1st Lieutenant Thomas Lancaster
Name Thomas “Tom” Lancaster
Position Fighter Pilot
Rank 1st Lieutenant
Stats
- 1 Mission Posts
Last Post
Fri Jul 17th, 2015 @ 4:58pm
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Human | |
| Age | 31 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5’11” / 108cm | |
| Weight | 190lb / 86kg | |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown | |
| Eye Color | Blue | |
| Physical Description | Tom is a man of only medium height but with a robust build, maintained and developed through years of rigorous training and routine. He always comports himself with a confident swagger and a sure stride, echoing an inner assurance that few can match. He is a man who takes pride in himself and that pride is seen reflected in his person; in the attention he pays to his presentation and the care he takes in his dress. Clothing, whether uniform or otherwise, is well-fitted and precise, favouring for off-duty wear tasteful but casual styles that highlight his better qualities. Grooming is where he allows more of his personality to shine through, staying (largely) within regulation but toeing the line with tactfully maintained stubble and a lengthier hairstyle that bears little resemblance to the militant cuts more commonly found amongst career soldiers like himself. |
Family
| Spouse | None | |
| Children | None | |
| Father | Bradley Lancaster, 63; Colonel | |
| Mother | Deceased | |
| Other Family | Robert “Bobby” Lancaster, 26, Cousin; 2nd Lieutenant, Starfleet Marine Corps; USS Manoora |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Tom is the kind of man to whom things have always come easily. Naturally talented, he has never had to work towards much in life. He is a genial sort with an open mind and an open heart, easily making friends out of enemies and ready allies wherever he goes. Leadership, like many things, come easily to him. Too easily, perhaps. Tom can be cocksure and even arrogant in the face of danger and authority, and natural talent does little to temper his reckless bravado. He can be confident to the point of arrogance, but carries it well because he’s usually right. A risk taker, Tom’s gambles usually pay off. What others deem impossible Tom has a habit of making possible. Some might claim he has the luck of the devil himself, but what is never in question is his skill; he is exceptionally good at what he does. A man of courage and action, Tom is the very embodiment of the human spirit of adventure and daring. He likes to live life by the seat of his pants, and rules and protocol can often become casualties of his ideals. He favours good natured competition and team play over individual achievement or selfish endeavor, however, and those who have gained his respect and loyalty will have his unwavering dedication. Respect is not always easy to come by, however, as Tom holds rigid views and high standards for those trusted with authority over him or others. Conversely, he himself will do almost anything to avoid being saddled with such authority, citing an attachment or freedom from responsibility, but perhaps fearing secretly that he would not live up to his own expectation. |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | Tom is considered something of a savant, bearing an almost uncanny natural aptitude in certain fields far exceeding the levels attained by many who have spent greater time honing their skills or accumulating experience. He is an exceptionally talented pilot with strong cognitive skills in all linked areas, and has been capable of handling just about any craft--be it land, air, sea or space--he’s ever been put into. Conversely, being naturally gifted has left Tom with a devil-may-care attitude and little appreciation for what it means to truly earn or work hard towards something. He approaches life with a blithe outlook and all too often assumes that everything will simply work itself out in the end. For Tom, however, they often do. Tom has an intuition that seems to border on the preternatural; an instinct so sharp that it’s never been wrong. He instinctively seems to know how and when to react even in the most conflicted situations, coming out on top where others would’ve sworn it impossible. Frequently, he cites solutions that either would’ve never occurred to anyone else or which seem entirely counterintuitive up until Tom has not only tried but succeeded. Whether it be a split-second decision in the heat of combat or a cool observation over the enemy’s play, Tom is often able to anticipate without prior knowledge or cause. While some find his luck uncanny others are inclined to agree it is only a knack. For Tom, it hardly matters. It is a sense that he trusts explicitly and relies on heavily, and which has never before led him astray. Unarguably it has no small hand in his exceptional skills as a pilot, combatant, soldier and leader. Often unvoiced, the possibility exists that it is tied to his well above average aperception quotient. Despite being very tactically minded, Tom favours operating on instinct over knowledge, and has been known to disregard pertinent information or better informed opinions if it means running counter to his intuition. On the upside, Tom is very rarely wrong. He will always favour action over deliberation. Despite frequent assumptions to the contrary, Tom is in fact a highly intelligent individual. In his studies he did well not only on his practical tests but also in his theory, showing an aptitude for the mathematical and physical sciences over others. He is a quick study, and is often capable of grasping nuances or complexities beyond his personal realm of experience. Tom does not however have a particularly broad base of knowledge, and he has never devoted much extra time to studies outside of Starfleet’s requirements. Genial and well-liked, Tom inspires both confidence and loyalty in others. His self-assurance coupled with his frank honesty and a natural kindness makes of him a particularly charismatic individual, capable of making allies out of even