Valkyrie Crew Bios
Captain Rupert Charles Avery
Name:  Rupert Charles Avery
Rank:  Captain
Position:  Commanding Officer, USS Valkyrie
Nicknames:  Roo
Place of Birth:  Town of Ravensburg, Barony of Darkmoor, Krondor Colony, UFP
Age:  34
Race:  Human
Gender:  Male
Ht:  5' 8"
Wt:  155 lbs.
Eyes:  Dark Brown
Hair:  Black, shoulder length, worn long and tied back in a pony-tail when on duty.

Physical Description:  About 5' 8" and of a light, wiry build, but he holds himself with extreme confidence.  His facial features are nothing that could be described  as attractive, by human standards.  His face appears pinched and his eyes could be described as beady.  His black hair is worn slightly longer than regulation and he has a scar above his left eyebrow, and one on his chin.  He is average looking, and if he wasn't a Starfleet Officer, and a Captain, he wouldn't draw much attention in a crowd.

Family:  Father - Thomas Avery, deceased
            Mother - Helen Avery, deceased
            Cousin - Duncan Avery, Age 40

Education:  Primary & Secondary Education - Krondor Colony
                 Undergraduate - Starfleet Academy, class of 2366
                 Advanced Training - Branch Officer Training (Security/Tactical)
                                            - Bridge Certification Training
                                            - Command School
                                            - Tactical College - Starship Tactics
                                            - Strategic Operations College - Intelligence Ops

Service Record:  Starfleet Academy 2362-2366, graduated 12th of 332
           Cadet Cruise - six months, 2366
           Branch School - six weeks, 2366
           Bridge Certification Training - three weeks 2366
           USS Berkley - Nebula Class - 2366-2368, Ensign, Security Officer,       
             promoted to Lt(JG) and Assistant Security Chief after six months.
           Tactical College - Starship Tactics
           USS Zhukov - Ambassador Class - 2368-2372, Lieutenant, Chief of   
             Security/Tactical Officer, promoted to Lt. Commander after 18 months.
           Strategic Operations College - Intelligence Monitoring
           USS Geronimo - Akira Class - 2372-2374, Lt. Commander, 2nd Officer,
            spent six months on a classified mission for Starfleet Intelligence.
           Command School
           USS Venture - Galaxy Class - 2374-2377, Commander, 1st Officer, spent
             three months on a special ops mission for Starfleet Intelligence.
           Special Tour with Starfleet Intelligence, 2377-2378, Details Classified.
           USS Valkyrie - Nova Class - 2378 to present, Captain.

Personal Background:  Born to Tom and Helen Avery in the town of Ravensburg, Barony of Darkmoor, on the Krondor Colony in 2344.  Due to complications at birth, Helen Avery died shortly thereafter.  She was a slight woman, very small and frail and her delicate constitution could not withstand the rigors of childbirth.  Tom Avery was never the same.  Subconsciously he blamed his newborn son for the death of the one person in the world he loved more than life itself.  After his wife's death, the interstellar merchant turned to drink.  In Roo's eighteen years at home, his father was rarely sober.

    His father being a merchant, owning his own small interstellar freight service, he was gone for weeks, perhaps months at a time.  During these long absences, Roo stayed with his best friend Erik's family.  These were the happiest times that Roo can remember of his childhood.  Occasionally he would travel with his father, and as he got older, he became quite a good pilot and a veteran spacer.  By the age of eighteen he could pilot just about any shuttle or small freighter he would come acrossed.

    His education was haphazard, but he managed to get good enough grades to be admitted to Starfleet Academy in 2362.  For the first time in his life, Thomas Avery was proud of his son and began to think of him as a man instead of merely a boy.

    Roo got along well in the Academy, his friend Erik saw to that.  Erik had been admitted to Starfleet as well and the two continued their lifelong friendship.  Erik helped Roo to keep control of his wild temper and focus on his studies.  Though he got into a few scuffles, Roo excelled in academics.  He had a natural intelligence and took very well to the Security Training which he had chosen as his specialty.  He spent hours working on his hand-to-hand skills and even managed to join the Academy Fencing Team as well as the local chapter of the S.C.A (Society for Creative Anachronism).  By the time he graduated not only had he become the Captain of the fencing team, but a feared competitor at S.C.A. competitions with the Rapier.

