Name:
Nathanial Hobs.
'Nate' to his friends.
Age:
26
Theme Song:
How did you love - Shinedown.
Planet of origin:
Vynna (Details in Bio)
Height:
5'8ft
Weight:
182lbs
Hair:
Sable
Eyes:
Cinnamon brown.
Sex:
Male
Orientation:
Homosexual
Status:
Civilian
Affiliation:
Independent
Rank:
N/A
Service:
N/A
Occupation:
Shaman. He finds the title amusing.
Natural Abilities:
Problem solving. Nate is a natural at puzzles and complicated word games, however once he gets started on a problem it is very difficult to get him off it. Oh, and he is remarkably good at irritating people with his 'don't wanna' attitude. The boy is very.. very intelligent. Unfortunately, without stimulating methods to channel this, he finds less favorable ways to utilize it. Namely by constructing elaborate pranks or wondering off in search of new experiences.
Like his siblings he has well developed reflexes and senses yet, unlike his family, he doesn't seem to utilize the full potential of these gifts.. At least, not when people are watching. The reflexes are a hit or a miss due to lack of self discipline in that regard but his senses are rather acute, particularly his hearing and olfactory functions. Contact with his skin, or even subtle changes in temperature or air, are registered by the boy far more keenly than expected. This inspires his pickiness when it comes to fabrics in clothes, dislike of extreme temperatures (He hates being cold), and even a strange obsession with touching random things to memorize their textures. This sensitivity also helps him in his work, not that he'll admit it.
Training/Upgrades:
For all his flaws, youth, and lack of conformity.. The boy is a very well trained Physician. In this area, at least, he excelled; Nate enthralled with the mortal coils of humanity and the complexity of their physical being. Of course he was force fed this field of study once it became obvious where his talents lay, endless articles and experiments on living tissue, viruses, diseases, cures, and even a wide range of herbalism to self-sufficiently synthesize medicines on his own. Assuming he is familiar with the local Flora.. Which is why he collects samples in new areas for study. Yes he was forced to undergo basic training in other fields for the sake of survival, marksmanship by far his weakest area and closely seconded by his self defense skills. He never had a choice but to be healthy and in shape so he can, in theory, kick up a good scuffle if he had to.. But it is very unlikely he would win without cheating. He dislikes loosing, so he will cheat shamelessly when he can. He's learned how to deal with a few darker strings to get what he needs, not really 'savvy' with criminals but.. known to do favors for them to get necessary supplies for his work.
Personality:
Nate is what one would call a skeptical soul. He is stubborn, willful, ingenious when he wants something, and entirely too quick to say honestly what is on his mind at any given time.. regardless of how offensive or rude it may sound. The boy just calls it like he sees, stating the facts of a person or situation no matter how they are received by the listener. As if that isn't enough he also has authority issues, refusing to submit to blind obedience and questioning everything even when most would shut up and stop caring. Because of this, he has quite the shallow ocean of information stored away. In all honesty he 'needs' to learn like a starving man needs food, his curiosity often motivating him to investigate new things and landing him into trouble. Nate is fairly audacious when it comes to the world around himself, though admittedly more than a few things seem to scare him and he does value survival.. He never lets himself be cowed or controlled without a fight. More often than not he is trying new things simply for the sake of finding out how it works or what it is like. New food? Down the hatch. Strange button? He's going to push it. Maybe even twice, if he was told not to do it in the first place. Sure, he might get a little roughed up along the way, but if it is worth it.. He’ll go to any length to do what he thinks needs to be done, if his efforts are appreciated or not.
Despite his willful nature Nate is young by most professional standards, and just as uncertain as most his age when it comes to emotional matters. Honestly the boy is affectionate and gentle if someone can get past his defiant temperament and subtly mischievous habits.. Nate generally so focused on those around himself he often forgets to mind his own needs in the process. Few can keep him in line or get past his stubborn 'don't tell me what to do' mindset. This exception applies to his few friends. Though he acts compliant for them, to others he is simply oblivious when they try to order him about; Ignoring them entirely unless someone he respects tells him to behave otherwise. Of course he is less sarcastic towards people he likes and he is more likely to listen when they ask him to do something, but he has always been bold, out-spoken, curious to a fault, resourceful, and plucky in his own way. One would never expect him to be 'mature' in his actions, he is still very much young man and just as hard to handle, but in serious situations.. Well, he was force-fed the responsibilities of being a healer since a young age and he still takes the study to heart. Knowing he still has much to learn he makes it a point to expand his medical knowledge and abilities whenever possible, ever reaching to improve himself. Oddly, he becomes possessive of his patients and will offer then sanctuary on his ship until they fully recover. After they mend? He'll boot them out without hesitation.
