Ensign Ta-Lin Mercer

Name Ta-Lin Quinn Mercer

Position Tactical Officer

Second Position Transporter Specialist

Rank Ensign

Last Post

Basic Info
Personality
History

Character Information

Gender		Male
Species		Human
Age		27

Physical Appearance

Height		5’11
Weight		220
Hair Color		Brown
Eye Color		Hazel
Physical Description		Ta-Lin stands 5’11” with a lean, muscular build, broad chest and shoulders, and long limbs. He has pale skin, hazel eyes, and chestnut dark brown hair, usually worn long enough to pull into a loose bun. Their features are distinctly androgynous, with a strong jaw balanced by fine, delicate features.

Family

Spouse		None
Children		None
Father		Julian Mercer
Mother		Elara Mercer
Brother(s)		Peregrine James Mercer
Sister(s)		Isolde Mae Mercer

Personality & Traits

General Overview		Ta-Lin is confident, outgoing, quick-witted, and unapologetically himself. He is highly social, flirtatious, adventurous, and possesses a flair for the dramatic. He enjoys attention, has little patience for unnecessary formality, and tends to trust his instincts even when he cannot immediately explain where they are leading him. Despite his flamboyant personality, Ta-Lin takes his work seriously. When circumstances require it, the humor and theatricality disappear almost instantly, replaced by a focused, observant, and disciplined Security officer. He is particularly good at reading people and environments and combines formal training with strong situational awareness and intuition. Ta-Lin is comfortable moving freely between masculine and feminine presentation and sees no contradiction between being theatrical, provocative, physically capable, and professionally disciplined. He is comfortable with himself and generally assumes everyone else will become comfortable with him eventually.
Strengths & Weaknesses		Ta-Lin is perceptive, adaptable, and exceptionally comfortable in his own skin. He reads people well, notices changes in his surroundings quickly, and has strong instincts for when something is not quite right. He is physically capable, confident under pressure, and socially adept enough to move easily between confrontation, diplomacy, and charm depending on what the situation requires. His confidence can occasionally cross into overconfidence, and Ta-Lin has a tendency to trust his instincts before he has gathered enough evidence to justify them. He can be impulsive, stubborn once committed, and impatient with excessive caution or procedure. While generally respectful of authority, he is considerably more interested in whether an order makes sense than in the rank of the person giving it. Ta-Lin is also much more comfortable with other people’s vulnerability than his own. Humor, flirtation, and theatricality can become convenient ways of redirecting attention when a conversation gets too close to something he would rather keep private. He is rarely dishonest about himself, but he can be remarkably talented at answering a question without actually answering it.
Ambitions		Ta-Lin considers Starfleet a lifelong career and has every intention of advancing within it. He enjoys Security and intends to build considerable operational experience there, but does not see himself remaining within a single department for the entirety of his career. He is interested in leadership, command, and developing the broader experience necessary to eventually become a commanding officer. He wants to earn his advancement through experience rather than simply accumulate rank, and expects there will be several different assignments and responsibilities between where he is now and the center seat. He is young, ambitious, and expects to spend most of his adult life in Starfleet. If greater responsibility eventually takes him beyond a single starship, he would consider that an opportunity rather than an endpoint he had never intended to reach.
Hobbies & Interests		Ta-Lin has a lifelong interest in music, dance, theatre, and the arts. He grew up performing and is an especially accomplished ballet dancer, which he continued alongside playing varsity sports. He remains an enthusiastic dancer with an eclectic taste in music. He enjoys fashion, cosmetics, and frequently experimenting with his appearance. He treats clothing as another form of creative expression. He also maintains an active lifestyle through recreational sports and other physical activities. Ta-Lin is an enthusiastic traveler and explorer, interested in experiencing unfamiliar places, cultures, foods, music, art, and people firsthand.

Personal History		Ta-Lin Quinn Mercer was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Earth, the middle of three children born to Julian and Elara Mercer. His father works in architecture and historic preservation, while his mother specializes in the preservation and history of theatrical costume and textiles. Ta-Lin grew up in a close, affectionate, and somewhat eccentric family surrounded by art, music, theatre, and the historic culture of the city. His childhood was divided between the arts and athletics. Ta-Lin studied ballet from an early age while also participating in competitive sports, eventually playing at the varsity level. His family encouraged all three Mercer children to pursue their interests freely, contributing to Ta-Lin’s confidence in both his appearance and self-expression. Drawn equally to exploration and the prospect of a challenging lifelong career, Ta-Lin entered Starfleet Academy and pursued Security. There he met Sok’i T’Luz, an older Human/Vulcan cadet beginning a second career, and the unlikely pair developed a close friendship. Following graduation, Ta-Lin began serving as a Security officer and intends to build the broad operational experience necessary to eventually pursue command.
Service Record		Ta-Lin entered Starfleet Academy in his early 20s and pursued Security and Tactical training. Upon graduation he was commissioned as an Ensign. His first assignment was to an Earth-orbiting Starfleet spacedock, where he spent approximately two years working station security. The posting gave him extensive practical experience with access control, civilian and Starfleet traffic, visiting vessels, investigations, emergency response, diplomatic security, and the unpredictable problems associated with a large orbital facility. Following his station assignment, Ta-Lin requested a shipboard posting to broaden his operational experience. He was subsequently transferred to the USS Genesis as a Security Officer, his first posting aboard an active starship.