Character Information

Nickname		Laz
Gender		Male
Species		Regulan (Human)
Age		29

Starfleet Identification

Starfleet Serial Number		LL-4144-080025-J
Data Access Level		Level 4
Security Access		Level 7
Duty Shift		Alpha

Physical Appearance

Height		6'1" / 185cm
Weight		184 lbs / 83kg
Hair Color		Dark Brown
Eye Color		Brown
Physical Description		Laz Lidzikas has a lean, well-proportioned build and an easy bearing. His features are open and expressive, with a strong jaw, a straight nose and a face that tends toward a smile when he is among people he knows. His dark hair is usually kept short enough to stay out of his way. He takes little interest in fashion beyond keeping himself presentable. There is nothing especially imposing about him. He is comfortable in his own skin and seldom gives much thought to the impression he makes.

Family

Spouse		None
Children		None
Father		Mantas Lidzikas
Mother		Zsófia Vadász
Sister(s)		Anna

Personality & Traits

General Overview		Laz Lidzikas is a capable engineer with a practical disposition and a genuine interest in the work he does. He is sociable without being particularly outgoing, comfortable in conversation and at ease among people, though he has never been one to arrange his life around a busy social calendar. He keeps a small circle of friends and tends to maintain those friendships over long periods. He is approachable, generally good-humoured and willing to listen. He has little patience for showing off and no particular desire to be the most knowledgeable person in a room. He believes in Starfleet and its purpose. His faith in the institution comes less from its reputation than from his own experience of working alongside people who take their responsibilities seriously. He respects the work that keeps a ship functioning, including the maintenance and routine labour that seldom attracts attention. He understands that a system is only as dependable as the people responsible for looking after it. Laz is curious by nature. He likes to understand how things work, why they were designed as they were and what might be done differently. He asks questions freely and has no difficulty admitting when someone else knows more than he does. He is as interested in the experience of a seasoned technician as he is in a new theoretical development. He has a particular appreciation for practical knowledge, the sort acquired through years of working with equipment and learning its peculiarities. He has always been content with his career. He has never regarded himself as a prodigy, nor has he been especially troubled by the fact that his name has not appeared among Starfleet's more celebrated engineers. He has done good work, enjoyed his assignments and found satisfaction in the people with whom he has served. His appointment aboard Pioneer has nevertheless awakened something new in him. For the first time, someone in a position to judge his abilities has singled him out for a significant responsibility. He is proud of the opportunity and intends to justify the confidence placed in him.
Strengths & Weaknesses		Strengths - Dependable and conscientious; takes his responsibilities seriously. - Practical problem-solver with a sound understanding of starship systems and engineering operations. - Curious and receptive to new ideas; comfortable learning from people with greater experience or different expertise. - Collaborative leader who encourages input and gives credit where it is due. - Approachable and easy to work with; builds trust through consistency rather than authority. - Patient when teaching or explaining technical concepts. - Adaptable, particularly when dealing with unfamiliar or aging equipment. Weaknesses - Can become absorbed in technical problems and lose track of time or other priorities. - Occasionally takes on more work than necessary, particularly when given a new responsibility. - Has limited experience managing the day-to-day operations of a full starship engineering department. - Can be reluctant to address uncomfortable personal matters directly. - Sometimes assumes that a problem can be resolved through patience and practical effort when it may require a more difficult conversation.
Ambitions		Laz has never been especially ambitious in the conventional sense. He has wanted to become a good engineer, to learn his profession and to do useful work. Advancement was welcome when it came, but he did not spend his early career measuring himself against his contemporaries. His appointment as Chief Engineer aboard Pioneer has changed his perspective somewhat. He now has an opportunity to discover what he can accomplish with greater responsibility. He wants to prove that Commander Richardson's recommendation was justified and that he can lead an engineering department as well as he has contributed to a research team. He has no particular desire for recognition. He would, however, like to look back on his career one day and know that he made a difference to the ships and people entrusted to his care.
Hobbies & Interests		Civilian Transport Vessels: Has an extensive interest in the history and engineering of civilian passenger and commercial vessels, including older designs and ships operated by non-Federation species. Collects miniature ship models. Horses: Developed an affection for horses through his maternal grandparents' ranch on Regulus V, where they raised and rehabilitated animals. Handwritten Notes: Carries a hardcover notebook and mechanical pencil while working. Prefers handwriting technical notes, diagrams and calculations as a means of retaining information. Regulus V: Maintains a strong attachment to his homeworld. Keeps a large floor-standing globe of Regulus V among his personal possessions.

