Olivier Messiaen d'Alessandro
Olivier Messiaen d'Alessandro
Rank: Ensign
Position: Security / Tactical Officer
Appearance
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Born: 19 December 2361
Place of Birth: Nîmes, France, Earth
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'9.5" / 1.77 m
Weight: 155 lbs / 70.3 kg
Olivier is of average height, slim and athletically built. His hands are powerful and his fingers long. Olivier’s skin is dark for a Caucasian complexion – he is often mistaken for North African or Middle Eastern – but he has typically striking, Gallic facial features. His hair is short and unkempt, his sideburns uneven, and he is usually in bad need of a shave.
Gorgeous, elaborate tattoos of sparrows run the lengths of both Olivier’s arms, all done by his mother. Originally popular amongst sailors (and later prisoners), sparrow tattoos were meant to symbolize freedom. When not in uniform, Olivier generally wears long sleeves and subdued colors. He has been told that his default expression makes him look angry, and when he is not aware of being watched, Olivier fidgets badly – always needing something to occupy his hands.
Although quite strong for his size, Olivier’s true physical gift is that of speed; he is naturally a fast runner and possesses remarkably quick reflexes. Even in situations of heightened stress, Olivier has a natural grace about him, and moves with fluidity.
Personality
Olivier is a complicated and insecure individual. Generally shy around new people, he tends not to speak until spoken to. Once he opens up and becomes comfortable, it becomes clear that Olivier is at once a friendly, mild-mannered sweetheart and a cynical, caustic jerk. He has a self-deprecating and dark sense of humor, making light of even the most tragic situations, and he can rarely resist an opportunity to kid his colleagues, even when inappropriate. Depending on the conversation and the company, his mood can vacillate wildly between manic and silent. He is easily frustrated, especially when dealing with those he views as “close-minded.”
Olivier is very uncomfortable around women, even those he knows well, and finds them intimidating. This personality deficit means he has difficulty sustaining professional relationships and even friendships with women, let alone a romantic involvement. At the age of 24, Olivier remains a virgin; a fact that he desperately hides from public knowledge. Whenever sex is raised as a topic, Olivier either retreats from the conversation or approaches it in artistic metaphors devoid of tactility.
An innately curious person, Olivier has been told that he asks too many questions; it'll generally take some reminding before he realizes that he's gotten too personal. A life long vegetarian, even synthesized meat can make him physically ill. Amongst other quirks, Olivier has a very addictive personality (as past problems with alcohol and gambling can attest) and an irrational fear of needles.
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"Performing is the art of toying with expectations. We walk a thin line; one must offer their audience something both familiar and singular. Great performers throughout history, be they musicians, actors, orators, or even politicians, knew exactly what was expected of them and exactly how far to deviate from that expectation." |
| Journal entry, 7 October 2375. |
Very finicky about his speech, Olivier’s native language is French and his accent is noticeable. Although quite comfortable in English and other Terran languages and adequate in some alien languages, when he becomes frustrated, his accent becomes more pronounced and he eventually slips back into French entirely.
Infuriatingly stubborn, Olivier has a blatant disregard for what he perceives as “unearned” authority and does not respond well to strong-arm tactics. Much like the child who must always ask “why?,” if Olivier is unsure of the reason for an order or request, he is unlikely to fulfill it. That being said, he is a fiercely loyal and protective friend and once his trust is gained, it is difficult for him to deny any request. Because of this, Olivier’s self-sacrificing nature has frequently been taken advantage of, sometimes inadvertently.
Olivier is very particular about names. He generally dislikes diminutions, and detests official nomenclature. Calling him "Olly" or "Ensign d'Alessandro" are things that he can forgive only a few times. He usually accepts "Messî", since most have problems pronouncing "Olivier" as he likes it. This peculiarity extends to the names of others; he will only rarely use official titles when addressing fellow officers, most often utilizing their first name or a nickname (such as "bossman" or "fearless leader" when speaking with a superior). This habit has been a source of some conflict in the past.
A typical conversation with Olivier will leave both parties bemused, and during group discussion he tends to drift to the background, observing and offering only occasional snipes and comments. One-on-one, Olivier tends to muse and pontificate freely; speaking in an almost stream of consciousness style.
