Nathaniel Jacobson

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Basic information

Assignment

Template:Character

Nathaniel Jacobson is a Federation Starfleet enlistedman serving as a Medical Technician aboard the Ethereal-class Starbase 484.

Personality

Languages

• Federation Standard
• French
• Latin (for medical purposes)

Family

Father:	Nicholas Jacobson
Mother:	Cynthia Jacobson, MD
Brothers:	Eli Jacobson (b. 2373) Micah Jacobson (b. 2375)

History

Early Childhood

Nathaniel Arthur Jacobson was born 21 August 2369 to Nicholas and Cynthia Jacobson of Plymouth, Massachusetts on Earth. Nicholas was a software design engineer working for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology while his wife, Cynthia, operated a private family physician practice in Plymouth.

Nathaniel spent much of his childhood living in Plymouth with his parents who, despite having considerable responsibility to their respective professions, always made time for their firstborn. They would sometimes even take young Nathaniel to work with them where the boy often found something of interest to occupy himself with. The birth of Eli Jacobson in 2373 came as somewhat of a surprise to Nathaniel as he no longer found himself the sole focus of his parents' love and attention. Young Nathaniel's jealousy soon faded away, however, as he quickly learned the advantages of having a younger sibling. By the time Micah Jacobson was born two years later, Nathaniel was quite proud of his role as older brother.

It didn't take long for Nathaniel's parents to discover somewhat of a duality in the way their eldest child performed academically. Nathaniel's mind seemed like a sponge that would soak up whatever information it was presented with. Passive information gathering could only go so far and Nathaniel would not hesitate to ask questions whenever something still did not make sense or was unfamiliar to him. Yet for all his insatiable curiosity, Nathaniel performed quite unremarkably throughout most of his academic years in the public education system. His teachers had little to say about him other than that he was a joy to have in class and that perhaps he was not always performing to his full potential. Out of concern their son was simply not finding sufficient avenue in which to explore his own interests, Nicholas and Cynthia encouraged Nathaniel to get involved in activities outside of the classroom in hopes he might find something to help foster his curious nature.

Growing up in Plymouth meant Nathaniel had many opportunities to explore the cultural heritage stretching back to pre-colonial New England. Annual celebrations commemorating historical events were commonplace throughout Nathaniel's childhood. One of his mother's friends, a re-enactor of colonial medicine, noticed how Nathaniel took such an interest in everything going on at these celebrations that he decided to get the young boy involved with one of the local colonial re-enactment groups. Nathaniel started out simply hanging around the tent and helping with whatever needed doing at the time. As Nathaniel got older and became more familiar with colonial medicine, he eventually took on the role of physician's assistant. Roleplaying and interacting with fellow re-enactors as well as visitors really helped to bring out Nathaniel's more creative side which had not been as visible within the classroom.

The other major activity in Nathaniel's life was his involvement in the local Medical Explorer Post which he joined at age fourteen. Nathaniel had grown up around his mother's private medical practice and his experience in colonial re-enactment really helped solidify his desire to be involved in medicine. As part of the medical explorers, Nathaniel worked with local Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) as well as physicians, learning many of the skills required by these professions in very on-the-job type settings. The medical explorer post often participated in competitions with other explorer posts and served as on-site first aid for local events. It was through his experience in medical explorers that Nathaniel earned many of his first certifications: CPR/AED, First Aid, First Responder, and Wilderness First Responder. By the time he was seventeen years old, Nathaniel had even completed most of the required work to earn his Emergency Medical Technician certifications.

Enlisting in Starfleet

It seemed for much of high school as if Nathaniel would have been content to remain in Plymouth, participating in local re-enacting and becoming an Emergency Medical Technician with the local fire department, but a semester abroad in high school changed all that. Nathaniel took an opportunity to spend six months living and attending school in France during the first half of his junior year. Amongst the many experiences during his time abroad, Nathaniel was most affected by his visit to the Federation capital and the interactions he had with Starfleet personnel there. Nathaniel had certainly grown up hearing the same stories of daring exploration and exciting adventure every other child his age heard. This was the first time, however, he had truly given any serious thought to the possibility his interest in being a medical technician did not preclude him from service in Starfleet. He returned to Plymouth with renewed determination to complete his academic studies in time to begin enlisted training the following year. Twelve months later, Nathaniel was approved for early graduation from his local high school before departing for Starfleet Enlisted Basic Training.

