Mason Finch

Mason Finch was the Captain assigned to the USS Augustus in 2295. A young buck looking to make his name, his skills in command are still yet to be fully tested and the fire is set to only get hotter.

Early Life
Ever since he was a young boy, Mason Finch would look to the skies in wonder. He would hear stories of the great explorers out who had gone out there and done amazing things, read every news story that made it back to the civilians on Earth with enraptured awe.

Thus from a young age there was only ever going to be one job that he wanted, that he would crave more than anything. He wanted to be a Starfleet Starship Captain, he wanted to be one of the legendary figures he read about like Christopher Pike, Jonathan Archer, or even later James T. Kirk.

The only trouble was he was never the brightest or the best. He was pretty much average at most things. Not the best in math, but willing to take his time and work things out. Not the best engineer or scientist, he tended to take to long to get his mind wrapped around things. And he was never much of the athletic sort so joining as one of the rough and tough security forces wasn't an option either. But that didn't hold him back, no, instead, what he lacked in raw talent he made up for in blind willingness to do anything and try his hardest. He wasn't the best or the brightest, but he would let nothing hold him back.

He did well enough in school to at least be considered for Starfleet Academy, though he was turned down twice. He was almost 20 when he, at last, got his shot and he did not waste it.

Early Starfleet
While at the Academy he maintained an iron-clad focus on his work. Spending countless hours working on his school work and spending extra hours learning even more. He wanted to make it, to prove himself, and even though his grades were never the best, his instructors noted that he had a flare and willingness to work with others. He seemed to be able to surround himself with people who were able to get things done. When it came time to do group projects, it was his enthusiasm and vigor that seemed to bolster everyone else in the group, even if it was usually his part of the project that dragged the grade down. He was the sort of always get an A+ in effort and a C- in actual competency. But that would never hold him back. As he would tell others "Hey, a C- is a passing grade, and I'm in Starfleet!"

He would not graduate at the top of his class and thus did not get one of the better assignments. He had not shown aptitude in any general skillset, so he was put where he was needed most, in Operations. There he would work with the computer core and help out engineering, or do whatever else he was told to do. He was assigned to the USS Portman and there would take the same enthusiasm he had at the Academy to every task. He might have been scrubbing plasma conduits, but he was scrubbing the plasma conduits of a spaceship, in space! It was his dream and he felt it getting closer with every day.

It was that enthusiasm that made him a prime choice to go on away missions, collecting samples or being a seat filler as some diplomatic mission. Those above him, again and again, took note of how he worked with others. How he seemed to bring out the best in those around him and make them more excited about their work. He was skilled with people if nothing else. And if for no other reason than that be began to climb in rank, simply to give him a team to work with. And once he was in some form of command his skills began to shine clearly.

Later Starfleet
He managed to get the repair crews on the Portman working better than they had ever worked before and before long it seemed as if the Portman was becoming one of the ships of the line, even though it was little more than a tugboat. It was clear that his skills would be of more use elsewhere. With a heavy heart, he said goodbye when the time came and he was transferred to act as the Chief of Operation on the USS Janeston.

On the USS Janeston he would again prove himself a keen leader. He would work with other departments to streamline the computer, even more, reprograming the thing a couple of times simply to get the most out of the technology. Before long it was found that he was not as unskilled as it seemed, he simply needed the freedom to dictate his own tasks and the freedom to see the results. Given a crew and a task, he would make magic happen.

When the time came for the refit of the Lexington-class it was decided to promote him to Captain and give him the prototype one. It was not a critical ship and he had shown so very much promise that it was worth seeing what would happen. Six months later the USS Augustus was ready to launch and with his improvements to the timetable the Arcadius and Aurelius were not far behind, the Julius had launched before even the Augustus had.

PERSONALITY PROFILE
While he's never been the best or the brightest, there is no challenge that Mason will not take with an extreme level of enthusiasm and energy. He has always had the energy needed to bring anything he does to fruition and seems to bring out the best in those around him by default. Even though his own skills have never stood out from the crowd, he has a knack for finding other people's skills and drawing it out of them, giving them what they need to shine.

An explorer at heart, Mason is always curious as to what is over the next hill, that's orbiting the next star, what is just beyond where has been gone before. He seeks out those places without fear, hoping to find something interesting, hoping to learn something new.

Mason has a great deal of a hero complex for the Starfleet Captains of era's past. He wants to be just like those legends in any way that he can, to leave a mark on the galaxy. This has led him to act more recklessly and impulsively if he feels it will lead him closer to how he sees those legendary men being.

PHYSICAL PROFILE
Not the tallest or most muscles, Mason tends not to stand out in a crowd, instead if it wasn't for his boisterous personality he would likely disappear. His soft green eyes and medium brown hair don't attract much attention on their own. He is handsome and physically fit, but not so much so that it is apparent through the heavy fabric of his uniform. His hobby of rock climbing has giving his fingers and hands some rougher callouses and a more firm grip when it comes to handshakes and given him a sort of steadiness to his walk that makes him seem quite sturdy.