Meet Capt. Rhys

*This is the first of several exercises that will use this character.*

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Activity 8

Imagine a new character and build a strong sense of the person by using the checklist shown previously. Here it is again:

Physical/biological:

Age:  35

Height:  6’3”

size: broad shoulders, narrower waist, but not slim,

state of health: pale, scarred body, but strong and healthy

assets: physical strength, endurance, quiet but commanding presence. Handsome but not “pretty” by any means.

Flaws: scar across throat from a rope, covers it with a bandana

Sexuality: Raw power is attractive, but usually seems uninterested in “services”

Gait: Long legs take long steps, deliberate, a little bow-legged.

Voice: Rough, gravelly, commanding

Psychological:

Intelligence: A jack-of-all-trades, knows much of trading, ships, travel, reading people; a little doctoring, farming,  

Temperament: No-nonsense, “negotiates” with presence more than words. Defender of defenseless, high expectations of those in any position of power

Happiness/unhappiness: Doesn’t seem given to dramatic emotional swings. Basically even. Seems mildly gruff most of the time.

Attitudes: Generally calm and focused on the situation at hand. Relentlessly vengeful if he sees injustice

Self-knowledge: totally comfortable in his skin, confident, knows skill set and abilities

Unconscious aspects: When considering a difficult situation, his jaw shifts a bit. Oblivious to any lack of understanding, sees all situations in stark black and white terms.

Interpersonal/cultural:

Family: A wife a little girl, both murdered

Friends: Crew that is loyal, some business partners  

Colleagues: Generally respected or feared by other captains, some are bitter towards him because of his hard line in business

Birthplace: Earth

Education: Earth college, then Fleet training. Avid reader of many subjects that are practical to his needs. Attempts to apply his new knowledge and is thus often tinkering with new projects in the long time spent in space.

Hobbies: Invents and tinkers with gadgets and gizmos that he thinks up in the deep dark

Beliefs: Natural law, including cause and effect. Often says this is the reason for his often swift personal justice meted out in the vastness

Values: honesty, goodness, a love of life, valor, directness

Lifestyle: Spartan, mostly spent aboard his ship the Feistres. When on-planet, he searches for new knowledge and technology, new reading materials. When on ship, he talks little, reads much, exercises enough to stave off boredom and softness, puts his old and new knowledge to use bettering his ship and the lives of his crew.

Personal history:

major events in the life, including the best and the most traumatic:

Defining life event was while serving on his second ship, a Fleet cruiser outfitted for families selected for a new Fleet colony on Malsaies III. The ship had stopped on a Fleet planet to refuel and pick up supplies, but had inadvertently arrived during a particularly violent uprising. Although promised safety in the capital city, he, his wife and young daughter had been captured by the renegades and hung in a public square as a warning to other Fleet families and crew. The militants had tied his noose incorrectly and he survived, although unconscious when he was taken down and thrown in a mass grave. Awakening a few hours later, he mourned his dead family and swore vengeance on those who wronged him.

Now present your new character in the four different ways outlined in Activity 7. Here they are again:

Make a summary of what the character is like.

Captain Lafayette “Fate” Rhys was impressive, and not just physically. True, his towering presence often calmed tense situations, but it was the man’s demeanor which stayed with a person after he had exited the room. His tough, no-nonsense attitudes concerning integrity in trade dealings and crew conflicts had earned him the reputation both on and off his ship of being one of the most fair, and also most just captains in the Fleet. It also ruffled some feathers. Some of the other Fleet captains were not as honest as he, some were for all intents and purposes, pirates. This did not sit well with Captain Rhys, as he felt their misconduct reflected poorly upon him. When he happened upon these captains in the Fleet Oases or base planets, it was not uncommon for base security to be called, usually after the offending Captain had been quickly incapacitated. There was little room in his world for lawlessness, chaos, or rebellion, as these things had cost him that which was most precious – his family.

Show him or her through appearance.

Fate was a tall man with broad shoulders. When on planet, he wore an outfit straight out of an Earth western: black boots, worn looking jeans, a button-up shirt under an old, faded duster that was once black but had faded to a charcoal color. He always wears a bandana or neckerchief to hide the scar on his neck. His dark eyes peer out from under a black hat that he had brought with him from Earth, to keep the foreign suns out of his eyes.

Show him or her through a habitual or repeated action.

His daily ritual on-ship was maintained no matter where they were traveling or what their purpose. Routine kept both him and his crew sane in the expansive blackness that surrounded them the majority of the time.  His personal routine consisted of rising early (6 am, ship time) and going for a run around the perimeter of the ship via the narrow maintenance scaffoldings. This allowed him to keep an eye out for possible maintenance problems, work off some of his energy, stay in shape, and plan his day, all at the same time. Plus, it was better than having to endure the ship’s physician and his well-meaning but often ill-timed questions after his welfare. If he came up clear on body scans, the doctor had little reason to question him personally. After his run, he would shower, then breakfast with the crew going on to first shift. On his ship, he had done away with the age-old tradition of separation of officers and crew. Everyone had access to the Captain. When he was done, he would take the helm, which was usually a rather dull prospect. He would go over maintenance logs and assign work, check the logs from the night before, then turn to his reading. He allowed music on deck, and encouraged the crew to study Fleet course materials in order that they may increase in rank. If they did not choose to study for that purpose, he encouraged them to pursue their personal interests, and every book that he bought to read himself, he added to the ship’s library when he was finished. His theory was that the more knowledge a person had on as many subjects as possible, the more capable that person would be to handle crises and emergencies onboard or in their civilian lives.

