Walter Morales

Walter Morales was quite happy to serve as the USS Secondprize's Chief of Shuttlebay Operations, a position he held for several years. During these years, he quietly advanced to the rank of lieutenant commander without anyone really noticing him. That all ended after the discovery of the Multeks and the decision to quickly establish Waystation using personnel taken from the Secondprize. Morales' rank and years of experience made him the prime candidate for Waystation's first officer, an honor he would have gladly declined given the choice. His first assignment was to go to Bracktia Prime with Sean Russell, Craig Porter, and Tina Jones to pick up Dr. Ameila Nelson. This routine mission became a lot more difficult after Porter and Nelson were taken hostage by the Hinaree. Morales proved not only his leadership ability, but also his piloting skills as he, Russell, and Jones rescued the captured officers. (Star Traks 5: In-The-Way-Station [TRK] [WAY])

Morales' ingenuity was put to the test soon after Waystation was up and running. Morales, along with Yeoman Jones, was one of the only officers not arrested by Compucop. In order to free the others, Morales sent a forged regulations update to the station and also faked an order appointing Jones as a judge. With the crew freed, Morales went with Porter to destroy Compucop once and for all. (House Arrest [WAY]) Morales also went deep into Multek space to rescue Commander Lisa Beck and Porter from a Multek side-show, showing once again that he was willing to do whatever it took to save his crewmates. (Field Trip [WAY])

On Stardate 50787 while returning from a diplomatic assignment on Geranis Two, Morales and Jones encountered a depressed Q. This Q decided to keep Morales and Jones around for company. The two officers eventually convinced the Q that he needed to get out more. Agreeing, Q took them to an amusement park where Morales get extremely sick on the rides, an odd bit of irony for a pilot. They were eventually returned to Waystation after helping the Q realize he needed to try to get his lost love, Karyna, back. As a thank you gift, the Q returned the runabout Morales and Jones had been flying in. Unfortunately, he shrunk it down and stuck it in Morales' bed. (That Sinking Feeling [WAY])

A few months later, Morales was in command of Waystation when the riot broke out that ended with the station's two saucers being split in two. Despite his position of authority at the time, there was really nothing he could have done to prevent what occurred. The station was just plain too crowded. (Gridlock [WAY]) During the subsequent renovation of Waystation, Morales was put in charge of relations with the Zenedron Construction Group. This almost ended disastrously while Beck was away on vacation leaving Morales in charge. During this short period, the Zenedron Group went on strike, Bradley Dillon sued Starfleet, and a Klingon ship attacked Waystation Village. Morales managed to resolve all of the crises (with the help of his officers, Bradley Dillon, and Krilik) before Beck returned from leave. (While You Were Out [WAY]) Morales faced a much more serious crisis a couple of months later at the end of the renovations. After the Starshine Kids took control of the renovated station, capturing Beck, Bradley Dillon, Jones, and three Federation big-wigs in the process, Morales had to find a way to reclaim the station and rescue the hostages. He refused to allow Captain Jack Woodall, the ranking officer on the scene, to take control of the operation. Instead, he evacuated Waystation Village and enlisted the help of the marines and the Zenedron Construction to retake the station. Morales and Colonel Martin Lazlo were able to board the station and rescue Beck and the others from the Starshine Kids. Morales was also in command when the renovated Waystation officially opened for business and detected the USS Aerostar emerging from the Bermuda Expanse. (Lip Lock [WAY])

Morales found himself developing feelings for his commanding officer, a fact that came out shortly before Beck beamed down to Multos alone in an effort to rescue Commander Jaroch from the USS Secondprize and the 20th Century Versions of Alex Rydell and Travis Dillon. Before Beck transported, Morales kissed her. Once the crisis was over, Beck told Morales that, while she was flattered, she did not share his feelings. Morales asked her for a transfer, believing that she would not be comfortable working around him, but Beck did not want him to leave. Morales agreed that he could continue to serve with her on Waystation without difficulty. (The Way We Were [WAY])

The situation was stable for a while. Morales continued to serve alongside Beck over the course of the next year. During this time, he led the scouting mission that first encountered the Collectors and rescue Dr. Nelson and Wuddle from a hostage situation at a Multek resort. (Everything Must Go!, The Perfect Getaway [WAY]) But Morales' feelings did not subside. Things were made worse when Beck began dating Phillip Harper. Morales' jealousy weakened his resolve against the Selvan, which was able to take over Morales and use his body to murder Harper and force Beck to allow the Selvan into her body, which was the Selvan's goal all along. Morales was initially accused of Harper's murder, but the truth of the Selvan's involvement was revealed. While Morales was absolved in the legal sense, he was wracked with guilt over what he had done to Beck. He borrowed a ship from Bradley Dillon and chased after the Selvan-controlled Beck, eventually catching up with her on a barren world where again the Selvan was able to use his feelings for Beck against him, tempting him with the promise of giving him a Lisa Beck who would love him. Morales put that promise aside and helped free Beck from the Selvan's influence. While Harper was revived by the Q, Morales and Beck's friendship was severely damaged by these events, dropping them back to little more than colleagues. (A Door Is Ajar, State Of Confusion, The Devil You Know, Acts Of Desperation, A Bridge Way Too Far [WAY])

On a mission to investigate the disappearance of a Multek exploratory ship, Morales was briefly collected by the Collectors and fitted with one of their mind control helmets. He was cleaning bathrooms on the Collectors' Vault-Ship when he was rescued by Captain Beck and company. (Collectibles - Part One, Collectibles - Part Two [WAY])

After Beck moved up to the admiralty, Morales, now a captain, took command of Waystation. (Please Hold For Oblivion [TRK])