Bal Kenyal

Bal Kenyal was a Bajoran Starfleet officer from the 24th century and served as the first officer of the USS Repulse. (DeltaFleet.org)

History

Although of Bajoran descent, Bal was raised by foster parents Iona and Grant Kenyal, in San Francisco, Earth. Both his parents 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 an 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 led him to find friends to suit his needs.

Starfleet Academy

His acceptance to Starfleet 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 fourth place in his class due mostly to his academic approach. But with his elevation through engineering he also applied for a year of command academy, spending an extra term studying strategic maneuverability and, of course, diplomacy along with languages. With this came an extra little delve 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 Saratoga 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 endeavors to make the engine system more efficient. This did not go unnoticed, and within a few years, he promoted to lieutenant junior grade, placing him in a stage with more responsibility. With the captain's blessing, he was assigned a team to help work on his acceleration theories to improve the vessel's engine capacity. The Saratoga became one of the first ships in Starfleet to use buffers to control plasma injection through the impulse thrusters. After the upgrade, this went into common usage amongst other starships.

The death of Bal's father after a volcanic eruption 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 had become a slow habit in his background life and her constant contact has followed him throughout his career.

Wartime effort

As war began 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 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

He was offered the position as the chief engineer on the USS Wilkins - which he accepted with reluctance at first yet grew to come to terms with his chosen skill. The service gave him cool-down time and allowed him to develop into the more calm and well-rounded figure. He served as a second officer and senior staffer and was pushed into a place of responsibility. Eventually, promotion reaches his hands again and he becomes lieutenant commander. Mere weeks later, he took 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 a for transfer where he was assigned to the USS Repulse.