In action, Olivier is a changed man. He becomes calm and controlled to the point of making those around him uneasy. In hand-to-hand combat, his considerable intelligence, reflexes, and latent speed aid him in anticipating his enemies’ moves; Olivier focuses on sitting back, dodging and counterattacking – rarely going on the offensive from the get-to. Observers have likened Olivier to Taijiquan masters as regards to his efficiency and fluidity of movement, utilizing body weight and gravity rather than pure strength. Perhaps owing to his refined hand technique, Olivier’s hands are uncommonly steady and his shot is excellent. His ability to seemingly slow down time around him makes him exceedingly effective in battle. However, if his concentration is broken, his advantage is lost, and Olivier becomes very vulnerable - at the Academy he earned the dubious reputation of being made of Swarovski Crystal.
Hobbies and Interests
Olivier's most obvious hobby is that of music. A pianist of virtuosic skill, he once pursued performance as a career. Although his attitude prevented him from performing professionally, he still plays as well as anyone, and uses music as a form of meditation. Over the course of his Starfleet career, Olivier has become very sensitive about his playing, and only rarely can he be coaxed into performing in public. He regularly composes short character pieces to fit situations in his life, but these hardly ever see the light of day.
A voracious reader and listener (he calls himself “a learner,” as opposed to most others, whom he calls “interrupters”), Olivier has a comprehensive knowledge of a great deal of literature, and his speech is regularly sprinkled with the wisdom of Plato or Proust or some other historically significant author (he can sometimes be caught reciting monologues of Shakespeare or Moliere to himself). His genuine curiosity has also led to fairly extensive (by non-specialist standards, at least) research into alien literature, especially Cardassian.
Some limited training from his mother means he has skills in the visual arts, but his paintings and illustrations are raw and emotional and, while having a certain elegance, lacking in refinement. Olivier fancies himself an amateur ornithologist, perhaps owing to his namesake, but his skill in the field is questionable - it'd be more accurate to say that he just likes birds.
Olivier is always happy to engage in contests of both skill and chance; football, various track events, martial arts, and cards being among his favorites. A shark, he rarely boasts of his abilities, and greatly enjoys embarrassing braggarts - although his physical and emotional scars show that this competitive enthusiasm does not always work in his favor.
Education
Bordeaux Young Boys Academy 2371 - 73
Conservatoire de Paris 2376 - 78, performance, composition
Starfleet Academy 2379 - 83, combat, tactics
History
Olivier Messiaen d'Alessandro (named for the French composer and ornithologist) was born in the south of France. The third child of Marco d'Alessandro, an Italian immigrant and operatic baritone, and Jolie Devienne, a successful artist, he was expected to follow in the footsteps of his parents. He has two older sisters, twins twelve years his elder, that both married young and from the age of six on, Olivier would be essentially treated as an only child. He was home schooled by his parents and had very little interaction with others his own age. Most of his playmates were in fact friends of his parents and the person who he was perhaps closest to was his father's brother Giuseppe, an enigmatic and alcoholic former footballer who'd been forced to retire prematurely because of injury. As a result he learned to speak very eloquently at a young age and was regarded as something of a child prodigy.
In spite of his parents' artistic leanings, Olivier's first dream was to become a great footballer like his uncle had been, and he signed schoolboy forms with Girondins de Bordeaux at the age of 11, only to be removed less than two years later for repeatedly fighting with the other boys. Although he was considered one of the most promising young goalscorers in France, living away from his family amongst dozens of boys his own age was culture shock for him, and his confusion manifested as aggression. It was decided that his unpredictability made him a danger for himself, the other boys, and the club's image.
After returning home, Olivier switched his focus to music, following his parents into the artistic tradition. Olivier adopted the piano as his voice, taking particular inspiration from Alexander Scriabin and his namesake, Olivier Messiaen, and entered the Paris Conservatory at the age of 16. He excelled there, quickly earning the respect and admiration of his teachers and the jealousy of his peers. However, Olivier's time at the Conservatory was not without conflict; only the favoritism showed him by his major professor and mentor kept him from being expelled. After earning his artist diploma at 18, he became disenfranchised with the workings of the music business and decided that from that point onwards, his playing would be for himself and himself only.
Shortly after his graduation, Olivier's uncle Giuseppe passed away - the effects of nearly twenty five years of nonstop drinking finally having caught up with him. This, coupled with the demise of his musical dream, led the young man to do something drastic; he enlisted in Starfleet Academy, against the wishes of his parents and sisters. Olivier was seen as something of a fragile boy, both mentally and physically, whose distaste for authority and hair-trigger temper would surely lead him to be killed or disgraced. Or both.
