2378: Promoted, Lieutenant JG, Tactical Officer, USS Troy
It would be Matthew Davidson who would become his best friend. A fellow choirboy and newly moved, Matthew connected quickly with William. They did everything together, and you couldn't really see one without expecting the other to show up as well. When William turned 15, Matthew suggested that they d take his parents shuttle and go to New York to celebrate. William agreed, but the shuttle crashed somewhere in Scotland. What happened during the month they were missing is unknown, even for William. William had gotten a head wound, and was found holding the dead body of Matthew, trapped inside a small cave. William was dehydrated, something which did not help his condition. He spent a week in hospital, but did not remember a single thing. He was not even sure who had suggested the shuttle ride. All that he had to show for it was a scar on his scalp, and a claustrophobia he had never had before.
William's family moved back to Manchester, mostly because life in Newcastle had become unbearable for William. He was shunned by most, and went into a deep depression, trying to kill himself at some point. He was sent to a counsellor, and put on light medication, until a year later he was recovered enough to start Upper School again. Though his mood had recognizably darkened, William was motivated by the simple desire of feeling useful. He did his A-levels, with English Literature and Biology, as well as film studies, at the top of his list. And yet, he wanted something different. The years he spent at school only made him realize how much he wanted to leave Earth, to try something different. Starfleet seemed a rather obvious choice, and he took it after graduating.
Starfleet Academy was a challenge indeed, but William was used to hard work. He wanted to become a Cadet in Flight, but lacked the qualifications. His claustrophobia was a problem as well. The counsellor that interviewed him decided that William was more suited for tactical, having a rather quick mind a knack for adapting. He was a student that was more than willing to spend hours working, especially during nights, feeling more comfortable being awake in the dark. He graduated in 2377 and was assigned to the USS Troy as a tactical officer. The Troy gave him a unique chance to be the assistant of the researcher, and his job was usually fixing the numbers that the researcher needed for the battle plans. It gave him an easy confidence to talk to others in other departments, and he got a quick overview how each department worked. He also knew enough to be able to engage in a conversation, finding it easier to get numbers out of a reluctant Ops officer through friendly chatter than through orders from his superiors.
William got promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade, his duties being shifted to the more standard jobs of a tactical officer. But the six months spent with the researcher had taught him to view numbers in an entirely different way than before, now that he knew the real source behind them. It was with a heavy heart yet optimism that he in 2380 got transferred to the USS Hidalgo. The Hidalgo had a larger Tactical staff, and his Chief thought that William would learn more there. He did after all see a bright future for the younger man. William quickly befriended some security officers, but one was a prankster that thought that locking William inside the armoury would be hilarious . They did it, and William spent several hours locked inside, screaming to be let out. Another security officer saw him on the monitor and let him out, only to be attacked by him. William was demoted to Ensign, but no further chargers were put against him given his claustrophobia. He was sent to a counsellor, who after a few sessions regretted to inform her Captain that there wasn't much to be done about William.
William spent a year working his arse off to redeem himself for this, yet no one seemed to forget what had happened. Labeled as a coward and more or less a freak, William sought a transfer to another ship. The USS Galaxy were in need of a tactical officer, and he was sent over in 2381, as an Ensign four years out from the Academy.
William s claustrophobia and loss of memory bothers him more than he admits even to himself, and he can occasionally gets depressions. Though nothing serious, he keeps things bottled up in himself as he believes that being all sappy about it is hardly the way for a man like him to behave. He also carries the guilt of Matthew s death, and the doubt that perhaps he did kill him without knowing it. Therefore, he will often punish himself by working harder than he has to, and he often belittles himself. But as dark as his dark side is, he has some good qualities. He is usually honest and compassionate, yet hardly a fool. People often underestimate him because of his looks and his rank, but William does not suffer fools kindly. Yet he is the one to make silly jokes to brighten the spirits of others, and often says the wrong thing on purpose to make others laugh.
His interest in literature is often reflected in the things he will talk about, and he can occasionally slip in quotes from poetry into conversations. He has a keen interest in women, as well as men, though the latter is more hidden than the first due to his upbringing.
William reads a lot of Lord Byron's work, as well as Poe, fascinated by the darkness and torment of it. He plays the guitar fairly well and occasionally writes songs. While being interested in his job, he would much rather hang out with friends than be on duty. He is a decent cook, and takes a great pleasure out of making something for his mates. When it comes to music, he likes rock but often ends up listening to metal when the mood strikes him. He has practices Taekwan-do since childhood, and even if he is just a blue belt, he enjoys it. He also is addicted to the Holodeck Game Silent Hill, and plays it whenever he feels up for some horror in his life.
He will not step into a small room/space or shuttle unless ordered to. But he has conditioned himself to survive the turbo-lift. His hair is dark blond, and he has blue eyes. Off duty he usually wears jeans and some band tee shirt, and even if he hates to admit it he is drawn to dark colours.
