View source for Ricky Wegener

{{Character
|Department=Command
|Last name=Wegener
|First name=Ricky
|Image=[[File:Rickywegener.jpg|225px]]
|Homeworld=El-Auria
|Species=El-Aurian
|Gender=Male
|Birth=7/28/1918
|Age=468
|Height=6'5"
|Weight=217 lbs.
|Hair=Brown
|Eyes=Brown
|Affiliation=[[Starfleet]]
|Posting=[[Starbase 900]]
|Rank=[[File:R-a4.png]]
|Played By=[[User:Blackbriar|Blackbriar]]
}}


==Family==
*'''Spouse:''' None
*'''Children:''' None
*'''Father:''' Gunter Wegener, Freighter Captain, El-Aurian
*'''Mother:''' Imandra Wegener, Xenobiologist, El-Aurian


==General Description & Personality Overview==

Ricky Wegener seems to be a strong-willed man and has shown excellent leadership ability throughout his service in [[Starfleet]]. He does have quite the temper though, when provoked. Wegener also has the unique ability to work better under stressful situations than normal ones and is an accomplished warrior during combat. He has worked well with all his past commanding officers and has obtained letters of commendation from a few of them.


==Hobbies & Interests==

Enjoys playing the piano and the drums--has played with a few jazz bands. He prefers to cook many of his own meals and has become quite an accomplished chef. He enjoys riding horses back on Earth, but also keeps a holodeck program on hand to enjoy horses while away. He also likes to keep fit by running, swimming and weightlifting--with the addition of his 6' 5" frame this makes the Rear Admiral a very imposing figure.


==Personal History==
The year 1918 on Earth was full of notable events.  It was the year World War I ended.  The US "Post Office Department" began the 3rd regular airmail service in the world.  The little town of Codell, Kansas, in the US was hit by a tornado for the third year in a row.  The Spanish Flu killed over 30 million people in six months, almost twice as many that had died in WWI.  And in Bremen, Germany, an El-Aurian was born.  This, in itself, was an oddity for Earth but El-Aurians didn't vary in physiology from Humans except for an exceptionally long life, assuming they kept themselves safe.
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Gunter and Imandra Wegener, Rick's parents, had settled on Earth ten years prior, in 1908, after giving up on the freighter business.  They had made quite a living for themselves and, as luck would have it, were able to trade their ship, cargo and what money they had for gold which could be used on their new home planet.  They commandeered a small vessel, large enough to hold their cargo of gold and what few momentos that they kept from their travels, and scouted out some places on Earth.  They settled on the small town of Bremen in what was called Germany.  It wasn't an enormous place and appealed to them as a community.  Locating a cave on the edge of town that was big enough to hide their shuttle, they hid it there and went about purchasing the land around it, not realizing that the amount of gold they'd brought with them made them insanely wealthy, according to Earth standards.
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The land surrounding the cave was sizeable and came with a large manor house, stables and a small guest cottage.  It had been left empty for twelve years because the last owner had died with no children or relatives to take it over.  With some time and effort, Gunter and Imandra fixed it up and were living quite luxuriously.  They were accepted into the local aristocracy, and even became close to Germany's Chancellory, once word spread about how much money they were supposed to have had and became quite popular with the locals because of the balls they threw for all, not just the privileged.  
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Years later, on July 28th, 1918, just prior to the end of World War I, '''Richard Strauß Wegener''' was born.  He was a large child, so much so that Gunter was forced to retrieve some equipment from their hidden shuttle to help her birth the child without causing complications.
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Rick grew up with the finest education of Earth's history and, in private, El-Aurian history and that of the universe.  He learned everything that his parents could teach him about space travel, engineering and everything that he would need to return to the stars if they deemed it necessary--which they never did.  Because of this he excelled well above the other children his age in his schooling.  He was also well thought of by his instructors.  Along with education he was taught how to fight with swords, ride horses, archery and the use of firearms.