Biography:
In his young life Nate already has a pretty impressive record of defying authority. Born on a little dirt ball planet called Vynna there wasn't much room for the boy to spread his wings, his parents and his 'fellow settlers' obsessed with their task of making their little rock livable. They discarded any interest beyond their work and, as he grew, Nate learned to loath the simple repetition that ruled their lives. Why did they want that planet so badly when it fought them so hard for meager yields? Why not find a healthier home instead of clinging ignorantly to their colony caring only for mud and plants? The Planet Vynna, located in The Verge, was nothing but a failed settlement that the stubborn survivors refused to abandon. They farmed, crafted, and worked their lives away.. but only in the planet's Mines did they find the leverage needed to remain on-world. The useful ores made the colony bold, humoring the risky business even with the Red Hessians lurking about, and yet unknown to these settlers it was the Mines themselves that posed the looming danger. This is how Nate became who he is. True his body, like all those born on the harsh world of Vynna, had adapted enhanced senses and reflexes to survive.. But the boy wasn't strong, and he had no mindset for hard labor. Instead he found his niche in mending the injuries of the Miners, content at least in tending to the strange sicknesses they carried up from under the planet's crust. But he found himself wondering.. Surely there was more to life than studying how to keep settlers going like cogs in a large machine? In the colony, after weeks of being criticized for his lack of physical prowess, he set off a security alarm then snuck out the far side of the compound. To this day he is still proud to admit he made it all the way to the boundary fence before they caught him and took him back to the degrading walls of his room. Next project? He wanted to explore outside the settlement. How? Self-created serum in the food rations to make the fence 'guards' fall asleep... Failed, caused indigestion and laxative qualities. Result? He spent five days working in the mine to 'learn discipline' and lost access to the doctor's lab for a week. Still worth it.
His wardens never understood his mischief came from the sense of isolation and suffocation for being treated like another cog in the grand scheme at such a young age for it.. At times he doubted if he was even considered a person in their eyes and, frustrated and hurt, he would act out to get the attention he so desperately craved. So, one might ask when he stopped being such a deviant then.. That answer is actually pretty simple. The sickness the Miners contracted in the Mines finally hit critical levels and a certified doctor was sent to investigate it. Nate, still so very young at the time, proved useful as an assistant and when the time came for the Doctor to leave the man offered him a place on his research-craft. He acknowledged the boy's potential and, with little hesitation, Nate jumped on board with barely a backward glance at the dust-pit that had sired him.
It wasn't a smooth transition by any means. In a way it turned out to be a trap.. Once he'd entered their ship he became dependent on their whims. In his typical fashion, Nate fought its rules with a passion.. but after his fourth attempt to escape their honest intentions finally sank in to the feral youth. When he was absolutely sure he'd finally pushed his mentors to act like everyone else in his life had, they surprised him. Praised him for his determination, even.. True he still had a punishment of course but still, every lap he ran around the ship's parameter a mentor would ask him a riddle.. Or a medical question... or something else just as fascinating to the boy. He.. gentled.. towards the traveling medics over time, starting to pay attention to how they acted and spoke. And eventually he started listening, respecting the logic behind their words. The knowledge they offered soon tethered him to the sincere study of the medicinal arts. He stopped trying to escape, taking his studies more seriously with far more enthusiasm when praised by his new companions and soon showing advanced growth in said areas. His pranks, though still occurring time from time, lessened to harmless gestures of boredom. By the time he was old enough and Nate found himself officially recognized by his mentors he was almost friendly with the staff of the vessel that had raised and suppressed him. Though he clearly still has much to learn ( and received all of his knowledge as a civilian, not a medical student) he has come a long way in his short life already, showing an aptitude for his art that pointed him to his current goal-job as a Traveling General Practitioner.
That.. is a fancy way of saying he wants to travel and ply his trade on the go, settlement to settlement, planet to planet, like his Mentors had done before he parted ways with them. Sadly, never actually attending a medical school, he'll likely never receive acknowledgement as a Solarian government-certified Doctor.. But it doesn't stop him from practicing his work on back-world settlements. His patients hardly seem to care he lacks the paperwork, and he never claims to be a 'doctor' only a 'Healer' or 'Shaman' so he isn't really lying about his profession. He has a small 6-man Ship to himself that serves as his home, setting up a rather impressive medical bay and keeping it stocked through.. questionable.. means. His income is greatly based on trade and money, thus he isn't picky about whom his clients are. For the sake of legalities he tries to avoid Solarian-dominated worlds, if he can help it.
