Dominic Lau: Difference between revisions

From Star Trek: Theurgy Wiki

No edit summary
Line 61: Line 61:
This was to have unforeseen consequences on Dominic. Although Wilbur's shop was his passion and prospering, he was not able to provide as much attention to Dominic and the grandparents were in the same situation with the Antares shipyard being very busy with production as the [[Federation]] quickly expanded.  Dominic would soon start getting in to regular fights with other children at school.  Frustrated, Wilbur and the grandparents would resort to the quickest method of punishment in an attempt to discipline the child.  This didn't do much aside from encouraging Dominic to fight more, and inure him to pain and empathy.  One of Dominic's teachers took note of this and being a retired [[Starfleet]] [[Security]] officer, decided to make a project of the young child by teaching him discipline and achievement through martial arts.  Dominic took to these lessons and quickly became endeared to his 'Sensei'.
This was to have unforeseen consequences on Dominic. Although Wilbur's shop was his passion and prospering, he was not able to provide as much attention to Dominic and the grandparents were in the same situation with the Antares shipyard being very busy with production as the [[Federation]] quickly expanded.  Dominic would soon start getting in to regular fights with other children at school.  Frustrated, Wilbur and the grandparents would resort to the quickest method of punishment in an attempt to discipline the child.  This didn't do much aside from encouraging Dominic to fight more, and inure him to pain and empathy.  One of Dominic's teachers took note of this and being a retired [[Starfleet]] [[Security]] officer, decided to make a project of the young child by teaching him discipline and achievement through martial arts.  Dominic took to these lessons and quickly became endeared to his 'Sensei'.


Simply grateful for not having to deal with a publicly violent child, the Lau family went about their business and didn't notice the emotional gulf that had been forming between Dominic and the rest of the family.  Although outwardly tranquil, especially during family meals, there was a steady attempt to divert the growing adolescent's interest towards other interests that the family felt was more worthwhile, primarily the maths and sciences.  These discussions did not gain traction as he had found his calling, having attained Level 3 in Wing Chun, a Green Belt in Krav Maga, and an introduction to the [[Vulcan]] martial art of Suus Mahna.  He was also a deputy captain of his school's track team, and martial arts team.  Though the family would continue to dine together, the topics of discussion soon became few and far in between.  This came to a head when Dominic turned 18 and graduated with his GED.  Although attended by his father and grandparents, Dominic gave most of the credit for how he turned out to his Sensei, much to the annoyance of the family.  Wilbur, hurt by his son's admission, but unwilling to accept responsibility for what happened, attempted to strike his son at the graduation ceremony, but was restrained by the young adult, causing a scene.  When station [[security]] arrived, the sensei explained the situation and it was corroborated by video footage.  Dominic refused to press charges however and simply stated that [[Starfleet]] would be his family going forward.  Not being too technically inclined, he instead opted to join [[Starfleet]] [[Security]]. He was kicked out of the residence shortly after.
Simply grateful for not having to deal with a publicly violent child, the Lau family went about their business and didn't notice the emotional gulf that had been forming between Dominic and the rest of the family.  Although outwardly tranquil, especially during family meals, there was a steady attempt to divert the growing adolescent's interest towards other interests that the family felt was more worthwhile, primarily the maths and sciences.  These discussions did not gain traction as he had found his calling, having attained Level 3 in Wing Chun, a Green Belt in Krav Maga, and an introduction to the [[Vulcan]] martial art of Suus Mahna.  He was also a deputy captain of his school's track team, and martial arts team.  He would prove very proficient in competitions due to his innate attention to body movement detail that allowed him to anticipate his opponents movements.  Though the family would continue to dine together, the topics of discussion soon became few and far in between.  This came to a head when Dominic turned 18 and graduated with his GED.  Although attended by his father and grandparents, Dominic gave most of the credit for how he turned out to his Sensei, much to the annoyance of the family.  Wilbur, hurt by his son's admission, but unwilling to accept responsibility for what happened, attempted to strike his son at the graduation ceremony, but was restrained by the young adult, causing a scene.  When station [[security]] arrived, the sensei explained the situation and it was corroborated by video footage.  Dominic refused to press charges however and simply stated that [[Starfleet]] would be his family going forward.  Not being too technically inclined, he instead opted to join [[Starfleet]] [[Security]]. He was kicked out of the residence shortly after.