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[[File:Wegener young.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Wegener in Germany, c. 1940]]
When word of war was in the wind, Gunter decided that leaving the country was in the family's best interest.  He did not agree with the way things had been going, and despised Hitler and the Nazi party.  In January of 1939 the Wegener's packed their things and moved to Switzerland, settling in the Canton of Schaffhausen in the municipality of Neuhausen am Rheinfall.  While Switzerland remained neutral during WWII, Rick was of the age (21) that he could be conscripted to their military, like all other men between the ages of 20 to 30 years of age.  The Wegener’s did not become Swiss citizens but Rick felt it was the least he could do to repay the kindness of the Swiss government for allowing his family to leave the immediate clutches of Nazi Germany.  And while not technically at war with anyone, the Swiss were required to take action against Nazi military planes violating their airspace as well as suffering a bombing raid by US Army Air Force planes in the Canton of Schaffhausen that had accidentally strayed from Germany into neutral Switzerland in 1944.
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Once the war ended, Gunter decided to become a silent partner in the company Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft, commonly referred to as SIG.  The company was known for weaponry, packaging and railway cars.  Rick started working at SIG in the weapons design division.  He quickly tired of the work and resigned, stating that he wanted to move back to his family home in Bremen.  His parents were hesitant since they now lived in Switzerland and intended to remain there.  He argued, however, that he held doctoral degrees in engineering and physics, a baccalaureate degree in psychology and was highly educated in many other areas.  He could speak German, Swiss, English and French, which, when added to his education, meant to him that he could do almost anything.  In 1950 he returned to Germany and the large family home that he’d been forced to leave eleven years prior.  
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Because of the changes to Germany after WWII, many things had changed in Bremen.  It was now part of West Germany, sided with the Allies of WWII.  Because of his family’s ‘fame’ when they still resided in Bremen before the war, Rick was contacted quickly by several members of the new leadership in the country, including the new Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, whom his father had known many years ago when Adenauer was the Mayor of Cologne.  Because of Rick’s Swiss military background, and his education, he was included in talks of West German rearmament and the potential for a new military defense force, in cooperation with NATO.  After many years of debates and meetings on the topic, on the 12th of November in 1955, the Bundeswehr, or the Federal Defence Force, was created.  In appreciation of his efforts to help bring it to fruition, Rick was made a Oberstleutnant im Generalstabsdienst, or Lieutenant Colonel of the General Staff.  
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His duties were mainly desk-oriented but he oversaw the creation of the conscription of all men aged 18 through 45 for military service in 1956.  He was then promoted to Oberst (Colonel) and placed in charge of training doctrine for new recruits.  He spent many months with U.S., British and French military training commands and modified many of the training requirements of the German military, allowing them to become more up-to-date and on par with the other military forces of the world, despite only being a military force that was defensive in nature.  However, in 1964, after eight years in that position, he retired from the military and settled down on his family’s estate.  Because of his service with the creation of the military, and reforming its training of new recruits, he was given a final rank of Brigadegeneral (Brigadier General) and allowed full retirement honors.  
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[[File:Wegener1960.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Wegener in Germany, c. 1960]]
He was now forty-six years of age.  The problem was that because of his El-Aurian heritage, he still looked very much like he was twenty.  He decided to become a bit of a hermit at the estate and rarely left the grounds, which were massive enough that he could go riding or hunting without seeing any neighbors.  But he did have staff on hand that helped with the estate who saw him regularly.  He wasn’t sure how to deal with the problem of not aging when it came to his staff.  After a visit to his parents’ shuttle, still in the cave where it had been since they’d arrived on Earth, he found his salvation.  The medical equipment they had stored would allow him to alter his appearance slightly to show aging, a process that was reversible.  He would, essentially, have to become old and then create false paperwork for a new identity for himself.  He could become anyone.  Someone related to the Richard Strauß Wegener that he was now or just someone completely different.  Either way he’d have to leave all of his possessions to his new identity in his will.
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So, over the next twenty years he slowly aged himself, now not having to be as much of a hermit and being able to go out into public.  He became known throughout the community as a very sociable man.  He kept the tradition of throwing large gala events on his property, just as his parents did, and they eventually became fund raisers for orphans or the homeless organizations in the city.  At the young (for an El-Aurian) age of 67, Rick decided it was time that he make the big change.  He took a trip to Switzerland on undisclosed business, as far as his employees knew, but he was there to see his parents who had already faked their own deaths.  While there he forged a letter from a local Swiss doctor’s office that was sent to his estate in Germany, informing them of his death from a heart attack.
