster cadets had matured, had ended up being forced to mature. His roommate had learned some manners at least, in picking up his own clothing and cleaning up after himself. His roommate still stayed out late at night, sometimes returning in the early hours of the morning…many times half drunk. Mike’s grades remained relatively the same, though he’d been granted a cadet cruise during that year. It was an excelsior class ship, which wasn’t a ship-of-the-line, but it was a learning experience. He was assigned to the engineering department, under a stern but fair engineer. It was a fun, enjoyable cruise and he learned quite a few things. He learned that an engineering team was at its best when it worked in cooperation with every other department aboard, and that its members worked only so well as their methods of communication. Six months flew by, and the Hornet wasn‘t anywhere near the Sol System or Earth. It was far out on the Federation-Klingon border. Tensions had been mounting between the Federation and the Klingon Empire for most of that year, and the Hornet had been dispatched to patrol that area in case war broke out. Orders came in one day, for the Hornet to rendezvous with forces outside of Wolf 359 to combat the Borg. The ship was diverted from its patrol duties, and sped off to meet the fleet at Wolf 359 at maximum warp. The entire ship prepared for battle, close combat and possibly even boarding. The medical facilities were expanded to nearly encompass several decks, and many more could be converted. The clock ticked by, as the engines pulsed. Everyone knew their duties, even a cadet like Mike. The ship arrived at the site of Wolf 359, at what would become the massacre at Wolf 359. Thirty-nine ships, the entire massed fleet, had been decimated within minutes of the initial sighting. The Hornet, along with hospital ships and other ships that had arrived too late to make any difference in the battle, were assigned to picking up survivors. Mike would never forget the faces of those survivors, the state of the ships, or even that look of despair in some of the crewmen he helped aboard. New orders arrived, blared over the ship’s intercom system, the Borg were headed for Earth. The Hornet and several of the other combat-capable ships set course for Earth, and attempted to brace themselves for the possible sight that might await them. They arrived in the Sol System, with the Mars defenses smashed and one ship in Earth’s orbit. The chief engineer aboard the USS Hornet put in a good word of recognition for him, and for how he‘d handled himself during the Wolf 359 relief effort. Mike was transported back to the Academy grounds, where the rest of the year passed rather quickly. He felt proud of himself and his accomplishments. Mike’s focus was entirely on engineering still, but he managed to take some piloting courses. He wasn’t the best pilot, but his skills were commendable. He’d taken a phaser course, simply to get familiar with a hand-held phaser and if the need arose, he’d be able to defend himself until security arrived. He’d graduate without difficulty, and was surprised his parents had decided to attend. His father wasn’t very pleased, but he was at least proud enough to have admitted his son was in Starfleet. His mother was very pleased, but thought her son wouldn’t have to face anything more dire than “plumbing problems” or “replicator problems”. The post-graduation assignments were handed out, and he was re-assigned to the USS Hornet. It wasn’t a ship-of-the-line, but it was a ship at least. He could take some pride in having it as his first assignment, and in having cut his teeth on the ship‘s engines only a few months prior. He had the option of taking a shuttle up to the ship, or being beamed aboard,…he opted to take a shuttle. It would make the trip that much more memorable, and it would allow the assignment to grow on him. The vibrations of the shuttle‘s engines filled the cabin, as the craft lifted off from the shuttle pad. It didn’t take long for San Francisco to become a small speck in the distance, and the haze of the outer rim of Earth‘s atmosphere to come into view. The trip to the dry-dock where the Hornet was housed was a little bumpy, as they had to change their course a few times to take into account of some of the other transports. The shuttle made its final approach and slid into the ship‘s shuttle bay, and within moments after the atmosphere returned, Mike stepped out onto the floor of the bay. “It’s good to be home…” Mike remembered saying. He knew the schematics, and knew his way to the engineering bay, like the back of his hand. The ship’s chief engineer was there to greet him, and they exchanged a few kind words of appreciation. It didn’t take long for Mike to resume his engineering duties, and to find his niche aboard ship again. It was becoming second nature to him, though the added reputation of being someone who could be relied on didn’t hurt. He’d start off at the bottom rung, as an ensign, the lowest of the commissioned officers and with luck would work his way up the ladder…one rung at a time. The years would pass in their own right, while Mike familiarized himself with many more areas of the ship. He’d continue working through the ship’s bowels, through the ship’s engines and would have a hand in nearly everything within the engineering department’s responsibilities. At some