James Finch

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Human // Male // 28
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Rank: Commander 


Background: As a child, James Finch was fascinated by the stories concerning Old Earth and humanity's time spent in outer space that his family passed down from generation to generation. In fact, he was so enthralled by the tales, that they constituted most of the make-believe games he and younger brother, Erik, played when they were young. Together, they would escape from the Seven Storms and bravely board a space ship that would launch them into the unknown. Although the brothers slowly ceased from playing "kids' games", James' obsession with space and history did not.


Born into a poor faction and into an even poorer family, the Finches' frequently struggled to meet ends. Aaron and Salem Finch, nee Emerson, were both a part of the reconstruction effort, which, at least in their part of the country offered little pay and dangerous working conditions. Although the couple debated attempting to organize a strike in order to earn better hours and wages, they eventually decided that such endeavor was not worth the risk of leaving their family without food or shelter.


In their early teens, James and Erik left school in order to help provide for their family, joining their parents (perhaps not strictly legally) in the reconstruction effort. Despite working many long hours of hard, manual labor, James still day-dreamed about outer space. He imagined attending one of the prestigious preparatory schools that some of the more intelligent, wealthy kids had the opportunity to visit, and being hand-selected to journey on the first mission reaching outside of the solar system. While James kept himself distracted with his thoughts, Erik began to grow more cynical and bitter toward society. As the brothers progressed into their later teens, Erik began to become entangled with local gangs and crime. Possessed with new ambition and anger, Erik tried to convince James to join him, promising that they would never have to worry about money again. Disgusted, James argued that he would rather spend the rest of his days working in the reconstruction effort than associating with drug money. Furious, Erik ran away from home to live with his gang members.


Dismayed and guilty for letting his brother slip away him, James attempted to persuade Erik to leave the gang and come back home. However, before the brothers had much time to converse, a few of Erik's gang buddies noticed the two interacting, and approached them swiftly. Already made hostile toward James from what they had heard from Erik, the group spent very little time debating peacefully with James before attacking. Undernourished and unarmed, James knew he stood little chance against the gang in hand-to-hand combat. Baiting the group with taunts, James was able to connect an elbow to one young man's face and momentarily slip away. Unfortunately, the gang members were considerably faster than James, and were able to catch him quickly. Angry about their initial misstep, the gang began to brutally beat James. They likely would have beat him to death if a woman hadn't interceded. Armed with a gun and a scathing voice, she was able to chase off the gang and come to James' aide.


The woman introduced herself as Ellana Shepard, an official from the nearest preparatory school. After James received medical care for his injuries, she informed him that she had watched his encounter with the gang from the street, and had been impressed by his ability to escape being cornered, however briefly. Seeing potential in him, Shepard had James take a few entry exams for her preparatory school, and when he passed, offered him a free-ride scholarship to attend the school with the promise to behave himself and work hard.


Although James faced the academic courses with little difficulty, exceeding especially in physics, he struggled in the physical training at the beginning. Dedicating many hours to the gym, James was eventually able to catch up to his peers in that aspect. After finishing preparatory school, he was assigned to military work, in which he proved himself to be capable of leadership. James was then selected as commander for the mission he had once day-dreamed of, a prospect that thrilled him to no end. Despite his excitement, he still feels concern for his brother, and wonders if he is still alive.


Relationships: I will add to this pending approval.


Physical Details: Finch is by no means a large man; standing at 5'9", and weighing roughly 145 pounds, Finch is slightly smaller than the majority of his male comrades. He has a lithe, muscular build that he attained through the vigorous training provided by his Solar Navy training. Even so, he had difficulty gaining muscle quickly, and in the early stages of his training, his peers physically surpassed him with ease. Finch has a narrow face with defined cheekbones and dark, deep-set eyes. His dark hair is cropped closely to his head, and he is strictly clean-shaven. His voice is low and saturated, and he speaks with seemingly perpetual calmness.