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[[File:Wegener1980.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Wegener c. 1980]]
He returned to Germany two months later.  It was now June of 1986.  He looked like himself again but had changed his normal hair color to light blond and his eyes to green.  His name was now Henrick Wolfgang Wegener, an illegitimate son of the late Richard Strauß Wegener, who had come to Switzerland to reconcile with him.  The story was that Rick and Henrick had spent some time together and, after enjoying a play at a local theater, the elder Wegener had suffered a massive heart attack.  With his own copy of the last will and testament, birth records identifying his father as Rick and the fact that he was the spitting image of his “father”, no one contested his right to take over the estate and all of the bank accounts.
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Up until the beginnings of World War III, Rick had only needed to change his identity once more.  However, when the rumblings of the war started Rick thought it best to leave the planet with his parents.  In 2048, after changing their fortune to gold, which was still a useful form of currency in the galaxy, the packed a few special items into their shuttle and left Earth behind.  From a position close to the moon, the three watched silently, and wept, as the beings that they’d come to know and love on the planet destroyed themselves.  They couldn’t stand to continue watching knowing what was happening below them and set out for a nearby planet on par with their current technological advances: Delta IV.
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While there, Gunter and Imandra found a freighter and purchased it, hoping to resurrect their shipping business.  Rick, however, became quite despondent over the fate of those that he left behind on Earth.  He barely ate, seemingly never slept and kept mostly to himself in a small apartment that he purchased.  Gunter hoped to bring him out of his doldrums with the purchase of a second freighter that he hoped Rick would captain, but he refused.  In 2051, three years after they arrived on Delta IV, Gunter and Imandra left Rick behind with only the ship that they arrived in and his share of their fortune.
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It was here where Rick happened to chance upon a woman that actually piqued his interest.  She was a Deltan named Narin whom he had met off and on in a local restaurant.  What caught his attention was the amount of interest that she showed in him.  As an El-Aurian, and a much more advanced race than humans of the time, Rick was immune to the effects of the Deltan race and, due to this fact, had never succumbed to their charms.  Having never met an El-Aurian, Narin was quite interested in who he was, where he came from and wanted to hear the stories of his people.  Over the period of two weeks, Rick and Narin met regularly just to talk about the El-Aurians for Narin’s benefit, and Rick learned quite a bit about the history of the Deltans.  They actually began to form a true relationship and eventually became lovers.  The two were inseparable and began living together and, after a year of living together, Rick asked Narin to be his wife.  
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One month after their ceremony Rick purchased the restaurant where they had first met renaming it Passions.  They became quite successful in the business due to serving not only Deltan fare but off-world dishes, many of them based on Earth dishes that Rick had enjoyed while there.  But it all came to an abrupt end when Narin, who had gone on a run to nearby planets for different ingredients when her shuttle was destroyed by an unknown race that had been in the area.  A brief skirmish had occurred between two warring factions and Narin had inadvertently gotten too close and was fired upon.  Upon hearing the news of her death Rick closed the restaurant, packed his belongings and left Delta IV.
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He roamed the stars for three months with no destination in mind and wanting nothing to do with anyone.  As luck would have it he found himself back in the Sol Sector near Earth.  Having had enjoyed the beginning of his life there he took immediate interest in their current state, hoping that they had rebuilt themselves after the war.  What he found were scattered groups all over the planet living with what they could cobble together.  
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Completely disheartened at the way things had turned out for his birth planet but he knew that there were rules against just handing over technology to people, or waltzing like that actor from the western television shows, John Wayne, and handling things for everyone. With the technology Rick had on his own shuttle he could have revolutionized everything for them, but it wasn’t what one did. Those Earthlings, of which he considered himself one, had to figure it out for themselves. So, once again, he found himself pointing his shuttle the opposite direction of his home and heading off into the stars.
