Lieutenant Commander Mark Anderson
Name Mark Anderson
Position First Officer
Rank Lieutenant Commander
Stats
- 23 Mission Posts
- 1 Personal Logs
Last Post
Sat Mar 13th, 2010 @ 1:51pm
Biographical Information
| Species | Human | |
| Gender | Male | |
| Age | 41 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 6' 4" | |
| Weight | 175 lbs | |
| Hair Colour | Brown | |
| Eye Colour | Grey | |
| Physical Description | Mark appears middle-aged and physically fit. Just for fun, he decided to try out the beard that he has maintained since his time on the Avenger. His eyes sparkle with a daring curiosity, but have been known to hold a compassion that can rival many professional counselors. |
Family Data
| Spouse | Ensign Jennifer Sanderson (Fiancee - Deceased) | |
| Children | James Anderson | |
| Father | Jack Anderson | |
| Mother | Maria Anderson | |
| Brother(s) | Simon Anderson |
Personality Profile
| General Overview | Mark is very enthusiastic about life. He faces each new day head on, hoping to gain something new and to leave something to others. While some may consider him rash at times, Mark usually has a way of finding the road less traveled and racing down it. He maintains a close relationship with his brother, something that has defined him since his childhood. | |
| Strengths & Weaknesses | Some have described Mark as a free spirit who's faded with time. They would be furthest from the truth. Mark's sense of loyalty and devotion to his shipmates, his family, and his career make him a dependable rock in many situations. The scorn of love lost has never left Mark. Likely because of that reason, he has never sought another relationship. |
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| Ambitions | While many might say that their ambition is to command a starship, Mark finds that rather low on his list of priorities. Since the "discovery" of his son, his main ambition has been to be a good father and to raise his son to be an individual. He strives to put forth his best effort in everything that he does and what comes will come. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | Like many Starfleet officers, Mark enjoys the wonders of the holodeck. It can be a great escape when on deep space assignment. More often, he finds that spending time with his son or with fellow shipmates can be even more rewarding. When he was younger, Mark learned how to play the saxophone. He has only recently begun attempting to recover that lost ability. Outside of that, he enjoys reading and listening to music from Earth's history. | |
| Languages | Federation Standard, German, Klingon, Cardassian |
Personal Relationships
Personal History
| Personal History | Mark was born on March 20, 2345 to parents Jack and Maria Anderson. He was the elder of his twin brother, Simon. The two brothers spent much of their childhood living aboard the SS Kaligula, a Federation science vessel operating on behalf of the Daystrom Institute. As the only children aboard, the twins developed a close bond with each other. Playmates, co-conspirators, and confidantes, Mark and Simon not only managed to get into much mischief, but they also learned quite a few things from their parents and the other scientists aboard. The Kaligula would spend years researching a specific project, then abruptly shift to another assignment. It was these abrupt shifts that always interested Mark. He loved to sit on the bridge and watch the crew at work. By the time he was ten, Mark knew each position and their duties by heart. He had started to memorize the different control stations and their functions. From his parents point of view, he seemed to be headed for a career in Starfleet. If that was the case, then his brother would likely be going too. The siblings were nigh inseparable. With their parents often buried in mounds of data and statistics, the two had taken to watching out for each other. As the eldest, Mark felt a certain responsibility to Simon. That wasn’t to say they didn’t fight. In fact, on one occasion, the brothers got into such an argument that they didn’t speak to each other for three days. Every time one of them would enter a room, the other would leave. The crew thought the two would never speak again, but they did. When the twins were fourteen, their parents returned to the Daystrom Institute on Earth to compile all the research they had been doing aboard the Kaligula. This provided them the opportunity to attend high school with teenagers their own age. On the first day, however, Mark landed himself in detention and on the Principal’s watch list. When a group of social elites tried to pick on Simon, Mark intervened. The situation escalated and Mark ended up sending three of them to the nurse’s office with various minor injuries. He knew that it had been wrong to take things that far, but no one picked on his little brother. The twins continued to stick together, even though they didn’t always hang out in the same circles. Both of them were involved in various school activities and they both graduated in the top 5% of their class. Mark still desired to go into Starfleet and Simon was willing to follow his brother on that career path. The two brothers headed off to Starfleet Academy together. Their first few months at the Academy were eye-opening. Simon struggled with some aspects of his program and thoughts of dropping out and finding something else to do with his life began to emerge. Mark didn’t want to see his brother go and tried to encourage Simon to stick with it. He offered to help Simon with tutoring and made sure to invite him whenever he went out with friends. For awhile, this seemed to work for the twins. Mark eventually settled into flight control. He enjoyed spending time in the simulators flying all different kinds of craft from shuttles to starships, even antiquated aircraft. His instructors were so impressed by his work that they recommended him for fighter pilot training. Mark turned down the offer, citing his desire for exploration, rather than combat oriented service. Returning late one night from a practical simulation, Mark found his brother packing. Simon had dropped out of the Academy. Things had gotten to be too much for him and he was going off to the Daystrom Institute to finish his education. From there, he wasn’t sure what he would do. Mark initially didn’t know what to say. In the end, the two brothers parted for the first time, wishing each other the best. Mark graduated from the Academy in 2367 and received his first posting as a shuttle pilot for McKinley Station. Since shuttling various officers and dignitaries to and fro was rather routine, this left Mark with lots of time to himself. Ordinarily, he would