the bitterest of enemies, finding mutual ground where few enough exists. Tom puts great value in the spirit of cooperation and is truly devoted to those who have earned his loyalty. Although Tom is undeniably committed, that loyalty is not always so easy to earn. He believes command is a responsibility, not a privilege, and that any leader’s first consideration should be towards those serving under him. Consequently, he holds those placed in leadership positions to very high standards, and failure to meet those standards, or to show the position proper respect for it, is a surefire way to lose his cooperation. Those that have done so find that Tom can be difficult to deal with, willing to break rules or openly rebel with little heed for the safety of his own career or fear of retaliation. Tom does not treat authority as an immutable entity and commanding officers must often first prove themselves capable before Tom is willing to trust them implicitly. Even then, he is prone to speak his mind and is never afraid of voicing an unpopular opinion, however uncomfortable the reality. Tom believes protocol and rules have their place, but he rarely lets them get in his way. Rank alone doesn’t earn deference, and he has an unfortunate tendency to try to shake up the status quo when he doesn’t like how things are done. The only opinions he values are those of the people he respects. Tom’s greatest holdback is a strong aversion to—and fear of—responsibility. Thriving on a free spirit, Tom is reluctant to take on responsibility outside of direct pressing need despite otherwise being well suited to the task—it is not accepting responsibility for his own actions that is the issue, but rather taking on responsibility outside of himself. He has very little ambition towards attaining power or authority himself but is simultaneously resistant to ceding to others. His reluctance can be crippling, and more than once has Tom willfully self-sabotaged in order to escape promotion that would’ve otherwise been to both his and others’ implicit advantage. This is the only aspect that Tom doubts within himself, and his fear stems from a history with his father that is not easily shaken. Subconsciously, Tom might fear that he would not live up to expectation and finds it easier to remain where he is comfortable. On top of his rebellious streak, Tom also has a willful personality and can often be stubborn. The combination makes him prone to reckless behavior and ill-considered risk, and he thinks nothing of gambling with his own life for either simple sport or for communal gain. |
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| Ambitions | Despite a competitive nature, Tom isn’t someone with many ambitions in life. He enjoys where he is and endeavors chiefly to keep it that way, on occasion even having gone so far as to self-sabotage when it looked like promotion was in the pipeline. Self-gratification, especially in the short-term, is Tom’s primary concern. His secondary concern is the health and happiness of those around him, and occasionally these two directives have been known to clash. When that happens, Tom’s loyalty will almost always come first, regardless of the personal cost to him. By and large Tom seeks only to live life and enjoy it, but he has never been known to sacrifice others above himself and, when push comes to shove, will always step up to the challenge. With a true knack for leadership it is perhaps only a matter of time before circumstances force him to cast aside his childlike fear of responsibility and allows him to truly come into his own. |
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| Hobbies & Interests | Tom is a vital and energetic person who enjoys the company of others and wears his passions on his sleeves. Physical pastimes are his favourite, and it is rare to find him unengaged by one activity or another. Although he is competitive, Tom favours team sports over solo competition and is often involved in the former on both amateur and professional level. He’ll never turn down an invitation for a game, regardless of type, as for Tom it’s always been more about the interaction than the sport itself. Contrary to expectation however, Tom’s interests do go beyond the physical. One of his lesser known hobbies is reading. He has a certain fondness for war stories and historic novels but cultivates a particular interest in the biographies and writings of famous tacticians or notable leaders of the past. |
| Personal History | From the moment he was born, Tom lived and breathed Marine life. His mother had moved often following his father’s deployments, and Tom was born among the dwindling stars aboard an Erewon-class vessel, leaping between world. Where he would come to live varied over the course of his young life. Sometimes they’d be starships, like the one he was born to, and other times they were remote outposts, bases, or small bright fledgling worlds. Always, they would never stay long. Everything came to a head in 2347, at the tender age of 5, when his mother met her untimely end on Setlik III. Things would never again be the same after that. Taking his surviving son, Bradley Lancaster terminated his deployment in favour of taking up a fixed post at Camp Pendleton, California, Earth. Here, on a small farm well isolated from earth’s bustling metropolises, Tom would spend most of his solitary childhood years growing up. Coming from a long line of marines, it was inevitable that Tom would one day follow in his family’s footsteps. For a while though, there was every indication that he would not. Over the years Tom and his father’s relationship had grown strained. Always a stern figure, his wife’s death (and their new isolated life) only made Bradley Lancaster more withdrawn, and with time he had become not only cold but virtually impossible to reach. Bradley didn’t know how to speak to his son, and Tom in turn grew to resent his father’s emotional absence. The expectations he placed on Tom were always high and the praise he gave thin. Desperate for recognition