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After a few months he finally found his father and mother still doing the freighter thing. They felt badly for him since Earth was the only true home he’d ever known but there was nothing they could do to make him forget, but they did try to help him move on past it and the death of Narin, which was considerably harder. For months he ghosted around their freighter helping here and there but not really committing to anything. Finally, after a long heart-to-heart from his mother, Rick decided that he would fully commit to the family business. In 2053 Gunter was able to afford another freighter and made Rick the captain with a full crew and a load of cargo ready to be picked up. 
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[[File:Wegener5.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Rick in 2055]]
It was here where Rick’s love of being on a ship really blossomed. He learned everything he could about the vessel, its inner workings, engineering aspects and the warp drive system. Despite his love of being in the center chair he would allow more junior crew to man that station so that they too could learn the ropes. His crew always spoke highly of him as their commanding officer and he treated them fairly. Firm but fair was truly a motto that he lived by with his crew and it was something that they admired in him. But they also knew not to venture into his bad side because his fury was swift and burned like a thousand suns when provoked. Between the Zarathustra, Gunter’s ship, and the Zoroaster, Rick’s ship, the shipping business proved to be very lucrative. Within five years they were able to construct four brand new vessels, bringing the total to six for the family, and continued to be an honest and reliable transport for all items that were on the ‘up and up’. Gunter required that their cargo only be honest transports and nothing that may be questionable. Questionable or not, however, they ran into their own skirmishes with pirates or races that would try to take their cargo by force. To their credit, the family never lost a ship or cargo.
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In 2152, the Zoroaster was dispatched to Earth by Gunter to deliver supplies to new United Earth Space Probe Agency (UESPA) for use in constructing new ships. Delighted with the fact that he would be returning to Earth, Rick made his best speed there and was happy to see that they had, in fact, blossomed and were making the best of what had happened to them. They were only scheduled for a two-day drop off and then picking up supplies that they needed before departure, but what started as two days lasted over one week while Rick managed to get a tour of the new agency and was filled in on what had happened to spur the change in the lives of his fellow Earthlings. He also allowed himself to be the subject of a few medical tests by their medical staff so that they could enter his race into their collective database of alien races. They were shocked, to say the least, to find out that he had actually been born on Earth so long ago and he provided documentation of his life while there. According to their customs, and with approval from the current leadership, Rick was given updated documentation proving Earth citizenship, despite his true El-Aurian race.
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After several frantic calls from his father, Rick finally got his ship ready and departed Earth again. After two months he met up with the Zarathustra and revealed a plan to his parents that he had concocted while visiting Earth. He wanted to join the UESPA, go through their fledgling academy and continue to help his former planet’s inhabitants move up in the galaxy. It came as no surprise to Gunter who knew of the new organization prior to sending Rick there. He had even told Imandra that he assumed that their son wasn’t long for the shipping business and would soon be called back to his childhood home.
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Early in 2153 Rick applied for, and was accepted, at the new academy of Starfleet. He studied for a position with their tactical/security department. He served in various assignments throughout the new agency and was lucky enough to be present at the signing of the UFP Charter in October of 2161. He continued serving with distinction until he attained the rank of Commodore and finally retired in 2200, but he did not fully separate from service to the Federation. He began working with Starfleet Intelligence and Federation Security as an undercover agent. After ten years in this position he was assigned to the Federation President’s special protection team.
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2231 was the year that Rick finally walked away from his work with the Federation, looking to retirement. He had been part of many first contact situations, had tagged along with diplomats and ambassadors, had seen governments rise and fall and thought that he was at point in his life where retirement would be the best thing for him. He spent the next part of his life on Risa enjoying himself and having his own adventures with no cares to speak of. That lasted until 2293 when he was requested to return to service with the Federation after what appeared to have been an assassination by the Enterprise crew of the Klingon Chancellor had turned out to be part of a larger conspiracy to stop the treaty of peace between the Klingons and the Federation. Since the perpetrators went all the way to the top of Starfleet’s chain of command, as well as the Klingon High Council, the current Federation President couldn’t trust anyone that was currently associated with security or intelligence. Rick was brought in and temporarily reinstated to Starfleet at the rank of Captain to lead the investigation. He did so primarily on his own but enlisted the help of a few recently commissioned Ensigns to assist, thinking that they would not have been able to have been involved in the crime.
