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| {{Character | | {{Starship |
| | image = [[File:CommodoreBale.jpg]] | | | name = Venture |
| | name = Ison Bale | | | prefix = USS |
| | fullname =
| | | image = [[Image:Sovereign1.png]] |
| | placeoforigin = Betazed
| | | registry = NCC-75306 |
| | species = Betazoid
| | | class = Sovereign |
| | gender = Male
| | | type = Exploratory Cruiser |
| | dateofbirth = 7 September, 2329
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| | dateofdeath =
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| | age = 70
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| | height =
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| | weight =
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| | hair = | |
| | eyes = | |
| | affiliation = [[Starfleet]] | | | affiliation = [[Starfleet]] |
| | rank = [[File:A1-1.png|alt=Commodore|Commodore]] | | | status = Active |
| | posting = [[Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III]] | | | commission = 2386 |
| | position = Commandant | | | decommission = |
| | | destroyed = |
| | | unit = Fourth Fleet Operations |
| | | taskforce = |
| | | taskgroup = |
| | | squadron = Yorktown Squadron |
| | | role = Deep Space Exploration |
| | | co = |
| | | xo = |
| | | dedication = |
| }} | | }} |
| '''Commodore Ison Bale''' is the current Superintendent of the [[Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III|Fourth Fleet Academy (aka Starfleet Academy--Mellstoxx III)]]. Bale has had a long and successful career as an engineer and starship captain and has been at the Fourth Fleet Academy since 2389. Widely respected for his intellect and the care he has for his charges, he is considered to be a fair and even-handed disciplinarian and has the highest possible academic standards for the academy that is tasked with training the future officers and captains of the Fourth Fleet. | | {{quote|Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand.|'''Neil Armstrong - ''Ship's Dedication Quote'''''}} |
| | The '''USS ''Venture''''' is a [[Sovereign Class|''Sovereign''-class]] exploratory cruiser assigned to the Fourth Fleet's Yorktown Squadron. The immediate successor to the ''Galaxy''-class explorer USS ''Venture'' (NCC-71854), the current vessel has been in service since 2388. |
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| == History == | | ==History== |
| | ===2386-2400: Before the 4th Fleet=== |
| | Construction of the USS ''Venture'' began in early 2386 at Earth Station McKinley following the synth attack on Mars which resulted in the near total destruction of the primary production facility for ''Sovereign''-class vessels, Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. She was completed over two years later, in 2388. |
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| === Early Life (2329-2347) ===
| | During the 2380s and 2390s, the ''Venture'' completed three five-year missions of exploration, before Thaddeus Scott assumed command in 2398. |
| Ison Bale was the second son of a prominent Betazoid family, the scions of which had been diplomats, politicians, and academics for centuries. He was born in a time of peace and prosperity for the Federation, in the calm following the Khitomer Accords in the 2290s and the Treaty of Algernon in the 2310s before the Federation-Cardassian War. Like his older brother, he was expected to follow the family tradition and become a respected counselor of state, but he had a reflexive urge to do the exact opposite of what was asked of him in that regard. He found mathematics, science, and engineering to be much more interesting, but the relentless talking, debating and arguing that went into diplomacy to be a waste of time. This caused not a small amount of friction between him and his family, but once he was into his teen years he was dead set on attending Starfleet Academy and his family found that it was easier to just let him try rather than continue to fight him.
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| === Academy & Early Career (2347-2360) ===
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| Bale was admitted to Starfleet Academy in 2347, and fulfilling his promise to his parents, and Bale decided to study Warp Field Mechanics. This was a field that many Betazoids avoided because their natural advantage in dealing with other organic beings was completely nullified there, but Bale relished that challenge.
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| The transition to Starfleet was more difficult than Bale had imagined, as his family name carried with it none of the cachet it would have in a more traditional educational setting on Betazed. The physical training requirements were intense, and it took him several semesters to feel like he fully ''got'' what it meant to be a Starfleet cadet, as his youthful rebellion alone was insufficient to give him the discipline needed to succeed in that regard.
| | ===2400-Present: Into the Frontier=== |
| | Since 2400, the ''Venture'' has been assigned to the Fourth Fleet, first in the [[Fourth Fleet Expeditionary Group]] and then in 2401 to Yorktown Squadron. |
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| By the time Bale was in his last year, however, he was well-respected by his peers and instructors alike. While he didn't have the makings of a bridge officer in him yet, he was well on track to being a valuable member of an engineering team. Upon graduation in 2351 as an ensign, Bale was assigned to the ''Constellation''-class starship ''Stargazer'' under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, where he served as one of the Warp Systems Engineers. The ship was old and underpowered, but proved to be a great challenge for a budding engineer to maintain; the unusual four-nacelle design required a lot of observation and maintenance to avoid ripping the ship apart. During the Federation-Cardassian War, Bale was injured during a skirmish where the Cardassians fired on an unshielded ''Stargazer'', but acquitted himself well under fire. In 2353, he was promoted to lieutenant junior grade and was aboard the ship during the legendary (in some circles) Battle of Maxia where Captain Picard first used the vaunted Picard Maneuver against what was later found to be a Ferengi vessel.