After the day shift was over, he would head back to the mess hall for dinner, then was off to his onboard lab. This was where he tinkered and tried out new ideas for bettering his ship. The Fleet was run like some of the old Earth colony-era privateers. Merchant vessels were given Fleet authority, but were completely responsible for their own ships, crews, and manifests. They could trade as much as they liked while cruising back and forth through various star systems under Fleet command. Since the ship was his, he could and did alter it as much as he could to get the most speed, have the best sensors and protections, and the best weapons he could devise. Several of the engineers on board often worked alongside him when they were not on duty. Their collective efforts had produced some amazing results.

Finally, show him or her through a speech in a scene.

The new Second Engineer Rogers, whom the captain had required spend all day going over the ship’s maintenance and engineering logs, now reported to Captain Rhys’ lab.

“Captain, I have just completed going over the logs you required me to read, and I must admit I am thankful I was given the chance to be brought up to speed before I began working on any of the systems.” Engineer Rogers seemed out of breath and a little nervous. He stood at attention before the captain’s workbench, clutching his tablet like a security blanket. He seemed to be staring through the bulkhead at something in the next room.

Captain Rhys glanced up at the engineer, then back down to the parts he was disassembling. Behind him, First Engineer Mayes was preparing to weld two pieces of unrecognizable metal parts together.

“Engineer, what is your professional assessment of our changes?” asked Captain Rhys.

“These changes are highly irregular, but the results are fascinating. How have you come up with such profound improvements?” Rogers asked. For a second, his excitement had gotten the best of him and he had almost broken his stance.

Captain Rhys continued making adjustments with his wrench while Engineer Mayes fired up his torch and began to join the two parts into one.

“Rogers, I read your transcripts and recommendations from both Fleet and your previous station. All indicate that while you are an excellent engineer, you lack a certain discipline. Your superiors state that you are overconfident, that you are unconventional, and that you liked to stir up trouble in the engineering department. You have been noted as insubordinate to men more experienced and older than you.” At this he stopped and removed his safety glasses and laid them on the workbench. He looked Rogers up and down, and noticed that his expression had seemed to fade a bit. “To be honest, Rogers, this is why I accepted your application for Second Engineer.”

At this Rogers started. “Sir?” he questioned.

“Did you happen to note what was going on around you today while you were on duty?” asked Rhys, leaning back on his stool and folding his arms across his chest.

“Sir, everyone seemed incredibly busy, but from the work logs, it does not seem that the Feistres requires that much upkeep,” Rogers replied hesitantly.

At this, Rhys smiled at Rogers for the first time that day. “Rogers, there are some things you should know about this crew and what I expect from you. First, you need to relax. You are technically off duty, so act like it. Grab that stool over there and let me tell you about the Feistres.” This completely baffled and flustered Rogers, but he did as he was told and pulled the stool up to the workbench across from the captain.  Mayes had completed the welding job, and was putting the tools he had used away. Rhys waved him over, and he also pulled up a stool, but sat next to the captain instead of across from him.

“Ok, the first thing you need to know is that this lab is for off-duty work only. You have your own workbench and everything you need in the engineering department. Since this space is for off duty work, after this meeting, being here is completely optional. You may spend as little or as much time here as you would like. Since this is technically a community recreation space, the formalities observed on the bridge are not necessary here. Each crew member will tell you how they prefer to be addressed. For now, you can call me ‘Captain.’” Rhys grinned and clapped Mayes on the shoulder.

Mayes took this as a sign to give his preferred name, and said, “You can call me Al, but only here.”

Rogers was looking back and forth between the two with puzzlement. This level of familiarity was almost unheard of in the Fleet, except on the family operated ships.

Rhys continued, “Rogers, I encourage study and innovation on this ship. If a person does not find something to occupy their time, they will go crazy or cause trouble. The reason everyone seemed so busy today, even though the logs did not show much required ship work is that this is the last week to prepare for the next round of Fleet testing. Many of the members of the crew are attempting to move up in rank. Even though we may not have higher positions open onboard this ship, vessels at the next place we dock may. Even if they choose to stay on at their current rank, the Feistres pays her crew at the highest rank they are qualified for even if that is not the position they currently hold. So you see, it pays to study while you have downtime during your duty shifts. As for this lab and the changes you have noted, those are the practical results of studying, both the Fleet training materials and civilian documents on the advancement of technology. This brings me back to your qualifications and why I selected you when other captains may have thought twice. I am always on the lookout for crew members who can think unconventionally. If, in your studies, you discover a way to better life on this ship or to increase her speed or productivity, please share the idea. If we can make the changes safely and without causing ourselves delay, you will receive a bonus worthy of the modification. Any new technology you develop will also be yours to patent and sell to other ships. Several of our design modifications can be seen on other ships, to the great pleasure of the crew members who hold the patents. This arrangement benefits all who live aboard this ship. If there is anything that Al and I can do to help you, please do not hesitate to ask. Our one final rule is that you put tools back where you find them. With multiple people using this lab, it is the only way to maintain order.”

Rogers gaped at him. He knew that Captain Fate Rhys was reputed to be flexible and fair, but this was far beyond his wildest expectations.