Dominic applied for a commission but failed the entrance exam.  The recruiter then suggested he enlist instead.  This did not sit well with the young man who was used to succeeding at what he wanted to.  The recruiter was an enlisted man and talked to the aggrieved potential recruit about the pros and cons of being commissioned and enlisted.  Dominic listened, and promised to return the following day after he thought about it.  Following through on his promise, Dominic signed the enlistment agreement and was sent to Boot Camp on Earth.  This was a huge step, for the young man had intellectually known he'd be leaving Antares, and knew about the wider galaxy after seeing no end of starships and [[Starfleet]] personnel on the station.  Still, leaving the only home he'd ever known was a frightening prospect.  He almost turned around from the boarding ramp when his sensei stood amongst the crowd and waved him over.  Relieved to have at least one friendly face, the older man placed his hands on the younger man's shoulder's and passed his final words of wisdom. "Through there is your future now Dom. Seize it with both hands. Promise me."  Dominic was buoyed by these words and promised to do so.
Dominic applied for a commission but failed the entrance exam.  The recruiter then suggested he enlist instead.  This did not sit well with the young man who was used to succeeding at what he wanted to.  The recruiter was an enlisted man and talked to the aggrieved potential recruit about the pros and cons of being commissioned and enlisted.  Dominic listened, and promised to return the following day after he thought about it.  Following through on his promise, Dominic signed the enlistment agreement and was sent to Boot Camp on Earth.  This was a huge step, for the young man had intellectually known he'd be leaving Antares, and knew about the wider galaxy after seeing no end of starships and [[Starfleet]] personnel on the station.  Still, leaving the only home he'd ever known was a frightening prospect.  He almost turned around from the boarding ramp when his sensei stood amongst the crowd and waved him over.  Relieved to have at least one friendly face, the older man placed his hands on the younger man's shoulder's and passed his final words of wisdom. "Through there is your future now Dom. Seize it with both hands. Promise me."  Dominic was buoyed by these words and promised to do so.


Arriving on Earth was a shock to his system, having spent all his time in an artificial environment.  This manifested itself in subtle ways, such as always keeping an eye out for the safety systems, or stopping to check doors before stepping outside, lest he found vacuum.  Despite this, Dominic flourished and grew.  Boot camp would polish off whatever rough edges the young man still retained that had not been worn down by his sensei before.  Graduating in the top 5% of his class, he was granted an automatic promotion to Crewman 2nd Class and assigned to [[Security]] on [[Starbase 12]].  This was a bit of disappointment; however, since he felt it was not a good use of talents, but did not have the capability or influence to override the decision.  Service on Starbase 12 would generally be routine with guard duty in key areas, supporting civil authorities, and patrolling.  Though there were no major actions of note, Private Lau was noted for his diligence and general good service to the community and received the regular promotion to Crewman 1st Class.  With this promotion came a transfer to join the [[security]] detachment on [[Xarantine]].  Although duties on the planet were mostly routine, CM1 Lau was praised for his participation in various community outreach programs, especially those involving troubled youths and the use of martial arts as a means of self improvement.  He also received praise for helping local authorities in finding several campers who had gone missing.  A formal commendation was withheld after several complaints were made that he was too relentless in the search and had purportedly endangered several other members of the search party with insufficient allowances for rest.
Arriving on Earth was a shock to his system, having spent all his time in an artificial environment.  This manifested itself in subtle ways, such as always keeping an eye out for the safety systems, or stopping to check doors before stepping outside, lest he found vacuum.  Despite this, Dominic flourished and grew.  Boot camp would polish off whatever rough edges the young man still retained that had not been worn down by his sensei before.  Graduating in the top 5% of his class, he was granted an automatic promotion to Crewman 2nd Class and assigned to [[Security]] on [[Starbase 12]].  This was a bit of disappointment; however, since he felt it was not a good use of talents, but did not have the capability or influence to override the decision.  Service on Starbase 12 would generally be routine with guard duty in key areas, supporting civil authorities, and patrolling.  Though there were no major actions of note, Crewman Lau was noted for his diligence and general good service to the community and received the regular promotion to Crewman 1st Class.  With this promotion came a transfer to join the [[security]] detachment on [[Xarantine]].  Although duties on the planet were mostly routine, CM1 Lau was praised for his participation in various community outreach programs, especially those involving troubled youths and the use of martial arts as a means of self improvement.  He also received praise for helping local authorities in finding several campers who had gone missing.  A formal commendation was withheld after several complaints were made that he was too relentless in the search and had purportedly endangered several other members of the search party with insufficient allowances for rest.


[[Starfleet]] [[Security]] noted this aspect and transferred the Crewman to Mars, then Earth to participate in the Advanced Leadership and Hostile Environment Course in late 2369.  Informally known as the the Commando Course, the Crewman was pushed to the absolute limit over the next six months, and the man who emerged, was harder, and more relentless than before.  He was promoted to Petty Officer 3rd Class after graduation. Under regular circumstances, this would not have been acceptable, however [[Starfleet Command]] had seen conflict more often than was publicly acknowledged and kept the example of the [[Cardassian]] Border Conflict in mind.  This would have fortuitous results the following year during the disastrous first contact with the [[Dominion]].  Following the loss of the ''[[USS Odyssey]]'' in the [[Gamma Quadrant]] in 2370, PO3 Lau would operate as part of training teams in the [[Federation]] Core to train [[security]] detachments in increasing their combat effectiveness.  In 2371, he took part in an exchange at the Laikan Military Academy where he <nowiki>cross</nowiki> trained as an unarmed combat instructor, for which he was given a Diploma for his contributions.  He also learned how to wield the Ushaan during his time, though they did not become his bladed weapon of choice.
[[Starfleet]] [[Security]] noted this aspect and transferred the Crewman to Mars, then Earth to participate in the Advanced Leadership and Hostile Environment Course in late 2369.  Informally known as the the Commando Course, the Crewman was pushed to the absolute limit over the next six months, and the man who emerged, was harder, and more relentless than before.  He was promoted to Petty Officer 3rd Class after graduation. Under regular circumstances, this would not have been acceptable, however [[Starfleet Command]] had seen conflict more often than was publicly acknowledged and kept the example of the [[Cardassian]] Border Conflict in mind.  This would have fortuitous results the following year during the disastrous first contact with the [[Dominion]].  Following the loss of the ''[[USS Odyssey]]'' in the [[Gamma Quadrant]] in 2370, PO3 Lau would operate as part of training teams in the [[Federation]] Core to train [[security]] detachments in increasing their combat effectiveness.  In 2371, he took part in an exchange at the Laikan Military Academy where he <nowiki>cross</nowiki> trained as an unarmed combat instructor, for which he was given a Diploma for his contributions.  He also learned how to wield the Ushaan during his time, though they did not become his bladed weapon of choice.