| | ====Fourth Fleet Expeditionary Group==== |
| | ''Venture'' was assigned to exploratory duties in the rimward (i.e. southern) area beyond Federation space as part of the Fourth Fleet Expeditionary Group. While on a routine supply drop to Starbase 11 before beginning this tour, ''Venture'' received a general distress call from a Gorn warship within Federation space. Days of searching and chasing shadows finally yielded results when a Gorn vessel, abandoned and damaged, was discovered. An away team boarded the ship and found two lifeforms hidden in stasis pods, captives from a Federation starship destroyed by the Gorn. ''Venture'' commenced search and rescue operations.<ref>https://bravofleet.com/mission/59420/</ref> |
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| After evacuating the ''Stargazer'' along with the rest of the crew, Bale was adrift for weeks in a shuttle before rescue. Because of his performance on the ''Stargazer'' (and following the inquiry into the ship's destruction), Bale was promoted to lieutenant and assigned as Assistant Chief Engineering Officer aboard the brand-new USS ''Normandy'', one of the last ''Cheyenne''-class starships off of the assembly lines. Like the ''Stargazer'', the ''Normandy'' was underpowered and difficult to maintain because of its engine configuration, but Bale had by then become an expert in managing such a system. Because of that, he served for five years there, developing several improvements to the engine control software that were deployed to the rest of that limited-production class of ship.
| | ''Venture'' was relieved by another vessel and recalled to Starbase 11, where her command crew was reassigned.<ref>https://bravofleet.com/mission/73651/</ref> Following the appointment of Captain T'Prynn, ''Venture'' was again sent out, this time to discover the whereabouts of the vessel sent to relieve her during the encounter with the Gorn.<ref>https://bravofleet.com/mission/73650</ref> Because of her assignment in the rimward region of the Federation, the ''Venture'' did not participate in the Lost Fleet crisis, but she was present at Frontier Day 2401, where she suffered significant casualties.<ref>https://bravofleet.com/story/86141</ref> |
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| === USS ''Leyte Gulf'' (2360-2375) === | | ==== Yorktown Squadron ==== |
| In 2360, Bale was promoted to lieutenant commander and took over the engine room aboard the [[Excelsior Class|''Excelsior''-class starship]] USS ''Leyte Gulf.'' Though older than the ''Normandy'', it was a much larger and much more prestigious assignment with much more powerful engines to deal with. As a department head, he found himself constantly dealing with personnel issues, something that his telepathy made easier, as in his experience most engineers were not great at communicating what they wanted and needed. He earned a commendation for efficiency during his time on the ''Leyte Gulf'' and was eventually selected by his captain to replace the Executive Officer after just four years in the engine room.
| | Under the command of a new captain and following repairs after Frontier Day 2401, ''Venture'' was assigned to Yorktown Squadron, along with the [[USS Ares|USS ''Ares'']]. |
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| Though he'd imagined spending his entire career as an engineer, command was a new challenge for Bale. Admittedly, it's a role he found himself well-suited to, as he could balance technical acumen with an understanding of how people thought and what they needed. Several times, his abilities allowed him to give his captain a leg-up in negotiations, but where he excelled was optimizing crew assignments for cohesiveness. After four more years as a lieutenant commander, he was promoted to commander, and remained aboard the ''Leyte Gulf''.
| | ==Notable Crew== |
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| When the Dominion War broke out, the ''Leyte Gulf'' was assigned to the First Fleet to defend the Sol system, and participated in the Battle of Sector 001 against the Borg. As one of the first ships to engage the cube at the edge of the system, the ''Leyte Gulf'' was quickly disabled and left for dead as the Borg remained on a direct heading for Earth. The majority of the crew managed to evacuate before the warp core went critical, leaving them to watch in horror as the cube got closer to the heart of the Federation, until Bale's former captain, Jean-Luc Picard, was able to destroy it.
