Jackson Palmer

## Childhood and Early Life

Jackson Michael Palmer was born March 20th, 2330 to a loving family on Earth. His mother was an Ensign aboard the USS Franklin, serving as a medical officer. His father was a Lieutenant Commander aboard the USS Challenger-B, serving as the ship's Chief Security Officer. From a very young age his parents had placed near impossible standards upon his shoulders, both in behavior and grade performance. The first five years of his life was split between spending countless hours with the nanny that his parents had hired to care for him while they served in their lines of duty.

For his fifth birthday, his father informed the young Jackson that he would be leaving the family home to live full time at a boarding school not too far from home. Coming from a structured family home with high expectations the boy formed perfectly to the expectations given. Jackson frequently made outstanding grades, something his teachers made very quick note of. At age 13, Jackson was permitted to attend the ‘Gifted Students’ program of the school, where his academic success shows to its fullest extent. Jackson graduated at the top of his class, earning praise from teachers and peers alike. It would be a year before he fully enrolled into the Academy however, to allow him some time to spend with his newly retired parents.

The year gap between graduating from school, and his attendance of Starfleet Academy was one of great conflict for the young man. Only a few hours after arriving home did he find out that his mother had been transported to a medical center nearby after having a heart attack. Naturally, this news shook the young man's world, he was after all, a ‘momma’s boy’. Unfortunately his mother passed away a few days later due to complications of heart failure. Naturally he went into a state of shock, causing him to lose focus on not only his Academy ship date, but his positive outlook on life.

A month after his mothers funeral, the young man met a woman named Amanda Smith. Amanda was a bartender at one of the establishments Jackson frequented. Not long after the two had met did they enter into a state of dating which drastically improved his mood, and subsequently his outlook. It was the support of this woman, accompanied with the promise of a better life, that brought Jackson back on track to attending Starfleet Academy. Of course this was not to say that their relationship was without its faults. Roughly 3 months into their relationship the two had a massive falling out over a common enemy of human relationships, particularly the ‘Boy Best Friend’. This feud nearly left the two permanently separated, however only a week later was all well once more. Finally, in December of 2462, Jackson began his studies in the Starfleet Academy.

## Academy Years

The entry exams were the first real struggle Jackson had ever experienced on an academic level, passing them with a B-. A few weeks later he had been settled into a dorm in the heart of the Academy. Dreaming of following in his parents footsteps, and possibly exceeding the status they had retired from, Jackson entered into the Academy with both a plan and a drive for success. His first year Cadet classes were what he expected of them, tedious relearning of the last year of his schooling, specifically the required academic courses.

However due to the legacy which preceded him, both mother and father, many of his instructors had placed on him higher expectations, as he was coming from a line of successful officers. Of course Jackson was used to the stress, having been raised around it the vast majority of his childhood. Because of these expectations, and his underlying desire to impress, Jackson was excluded from many of the late night parties hosted by the other legacy students, mostly due to his own accord. At the end of his first year, after countless hours of studying and classwork, the man had received a letter from home- the first to be given to him all year. The letter was, unfortunately, a classic “Dear John” from Amanda, which is to say a letter notifying him of their relationship coming to a close.

Unfortunately the next few months, as a result of the leaving of Amanda, Jacksons grades began to suffer. The tests he once passed with no lower than a B+ he began to make barely passing grades on. Of course this caught the attention of his professors, who referred him to the Academy’s counselor to deal with his mental status. With the aid of the counselor Jackson began to alter his outlook on relationships as a whole, and subsequently the one that he had with Amanada. Believing in his heart that she had done him a favor and that relationships were something not to bother your time with, Jackson focused harder on his studies than ever before.

The final few years of his Academy training was somewhat uneventful. After the incident with Amanda, and the detriment to his grades that had been, Jackson had forced himself into a hermit state where he spent the hours not in class studying for the next test. Finally after an exhausting four years, Jackson graduated from Starfleet Academy at the top of his class. Unlike most Cadets he hadn’t even received any major demerits from the school's staff. Described to him as the best start he could have afforded himself.

