"It's not a pet, Elaina! It's a starship, for crying out loud!"
"I promise I'll take good care of it!"
Elaina Seurer, Lieutenant Commander, is the Chief Engineer of the U.S.S. Rafale.
==History==
Elaina Seurer was born on the planet Braida in 2379. Like all Braidan children, she received biomechanical implants at birth and was taught how to use them to survive the harsh environment of the failed human colony. The daughter of engineers, Elaina was apprenticed to her father at an early age as an assistant engineer. Not satisfied repairing biodomes and advancing the medical technology that allowed her people to survive, Seurer soon found herself drawn to the graceful hulls and beautiful warp engines of the Starfleet ships that visited her world. Despite strong opposition from her family, Elaina left Braida to attend Starfleet Academy.
===Academy Years===
Seurer entered the Academy in 2396, quickly establishing herself as a capable engineering cadet. Due to her ability to "flush" most toxins out of her body in a matter of seconds, many cadets and instructors would be alarmed by her constant disregard for normal safety protocols; on more than one occasion, her "super-human complex" resulted in her instructors reprimanding her, and she faced suspension many times during her time there. Many instructors also regarded her with fear and distrust, seeing her implants and associating her with the ruthless Borg, adding another hurdle for her to overcome.
In 2400, Seurer graduated and was commissioned, with her first posting on the Excalibur-class starship Sword of Martin.
===Aboard the Rafale===
Captain Mal'kon recruited Seurer when she was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 2406 when his chief engineer retired. She quickly established herself as a capable chief engineer, though her ability to shrug off safety concerns - from sleep deprivation to radiation poisoning - has caused rifts among her troops, with just as many admiring her as there are viewing her as an insane hazard to their own well being.