| | === Commanding Officers === |
| | *[https://bravofleet.com/command/59411/ 2398 - 2401]: [[bfms_char:43649|Captain Thaddeus Scott]], ''(Human Male)'' |
| | *[https://bravofleet.com/command/59411/ 2401]: [[bfms_char:52001|Captain T'Prynn]], ''(Vulcan Female)'' |
| | * [https://bravofleet.com/command/86447/ 2401 - Present]: TBD |
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| An ''Akira''-class heavy cruiser in the final stages of construction at Utopia Planitia was renamed ''Leyte Gulf'', and the surviving crew of the ''Excelsior''-class iteration of the ship was assigned to it in the weeks following the battle. Though still shaken from their experience, there was no time to rest as the Dominion were pressing on the Federation's borders. This modern, combat-capable vessel participated in the majority of the major engagements during the war, surviving where older ships could not because of its hardened systems.
| | == References == |
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| === Command School (2375 - 2377) === | |
| Though Bale had developed significant command and combat experience during his time aboard the two starships ''Leyte Gulf'', he desired to further refine his theoretical knowledge of command, and so he enrolled in the Fourth Fleet Command Academy following the treaty of Bajor in 2375. Going back to his academy days was a little bit of a culture shock after having been in the field for close to twenty-five years, but he was able to study advanced techniques in detail, to formalize what he'd learned hands-on into a more cohesive knowledge base.
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| While in command school himself, he was also assigned as the Executive Officer of Cadet Squadron Bravo, leading cadets through drills and discipline-building exercises while not studying for his own program. This was his first taste of teaching, and he found it to be quite enjoyable, even if his near-term ambition was command.
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| As Acting Captain of the training ship ''Exeter'', Bale received some of the highest-ever scores on the two training voyages he was assigned to lead, which was largely thanks to his extensive real-world experience. Though it was likely he could have gone on to command a ship directly after the war, his performance throughout Command School secured him a promotion to captain and command of the newly-launched ''Galaxy''-class starship ''Ulysses''.
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| === USS ''Ulysses'' (2377-2389) ===
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| Bale's move into the center seat came right about at his 30-year anniversary of enrolling in Starfleet Academy. Much of his career had been spent in conflict zones, so he was eager to take command of an explorer like the ''Ulysses'' which was sent on a ten-year odyssey of its own deep into the Alpha Quadrant, even as many of the fleet's assets were focused on rebuilding the Federation and her neighbors. Missions like Bale's were considered a symbol of the Federation's commitment to peaceful exploration, even in the aftermath of war.
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| The ''Ulysses'' had been intended to join the Dominion War without most of its scientific systems installed, but it was still incomplete by the end of the war, and so was fitted out beyond the original specifications before its launch in 2377. Under Bale's command, the ship was able to demonstrate the full potential the class had for independent, unsupported exploratory endeavors in a way that none of her sisters had ever been allowed to, with conflict constantly pulling ships like the ''Enterprise'' and ''Venture'' away from their intended missions.
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| Bale participated in several dozen first contact missions, and the ''Ulysses'' was considered a choice assignment under his command. As of the 2390s, Starfleet Science still has a backlog of data to go through from her missions beyond Breen space, and colonial surveys started during that initial expedition are just now bearing fruit. Luckily, the ''Ulysses'' was not pulled from her mission when the Romulan Evacuation began, nor was she recalled after the destruction of Mars in 2385, but following the natural end of her ten-year mission in 2387, the ship was recalled to Earth.
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| Ten years in deep space had given the ''Ulysses'' and her crew substantial experience in operating a large ship far from home, but making much-needed repairs and upgrades took nearly two years, as Starfleet went over every centimeter of the ship to make improvements to the new ''Century'' and ''Odyssey''-class ships now under production. During this time, Bale remained nominally in command of the ship but took extended shore leave time back on Betazed. When he found out that the ''Ulysses'' would not be returning to deep space but would be serving as a flagship for the Fifth Fleet's defensive mission along the Romulan border, Bale took a long time to consider if that's something he was willing to accept. In the end, it wasn't.
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| === Fourth Fleet Academy (2389 to Present) ===
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| Now with forty years of Starfleet service under his belt, Bale knew that it was time to allow a younger generation to have its chance out among the stars. He also knew that a return to defensive duties was not what he wanted for himself. He'd been there and done that, already. He applied instead to work as a professor at Starfleet Academy. The Fourth Fleet's academy jumped at the opportunity to have such an experienced starship captain on staff and offered him command of Cadet Squadron Bravo, which he already had experience with.
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| From 2389 to 2393, Bale led Junior and Senior cadets through the final two years of their program, getting to work with eight separate cohorts in that time. Teaching was a natural fit for him as much as it had been ten years prior, and he found it satisfying to balance the students' needs to be challenged and shaped with their need for empathy and understanding. He was immensely popular among his cadets, and the strong relationships he built there went on to forge excellent officers.