His Academy career was uneventful for the first few years. Olivier felt he needed to take as much care as possible to avoid loosing his less desirable habits on his classmates and instructors. His meditation kept him calm - but at the cost of distinction. As a result, Olivier spent two lonely years as a thoroughly uninteresting cadet.
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"Having watched him develop over the past four years, it's become increasingly obvious that there will be no middle ground with this cadet. He'll either mature into a Starfleet officer of great repute, or he'll be court martialled and drummed out with limited ceremony. He's possessed of astonishing skills, but unless he can reign in his considerable temper and disdain for authority, young d'Alessandro will not last long." |
| Lt. Patrick Hikaru, written evaluation. |
In his third year, Olivier decided he'd had enough; while sparring with a boy a year his elder considered one of the best in the program, Olivier lost it. The boy's name was Alex, and he was taunting Olivier about his accent during the match. It was only the quick reflexes of an instructor that stopped Olivier from killing that poor boy.
Official censure and counseling later, Olivier came to realize something; he had been to both extremes, it was now a simple matter to find the middle ground. He became something of a legend amongst his peers, with his eerie calm and poise during combat, the fact that he was fast enough and clever enough to take down opponents many times as strong as he was. This preternatural calm helped him as well during tactical situations where he could seemingly slow down time to make decisions, almost as if he were a trauma surgeon dealing with a train wreck. This earned him a sort of grudging respect amongst his classmates and instructors, but those that saw him outside of this particular element saw a cynical, lonely individual lacking in friends. For while he had elements of brilliance in combat and tactics, he had none in dealing with others (especially superiors), frequently appearing in front of the disciplinary committee. Inadvertently, Olivier managed to convince his instructors and classmates that despite his obvious talent, he was a liability.
It came as somewhat of a surprise when he graduated in the top 10% of his class, although his disciplinary record prevented his securing a top post. Appointed to the small vessel, USS Stockport as Security Officer, Olivier made few friends and an incident of fisticuffs with a fellow Security Officer of the vessel led to his demotion and subsequent transfer. He became somewhat of a hot potato for the next few years, spending no more than nine months on the USS Blackpool, Dortmunder, or Torino. His transfer to the Archimedes was presented as his last chance for redemption, and Olivier knows that one more transgression means his career in Starfleet is over.
Starfleet Service Record
2379 – Entered Starfleet Academy
2383 – Graduated Starfleet Academy
2383 – Assigned to USS Stockport as Security Officer
2383 - Demoted to Junior Security Officer
2384 – Transferred to USS Blackpool
2384 – Transferred to USS Dortmunder
2385 – Transferred to USS Torino
2386 – Transferred to USS Archimedes as Security/Tactical Officer
Family
Olivier's father, Marco d'Alessandro (born 11 June 2321 in Milan, Italy), began singing at La Scala as a teenager. Moving to France at twenty for a job opportunity in a new theater, he met burgeoning artist Jolie Devienne (born 8 January 2323 in Monaco) and the two quickly fell in love and married. Marco and Jolie are still both very active professionals in their fields. Their first children, Marie and Juliette were born 14 December 2049. Marie eventually married Raymond Sehr, a successful architect, and Juliette married Pahl Dukas, a professor in Paris. Both of Olivier's sisters are active in the arts, Marie a singer (a mezzo-soprano), and Juliette a ballet dancer. Marie gave birth to a little girl, Edvige, on 15 February 2385. Olivier has not seen his niece yet.
Olivier was closest to his uncle Giuseppe d'Alessandro (born 13 March 2330 in Milan, Italy), who became the youngest person to score in the Italian first division of football when he netted for Juventus against Parma at the age of only 14. Despite showing great promise and even representing Italy in international play, a horror injury at twenty five put an end to what should have been a legendary career. He spent the rest of his life drunk; living off the charity of his brother and spending time with his nephew.
Olivier regards the elderly Alban Bishop, Chief Science Officer aboard the USS Dortmunder, as something of a father figure. His own father's disapproval of his Starfleet career has led to little communication between the two. Bishop's friendship is a rarity for Olivier, and the two maintain frequent correspondence; though any observer would likely be confused by the two's bizarre banter.
Awards
 Newcomer Award Mission: The Great Pretender |