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In 2295 his investigation was completed and submitted to the President. Several people were dishonorably discharged from Starfleet for their involvement in the plot to murder the Chancellor, criminal involvement in disruption of peace talks between the Federation and the Klingons and numerous other charges. The Klingon High Council also assisted in the investigation and had many of their own officers summarily executed for their involvement and others sent to Rura Penthe without the ability for parole. For his actions Rick was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. It was at this point that Rick felt he needed a change in his life. He had worked for the Federation, off and on, for almost 140 years and now felt the need to go into a different occupation.
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[[File:Wegener6.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Rick in 2296]]
He briefly thought of taking over the family business but he’d had his share of running cargo back and forth. He wanted something stationary and not related to diplomacy, space battles or exploration. So, in 2296 he opened a restaurant and bar called Rick’s in Berlin, Germany on Earth. It was very successful and popular in the area with a staff of 70 covering the fine dining area and the bar. The business gained more popularity after fifty years of being open with the same proprietor as many weren’t aware of the longevity of life that El-Aurians had and enjoyed coming back to a place where they could rely on having the same owner there running the place the same way. It gave it a more personal touch with Rick always being there.
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After 64 years of running Rick’s, he finally decided to give it up and gave the business to five of his longest serving employees to do with as they wished. He’d hoped that they would keep it running and they did, continuing the traditions that he’d started so long ago when he opened the business. But he soon found himself having nothing to do and, as an El-Aurian, nothing but time to do that nothing in. Gathering all of his credentials from the past, he once again travelled to Starfleet Command and offered his services in any way that was needed. Having initially retired at flag rank in the 22nd century, then again as a Captain after his investigation from the Khitomer Accords in the 23rd century, Starfleet Command was met with a decision they’d never had to make before. No one in the history of the Federation had served as long as Rick. Starting with his career in the newly formed UESPA, then retiring as a Commodore, working for Federation Security, then Presidential Security, retiring and coming back to investigate the Khitomer Accords, with only a few times in between that he wasn’t in Starfleet or with the Federation, Rick had served close to 200 years in some form or fashion. So, because of the wealth of experience and knowledge that Rick possessed, he was reinstated to his last rank of record, Captain, and only had to attend a few refresher classes at the Academy to get up to speed with current politics and policies.
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So it was that in 2360 Rick was once again Captain Ricky Wegener of Starfleet Intelligence. His background, and the fact that not many knew of him, led the current Intelligence Chief to place him into the black ops section of the Intel Corps. He’d be able to work undercover successfully without being well known to anyone currently in the service or with other agencies. Because he worked primarily on his own he became known for his sometimes ruthless tactics to get the results required of him. He completed every task on time and without much notice to anyone, except the intended targets. 
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In 2364 he had several run-ins with Section 31 agents who were interfering with his work due to their own agenda. Having been in Starfleet upon the formation of Section 31, he knew of their exploits and never really agreed with their unit, especially since they weren’t truly answerable to anyone. He understood that they were meant to be have been created as a way to keep the Federation safe using whatever means necessary, which was a violation of most UFP and Starfleet regulations, but since they were a separate entity they didn’t have to follow UFP or Starfleet guidelines. While Rick was known for his anything goes attitude toward the intelligence arena, he was still authorized to do so by the Federation President or the Chief of Starfleet Intelligence, so he was accountable and couldn’t literally do anything he wanted to get a job done. The antics of the Section 31 agents, however, riled him to no end. He made it his purpose for the next three years to seek them out and bring them to justice for violations of Federation laws since they were still citizens of the Federation. He successfully brought in five of six Section 31 agents for prosecution. The last had decided to fight him...and he lost finding a dagger lodged deep in his chest cavity.