Nathaniel's performance during Starfleet Enlisted Basic Training resembled his that of his own childhood in that he tended to excel in situations where he believed he could truly apply himself. His willingness to help out wherever he was needed was immediately apparent to his superiors and his prior medical experience meant Nathaniel often served as his team's field medic. This most certainly earned him the recognition of both his peers as well as his superiors and allowed to pursue the more specific track of medical service through Starfleet Enlisted Medical Training. Despite such relative success in training, Nathaniel found it somewhat more difficult to establish himself within the social atmosphere of his group. He eventually graduated from advanced medical training in mid-2387 with the rank of Crewman Apprentice.

The Federation Frontier

Immediately following the commencement ceremonies, Nathaniel received orders to report to the Chief Medical Officer aboard the Intrepid-class USS Frontier where he would be serving as a medical technician within the Frontier's medical staff. Nathaniel arrived at Starbase 200 ahead of schedule and decided to take advantage of the opportunity by exploring the station while awaiting the Frontier's arrival. He will never forget the subsequent experience of meeting Lieutenant Andrew Sheppard for the first time. The young crewman's apprentice found himself unwittingly involved in a drinking competition with an Andorian and a Klingon. Although Nathaniel had only consumed a small portion of Klingon bloodwine, he was not prepared for just how strongly bloodwine impacts the human body and had to be rescued from his untimely fate by Lieutenant Sheppard. The lieutenant removed Nathaniel from the situation and saw to his immediate health before summoning a passing security officer to escort Nathaniel back to his temporary quarters. Never would Nathaniel have imagined that very same man was to be his first supervisor aboard the USS Frontier.

The USS Frontier departed Starbase 200 not long after Nathaniel's coming aboard and set out for Starbase Gatekeeper where Ambassador Mordred Ocal, the Frontier's Commanding Officer, strongly believed the Elyshan factions would attempt to take advantage of the Hobus Disaster by crossing into Romulan territory. Nathaniel had little time to start making a place for himself amongst the Frontier's medical staff before he found himself faced with his first real combat experience. Despite his initial nervousness about being in combat for the first time, Nathaniel found a way to pull himself together with Lieutenant Sheppard's help and focus on the task at hand. Attempts at reaching a diplomatic solution proved unsuccessful and Federation forces found themselves engaged with the Elyshan factional ships. Superior numbers soon began to overwhelm Federation defenses, forcing Ambassador Ocal was to order an evacuation of the Frontier or risk losing the entire vessel to a warp core breach. It wasn't until the entire event was over, however, that Nathaniel realized and began to deal with the true weight of his experience.

The days following the Battle of Starbase Gatekeeper were some of the most surreal which even the most seasoned officer amongst them had ever experienced. Word of the Hobus Disaster was received shortly after the conclusion of hostilities followed by the discovery of Commander Sara Vickers' and Commander Shade Castillo's disappearance. Even as Gatekeeper's technicians worked feverishly to restore the Frontier to operable status, events seemingly beyond anyone's control continued to unfold. Nathaniel noticed, however, that Lieutenant Sheppard seemed able to maintain his composure throughout these events despite how unsettling they seemed. It was around this time Nathaniel was finally able to overcome his initial embarassment over the incident on Starbase 200 and begin to recognize Lieutenant Sheppard as a mentor.

After completing sufficient repairs to get underway, the Frontier departed Starbase Gatekeeper to begin her patrol along the Romulan Neutral Zone which also served as an opportunity to search for the members of her senior staff who had disappeared during the prior engagement. The Frontier eventually tracked Commander Vickers and Commander Castillo to the forsaken planet of Nimbus III where they were soon attacked by a rogue bioship belonging to Species 8472. Nathaniel was one of many who managed to survive the engagement as well as the Frontier's subsequent plunge into one of Nimbus III's oceans and one of few who managed to do so without injury. It was also thanks to Nathaniel's efforts that Lieutenant Sheppard was delivered safely to the care of physicians aboard one of the rescue vessels.

Nathaniel remained aboard the salvaged Frontier during her return trip and throughout much of the initial overhaul as she underwent a complete refit at Utopia Planetia Fleet Yards. The young medical technician was finally given an opportunity for shoreleave which he used to make a brief visit home before heading off to New York City. Despite being for his own personal enjoyment, Nathaniel's decision to visit New York was also motivated by concern for his mentor, whom he was pleased to see was recovering quite nicely.