point, some crewmen or officer said that there wasn’t a bulkhead or bolt throughout the ship that didn’t have a little of Mike Eldridge’s blood in it. That saying never seemed to stop, and even spread beyond the bulkheads of the Hornet. It wasn‘t as though Mike made any effort to hide the fact it amused him,…he wasn‘t even certain how it started or when. Five years after his reassignment to the Hornet, in 2372, a war broke out between the Federation and the Dominion. Losses were heavy, and the Hornet often found itself in the heaviest of the fighting. Every ship capable of combat duty was sent to the front lines, for any operation, and the aging Excelsior-classes were taking the brunt of the losses. The Hornet was assigned to the Seventh Fleet at the battle for the Tyra System in early 2374. The battle didn’t turn out as expected, or planned, and thirteen other ships along with the Hornet were the only ones to make it back Federation space. During the battle, the Hornet’s chief engineer had been killed by an enemy salvo striking the ship. Mike had taken it upon himself to take charge, being the second highest ranking engineering officer aboard. The ship had been badly damaged, but even with the damage, Mike had been able to coordinate his people in keeping the ship out of enemy fire. The idea, had been to keep the Hornet out of the enemy’s fire long enough for the ship’s warp engines to activate. It wasn’t until after the Hornet and the survivors of the Seventh Fleet arrived back in Federation space, that Mike found his nose had been shattered again by a flying piece of bulkhead. The Hornet had been laid up in a dry-dock for months, for refits and repairs. The crew replacements had been so numerous, he tried to learn about them as much as possible, but it never really worked out that way. The Hornet had bled for him, and he’d bled for the Hornet in return. The old feeling, that old thought he’d had back in the Academy when his group had visited the engineering bay of that old constitution-class museum ship, came to mind again. Now, the engineering bay of the Hornet had that smell. It would never be replaced, regardless how many upgrades and refits it went through. Starfleet Command had given him a chance to transfer, if he had wanted to, as experienced officers were in short supply. He politely turned it down, requesting that he remain aboard the Hornet in a chance to make the ship great once again and to give the green crews a chance to see that the Hornet still had fight left in her. Reluctantly, Starfleet Command honored his choice and let him remain aboard the aging, battle-tested Hornet. He’d achieved many field promotions, most of them had been under fire or other dire situations. He’d risen through the ranks as a career engineer, had risen from being a fresh-behind-the-ears ensign to an experienced lieutenant commander. The Hornet remained in active service, sometimes as a front-line ship and other times guarding supply routes from Dominion forces. The Hornet’s days weren’t numbered, but the ship had had its bulkheads beaten and pounded by enemy salvos enough to make the dents visible from ten-thousand meters or more. The Hornet served the rest of the war in the capacity of a relief ship, instead of the ship-of-the-line role it had been built for and served that role proudly. Several years passed since the end of the Dominion War, until 2378 when the Hornet found itself once again in the neighborhood of Earth. The globe of paradise, its rolling clouds and serene hilltops welcomed the Hornet back to its doorstep with open arms. Little did anyone know, even Mike, that the Hornet wouldn‘t be returning to active service. The aging excelsior-class ship would spend the rest of its life anchored in the Utopia Planitia Fleetyards, with limited space patrol responsibilities and as an administration ship. It’d be a ship for raw cadets to break their knuckles on, and it wasn’t a proud day aboard when the orders came through. They couldn’t do anything to change them though, with the new Akira classes, Prometheus and other such classes rolling out of the Fleetyards, what use was an aged excelsior-class that had seen its prime nearly ninety years prior. Mike remained aboard, with some of the crew, to keep things running and to play host to the raw cadets that would come aboard.
Service Record		2362--Enrolled in Starfleet Academy 2366--Took part in a cadet cruise on the USS Hornet, an Excelsior-class ship. Mike graduated from the academy later that year and was reassigned to the Hornet. He took part in the relief effort of Wolf 359 later that year, and had a word of recognition given. 2372--Took part in various operations during the early parts of the Dominion War. 2374--Took part in the Battle of the Tyra System with the Seventh Fleet, and took command of the Hornet until it returned safely to Federation space. 2378--Returned to Earth aboard the Hornet, and found much to his disappointment the Hornet was to be anchored in a dry-dock facility at the Utopia Planitia Fleetyard. It’s purpose, limited space patrol duties and administration purposes. Late 2378--Six months after the Hornet was reassigned to the Utopia Planitia Yards, Mike was given transfer orders to the USS Mercury, a Nebula-class ship. Early 2379--Promoted to the Executive Officer position after conclusion of a mission, that resulted in him nearly losing his arm.