With upheaval coming to the [[Federation]], [[Starfleet]] [[Security]] began unit concentration in 2372.  PO3 Lau was promoted to Petty Officer 2nd Class and transferred to a company rallying on Castor as part of a wider regimental strength standing to in the face of deteriorating relations with the Klingons.  When open conflict with the Klingons began that year, only half the unit was formed, but was sent in to defend [[Federation]] citizens in the area.  The remainder of the unit would follow as soon as practicable, however, by the time the conflict with the [[Klingon]]'s came to an end, 40% of the unit's personnel would be killed or invalidated out of serviceThen PO2 Lau was awarded the Star <nowiki>Cross</nowiki> during the conflict.  His under strength company sized detachment was tasked with guarding a series of hills and a bridge over a valley as part of an evacuation route.  When it was assaulted by [[Klingon]] forces,  the Petty Officer leading his unit was killed in the initial assault and the position was in danger of being overwhelmed when PO2 Lau moved his squad laterally across the line, then into a flanking position.  This threw the [[Klingon]] attack into disarray where PO2 Lau led a counterattackAfter being awarded the Star <nowiki>Cross</nowiki>, he was offered a battlefield commission, which he declined and instead was promoted to Petty Officer 1st Class. 
With upheaval coming to the [[Federation]], PO3 Lau was promoted to Petty Officer 2nd Class and transferred to the USS Thunderer as part of her [[security]] department in 2372.  The Thunderer was assigned to patrol around Deep Space K-7 as part of the build up of [[Starfleet]] forces around the Archanis sector, and saw limited action when hostilities broke out shortly after. Petty Officer Lau's major action during the conflict occurred when he was one of 37 volunteers from the ship's company deployed to support a [[Starfleet]] garrison on a colony world near Ajilon.  15 of these volunteers would be [[medical]] or [[engineering]] personnel supporting emergency servicesThe remaining 22 volunteers were tasked with defending a bridge that was being used as part of a [[civilian]] evacuation route.  When Lau looked at the map of the area, he was able to identify a choke point the [[Klingon]]'s had to use to get to the bridge.  Arriving mere hours before a [[Klingon]] attack from that direction, the 22 dug in as best they could. The Lieutenant leading the detachment was killed early in the fight and her executive officer, a newly graduated Ensign broke under pressure.  Petty Officer Lau rallied the remaining volunteers and led the defence for the next three hours where he was reported to have bested a four [[Klingon]] Warriors in hand to hand combat. When a [[security]] detachment from the colony arrived, they found a bloody and battered Petty Officer and twelve other survivors with thirty five [[Klingon]] bodies in front of the positionFor his leadership and heroism, he was awarded the Star [[Cross]].


The unit was withdrawn from the Archanis sector to rest and refit after the conflict.  The down time and decompression did not go well for PO1 Lau, nor most of the survivors, and many would be arrested at one time or another for fighting or being drunken disorderly.  PO1 Lau was himself arrested twice for fighting, usually at bars and other night spots.  He was exonerated on both charges as he was shown to be attempting to defuse the situation and was attacked first.  He would receive verbal reprimands in both cases though for excessive use of force after sending several people to the hospital. He was ordered to mandatory counselling regardless and declared ready for active duty one month after the fall of DS9.
PO2 Lau was returned to the Thunderer shortly after it drove off a [[Klingon]] raiding force.  The ship sustained moderate damage and soon departed to Aldeberan for repairs.  The surviving volunteers formed a close bond that partially alienated the remaining ship's company and attempts at ship counselling had limited success.  When the Thunderer reached Aldeberan, most of the crew of dispatched on shore leave.  The Volunteers would soon be arrested multiple times for drunken disorderly and fighting as they tried to decompressPetty Officer Lau would be arrested twice during this period, though inquiry evidence would show that he had been trying to stop or break up the fights.  He was reprimanded for excessive use of force on several these occasions.  Generally he did not succumb to the worst of the ill discipline, though during one drunken night, he would end up getting a tattoo of a mako shark on his arm.