Having finally completed what amounted to a total reconstruction, the USS Frontier departed Utopia Planetia for her assignment along the Cardassian border with instructions to patrol the region and seek opportunities to test the numerous advanced systems which had been included in her refit. Nathaniel, for his part, returned to find some of the familiar faces he had come to know as well as the unfamiliar faces of those who were joining the Frontier for the very first time.

The Frontier had scarcely reached the Cardassian border before they received a mysterious distress call. They arrived on the scene to find the remains of a Cardassian Galor-class warship and an intact, unknown alien vessel drifting in space. An away team was promptly dispatched via shuttlecraft due to unknown interference from the vessel's hull which prevented both scanning and beaming. It did not the away team long to discover several of the aliens rendered unconscious by whatever had transpired between the two vessels and it was the decision of Ambassador Ocal to bring the aliens aboard the Frontier for medical treatment.

Nathaniel was present to observe and even participate as Lieutenant Sheppard played a significant role in better understanding these mysterious aliens despite the inability of Federation medical technology to overcome the natural interference encountered when attempting to treat their injuries. The young technician was not surprised when Lieutenant Sheppard strongly objected to demands by a fringe Cardassian group that the aliens (later known as the V'Sai) be turned over to them. Witnessing first contact and interaction with the V'Sai proved to be a stark contrast to the two major conflicts Nathaniel had experienced since joining the Frontier.

An Uncertain Future

Nathaniel continued to serve as a medical technician aboard the USS Frontier for nearly a year following first contact with the V'Sai before he learned Lieutenant Sheppard had been offered the chance to participate in specialized field tests aboard the USS Vesta, a Vesta-class starship operating along the southern-most Federation frontier as part of the Eleventh Fleet. Starfleet seemed to feel Sheppard's experience as a physician would prove valuable in understanding the physical and emotional stresses endured by personnel serving aboard slipstream-capable vessels. It was an opportunity which seemed to be on the most cutting-edge of Starfleet exploration which was why Nathaniel was all the more surprised when the lieutenant asked if he would be interested in coming along. The decision was not an easy one, given everything the Frontier crew had been through during Nathaniel's short time aboard that vessel and the relationships he had only just begun to form with many of his fellow shipmates. Considering the great value he placed on his relationship with Lieutenant Sheppard, however, Nathaniel decided to embrace this new opportunity and departed for his rendezvous with the USS Vesta.

Field testing of the quantum slipstream drive began shortly after Sheppard's and Jacobson's arrival. Nathaniel's primary responsibility during testing was to assist Lieutenant Sheppard in monitoring both physical and emotional health of the crew, looking for any signs of negative influences which may have resulted from sustained flight at slipstream velocities. Initial test flights yielded some measured success over those conducted by the USS Voyager during their journey home, but performance results quickly plateaued until there was no longer any definitive improvement being shown. Starfleet decided at that point to recall the USS Vesta in order that the Starfleet Corps of Engineers might re-examine the project more closely.

Nathaniel could sense Lieutenant Sheppard had not taken Starfleet's decision as easily as the latter might have led others to believe. It seemed for a time as if the lieutenant's decision to choose this opportunity (and by extension, for Nathaniel to accompany him) might have left them at a rather dead end as far as their careers were concerned. Yet Lieutenant Sheppard continued to maintain his usual air of calm as they returned to the Utopia Planetia Shipyards where it was discovered the lieutenant had been personally requested to serve as Chief Medical Officer for the newly-established Starbase 484. Lieutenant Sheppard graciously accepted the position on the condition that Nathaniel be allowed to accompany him. So it was that Sheppard and Jacobson set out for Jouret IV and their new responsibilities as part of Starbase 484's medical department.

Service Record

Starfleet Service Record
(2386-2387)		Enlisted Recruit	Starfleet Enlisted Basic Training
(2387)		Enlisted Recruit	Starfleet Enlisted Medical Training
(2387)		Medical Technician	USS Frontier
(2387-2388)		Medical Technician	USS Frontier
(2388)		Medical Technician	USS Vesta
(2388-Present)		Lead Medical Technician	Starbase 484