## USS Ford

Jackson's first posting was one given to him based on his scores in the Academy. Under the command, and guidance of Captain Travar, who had become a sort of role model to the newly commissioned officer, had taught him volumes of how to be a proper Starfleet member. The first of many lessons Jackson would learn came in the form of how to balance work and life. When he arrived aboard the ship he treated his work as he did his schooling which led to heavy mental stress. Roughly six months into service, he was placed on a mandatory four day break so the young officer could repair his mental state, something he was told happened more often than one would think. During these four days Jackson really relaxed, and met more of the crew of the ship.

Under the command of Captain Travar Jackson learned several things. Most of them miniscule in the grand scheme of things, however they added up to be something major. Jackson frequently volunteered for away team missions, believing them to be the best way he could prove himself with. Three years into service aboard the *Ford*, Jackson was involved in an assault as part of an away team. On this mission, Jackson jumped in the way of a phaser shot to save the commanding officer of the team. This act, mixed with his excellence in his field, resulted in his promotion.

## Starbase 118

After his injuries in the aforementioned battle, Jackson was reassigned to a more lax posting with the promise that he could return to a vessel once he was cleared from physical therapy. His time aboard this starbase was filled with nothing but paperwork, learning the more administrative side of his job. He had gone from a frequent flyer on away teams to simply sitting in an office all day. The most exciting things to come from the years spent on this station were his weekly therapy sessions. However he believes he needed this time. In Jackson’s mind this posting taught him how to handle the mundane, that not every posting was going to be action packed and he needed to understand how to operate outside of the action.

Amidst his distaste for the repetitiveness of the station and his desire to return to a more active posting Jackson found an equilibrium. He began to piece everything on the station to some form of lesson to learn, to prevent being stationed on a starbase again. However, being the station's Intelligence Officer did bring its perks every now and again. Mostly in that he was constantly kept in the loop of nearly every spout of drama to perk up on the station. At the end of his service on this starbase, Jackson had been promoted.

## USS Jubilant Grace

Finally being cleared for regular service once more, Jackson was reassigned to the next available ship. However as command had deemed his recovery time “down time” he would not be allowed to serve aboard a battlecruiser. Instead, he was stationed aboard a light science vessel. He didn’t complain however, being on a ship was infinitely better than being stuck on that station a day longer. However, being stationed on a science cruiser had altered certain aspects of his job, mainly in collecting information on objects and peoples that the Starfleets had little to no record of. This posting pushed him into learning a better grasp of how to command properly as well, as his newfound position as Sr. Intelligence Officer had placed him in a command position, forcing him to adapt. While stationed aboard the *Jubilant Grace* as a new Lieutenant, Jackson was frequently placed in command of away teams, leading expedition teams mainly. Combining the experiences and lessons learned, Jackson had proven himself much more capable than the officer he was aboard the *Ford*. Something he did not notice until it was pointed out to him by one of his superiors on the vessel.

During one of his last away missions aboard the ship, Jackson and his team were separated from the *Jubilant Grace* during an attack from an unknown source. It was Jackson’s leadership that led the small group to a nearby outpost where it was suspected the source of the jamming was coming from. Upon arriving at the outpost Jackson split the team into two, and began a full sweep of the compound. An intense firefight erupted between the two parties, resulting in light injuries to the Starfleet team and the death of the 5 assailants. Communications were restored to the ship, and the team retrieved. The ensuing battle was taken over by the Captain of the vessel. Once the smoke had settled, and the ship had returned to the nearest Starbase, Jackson was made aware as a reward for his actions, and his display of ability in the field Jackson was offered the position of Chief Intelligence Officer aboard the *Starship Providence*. Of course, Jackson accepted with haste.

## USS Providence

With the promotion to CIO, Jackson was brought aboard the *USS Providence* at the earliest convenience to the Captain.