Personal History		Laszlo Lidzikas was born and raised on Regulus V, the son of a Lithuanian-descended father and a Hungarian-descended mother. Both families had established roots on the planet, and Laz grew up in a household where the working lives of his parents were a familiar part of everyday existence. His father spent his entire professional career with a civilian passenger transport company serving the Alpha Leonis system. He began as a steward and worked his way through the ranks, becoming a purser, then a pilot and eventually a captain. In time he moved into the company's administration and became its vice-president. His work sometimes took him away from home for extended periods, but he remained a present and involved father. Laz grew up hearing about the ships, their crews and the places they travelled, and developed an early interest in the vessels that connected the inhabited worlds of the system. His mother began her professional career as a Starfleet nurse in her early twenties. After meeting Laz's father, she left the service and continued her work on Regulus V as an operating-theatre nurse. Between his parents, Laz was exposed to two different kinds of professional life, both of which demanded preparation, competence and a willingness to take responsibility for other people. Much of his childhood was also spent with his maternal grandparents at their ranch in the foothills west of the Sutcliffe Mountains. They raised and rehabilitated horses, and Laz became familiar with the work involved in their care. He developed a particular attachment to the animals and to the quiet routine of the ranch. Pete, a donkey who lived there, was his first best friend. The animal died at forty-four, shortly before Laz departed for Starfleet Academy. Before entering the Academy, Laz spent approximately two years working for his father's passenger transport company. The experience gave him an opportunity to see civilian engineering at close quarters and to learn something of the demands placed on vessels whose primary purpose was carrying people safely from one destination to another. It also gave him an appreciation for the crews who kept those ships in service, often without much recognition. He entered Starfleet Academy at the age of twenty with an interest in engineering and a reasonable understanding of practical machinery. His early academic performance was uneven. He found the practical work relatively easy and was less disciplined when it came to the theoretical subjects. He was interested in the material, but interest alone did not always translate into consistent study. By his third year, he had begun to apply himself more seriously. He developed better study habits and found that the theoretical work became easier to understand when he could connect it to practical applications. He graduated as a capable engineer, well regarded by his classmates and instructors, though not among the Academy's highest-performing cadets. He also formed a small circle of close friends during those years, four other cadets, two men and two women, with whom he spent much of his free time. Their weekly trivia-night outings at a San Francisco pub became a regular fixture. His friends occasionally had to remind him that a night out was not an opportunity to review his class notes. Samantha, one of the group, became particularly close to him. There was an attraction between them that neither entirely ignored, though Laz was reluctant to give it a name. Their friendship endured, even as Samantha came to accept that he was unlikely to offer the romantic relationship she wanted.
Service Record		Starfleet Academy Engineering Cadet · Ages 20–24 Laz completed his studies at Starfleet Academy with a concentration in engineering. His academic performance improved considerably during his final two years, and he graduated with a sound grounding in starship systems and engineering practice. USS Nakhimov — New Orleans-class Engineering Officer · 2 years His first assignment following graduation was aboard the USS Nakhimov, an older New Orleans-class vessel. It was an ordinary posting, and a valuable one. The ship required regular attention and a considerable amount of preventative maintenance. Laz learned to work with aging systems, make practical repairs and recognize the importance of addressing small problems before they became larger ones. He also developed a lasting respect for the technicians and maintenance personnel whose work kept the vessel operational. USS Loynaz — Curiosity-class Engineering Officer · 18 months Laz's next assignment was aboard the USS Loynaz, a Curiosity-class starship. He continued to perform his duties reliably and took an active interest in developments in starship engineering, particularly warp field theory. He spent much of his spare time studying new research and familiarizing himself with emerging technologies. His performance reviews were consistently positive, and he was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade during this period. Starfleet Corps of Engineers — Research and Development Lieutenant Junior Grade · Second-in-Command, Transwarp Research Team Following his promotion, Laz was offered a position with the Starfleet Corps of Engineers in a research and development division devoted to transwarp research. He served as second-in-command of a team investigating methods of protecting a starship from triquantum waves, with the ultimate objective of allowing a vessel to enter and safely navigate a transwarp conduit. The work was specialized and demanding. The team made useful contributions to the research, though it did not produce a major breakthrough. The problem remained an active subject of investigation, and much of the team's work was of interest primarily to engineers and specialists in the field. Laz distinguished himself through both his technical contributions and his work with the research team. He helped coordinate the group's activities, encouraged collaboration and proved capable of taking responsibility for the work of others. His performance earned several noteworthy reviews from his superiors. Although he valued the experience, he missed shipboard service. Research had given him the opportunity to pursue difficult technical questions, but he found himself increasingly drawn to the prospect of returning to a starship. USS Pioneer — Intrepid-class Lieutenant Junior Grade · Chief Engineer Laz's appointment as Chief Engineer aboard the USS Pioneer came on the recommendation of Commander Richardson, head of the transwarp research division in which he had served. Richardson had worked closely with Laz and had observed his contributions, technical ability and leadership over the course of the assignment. The recommendation represented a considerable vote of confidence. At twenty-nine, Laz was being entrusted with responsibility for an entire starship engineering department, a position that would demand a different kind of leadership from the research work he had previously undertaken. He accepted the appointment with considerable enthusiasm. It was an opportunity to return to space, take on a greater responsibility and find out what he could accomplish.