Noli Auru

The daughter of Arku and Pol, Auru was born on Bajor in 2369 during the last days of the Cardassian Occupation of her homeworld. She grew up in the Kendra Valley Province as her people began to rebuild with the support of Starfleet and the Federation. In the aftermath of the withdrawal, there was so much to do to help restore Bajor to its former glory, and Noli grew up watching her parents lead the efforts in their hometown. Over the course of the next decade, Noli would start to show greater interest in life beyond her planet, and would visit DS9 and other worlds at any opportunity. A life in the Federation was what she saw for herself, and with it, a career in Starfleet.

On First Contact Day 2385, tragedy struck the Federation, but it was an event that had significance to Noli. While a skeleton crew remained to work at the Utopia Planitia Shipyards to oversee construction of the rescue armada designed to assist the Romulans prior to the destruction of the Hobus star. But, during the Federation-wide holiday celebrations, multiple A500s at Utopia Planitia suddenly went rogue. They lowered the deflector shields protecting the shipyards and the planet itself, and hacked the Martian defense net. Numerous synth ships began targeting the rescue armada, the Utopia Planitia Shipyards, the Mars Orbital Facility, and other Martian facilities. The satellite network surrounding Mars was turned against the surface. The synths then began bombarding the surface, igniting flammable vapors in the stratosphere and causing massive damage to the planet’s infrastructure.

Devastation on this level caused many across the Federation to question whether Starfleet could keep their homeworlds safe. Starfleet began to take on a much more inwardly focused, militaristic mindset. For many youngsters, it was the impetus they needed to pursue a career in Starfleet. Noli applied out of a desire to do her bit to keep her family safe, but also the world that the Federation had rebuilt. She was accepted and immediately began training at the Academy complex on Mellstoxx III. Over the course of the next four years, Noli’s protective instincts and leadership traits saw the youngster flourish in her training. On the firing range she was a formidable shot, and in the classroom her tactics rarely failed. It was her ability to convince others and have them follow her that really caught the eye.

Graduating in late 2389, Noli joined the crew of the USS Hoplite, a Saber-class patrol ship operating near a hostile area of space known as The Triangle. There, she would continue her studies under the tutelage of a Trill with some three hundred years of life experience. She continued to show an aptitude for command, and would often volunteer for night shifts or any additional duties that provided experience to move up the ranks.

In 2394, Noli got the chance of her dreams. She applied for a posting aboard the Sovereign-class USS Nogura as Assistant Tactical Operations Officer on her first deep space exploration cruise. A promotion to junior lieutenant came with the new position, and Noli joined the ship at Starbase 514. For the next four years, Noli would play a crucial role in keeping the ship and crew safe, often taking the lead on away missions, helping staff to plan tactics and strategy and even commanding the night shift on occasions. Not exactly spectacular, but a solid continuation of her path.

Her next assignment, albeit short, was an interesting one as she joined the final construction stages of the Inquiry-class vessel USS Temeraire during trial runs in her first role as Chief Tactical Officer and head of department. Responsible for field testing all of the defensive and offensive systems on the vessel, Noli also oversaw the ships journey to Deep Space Nine in early 2399, where she would eventually become a key member of the crew under the command of Captain Tharia sh’Elas.

A short posting aboard the USS Ulysses followed for all of the Temeraire crew, with the ship heading into the Delta Quadrant to respond to the growing Blood Dilithium chaos in the region. During their stay, as a reflection of her status and the trust placed in her by the Captain, Noli was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and made second officer. Shortly after, the ship was captured by the Devore Imperium and her crew imprisoned for almost two weeks. During that time, Noli tried her best to assist her Captain in retaking the ship, but once this was achieved, a devastating development ensured the Bajoran was never the same again.

During the liberation of a Devore prison world, hundreds of survivors were beamed to the ship. Whilst virtually all were grateful, one malevolent being took issue with being ‘imprisoned’ again by the Federation crew and killed nearly a dozen Starfleet officers, and the entire contingent of Devore prisoners. Among the dead, Captain sh’Elas herself. It was a devastating loss for all aboard and one that Noli took exceptionally hard because of her job to keep everyone safe.

A short secondment aboard the USS Prometheus followed as the ship embarked on a dangerous second contact mission to the Lendorian system. Following the ship’s return, Noli was offered the role of Chief Tactical Operations Officer aboard the USS Hathaway. Following the outbreak of hostilities in the Deneb sector, and an injury to their Captain, Noli was temporarily elevated to the role of acting Executive Officer – a role she would later keep thanks to events that transpired following a mission to retake the planet Uviri, albeit with a promotion in rank to Commander.