PO1 Lau would be assigned to the a large formation as it was forming to provide an experienced cadreBringing his personal training style to his sub unit, he quickly forged a reputation as a harsh task master, frequently waking up his recruits up at 0400 after working them hard till 0000Lau led by example as he frequently took the unit out on 20km full pack marches, 5km runs up a local mountain, and orienteering though swamps, deserts, tundra, and darkness as it suited his training planUnit officers and and the executive officers would frequently advice the senior Petty Officer against pushing the recruits too hard, but he had the support from higher up, and thus carried onHe would help to identify enlisted leaders and nurture their inherent leadership abilities so the various subunits would be able to operate independently and aggressively. When complaints would reach high levels, Lau would organize exercises where he picked two of the most cohesive and promising teams with him as leader.  This picked unit would then be pitted against the rest of the company in exercises with weapons on stunHe would also dangle a prize of a five-day pass if the rest of the unit could win, whereas the picked unit got a day offCompetition amongst the enlisted would soon begin to soar to be one of the picked unitAlthough ruthless in his training, Lau would frequently help individuals and units identify shortcomings to rectify.  It was a testament to his training methods that the unit he trained would only manage to win once against the picked unit, and only at the end of the training cycle.
With the outbreak of war with the <nowiki>Dominion</nowiki> Petty Officer Lau would be transferred to the USS TridentThe <nowiki>Akira</nowiki> class ship would see general war service and distinguished itselfThe [[security]] officer would guard important locations such as the bridge or main [[engineering]] while the ship was in battle and he would mainly see action with supporting casualty evacuation or damage controlIn 2374, the Trident took part in Operation Return. Petty Officer Lau was standing guard outside main [[engineering]] when [[Jem'Hadar]] forces boarded the ship in an attempt to detonate it's [[warp]] core after the Trident had managed to disable the [[Jem'Hadar]] ship's weaponsPO Lau led the [[security]] detachment in reinforcing the [[engineering]] crew and engaged the [[Dominion]] soldiers in close combatAfter securing the [[warp]] core, the ship continued to fight, though the distraction caused by the boarding action resulted in a costly delay of a power transferThe Trident was unable to reinforce it's shields in time and was hit by half a dozen torpedoes and disabledThe Petty Officer would lead teams through the ship in bringing survivor to triage centres and sickbay through the rest of the day before a [[Klingon]] ship was able to tow the disabled Akira to DS9.  After completing the minimal necessary repairs, the ship was ordered to the Utopia Planitia for a full repair job.


Following the [[Federation]]-[[Klingon]] victory at [[Deep Space Nine]], the formation would be deployed to the front lines.  [[Starfleet]] would scatter [[Cardassian]] Forces around Setlik in late 2374, allowing the deployment of the formation to the colony worldPO1 Lau's unit would not be involved in the main fighting in the city initially, instead their actions would involve various small patrols to engage [[Cardassian]] forces in the outskirtsThis suited the unit very well, who operated in highly decentralized manner at the general direction of the officersThis was not to last though as fighting against entrenched forces soon required the company to join the main effort in the cityFighting would last another week where Lau would move from squad to squad, reinforcing the morale of the company as they steadily ground on towards the central administration buildingLau personally led the final charge into the building that eventually broke the final barricades, but it was to be his last action on the planet as he breached a room in the building.  His wingman was shot and killed.  This provided enough of a cover where he engaged five Cardassians in close quarters combat with pistol and fist.  He had subdued four of the occupants before he was stabbed by the fifth.  This served to enrage the senior NCO, who beat the last one unconscious before falling and passing out.  This would have been fatal since another enemy combatant entered the room and was prepared to shoot the downed Petty Officer, but he was saved by a following team, who evacuated him soon after.  The formation would be left in place to hold the planet while the wounded were taken to [[Starbase 11]] recuperate.
It was at this time that events surrounding his Star [[Cross]] had completed examination by members of [[Starfleet Intelligence]] and much to his surprise he was transferred to that branch as a terrain analyst and direct action specialist.  Petty Officer Lau would undergo further training in covert [[operations]], communications, and other skills.  It was during this training period that Lau's actions on the Trident would complete review and he was awarded the [[Starfleet]] Citation for Conspicuous GallantryThough [[Starfleet Command]] attempted to have him commissioned, he refused saying he preferred to get his hands dirty as an enlisted man.  He was promoted to Petty Officer 1st class instead.  After his training was completed, he would join a team that would spearhead a [[Starfleet]] task force ordered to retake the Setlick system after it had been lost to the CardassiansThe team was ordered to disable the main transport inhibitor to allow [[Starfleet]] personnel to land in the main settlementThe original option of an orbital strike had been ruled out for fear of causing [[civilian]] casualtiesLau's team would make planet fall in a dead stick landing during the battle in space and contact the local resistance organizationSome resistance forces blew up a dam that lowered the river, while the remainder with the the [[Starfleet Intelligence]] team stormed the inhibitor siteThe Petty Officer managed to secure the main reactor room after subduing five [[Cardassian]] soldiers in hand to hand combat.  He would be stabbed by a a fifth solder, but this served to enrage Lau who beat him to death with his fists.  After passing out from blood loss, Petty Officer Lau was evacuated from the inhibitor site and beamed to an orbiting ship for treatment.  Petty Officer Lau would soon rejoin his team who led several more pathfinder missions in the sector before the war came to an end.