but never accommodated, Tom was driven to act out where he could. The more he did, the greater the rift became. Tom’s wilful nature often put him at odds with his father’s will. Bradley Lancaster never hid his disappointment. Despite his rebellion, nothing could quite separate Tom from the values Bradley had ingrained in him since childhood. He worked dutifully at school and on the playing field, and the benefits that came with popularity and success kept him motivated towards ever greater achievements. Where his father was reticent with his praise, others were not. Tom lived for that praise. By the time he was 18, despite a lifetime steeped in marine tradition and a glowing school record that would easily see him clear to officer school, Tom wanted nothing more to do the SFMC, his father, or the man’s intentions. Never good enough, fear of only ever living in his father’s shadow drove Tom’s need to explore alternate paths. It would take the unique and timely intervention of his cousin Bobby Lancaster’s arrival to bridge the gap between father and son, and to set Tom onto the right track. When Bobby came to live with them at 13, Tom took to his younger cousin almost immediately. Always an only child and lonely for it, the pair quickly became fast friends despite the difference in age. To Tom, Bobby became the younger brother he’d never had. But Bobby had something Tom did not. A drive to improve, will to work, dedication, respect, admiration, and a desire to follow the family legacy. The only thing Bradley had ever wanted for his son was for him to follow in his footsteps, for Tom to live up to his potential and achieve more than he had, furnishing him with the advantages he’d never had himself. Tom however had always feared growing up only to live in his father’s shadow, and did everything in his power to avoid that fate. Rebelling and acting out had been a large part of that, as had distancing himself from everything Bradley was and wanted him to be. Bobby was the exact opposite. More dedicated, serious, focused and driven than Tom, Bobby was eager to be everything Tom wasn’t; making him everything Bradley could’ve ever hoped for in a son. But rather than jealousy, Tom felt only relief--and in time, gratitude--for his cousin. Bobby’s dedication drew the brunt of his father’s expectation away from him, and for the first time in his life Tom had the freedom to truly explore himself. To find himself on his own terms, rather than in the negative spaces his father had left behind. Without the weight of Bradley’s overbearing expectations hanging over his head, Tom was free to pursue his own expression. But more than that, Bobby’s growing relationship with Bradley revealed a side to the man which Tom had thought lost after the death of his mother. A side which he’d never seen as a child himself. Being so much like him, Bobby had earned the old man’s respect and engendered a certain fondness and consideration from him. It allowed them to connect in a way that Tom simply hadn’t with his father, and that connection showed a side to the man that Tom didn’t think existed. Kindness, pride, love. It wasn’t that Bradley had never cared, it was that he’d never known how to communicate it. At 19, Tom enlisted in the SFMC. His fears would turn out to be groundless. He would set himself apart on his own terms, going on to earn a reputation for success and skill in his own right, far apart from his father’s legacy. Naturally well-suited to the family line’s marine tradition with a lifetime of his father’s preparation under his belt, Tom’s time at SFMC Military Academy would come with few new challenges. He would do as well here as he had in his formal schooling, achieving both academically, physically and athletically. He graduated well and accepted a mobile deployment in the Minos system, but by 2367 found himself back on Earth. The tour had earned him the rank of 1st Lieutenant, and though he’d performed admirably in the line of active duty Tom had grown to miss home and time spent there with family. He then accepted a post at Camp Pendleton with the 7th Wing division and was involved with training and testing operations there for the next year, continuing the legacy of good-natured competition between him and his cousin, who at the time trained on the same base, where time and duty allowed for it. In 2368 Tom was assigned to the USS Dromodon along with his cousin, and the next few years would see their relationship grow in unexpected ways. Under unlikely mentor and flight leader Rennan Aamas, Tom would begin the slow evolution that would see him steered away from his comfort zone and guided to becoming more than the cocky fighter pilot that lived only in the moment. For the most part, Tom wasn’t even aware it was happening. The next five years they would see frequent action against the Maquis, with the three of them becoming an effective team and growing to trust and respect one another in ways that would go beyond the simple trappings of rank. In 2373, the growing Dominion threat saw Tom and the rest of his flight transferred to the 242nd Squadron division to serve aboard the USS Manoora. |
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| Service Record | 2361: Entered SFMC Military Academy, Earth. Marine Cadet - Four-year officer based school - Combat Training, Flight School, Tactical and Command - Earned commendations for tactical expertise, academic achievement and piloting skill 2365: Graduated SFMC Military Academy - Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant 2365-67: SFMC Starship; USS Jupiter - Assigned as a fighter pilot with Gungir wing division. - Promoted to 1st Lieutenant in 2366 2367-2368: SFMC Installation; Camp Pendleton - Assigned as a fighter pilot with 7th wing division and involved in training operations 2368-2373: 1st Lieutenant, Marine Pilot; USS Dromodon - Engaged Maquis on numerous occasions in space dogfights, ship boarding actions, and ground combat - Avoids promotion during service 2373-Present: 1st Lieutenant, Marine Pilot; USS Manoora |