have spent that time with his brother, but now that Simon was working on a graduate degree, there wasn’t a lot of time for the two of them to get together. Instead, Mark frequented the regular hangouts for Starfleet officers, both in San Fransisco and McKinley Station. It was during these visits that he met Ensign Jennifer Sanderson, a flight controller aboard the Indianapolis. The two of them began to grow close, even became engaged to marry, but Jennifer backed out at the last minute. To add insult to injury, she transferred to a deep space assignment and Mark was unable to reach her. Scorned, Mark focused on his duties, mundane as they appeared. In early 2370, he was shuttling Captain Katie Julliard to her new posting aboard the USS Avenger, a new Defiant-class escort. The captain was impressed by Mark’s decorum and piloting skills that she requested he be assigned to the Avenger as Chief Flight Control Officer. Surprised at the sudden change of pace, Mark accepted. The chance to be out in open space was something he was all too eager to experience. Aboard the Avenger, Mark found his career to be much more enjoyable than shuttle duty. He easily made friends amongst the crew and frequently spent his off duty time in the mess hall, swapping stories of various dignitaries who were not so dignified. Regular contact with his brother, who had remained on Earth and become a marine biologist, was a highlight of his free time. In 2371, the Avenger was escorting two Federation transports to Rigel VII when they came under attack by pirates. The attack was highly coordinated and sought to separate the three ships from each other. Mark used his expertise and the maneuverability of the Avenger to his advantage, providing every opportunity for the tactical officer to hit his marks. Surprised by the strong reaction they received, the pirates retreated and the convoy continued, unabated. The Avenger was called upon to conduct a search and rescue mission in 2371 following the disappearance of the USS Voyager. When no immediate trace of the vessel was found amidst the plasma storms of the Badlands, Starfleet called off the Avenger in favor of vessels with better suited sensor palates. In 2372, the Avenger entered orbit of Joliet IV to investigate anomalous sensor readings picked up by a passing survey ship. Mark, by now a lieutenant and second officer aboard the Avenger, was selected to lead the away team. As soon as they beamed down, a dampening field appeared, severing all communications with the Avenger. With no other alternative, Mark led his team onward to complete their mission. In searching for a way to contact the Avenger, they stumbled upon an Iconian outpost. The team managed to figure out a way to deactivate the dampening field long enough for the Avenger to beam them out. While there was no gateway present, Starfleet immediately classified the discovery and ordered a debrief of the Avenger’s crew. With the outbreak of the Dominion War in 2373, the Avenger, like her sistership, the Defiant, was seen as a valuable tool against the Dominion advance. Participating in various escort, reconnaissance, and strike missions, the Avenger saw little mainstream action. She was recalled to Utopia Planetia in 2375 for modifications following the destruction of the Defiant by a Breen Energy Weapon at the Second Battle of Chin’toka. Due to the growing loss of experienced officers, many of the senior staff of the Avenger were dispersed amongst the fleet to fill in where needed. Mark was assigned to the USS Houston, one of the new Intrepid-class starships commissioned shortly before the Dominion War. Continuing his role as Chief Flight Control Officer and second officer, Mark saw increased action along the front lines, culminating in his experience at the Battle of Cardassia. The Houston suffered heavy damage at the hands of Dominion attack ships, which were more maneuverable than the larger Intrepid-class starship. Mark managed to shake two of the pursuing vessels, but he could not lose the third. Finally, Mark brought the Houston to a halt, causing the Dominion to overshoot and providing the tactical officer a clear shot. Finally, with the war over, the Houston was assigned as part of the task force to help supply relief to the devastated Cardassian people. Again, the need for officers was great and the Houston’s first officer was granted a command of her own. Captain Denar asked Mark to step up to the challenge. Mark agreed, though he would miss the hands on feel of the helm. It turned out the paperwork was the hardest part to get used to. It was during a layover at Deep Space Nine in 2382 that Mark was approached by a boy who claimed to be his son. Disbelieving at first, Mark brought the boy to the Houston’s CMO to be tested for DNA comparison. It turned out the boy’s story was true. James Anderson had been born in 2370 while his mother was serving aboard the USS Roanoke. She continued to raise him aboard the Roanoke until the war. In the final days of the Dominion War, she suffered severe injury from an ambush that forced her to resign from Starfleet. The injury was worse than initially suspected, as her condition continued to deteriorate. Finally, she broke down and told James about his father and where to find him. Then, shortly afterwards, she died. James was shuttled off to her parents, who were not pleased with having a child dumped on their doorstep. Mark could understand the feeling himself. A few weeks prior, the boy had run away and found Simon, Mark’s brother. Surprisingly, Simon had said nothing in their previous communications about the boy. It was Simon who helped James to get to Deep Space Nine. Still blindsided by the sudden revelation, Mark took the boy in. It took some time, but he began to grow accustomed to having another person living with him. He could see a little of the boy’s mother in him, which reopened the pain of her departure. His love for the boy was the final assurance that James was indeed his son. Mark made a promise to himself, never to let the boy go. If he let James slip by, he might not ever forgive himself. Mark continued to serve aboard the Houston until 2386, when he was offered a posting aboard the USS Endeavour. With his teenage son at his side, he made the next step in his career and his life journey. |
Chronology
| Cadet - Flight Control, Starfleet Academy (2363 - 2367) Ensign - Shuttle Pilot, McKinley Station (2367 - 2370) Lieutenant JG - Chief Flight Controller, USS Avenger (2370 - 2375) Lieutenant - Chief Flight Controller, USS Houston (2375) Lieutenant Commander - Executive Officer, USS Houston (2375 - 2386) Lieutenant Commander - Executive Officer, USS Endeavour (2386 - Present) |