While in the hospital at Starbase 11, he would be awarded the [[Starfleet]] Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry, an award he did not feel he merited, but accepted anyway for the morale of the troops.  His hospital stay would be short, ending in very early 2375 where he rejoined the formation before it’s deployment to the Almatha Sector where it would end the war
After the war with the [[Dominion]] was concluded, Petty Officer 1st class Lau was transferred back to [[Starfleet]] [[Security]], where he became a senior trainer for the Advanced [[Security]] Personnel Trainer on Titan. He would be promoted to Chief Petty Officer during this time.  He would remain in this position and was considering a transfer to a ship board assignment when the ''[[USS Theurgy]]'' was declared hijacked and renegade in 2381. CPO Lau was selected to join a team that would monitor the whereabouts of the prototype dreadnought.  His team would head towards the [[Romulan]] Border to investigate rumours circulating in that area.  This would leave the team in the wrong position when it was discovered that the ship had been seen around [[Starbase 74]], then reports would circulate of the renegade ship being seen in the heart of the [[Klingon]] Empire.  With the detonation of a Thaloron device in Paris, the team was directed to begin intelligence gathering efforts in the neutral zone, and right inside [[Romulan]] space.  It was during an extraction mission for an intelligence source, that Dominic’s team was ambushed by the Tal Shiar, as the source was a double agent.  Though he managed to escape with most of his team, the team commander had been killed, leaving him in charge.  CPO Lau duly reported the situation to Admiral Anderson.  Anderson in turn brought Lau and his team up to speed on what the ''Theurgy'' had been really up to and diverted them towards a reported location of the ship while changing the team's status to MIA.
 
With the signing of the [[Treaty of Bajor]], PO1 Lau looked forward to a period of general demobilization, though this would not occur for another six months due to the need to keep forces ready in case the peace fell apart.  The formation would remain on occupation duty till the end of the year, when they were stood down, and officially demobilized on Titan in January 2376.  Although Petty Officer Lau, was sad to see the formation go, he was glad the war was over.  He soon received orders to report to an ATC facility to take on duties as a training instructor, and was promoted to Chief Petty Officer. Advanced Training Command (ATC) consisted of specialized training schools for advanced studies in a number of areas, primarily related to the Command and Operation Divisions - including [[Starfleet]] [[Security]] - rather than academic areas.
 
CPO Lau’s tenure at Advanced <nowiki>Security</nowiki> Personnel Training would end in 2379 when he was seconded to [[Starfleet Intelligence]], first as a basic combat instructor for new operatives. This required him to be retrained in how to combine his personal combat knowledge with the more subtle arts used by Intelligence.  He could no longer apply maximum firepower to a situation.  His knowledge of hand to hand combat proved very useful in this regard, and he became more proficient at improvised fighting as a result.
 
With the hijacking of the ''[[USS Theurgy]]'', CPO Lau was selected to join a team that would monitor the whereabouts of the renegade prototype dreadnought.  His team would head towards the [[Romulan]] Border to investigate rumours circulating in that area.  This would leave the team in the wrong position when it was discovered that the ship had been seen around [[Starbase 74]], then reports began to circulate of the renegade ship being seen in the heart of the [[Klingon]] Empire.  With the detonation of a Thaloron device in Paris, the team was directed to begin intelligence gathering efforts in the neutral zone, and right inside [[Romulan]] space.  It was during an extraction mission for an intelligence source, that Dominic’s team was ambushed by the Tal Shiar, as the source was a double agent.  Though he managed to escape with two from his team, their commander had been killed, leaving him in charge.  Lau duly reported the situation to Admiral Anderson.  Anderson in turn brought Lau and his team up to speed on what the ''Theurgy'' had been really up to and diverted them towards a reported location of the ship while changing the team's status to MIA.


==Personality Profile==
==Personality Profile==

Revision as of 06:36, 6 January 2023

Lau-02.png
Personnel FileR-e7.png
Name:Dominic Lau
Rank:Chief Petty Officer
Position:Intelligence Operative
(Former Security NCO)
Species:Human
Age:35
Gender:Male
Orientation:  Heterosexual
Birthplace:Hong Kong, Earth
Height:5ft 8in / 1.73m
Weight:180lbs / 82kg
Hair:Black
Eye color:Dark Brown
Played by:Donnie Yen
Writer:RyeTanker
Interests
Martial Arts

Cross Country Skiing

Reading

Mountain Climbing

Meditating

Acoustic Guitar
Education
2364: Starfleet Enlisted Bootcamp, Earth

2364: Advanced Security Personnel Training, Titan

2369: Starfleet Advanced Leadership and Hostile Environment Course
Service Record
2364: Crewman 2nd Class, Security, Starbase 12