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| In 2393, Bale became Dean of Cadets, overseeing Cadet Squadron Bravo and the Fourth Fleet Academy's other training squadrons, especially in terms of discipline and progress to graduation. Two years later, he was promoted to commodore and took over as Superintendent of the Fourth Fleet Academy, reporting to the Commandant and overseeing the academy and its undergraduate cadet programs.
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| == Service Record ==
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| |+
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| !Date
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| !Position
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| !Posting
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| !Rank
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| |-
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| |2347-2348
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| |Warp Field Dynamics Cadet
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| |Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III
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| |Cadet Fourth Class
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| |-
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| |2348-2349
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| |Warp Field Dynamics Cadet
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| |Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III
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| |Cadet Third Class
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| |-
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| |2349-2350
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| |Warp Field Dynamics Cadet
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| |Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III
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| |Cadet Second Class
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| |-
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| |2350-2351
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| |Warp Field Dynamics Cadet
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| |Starfleet Academy—Mellstoxx III
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| |Cadet First Class
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| |-
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| |2351-2353
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| |Warp Systems Engineer
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| |USS ''Stargazer'' (NCC-2893)
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| |Ensign
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| |-
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| |2353-2355
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| |Warp Systems Engineer
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| |USS ''Stargazer'' (NCC-2893)
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| |Lieutenant Junior Grade
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| |-
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| |2355-2360
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| |Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
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| |USS ''Normandy'' (NCC-72852)
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| |Lieutenant
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| |-
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| |2360-2364
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| |Chief Engineering Officer
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| |USS Leyte Gulf (NCC-41508)
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| |Lieutenant Commander
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| |-
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| |2364-2368
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| |Executive Officer
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| |USS Leyte Gulf (NCC-41508)
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| |Lieutenant Commander
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| |-
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| |2368-2373
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| |Executive Officer
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| |USS Leyte Gulf (NCC-41508)
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| |Commander
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| |-
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| |2373-2375
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| |Executive Officer
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| |USS ''Leyte Gulf'' (NCC-71427)
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| |Commander
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| |-
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| |2375-2377
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| |Command School Student
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| |Fourth Fleet Command Academy
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| |Commander
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| |-
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| |2375-2377
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| |Executive Offficer, Cadet Squadron Bravo
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| |Fourth Fleet Academy
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| |Commander
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| |-
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| |2377-2389
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| |Commanding Officer
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| |USS ''Ulysses'' (NCC-78242)
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| |Captain
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| |-
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| |2389-2393
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| |Commanding Officer, Cadet Squadron Bravo
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| |Fourth Fleet Academy
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| |Captain
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| |-
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| |2393-2395
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| |Dean of Cadets
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| |Fourth Fleet Academy
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| |Captain
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| |-
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| |2395-Present
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| |Superintendent
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| |Fourth Fleet Academy
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| |Commodore
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| |}
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| == Personal Life ==
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| Commodore Bale has been married to Yolonda Bale (a Human female) since 2364, and during their 35-year marriage, they have had four children ranging from age 32 to age 22, three of whom now serve in Starfleet. His youngest child, Marar Bale, graduated from the Diplomatic Institute of Betazed in mid-2399. Except during the Dominion War, his wife and children lived aboard whichever starship he was serving on, and Yolonda has been a professor of literature and culture at the Fourth Fleet Academy since the commodore joined the faculty there in 2389.
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| == Commodore Bale In-Play ==
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| * Commodore Bale is a fleet-level NPC that you are allowed to use in your own fiction. Use the history presented here as a way of capturing his characterization, but you're free to use him for any interactions you'd like, as long as you don't kill him off or alter the character!
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| * Bale joined Starfleet in 2347 and is now 70, meaning that he's old enough to be many traditionally-aged cadets' grandparents. That's the affect he projects as well: empathetic and understanding, but also quite firm when he needs to be. He enjoys working with cadets and getting to know them, but he's also quick to apply disappointment as a disciplinary tool should a cadet end up in his office.
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| * Bale is not the type of man to stay in his office all day; he enjoys sitting in on classes, walking the campus, and even guest lecturing for introductory courses when he has the time. He wants to get to know the students that pass through his academy.
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| * Bale is quite proud of the fact that, though a Betazoid, he is an accomplished engineer, something that he considers to be even more of an accomplishment than success in a more person-driven field would be, he is also quite proud of his heritage and enjoys living in a Betazoid colony.
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