    Roo graduated at the top of his class and quickly earned an assignment on the USS Berkley, a Nebula Class Starship as a junior security officer.  He learned and adapted quickly to shipboard life, having spent half of his youth onboard transports it wasn't difficult.  Captain Elizabeth Haley awarded him a commendation for protecting a visiting diplomat during a diplomatic conference onboard the Berkley when the opposing sides erupted into violence.  Roo was injured and spent several weeks in recovery before returning to duty.  He was also promoted to Lt(JG) after only six months of service.

    In 2368 Roo was promoted to Lieutenant and transferred to become Chief of Security of the USS Zhukov, an Ambassador Class Heavy Cruiser.  Captain Milus Verata gave Roo high marks in all of his evaluations and even made him the ship's tactical officer in addition to his job in security.  Towards the end of his tour on the Zhukov, hostilities broke out with the Klingon Empire in Arkanis Sector after the Klingons withdrew from the Khitomer Accords.  The Zhukov, along with other starships was ordered to the area to "hold the line" against Klingon agression.  In an engagement with a Klingon K'Vort Class Battlecruiser, the Zhukov's shields were breached and the starship was boarded by Klingon troops.  Lieutenant Avery organized the security forces and managed to hold the Klingons off until the shields were restored.  He received a commendation for his efforts, and a promotion to Lt. Commander.

    In 2371, Lt. Commander Avery was transferred and assigned as Second Officer of the USS Geronimo while the Zhukov underwent extensive repairs from the Klingon conflict.  The Geronimo, under Captain Gregory MacCray, saw considerable action during the short-lived conflict with the Klingons.  The new Akira Class ship fared much better than had the Zhukov.  Then the suprise Alliance between Cardassia and the Dominion ended the conflict with the Klingons and the Dominion War began.  The Geronimo was refitted to serve as a Strike Carrier during the war, and she carried an average complement of 72 Federation Fighters and was deployed with other ships to provide cover from Jem H'adar and Cardassian fighters.  In late 2373, Deep Space Nine fell to the Dominion and the war began in earnest.

    In 2374, Roo was promoted to Commander and assigned as first officer of the Galaxy Class Starship, USS Venture under Captain Benjamin Dawson.  The Venture was part of the 7th Fleet and was one of only 14 ships that returned from Dominion Space out of 112 that engaged the enemy in 2374.  The Venture participated in many engagements with the enemy during the course of the war including Operation Return as Deep Space Nine was recovered from the Dominion as well as the Invasion of Cardassia and the final battle over Cardassia Prime.  In 2376, the Venture was reassigned to exploration duties following the end of th war.  Roo spent several months away from his ship on a special ops mission for Starfleet Intelligence.  He is under orders from the Chief of Starfleet Intelligence not to reveal any details of these assignments.

    In 2377, Roo left the Venture and served in the Starfleet Intelligence Division for almost a year before requesting a reassignment and a command of his own.  He was quickly awarded the USS Valkyrie, a Nova Class Science Vessel serving in the 5th Fleet under Rear Admiral Obi Mendahar at Starbase T'Plana-Hath.

Hobbies & Quirks:  Roo likes to practice martial arts to keep his body and mind fit.  He also tends to practice with his rapier as not to get rusty.  He is a competent rider, but hates travel by boat.  Roo is afraid of his temper and works hard to keep it in check.  He takes comments about his appearance in stride, but is fiercely protective of his friends and crew.  As the sole surviving owner of Avery and Company, Roo spends much of his free-time managing the fledgling company and has a decided interest in commerce, commenting that he will one day retire and turn his father's company into the largest trading consortium in the Federation.
         
Captain Rupert Avery
CO

USS Valkyrie
arutha71@ameritech.net