Civilian Verity Thorne

Character Information

Gender		Male
Species		Human
Place of Birth		London, England, Earth
Age		34
Date of Birth		2357

Physical Appearance

Height		5'11''
Weight		147 Ibs
Hair Color		Brown
Eye Color		Blue
Physical Description		Average build and height, Verity is more striking in his facial features than his physique, with a strong jaw line, large and intense eyes and full lips. He has a tattoo of a cross on his upper left arm, gothic in style but only in black. He also has a tattoo of twisted thorns around a sword down the length of his back.

Family

Spouse		Oliver Sylver, Partner
Children		None
Mother		Lady Patricia Thorne, *deceased*
Father		Lord James Thorne, Civil Servant
Siblings		Sir Eliot Thorne, Minister Colonel Clement Thorne, Army Officer
Other Family		Uncle, Maurice Thorne, Minister

Personality & Traits

General Overview		Considering the years he spent as a Catholic priest, Verity may not be what someone would expect. He's certainly warm and generous and has an easy going nature when in the company of others. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do to help someone out and he doesn’t have it in him to be mean spirited. But he’s something of a wild boy on the quiet and likes to drink, dance, ride bikes and have a laugh with friends. He has a sharp sense of humour that is sometimes dry and sarcastic, but he would never mean any real harm with it. He will stand up for someone or himself when needs be, isn't someone who gets intimidated by others, and he's even found himself caught up in the odd brawl here and there, even if just to try and bring it to an end. He is always honest about what he thinks, even if it's clear that it might not be something that's a popular view, but he will always try and present it diplomatically rather than with accusation or superiority.
Strengths & Weaknesses		Strengths: Academically gifted and quick minded, observant, good memory, keeps calm and practical under stress and in emergencies. Weaknesses: He may be able to brawl when necessary, and has had basic self-defence lessons from his training, but his combat skills are restricted to that basic level. Knows little to nothing about engineering or operations. Can have an overactive and ruminating way of thinking.
Ambitions		He prefers to live for the moment and is currently content with what he is doing.
Hobbies & Interests		Music; plays the piano, organ, violin and sings as well as having a lot of experience running and conducting both singing and instrumental groups. Bikes, motor bikes and hover bikes. Reading, theatre, old fashioned films, holonovels and ballroom dancing. Studying the classics, classical civilisation, history, myth and theology.
Languages Spoken		Federation Standard (also Latin)

Background		Verity was born as the younger son into a family of standing in London, England, Earth. They were 'old money' as some still call it, his father holding a title and the majority of the estate. His father was also a General in the army before moving into the Civil Service, while his Uncle was a politician. It was a difficult environment to grow up in, and by the time Verity was 13, his eldest brother was already making his move into the world of politics, and his older brother was preparing for the entrance process of the army. It was clear that Verity was expected to follow suit. In many ways, Verity didn't fit. He wasn't seduced by the power of politics. On the contrary, growing up, he saw all too well what some of those people were like, what they did behind closed doors, and how his family had become just as corrupt in some of their dealings...and he didn't like it. His already difficult relationship with his father and brothers only strained more when he was old enough to confront such behaviours. And the public front they were expected to maintain was draining. The often unpleasant struggle between father and son became too much, and when Verity was 18, having completed his higher level exams, he told his father he wanted no part of the career that had already been carved out for him. Instead, he wanted to do something he felt for. He wanted to study theology. His father all but laughed, but the anger came when he realised he was serious. The family were Catholic, but his father wasn't, exactly, devout, or particularly governed by it in his life. A compromise was brokered and he attended university where he did a triple subject degree in classical civilisation, history and theology. He did well academically as he always had at school, and by the time he graduated with a first class degree, he had made his mind up what he wanted to do. The more his father resisted the idea, the more Verity was drawn to it and he decided he wanted to become a Catholic priest. His father told him that if he did it he could stay away from home. For Verity, in truth, it only added to the feeling of freedom the prospect brought to him. Years of study and devotion at the Catholic seminary was difficult to settle down to for Verity, but he was a good academic student and was determined. When he sometimes struggled with the devoted life and abstinence, he was told that everyone struggled, and if it wasn’t difficult for him then he should be worried. His first position as a Catholic priest was back in London but in a far underprivileged area than he had grown up in. It was a difficult first experience as a priest, but he stuck with it, refusing to buckle under the pressure. When they saw how dedicated he was to the run down church and the social and support groups he ran for the people in the area, they decided he was what they were looking for to run a parish in an even tougher area of the city, a forgotten or perhaps ignored run down area with a lot of people who needed help. Verity was daunted to say the least. He got stuck in, and brought in a new rule that forbade the doors to be locked, even at night. Slowly and surely he got sucked deeper into it all and it wasn't long before virtually all his time was taken up either in the church or running support groups or working with the people who needed help in the forgotten backstreets. Verity remained there for years, so it came as a complete shock when he sent the letter that he wanted to leave the priesthood. Despite the bishop trying to counsel him he refused to speak about why he had made the sudden decision and wouldn't change his mind. After leaving the priesthood, Verity was understandably lost for a while. His work had been his life, and he had little to fill his time. He travelled for a while, dropping off the radar and just drifting. By the time he travelled back to earth he'd decided that he wanted to become a civilian chaplain in Starfleet. If anything the panel was wary when he applied for the specialist course. They gave him a grilling at his interview, unsure if it was a good idea to take a man who had previously been a Catholic priest into what was a multi-faith position. However, he assured them that he wanted to concentrate on helping people with matters of spirituality when they were in space and away from home, be they from other religions or holding no faith at all. They decided to give him a go and Verity applied himself to his studies, doing well in the specialised course that would allow him to serve as a civilian chaplain in the fleet. He spent a year on the USS Raleigh, settling into the position with a naturally easy going nature that seemed to work well, before later being sent to the Galileo. His time there was fraught with danger, trials and challenge, but it was also where he met Oliver Sylver. He found himself drawn to the handsome, talented pilot, falling in love despite his best efforts. It was sheer relief when Oliver confessed he was in love with him, and he could tell him he felt the same way. They embarked on a relationship that brought Verity more happiness than he had ever thought he could feel again. Life in Starfleet wasn’t on their side though and Oliver was transferred to another ship. Despite trying to find postings to allow him to be closer, it wasn’t to be. They were determined to maintain a long-distance relationship though and despite the difficulty, they made it work. Not long after, Verity fell ill and was sent to Starfleet Medical on earth for treatment. He was suffering from a rare virus that led to him being partially paralysed. It felt like his days being couped up in a hospital might never be over, but he couldn’t bring himself to be completely honest with Oliver about it. He wanted him to focus on his work, so he’d be safe out in the stars. Still, he always replied to the daily messages he received from him, doing his best to keep Oliver’s spirit up. It took months of recovery time, but eventually, he was declared fit again. It allowed him to try and transfer closer to Oliver again, and finally the fates aligned. Both Oliver and Verity were granted transfers to the USS Fenrir.
Service Record		2387-2388 – Starfleet Academy Specialised Civilian Training, Chaplain 2388-2389 – USS Raleigh, Civilian Chaplain 2389-2390 – USS Galileo, Civilian Chaplain 2390-2391 – Starfleet Medical – Medical Leave 2391-Present – USS Fenrir, Civilian Chaplain
Medical History		2390-2391 – infected with a rare strain of the Silbere virus. Was sent to Starfleet Medical for full treatment. Experienced symptoms for several months, including paralysis in limbs, nausea and aversion to eating, headaches, dizziness, fatigue and confusion.