Bal Kenyal

Commander Bal Kenyal is the Executive Officer of the  starship Repulse. Kenyal is played by Joaquin Phoenix. (DeltaFleet.org)

History
Although of Bajoran descent, Bal was raised by foster parents on Earth in San Francisco. Iona and Grant Kenyal both worked for the Federation as temporal control scientists. Grant was a geologist and his mother a botanist and exobiology specialist They cared for Bal as their own and although the young boy was aware that he was adopted, they were the only parents he knew. Despite urges from his mother, throughout his teenage years he refused to adopt his Bajoran heritage. Bal excelled at school when it came to academic studies and situation analysis. He was always physically fit and active but for some reason found it fairly difficult to fit in. His classmates occasionally made the effort but the shy and reserved Bal refused to accept their offers of friendship and instead preferred to find his own entertainment. However, as he grew into his teenage years, a little ambition in him bloomed that would soon lead him to find friends to suit his needs.

Academy
His acceptance to the academy came with no surprise. He was a hard worker who studied when it came to exams and term papers and with a hard working drive and confident tone he was able to pass the aptitude testing with ease. He spent his 4 years majoring in ship structure and engineering, studying warp science in his spare time. He gradually became more friendly, taking the time to understand others. Slowly he was popular and finished in a welcome fourth place in his class due mostly to his time spent on academic approach. But with his elevation through engineering he also applied for a year of command academy, spending an extra term studying strategic maneouverability and, of course, diplomacy along with languages. With this came an extra little dwelve into reaching a more senior position in Starfleet and, more importantly, the ability to command a vessel when required.

Engineering Career
After graduation, Ensign Bal was assigned to the Saratoa as the propulsion specialist and diagnostics team leader. Here he worked on the propulsion system constantly - even in what spare time he could find, developing new techniques and endeavours to make the engine system more efficient. This did not go unnoticed and within a few years he pushed to Lieutenant Junior Grade with typical ease, placing him in a stage with more responsibility. With the Captains blessing, he was assigned a team to help work on his acceleration theories to improve a C class vessels engine capacity. The Saratoa became one of the first ships in starfleet to use buffers to control plasma injection through the impulse thrusters. After the Class C upgrade, this went into common usage amongst Starships.

The death of Bal's father after a volcanic eruption on a nearby alpha quadrant system brought his service to a brief halt. He returned home to comfort his mother and convinced her to retire from her own scientific duties. She did so willingly and he continuously checks up on her, worried for her feelings and well being. It has become a slow habit in his background life and her constant contact has followed him throughout his career.

Wartime Effort
As war breached with the Dominion, Bal went to Deep Space 12 to hold a Chief Engineer/Ops post where a hasty promotion led him to full Lieutenant and department senior. He maintained a level head under constant attack and provided cool, concise information when required. His war efforts earned him a commendation and allowed him to explore his command and strategic skills in stressful situations. He found, to his liking, that they were useful and even until the end of combat he would be happy to step in and take control of Ops. Unfortunately his combat skills were again applied in Engineering for the most part aboard the USS Hawkeye, a small saber class vessel assigned directly to the starbase. Yet he experienced his fair share of action during the war and has earned a reputation as a level-headed tactician and has been recommended by Commander Jeal towards his own line in command.

Command Career
The USS Wilkins offered him a position as their Chief Engineer - which he accepted with reluctance at first yet grew to come to terms with his chosen skill. It was certainly true that Bal didn't wish to serve on a science and research vessel immediately after the war had brought him to a height in his abilities. However, this job developed a lot of insight into his career and he gained further knowledge and experience from a scientific point of view. The service gave him cool-down time too and allowed him to develop into the more calm and well-rounded figure he's famed to be nowadays. He served as a second officer and true-blue senior staffer and was pushed into a place of responsibility. Eventually promotion reach his hands again and he doned a third darkened pip to become Lieutenant Commander Kenyal and doned a red uniform mere weeks later to take the place of First Officer. But after a number of uneventful years, the boredom of extensive research and study on a New Orleans class vessel led him to change his mind and opt - yet again - for transfer. The choice was well made and he returned to Starbase 129 for a quick debrief and re-assignment elsewhere now with the credulous task of taking the command line by the horns.