2366: Crewman 1st Class, Security, Starbase 12

2366: Crewman 1st Class, Security, Xarantine

2369: Petty Officer 3rd Class, Security, Sol System

2372: Petty Officer 3rd Class, Security, Castor

2372: Petty Officer 2nd Class, Archanis Sector

2373: Petty Officer 1st Class, Archanis Sector

2373: Petty Officer 1st Class, Dominion War

2376: Chief Petty Officer, Advanced Security Personnel Trainer, Titan

2379: Seconded to Starfleet Intelligence
Decorations
2372: Star Cross 2375: Starfleet Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry

Chief Petty Officer Dominic Lau was a Starfleet NCO that had been seconded to Starfleet Intelligence as part of the intelligence gathering effort along the Romulan border. His team was operating in the neutral zone to retrieve an asset when they were double crossed and ambushed by the Tal Shiar. After the team's survivors extricated themselves from the planet, CPO Lau updated Admiral Anderson on the mission results, then was diverted to rendezvous with a mission in progress that had been launched by the supposedly renegade USS Theurgy after being brought up to speed on what was happening at Starfleet Command. CPO Lau aided in the opposition against the parasites that compromised Starfleet Command in the end of the 24th century.

Image:Lau during his time serving as an NCO in Starfleet Security

Biography

Dominic Lau was the son of Wilbur Lau, a noodle and snack shop owner who lived and operates on the main headquarters station for the Antares shipyard. The result of Wilbur and an unknown woman when Wilbur was living in Hong Kong, she gave birth to Dominic. Dominic's mother left soon afterwards, and Wilbur decided to take Dominic to a new environment away from the memories. Wilbur's parents were shipyard personnel and deciding that he also needed additional family influence, the two moved to the Antares shipyard. Although not having any of the technical skills of his parents, Wilbur had learned how to make handmade noodles in soup while living in Hong Kong, and setup shop that quickly garnered a loyal following as the aromas wafted through the concourse.

This was to have unforeseen consequences on Dominic. Although Wilbur's shop was his passion and prospering, he was not able to provide as much attention to Dominic and the grandparents were in the same situation with the Antares shipyard being very busy with production as the Federation quickly expanded. Dominic would soon start getting in to regular fights with other children at school. Frustrated, Wilbur and the grandparents would resort to the quickest method of punishment in an attempt to discipline the child. This didn't do much aside from encouraging Dominic to fight more, and inure him to pain and empathy. One of Dominic's teachers took note of this and being a retired Starfleet Security officer, decided to make a project of the young child by teaching him discipline and achievement through martial arts. Dominic took to these lessons and quickly became endeared to his 'Sensei'.

Simply grateful for not having to deal with a publicly violent child, the Lau family went about their business and didn't notice the emotional gulf that had been forming between Dominic and the rest of the family. Although outwardly tranquil, especially during family meals, there was a steady attempt to divert the growing adolescent's interest towards other interests that the family felt was more worthwhile, primarily the maths and sciences. These discussions did not gain traction as he had found his calling, having attained Level 3 in Wing Chun, a Green Belt in Krav Maga, and an introduction to the Vulcan martial art of Suus Mahna. He was also a deputy captain of his school's track team, and martial arts team. He would prove very proficient in competitions due to his innate attention to body movement detail that allowed him to anticipate his opponents movements. Though the family would continue to dine together, the topics of discussion soon became few and far in between. This came to a head when Dominic turned 18 and graduated with his GED. Although attended by his father and grandparents, Dominic gave most of the credit for how he turned out to his Sensei, much to the annoyance of the family. Wilbur, hurt by his son's admission, but unwilling to accept responsibility for what happened, attempted to strike his son at the graduation ceremony, but was restrained by the young adult, causing a scene. When station security arrived, the sensei explained the situation and it was corroborated by video footage. Dominic refused to press charges however and simply stated that Starfleet would be his family going forward. Not being too technically inclined, he instead opted to join Starfleet Security. He was kicked out of the residence shortly after.

Dominic applied for a commission but failed the entrance exam. The recruiter then suggested he enlist instead. This did not sit well with the young man who was used to succeeding at what he wanted to. The recruiter was an enlisted man and talked to the aggrieved potential recruit about the pros and cons of being commissioned and enlisted. Dominic listened, and promised to return the following day after he thought about it. Following through on his promise, Dominic signed the enlistment agreement and was sent to Boot Camp on Earth. This was a huge step, for the young man had intellectually known he'd be leaving Antares, and knew about the wider galaxy after seeing no end of starships and Starfleet personnel on the station. Still, leaving the only home he'd ever known was a frightening prospect. He almost turned around from the boarding ramp when his sensei stood amongst the crowd and waved him over. Relieved to have at least one friendly face, the older man placed his hands on the younger man's shoulder's and passed his final words of wisdom. "Through there is your future now Dom. Seize it with both hands. Promise me." Dominic was buoyed by these words and promised to do so.

