Julian Durand

Early Childhood:

Julian, or “Jules” as he prefers, was born aboard the USS Centralia, a Miranda class vessel on which both of his parents served. He remembers nothing but ship-board life for his earliest years. In 2367, his father died in the Battle of Wolf 359. Wanting a stable life for her only child, his mother transferred to Starbase One. He recalls his time living on the massive space station as “ultimately pretty boring.” Being so close to Starfleet Officers, he was expected to constantly be on good behavior, and while he was for the most part, he found ways (as all children do) to go have fun.

He had a deep love for space though, and frequently (and annoyingly) always asked his mother to take a position aboard a starship. As she consistently rebuffed his pleas, he ultimately decided he’d have his own ship one day, and it would be amazing.

Starfleet Academy:

In 2377, Julian attended Starfleet Academy, focusing on a tactical/security path, as well as taking several command courses. He knew that if he wanted the experiences he desired, he’d need to have his own command. It didn’t matter the size of the ship or its nature. It just mattered that he be out there.

In 2381, he graduated with honors, though nowhere near the top of his class.

2381-2384:

After his graduation, Jules was assigned to the USS Monitor, a Nebula class starship. As one of the junior ranking Tactical/Security officers, he found the job to be largely boring, although he did pull bridge duty from time to time. While he had very little interaction with the ship’s stern Commanding Officer, he did receive high praise from Lieutenant Commander T’Sarn, the ship’s Chief of Security. The first time he set foot on the Monitor’s bridge cemented his desire to sit in the center seat one day.

His unique sense of humor (even while on duty) did cause him to receive some official reprimands, but none too damning. He does blame that for his not advancing in rank during his time aboard, however.

2385-2387:

In 2385, Julian transferred off of the ship with the First Officer, Commander Emilie Chapel. She had received her own command and had hand picked him to be the ship’s assistant chief of security, which would include an advancement in rank to Lieutenant (junior grade). He was floored at the offer, and gleefully accepted it. The woman had noticed Julian’s knack for leading people, and keeping a healthy spirit of camaraderie with his fellow crewmen.

The Beagle, an Intrepid class ship, never once went into battle, and Julian’s time aboard was fairly boring other than conducting drills and the occasional away mission.

2387-2391

In 2387, Julian was offered a unique opportunity to command his own ship, with several caveats. The destruction of the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards required the Federation to take a less pacifistic stance, and to “circle the wagons” as it were. He was offered command of a small, Raven class starship, the USS Sargasso. The small scout ships were typically attached to starbases, and sent out on short-term missions.

The Sargasso was attached to Deep Space Nine, and sent out to patrol the Cardassian De-Militarized Zone. The last thing the Federation wanted was for one of their former aggressors to catch them unawares. Being so close to the end of the Dominion War, Julian didn’t really see the point, as the Cardassians were in pretty bad straits. Nonetheless, he accepted the command, and was advanced to the rank of Lieutenant.

The Cardassians were always polite to him, if somewhat terse. He rarely found that anyone was willing to do anything but engage him in idle chatter, and on multiple occasions he and his crew put down on nearby colonies for random away missions. While they cited “humanitarian aid” to the locals, it was often just more of an excuse to stretch their legs and get away from the cramped conditions of the small ship barely bigger than a runabout.

In 2389, the Sargasso was destroyed in combat by a rogue Cardassian Gul and his small flotilla of ships. He spent the next year in a Cardassian labor camp with his small crew of 6 others, until his release to the Federation was secured. After being released, he took a year off to attend physical therapy and intense counseling sessions.

2392-2401

In 2392, Julian was assigned to the USS Westpoint, an aging Ambassador class ship, as the vessel’s Executive Officer, and advanced to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. His command experience had spoken for itself, as well as his tenacity. The lessons he’d learned while commanding the Sargasso (as well as keeping his crew together until their rescue from Cardassian space) had left a lasting impression on him, and he was unwilling to accept a position outside of the immediate command structure. He had to heavily advocate for himself on this point, but in the end the gamble paid off. Additionally, at the age of 33, it was about the right time in his career for him to be serving alongside a Captain, and learning the lessons he needed to command a standard ship on his own merit.

And learn lessons he did. The Westpoint was assigned to the Beta Quadrant, and frequently dealt with not only protecting Federation assets, but keeping relative diplomacy with the various Romulan factions. In 2396, Julian was advanced to the rank of Commander after a particularly difficult but successful humanitarian aid mission to an outlying Romulan colony. Owing to his tenacity at driving off rival factions, his tactical aptitude in securing the main compound, as well as his success at drawing a line in the sand and daring the other factions to cross it (they didn’t call his bluff), his commanding officer was happy to award him with yet another pip on his collar.

2401-Current

Owing to his experience in the field, the need for competent but firm officers in the area, Julian was assigned to the USS Sevastopol as its Commanding Officer.