Captain Markus Hawthorne

Character Information

Gender		Male
Species		Human
Age		49
Birthdate		November 16th, 2344
Birthplace		Freighter Samaritan - Deep Space

Physical Appearance

Height		6'5
Weight		180lbs
Hair Color		Gray/Medium Brown
Eye Color		Blue
Physical Description		Uncharacteristically tall for his family, Markus stands a good bit taller than most humans but wouldn't be considered overly so. Also setting him apart from his siblings, is his apparent inability to put on weight. Regardless of what he eats or drinks, his physical conditioning regimen keeps his body fit and firm. His age would give the impression or expectation that he would be a bit frailer than he actually is. As an old Tactical/Security Officer, Markus tries to maintain the physical side of his lifestyle as if he still were. Unassuming demeanor in his normal behavior but can quickly show his aggressive tendencies; he is not the kind of man that you want to corner. It will not go as expected. His voice is deeper but not overly baritone and slightly graveled with age. He prefers not to raise his voice, but can match a Marine Drill Sergeant when necessary.

Family

Spouse		Alicia DeWitt - Civilian
Children		Lieutenant Markus Hollis - Chief Operations - USS Saint Lo.
Father		Lucius Hawthorne - Starfleet
Mother		Annalise Hawthorne - Starfleet
Brother(s)		Anthony Hawthorne - Starfleet David Hawthorne - Starfleet Steven Hawthorne - Civilian
Sister(s)		Rebecca Hawthorne - Civilian MacKenzie Hawthorne - Starfleet Constance Hawthorne - Civilian Abby Hawthorne - Civilian
Other Family		He has many nephews and nieces, thanks to his siblings having families of their own.

Personality & Traits

General Overview		Calm and collected. Rarely raises his voice and prefers the cold response. Past crew's have called it the 'Hawthorne Chill'. Can make difficult decisions and make sense of chaotic decisions quickly. Once agitated, becomes a force to be reckoned with. The proverbial heads will roll. Not the type of Commander who's tactical responses can be anticipated. He knows that and makes sure to keep his opponents on their toes. Generally well-versed in Flight Control, Tactical and Command situations but a bit lacking in the Engineering and Science arenas. Has extensive knowledge and experience and has been blessed to be the kind of person who is able to have endured the hardships, chaos and brutality of war and been the better for it. Those memories serve only as reminders of what he has learned as opposed to being horrors of his past. Has immense and uncharacteristic compassion for those who's mental state following the Dominion Wars and other conflicts was not the same.
Strengths & Weaknesses		Strengths: - The 'Hawthorne Chill'. It makes it so that, in chaotic or tense situations, his reaction doesn't incite the crew. It provides them with a firm, stable and solid point of reference to which they can rally around. By this calm, the crew is more effective in these situations. Many Commander's have trouble trying to calm this kind of chaos via orders and discipline but Hawthorne has mastered the ability of calming by action; or rather, inaction. - Willing to lead by example. Not afraid to sit at the helm with the CoNN officer or spend time with the Junior staff trying to foster their growth. His job may be as a Commanding Officer, but it is in his and Starfleet's best interests that he makes sure that the Junior Officer corps is properly trained and motivated. He relies on the Senior Staff to do this, but isn't afraid to assist. - Very able to think outside the box to outwit and out-think his opponents. Cornering Markus is not what you want to do. His responses, as noted in his Academy record, are always inventive and unexpected. Contain Markus in a scenario that only has two viable outcomes and he will find the third. Weaknesses: - Tends to think more like a tactician than a scientist at times. Can be at odds with his ships' missions. Makes him seem suspicious when its really just his training shining through. - Emotional attachments aside from his family can be difficult for him to manage. He's yet to engage in a very emotional and meaningful personal relationship. They always end with the same 'you're emotionally detached' ending. - Children can be hard to manage for him.
Ambitions		Professionally - Markus desires a command of his own, which he has to this point achieved. He has no desire to ascend into the Admiralty. He feels his place is in the center chair and no where else. Would rather leave Starfleet than accept a place among the Admiralty. Personally - To reconnect with his family.
Hobbies & Interests		Carpentry and model-making. Enjoys the tedium as a way to divert his attention from the stresses of Starfleet Command. His room is filled with various projects in all states of completion. Can often be found on the holodeck in Eighteenth Century British Naval programs; he enjoys the solitude and simplicity that the old man-o-wars offer but can occasionally be found on family historical programs.