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[[File:Wegener7.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Rick in 2365]]
In 2371 the Starfleet Corps of Engineers had designed the new Sovereign class ship and it required a shakedown cruise to check its systems. Starfleet Intelligence procured the vessel for their purposes naming it the USS Oppenheimer with Rick assigned as her commanding officer. His dual duty was to perform a proper shakedown and to carry out missions related to intelligence work throughout the system. This was a solo command for him and was therefore not assigned to a fleet or task force. In 2372 he was promoted to Commodore and continued his work with the Oppenheimer. 
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Because of his experience with the Federation, promotions now came quickly to Rick to fill spots where other Admirals had emptied from retirement or deaths. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 2374 and moved from the Intelligence Corps to become the Executive Officer of Alpha Fleet. He served with distinction in the fleet until he was tapped to lead the Delta Quadrant Operations group on the far side of the Solarian Gateway. After another promotion to Vice Admiral in 2386, he moved his flag to Starbase 900.
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Soon after their arrival in the Delta Quadrant a large explosion of a ship coming through from the Beta Quadrant destroyed the Solaria Gateway, and the adjoining portal in the Beta Quadrant. It was a major catastrophe in the loss of life but the disturbance created a stable wormhole between the two quadrants, now named the Solarian Wormhole. Starbase 900 was still tasked with guarding the wormhole as a means of travel between the two quadrants and continuing exploration of the Delta Quadrant.
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In late 2387, Rick was in his office when he was met by Commander Li Hawke who was being held hostage by the criminal Suresh.  His weapon of choice was an antique Klingon disruptor which, when fired at Rick, opened a portal that sent the trio to an alternate universe's version of Starbase 900.  This universe's station had been overrun by the Archadians and their counterparts had been killed, with exception of Suresh's.  The 900 that they came from mounted a rescue mission, creating a portal allowing them to cross over, retrieve their CO and XO (and Suresh), and then return.  
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Starfleet Temporal Affairs sent Captain El'Shar Blackhorse to investigate the situation while they had been over there.  Once Rick returned, he and El'Shar began a romance.  They both felt as if they were meant to be together right from the start.  Neither could explain it, but it just felt right.  
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(more to come as the story progresses...)

==Service Record==

1939 - 1944: Schweizer Armee (Swiss Army) Private to Sergeant  [[File:Wegenerswisssgt.png]]
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1955: Bundeswehr (German Federal Defence Force) - Oberstleutnant (Lt. Colonel)  [[File:Oberstleutnant.png]]
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1956: Oberst (Colonel)  [[File:Oberst.png]]
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1964: Brigadegeneral (Brigadier General) and separation from service  [[File:Brigadegeneral.png]]
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2053: Captain, Civilian Freighter Service  [[File:D-blank4.png]]
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2153 - 2157: Starfleet Academy
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2157 - 2159: Ensign  [[File:Entr-o1.png]]
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2159 - 2161: Lieutenant (j.g.)  [[File:Entr-o2.png]]
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2161 - 2166: Lieutenant  [[File:Entr-o3.png]]
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2166 - 2180: Lieutenant Commander  [[File:Enty-o4.png]]
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2180 - 2187: Commander  [[File:Enty-o5.png]]
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2187 - 2199: Captain  [[File:Enty-o6.png]]
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2199 - 2200: Commodore, Separation from Service  [[File:Entr-a1.png]]
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2200 - 2210: Federation Security Agent  [[File:N2blank.png]]
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2210 - 2231: Federation Presidential Special Protection Team  [[File:B2e5.png]]
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2293 - 2295: Reinstated to Starfleet, Special Assignment, Rank of Captain  [[File:Twokw-o6.png]]
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2360 - Reinstated to Starfleet, Captain, Starfleet Intelligence  [[File:R-o6.png]]
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2371 - Captain, CO, USS Oppenheimer, Starfleet Intelligence  [[File:R-o6.png]]
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2372 - Commodore, CO, USS Oppenheimer  [[File:R-a1.png]]
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2374 - Rear Admiral, Executive Officer, Alpha Fleet  [[File:R-a2.png]]
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2386 - Vice Admiral, CO, Starbase 900 & Delta Quadrant Operations  [[File:R-a3.png]]
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2387 - Admiral, CO, Starbase 900 & Delta Quadrant Operations  [[File:R-a4.png]]
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[[Category:Character]]