Arriving on Earth was a shock to his system, having spent all his time in an artificial environment. This manifested itself in subtle ways, such as always keeping an eye out for the safety systems, or stopping to check doors before stepping outside, lest he found vacuum. Despite this, Dominic flourished and grew. Boot camp would polish off whatever rough edges the young man still retained that had not been worn down by his sensei before. Graduating in the top 5% of his class, he was granted an automatic promotion to Crewman 2nd Class and assigned to Security on Starbase 12. This was a bit of disappointment; however, since he felt it was not a good use of talents, but did not have the capability or influence to override the decision. Service on Starbase 12 would generally be routine with guard duty in key areas, supporting civil authorities, and patrolling. Though there were no major actions of note, Crewman Lau was noted for his diligence and general good service to the community and received the regular promotion to Crewman 1st Class. With this promotion came a transfer to join the security detachment on Xarantine. Although duties on the planet were mostly routine, CM1 Lau was praised for his participation in various community outreach programs, especially those involving troubled youths and the use of martial arts as a means of self improvement. He also received praise for helping local authorities in finding several campers who had gone missing. A formal commendation was withheld after several complaints were made that he was too relentless in the search and had purportedly endangered several other members of the search party with insufficient allowances for rest.

Starfleet Security noted this aspect and transferred the Crewman to Mars, then Earth to participate in the Advanced Leadership and Hostile Environment Course in late 2369. Informally known as the the Commando Course, the Crewman was pushed to the absolute limit over the next six months, and the man who emerged, was harder, and more relentless than before. He was promoted to Petty Officer 3rd Class after graduation. Under regular circumstances, this would not have been acceptable, however Starfleet Command had seen conflict more often than was publicly acknowledged and kept the example of the Cardassian Border Conflict in mind. This would have fortuitous results the following year during the disastrous first contact with the Dominion. Following the loss of the USS Odyssey in the Gamma Quadrant in 2370, PO3 Lau would operate as part of training teams in the Federation Core to train security detachments in increasing their combat effectiveness. In 2371, he took part in an exchange at the Laikan Military Academy where he cross trained as an unarmed combat instructor, for which he was given a Diploma for his contributions. He also learned how to wield the Ushaan during his time, though they did not become his bladed weapon of choice.

With upheaval coming to the Federation, PO3 Lau was promoted to Petty Officer 2nd Class and transferred to the USS Thunderer as part of her security department in 2372. The Thunderer was assigned to patrol around Deep Space K-7 as part of the build up of Starfleet forces around the Archanis sector, and saw limited action when hostilities broke out shortly after. Petty Officer Lau's major action during the conflict occurred when he was one of 37 volunteers from the ship's company deployed to support a Starfleet garrison on a colony world near Ajilon. 15 of these volunteers would be medical or engineering personnel supporting emergency services. The remaining 22 volunteers were tasked with defending a bridge that was being used as part of a civilian evacuation route. When Lau looked at the map of the area, he was able to identify a choke point the Klingon's had to use to get to the bridge. Arriving mere hours before a Klingon attack from that direction, the 22 dug in as best they could. The Lieutenant leading the detachment was killed early in the fight and her executive officer, a newly graduated Ensign broke under pressure. Petty Officer Lau rallied the remaining volunteers and led the defence for the next three hours where he was reported to have bested a four Klingon Warriors in hand to hand combat. When a security detachment from the colony arrived, they found a bloody and battered Petty Officer and twelve other survivors with thirty five Klingon bodies in front of the position. For his leadership and heroism, he was awarded the Star Cross.

PO2 Lau was returned to the Thunderer shortly after it drove off a Klingon raiding force. The ship sustained moderate damage and soon departed to Aldeberan for repairs. The surviving volunteers formed a close bond that partially alienated the remaining ship's company and attempts at ship counselling had limited success. When the Thunderer reached Aldeberan, most of the crew of dispatched on shore leave. The Volunteers would soon be arrested multiple times for drunken disorderly and fighting as they tried to decompress. Petty Officer Lau would be arrested twice during this period, though inquiry evidence would show that he had been trying to stop or break up the fights. He was reprimanded for excessive use of force on several these occasions. Generally he did not succumb to the worst of the ill discipline, though during one drunken night, he would end up getting a tattoo of a mako shark on his arm.

With the outbreak of war with the Dominion Petty Officer Lau would be transferred to the USS Trident. The Akira class ship would see general war service and distinguished itself. The security officer would guard important locations such as the bridge or main engineering while the ship was in battle and he would mainly see action with supporting casualty evacuation or damage control. In 2374, the Trident took part in Operation Return. Petty Officer Lau was standing guard outside main engineering when Jem'Hadar forces boarded the ship in an attempt to detonate it's warp core after the Trident had managed to disable the Jem'Hadar ship's weapons. PO Lau led the security detachment in reinforcing the engineering crew and engaged the Dominion soldiers in close combat. After securing the warp core, the ship continued to fight, though the distraction caused by the boarding action resulted in a costly delay of a power transfer. The Trident was unable to reinforce it's shields in time and was hit by half a dozen torpedoes and disabled. The Petty Officer would lead teams through the ship in bringing survivor to triage centres and sickbay through the rest of the day before a Klingon ship was able to tow the disabled Akira to DS9. After completing the minimal necessary repairs, the ship was ordered to the Utopia Planitia for a full repair job.