Personal History		Born to a family of trader's, Markus began life in space. His parents are 3rd and 4th generation trader's; descendants of the original Earth boomers that prowled the stars before Warp drive had progressed to the level it is today. The ship itself is an heirloom of the family, passed down through the years. He was born and raised on his parent's ship, the Samaritan, the third youngest of eight children. Along with his brothers and sisters, he learned first hand the dangers of traveling through space as well as how to ply the trade of his parents and grandparents. For a trader's child, his childhood was substandard. However, to a typical Terran family, his life was hard and fraught with the dangers inherent in traveling the stars. Markus, however, enjoyed it. By the age of seven, he and his brothers were already piloting their parent's vessel, to which Markus had the most skill. By thirteen, they were running the ship in their parent's absence. For his brothers, it was everything they had dreamed about since they were born. It was everything their father had trained them to do, and encouraged them to do. They wanted nothing more than to one day take over the Samaritan or another ship of their own. Markus, however, dreamed of grander things. When he was five, there was an accident aboard the Samaritan that nearly destroyed their engines. Some kind of subspace anomaly that the antiquated scanners didn't detect. His father, Lucius, reluctantly sent out a distress call for help; they were far from the major shipping routes on a special fare and knew the odds of them being discovered by accident were slim. A Federation starship came to their aide, giving the young Markus his first look at Starfleet and their magnificent ships. For a boy with such exceptional piloting skills, it represented everything he had ever dreamed of - fast ships, shuttle craft, fighter craft, space battles and glory. It was then he knew he wanted to join Starfleet and explore the stars. Starfleet, however, was not a career option in his parent's eyes. As thankful as they were for Starfleet's assistance when they were disabled, they were still wary of them. They didn't trust them, feeling that they were too militaristic. They understood the need for them, but had no desire or interest in joining them or letting their children do so. When Markus expressed his admiration and desire to join Starfleet, his parents quickly tried to quell it. They insisted that his place was here, with his family, plying the trade that had been a part of the Hawthorne family on both sides for generations. Their attempts to push him away from Starfleet only made him more interested. In secret from his parents and siblings, and with the assistance of one of the crew of the Samaritan; a now retired member of Starfleet, Markus began studying for the Starfleet Academy entrance exam. With the help of Devox, his Denobulan friend, Markus was able to obtain everything he needed to prepare for the exam. By the time he was to take the entrance exam, Markus had been studying for years and under the cover of shore leave to help his brothers pick up a shipment, Markus was able to slip away and sit for the exam. Devox kept his family occupied while he did. In the end, he passed the exam on the first try and was admitted to Starfleet Academy. He didn't tell a soul. For weeks after the exam, Markus went about his normal life and duties aboard the Samaritan with the thoughts of Starfleet Academy and the life ahead of him dominating his thoughts and dreams until finally, as planned, the Samaritan returned to Earth to pick up its latest round of cargo for a standard fare. Markus already had his things packed, and stowed them away on the shuttle that took them to the surface. As his parents and siblings prepared to secure their cargo, Markus grabbed his bags and set them on the ground. His parents looked on in shock as he told them that he had been accepted to Starfleet Academy and was leaving the Samaritan. His mother fell to pieces and ran into the shuttle, with his sisters in tow. His brothers went about their duties and his father, angry at his son for leaving the family behind but even more so for not having told them, turned his back on him and never said another word. With a heavy heart, Markus accepted his decision and began his career with Starfleet. The first year was the roughest. It was the first time he had ever been away from his family for longer than a few days, and the emotional toll was heavy. Regardless of that, however, the skills he had learned with his family were far beyond what many of the Starfleet cadets knew and he was quickly gaining a reputation as a leading cadet. His piloting scores were the highest at the academy and his Tactical scores were not far behind. What he excelled at more than anything was pure leadership. He had grown up with six brothers and sisters, which required a considerable amount of diplomacy on anyone's part. Negotiating chores for duty, organizing the duty shifts, all of this was already a part of who he was and he found the Starfleet family order to be no different. As such, he was again making a name for himself as a cadet. By the time graduation rolled around, even though Markus may not have been the top-scoring Cadet in his Academy class, he was one of the most watched and sought after. After graduation, Markus took his place as an Ensign in the