Crossfire is tall--he stands 6'3" in his stocking feet, and so in boots he
stands well over 6'4".  He does try to keep in shape, and so he typically
weighs in around 200 lbs.  He has light brown hair which he keeps at the
standard 1/4" cut, and he usually keeps it shellacked back.  He has brown
eyes, a rather square jaw and face...he's one of those guys who looks
sinister if he doesn't shave every day (which, of course, he does).  Back
during his Academy time and to roughly 96200 he wore a moustache.

On the _Croutonprize_ Crossfire keeps to himself.  The only person he
associates with regularly is Icefalcon.  But Crossfire does like all the
people on the _Croutonprize_ (or at least he tolerates them, like Zortyl).
His stay on the _Croutonprize_ is turning out to be the longest he's stayed
at any post, and I imagine this is because he likes the people he works with,
especially Captain Crouton.  

Crossfire was born as Zephiram Blake on Earth on 65101.5.  His mother,
Starburst Blake, works as an agricultural consultant for colonies.  His
father, Jeff Rust, was a Starfleet Marine.  His parents were divorced
shortly before his birth.

Crossfire knows his father, but has no feelings either way about him.  They
haven't spoken to each other in over fifteen years.  Crossfire does, however,
try to avoid his father, and this is why Crossfire didn't join the Starfleet
Marine Corps himself.

His mother, Starburst Blake, raised Crossfire herself.  Starburst, as her name
might imply, is something of a granola type.  Her professional specialty is
helping colonies decide what crops to grow to help stabilize their food
resources.  Her job with the UFP calls for her to travel alot, and every now
and then she bumps into Crossfire.  Starburst is a vegetarian, a Zen Buddhist,
and something of an airheaded.

Crossfire loves his mother, but is vaguely embarassed by her.  He has never
liked the name she gave him and instead prefers to be called by his nickname.
Starburst opted to raise Crossfire on a small farm that she bought on Earth
for the purpose.  Crossfire was basically alone most of his childhood, except
for schooling, and never really learned how to deal with other people.  This
is something that he's getting better at, though.  Slowly.

Oddly enough, Crossfire is very much his father's child even though Jeff
didn't have a hand in raising him.  Crossfire inherited his father's temper,
restlessness, and rather callous attitudes.  Starburst doesn't like these
aspects of her son, but always allowed him to grow in his own way.  Crossfire
inherited Starburst's temperance and her hair, but that was about all.  The
rest he got from his father.

Crossfire grew up under the shadow of the Borg, and hated them ever since he
was a child.  All he ever wanted to do was fight the Borg, and so he knew he
had to get into the Academy.  Unfortunately he wasn't quite good enough to
get into the Academy based on his previous schooling grades and teacher
recommendations.  By the time he was in college, Crossfire devised a way to
neutralize the Borg defenses.  At first, he used this paper as a way of
getting into the Academy, but his mentor, the Evil Professor Love, intercepted
the application and roundfiled it, taking Crossfire's idea as his own.

Crossfire discovered this and bypassed the entire establishment, anonymously
emailing Ambassador Kennedy, then the Chairperson of Starfleet's Borg Action
Committee.  Kennedy arranged to meet Crossfire, and his idea was heard.  This
is how Crossfire got his nickname...it was the name he used in his
correspondence with Kennedy.  Crossfire got into the Academy on the
recommendation of both Kennedy and Jean-Luc Picard.

Crossfire excelled in the Academy, and made his first close friend:  his
roommate, Chris Orr.  Chris was planning on entering the Starfleet Marine
Corps after his graduation from the Academy, and Crossfire almost changed his
mind about continuing in Starfleet himself because of this.

Crossfire continued to work on the Borg threat, and together with Chris they
devised the Crouton Torpedo, based on the work of a certain Christopher
Crouton who recently discovered a strange particle.

Then the Borg attacked the Federation.  Crossfire was taken out of the Academy
a few weeks before graduation to man the tactical position on the newly-
completed USS _Nostromo_, the latest in Federation Starfleet technology.
Crossfire requested that Chris accompany him, and Bowman (the captain of the
_Nostromo_ and Crossfire's mentor at the Academy) arranged it.

During the Borg dilemma, Chris was captured by the Borg and borgified.  Later
Crossfire was forced to kill him.  Crossfire served with distinction during
the Borg Dilemma, winning himself kudos from both Starfleet and the UFP.