It was at this time that events surrounding his Star Cross had completed examination by members of Starfleet Intelligence and much to his surprise he was transferred to that branch as a terrain analyst and direct action specialist. Petty Officer Lau would undergo further training in covert operations, communications, and other skills. It was during this training period that Lau's actions on the Trident would complete review and he was awarded the Starfleet Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry. Though Starfleet Command attempted to have him commissioned, he refused saying he preferred to get his hands dirty as an enlisted man. He was promoted to Petty Officer 1st class instead. After his training was completed, he would join a team that would spearhead a Starfleet task force ordered to retake the Setlick system after it had been lost to the Cardassians. The team was ordered to disable the main transport inhibitor to allow Starfleet personnel to land in the main settlement. The original option of an orbital strike had been ruled out for fear of causing civilian casualties. Lau's team would make planet fall in a dead stick landing during the battle in space and contact the local resistance organization. Some resistance forces blew up a dam that lowered the river, while the remainder with the the Starfleet Intelligence team stormed the inhibitor site. The Petty Officer managed to secure the main reactor room after subduing five Cardassian soldiers in hand to hand combat. He would be stabbed by a a fifth solder, but this served to enrage Lau who beat him to death with his fists. After passing out from blood loss, Petty Officer Lau was evacuated from the inhibitor site and beamed to an orbiting ship for treatment. Petty Officer Lau would soon rejoin his team who led several more pathfinder missions in the sector before the war came to an end.

After the war with the Dominion was concluded, Petty Officer 1st class Lau was transferred back to Starfleet Security, where he became a senior trainer for the Advanced Security Personnel Trainer on Titan. He would be promoted to Chief Petty Officer during this time. He would remain in this position and was considering a transfer to a ship board assignment when the USS Theurgy was declared hijacked and renegade in 2381. CPO Lau was selected to join a team that would monitor the whereabouts of the prototype dreadnought. His team would head towards the Romulan Border to investigate rumours circulating in that area. This would leave the team in the wrong position when it was discovered that the ship had been seen around Starbase 74, then reports would circulate of the renegade ship being seen in the heart of the Klingon Empire. With the detonation of a Thaloron device in Paris, the team was directed to begin intelligence gathering efforts in the neutral zone, and right inside Romulan space. It was during an extraction mission for an intelligence source, that Dominic’s team was ambushed by the Tal Shiar, as the source was a double agent. Though he managed to escape with most of his team, the team commander had been killed, leaving him in charge. CPO Lau duly reported the situation to Admiral Anderson. Anderson in turn brought Lau and his team up to speed on what the Theurgy had been really up to and diverted them towards a reported location of the ship while changing the team's status to MIA.

Personality Profile

Lau-01.png

Outwardly, Chief Petty Officer Lau appeared aloof to most of his surroundings. This was the result of not having what most would consider a normal social upbringing. Having been generally ignored for most of his life, his body and his art became his form of expression for the world around him. The outward appearance of self control hid the inner passions, which were most evident when he played the Flamenco on the guitar or exercised his hand-to-hand abilities. Although able to interact with others, he did so generally from a no-nonsense manner and was directly blunt about what he was thinking. This usually led to a sense that it was better to not hear from him when something had gone wrong. For many who could filter out the direct aspects, his counsel had been found to be very useful. 

He had little patience for the more civilian lines of Starfleet due to his experience in the various wars that were fought by the Federation and seeing how many reacted on the front lines. Previously this would result in him attempting to over will the target of his wrath into engaging the enemy. Now with experience and tempering, he felt it was easier to usually just get them out of harm’s way. This had produced an affect of making the Petty Officer appear to be suicidally brave.

Although he valued what the Federation provided in terms of values in a very vague sense, he was mostly loyal to his crew. In a person, he respected that a person had given everything they had to what they were doing and were honest about it. If they could not complete a task, he expected to be told, or he would forcefully encourage them to seek that higher goal of success nonetheless if he believed they could succeed.

As of 2381, the only major change to his personality was a strong distrust of Romulans as a result of his last mission, where the asset he was extracting double-crossed his team. This clashed strongly with his sense of Romulan bravery from the Dominion War and there had not been time too reconcile the two feelings. He would prefer to avoid contact with Romulans if at all possible, but would usually treat them with very cold courtesy. This distrust had extended to Remans as well due to the Shinzon incident.

Physical Profile

A lean and compact muscular man of Asian decent on Earth. He was known for being erect of carriage and fast in his movements. Despite the regular stress of his profession, his hair remained jet black. Otherwise, he was a very typical human male. He had a large scar on his back around his right lung as a legacy of combat time on Setlick. He frequently carried a serious demeanour, and looked aloof of most the time. He carried a black MACO shark tattoo on his right bicep, MACO being a United Earth organization that existed as a part of the United Earth Military during the 2150s, prior to the founding of the Federation. The tattoo was a result of a drunken escapade after fighting with the Klingons.