fleet, beginning his career as one of the Flight Control Officer's aboard the USS Sutherland. It would be his first taste of Starfleet and of combat. In the first few years aboard the Sutherland, Markus found himself the secondary CoNN officer as the ship dealt with the rising tensions of the Klingon Civil War. While still an Ensign, he soon found himself the Acting Chief Flight Controller, after an unfortunate incident in which the Chief was badly burned and confined to Sick Bay to recover from his injuries. For his efforts and accomplished flying while acting Chief, Markus was promoted to Lieutenant JG. He remained aboard the Sutherland for a few more years, before accepting a posting as the Chief Flight Controller aboard the USS Galaxy, a much larger and tactically sound vessel - something he felt was truer to his own heart. The Galaxy was everything he had hoped it would be, but the crew's Chief Tactical Officer was unhappy with his posting and requested a transfer. Even though Markus had only been there a short time, he requested to change Departments and take the Chief Tactical position citing the eagerness and ability of the Assistant Chief Flight Controller. The Captain agreed and Markus found himself as the new Chief Tactical Officer. It would be a posting that would define his career. Barely one year after taking the position, the Galaxy found itself firmly in the Dominion War at the Battle of Chin'toka with Markus heading the Tactical Department. It would be his first real battle, but by no means his last. He served with distinction in the Department for several years, through the entirety of the War before Starfleet offered him an Executive Officer's posting aboard the USS Relentless. Seeing the opportunity for growth and the chance to have his own Command, Markus accepted and became their new Executive Officer. Life aboard the Relentless was much more interesting then it was on the Galaxy with the ship being lost in a firefight the following year, Markus remained assigned to her and followed Paul Antilles over to the new USS Relentless, a Pathfinder class ship and Markus found that the Command Department suited him well. It suited him so well, that he was specifically chosen by the Admiralty for another Executive Officer position aboard a more tactical boat; the USS Nimitz. Markus wasn't too eager to leave the Relentless so soon, but the Admiralty insisted or forced that he take it. He had no idea what they really had in mind. The Nimitz was slated for decommission in a few years time and Markus' placement there was nothing more than a placeholder for the Command the Admiralty desired to give him. His job until then was to oversee the final missions of the vessel and then supervise her decommission. At the conclusion of the Nimitz's life, Markus was given Command of the USS Exeter and subsequently promoted to the rank of Commander. For now, Markus Commands the Ardeshir with the same cool and calm demeanor that earned him his reputation previously. She may be a science ship, but for Markus, its a stepping stone to bigger and better things. All good things come in time and he is happy to serve and protect the Federation and its values in whatever ship Starfleet affords him. He still dreams of a large explorer ship, and perhaps someday it may come true. Since he has held most of the major Bridge command positions, Hawthorne is a veritable cornucopia of knowledge and experience, which makes him an indispensable member of any crew and a perfect selection for a Commanding officer. He has become known to his peers for his cool, levelheaded countenance and significant tactical experience stemming from his service during the Klingon Civil War as well as the Dominion Wars. In early 2391, he was assigned to command the ships assigned to Starbase 12, including all of her starships and Runabouts, he would handle the day to day admin for them all, it was an assignment that Markus relished. In late 2392, Marcus was promoted to commodore and assigned to Squadron 5 for the Second Division for the first indepdant battle group.
Service Record		2341 - Born aboard his parents freighter, the Samaritan. Starfleet Academy - Earth, SOL 2359 to 2363 - Conn / Tactical Student Cadet One - Four USS Magellan - Constellation Class 2360 - Cadet Cruise Cadet Two Active Service USS Sutherland - Nebula Class 2363 to 2372 - Conn Officer / Chief Conn Officer Ensign / Lieutenant USS Galaxy - Galaxy Class 2372 to 2377 - Chief Flight Control Officer / Chief Tactical Officer Lieutenant / Lt Commander USS Relentless - Galaxy Class 2377 to 2378 - Executive Officer Commander USS Relentless - Pathfinder I/II Class 2378 to 2382 - Executive Officer Commander USS Nimitz - Akira Class 2382 to 2384 - Executive Officer Commander USS Exeter - Akira Class 2384 to 2387 - Commanding Officer Commander Location Unknown - Presumed Killed in Action 2387 to 2389 - Prisoner of War Captain USS Ardeshir - Akira Class 2389 to 2391 - Commanding Officer Captain Starbase 12 - Ournal II Class 2391 to 2392 - Commanding Officer - Starbase 12 Defense Squadron Captain USS Minotaur - Discovery Class 2392 to Present - Commanding Officer, 4th Squadron Commodore Dates of Promotions and Demotions: 2359 to 2363 - Cadet One - Four 2363 to 2365 - Ensign 2365 to 2368 - Lieutenant JG 2367 to 2372 - Lieutenant 2367 to 2377 - Lt Commander 2377 to 2387 - Commander 2387 to 2392 - Captain 2392 to Present - Commodore