Lucian Murat

Commodore Lucian Murat was a Human male who served in Starfleet in the late 22nd century. He was known as an experienced and effective command officer noted in Federation history.

Description
Lucian had a Gallic nose, high forehead and full lips. Due to a fire on the USS Verdun bridge in 2163, he had lost his eyesight and had burn scars on his face. In 2367 Lucian was old and frail. His white hair had turned into a pale yellow and his eyes were opaque.

Ancestors
The first member of Murat family that obtained fame was one of Napoléon Bonaparte's most capable marshals.

History
Lucian use to sail the oceans on Earth. He would tell his children about these adventures. Lucian's favorite quote came from the play Tamburlaine the Great by Christopher Marlowe.

Starfleet career
During his time at Starfleet Academy, Lucian was a classmate of Christopher Pike, Akiko Torunaga, Kadish and other members of the first generation of Starship commanders.


 * The mention of Christopher Pike, the uniform descriptions and other references would lead the readers to believe that some events of this book take place just before . However the bulk of time references set those events in the 22nd Century just after the founding of the Federation.

During his time in Starfleet, Lucian explored more than a hundred worlds, contacted and established treaties with eight societies.

Lucien was ordered to fill the position of Captain on the USS Verdun. During the Federation-Tarn War the Verdun was reported as missing. Last known transmission from Lucien was "Enemy in sight. His strength is superior. I shall close and engage." By the time the message was received, years had passed and no location information was discovered.

Legacy
Lucien became a famous figure in Federation history. Cadets were taught the last transmission from Lucien. His journals and adventures were documented for study by Janice Eardman, Jean-Luc Picard and others. While at the academy, Picard had attended a lecture by a Vulcan officer who had once served under Lucien.

Torgu-Va
Unbeknownst to the Federation, the survivors of the USS Verdun abandoned ship and headed for the planet Torgu-Va. Lucien downloaded the Verdun's computer files into the last lifeboat despite a fire on the bridge. This act gave the survivors the files needed to build a survivable environment, but Lucien lost his eyesight and received several burn scars.

As the years past, Lucien's health started to fade. The senior medical officer developed a plan to place Lucien in a stasis field. This extended Lucien's life. He was brought out of stasis when his guidance was needed.

Lucien had three wives while on Torgu-Va. The third wife was Julia Murat who provided him with five sons including Lysander Murat and Tillean Murat. There were also several grandchildren including Alissia Murat.

In 2367 the Tarn forces on Torgu-Va had developed an Atomic weapon and used it on one of the Human cities. Lucien's family had revived him to seek his council on this latest threat. The nuclear explosion also attracted the attention of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) that was in the Torgu-Va system. During the diplomatic negotiations, Picard and Eardman had the opportunity to meet Lucien. Unfortunately these negotiations also showed Lucien to be more Human than hero. When a cease-fire was agreed upon by Lysander, Lucien reluctantly supported the decision.

The crew of the Enterprise-D had brought Lucien aboard. There Dr. Beverly Crusher had replaced Lucien's eyes, but Lucien refused any additional treatment that would prolong his life. Lucien planned to live out the last month of his life outside of stasis and be buried on the surface of Torgu-Va next to his dead granddaughter, Alissia.