Vincent Vail

Vincent Vail

Rank: Civilian
Position: Former Archaeologist / Anthropologist

Appearance

Species: Human
Gender: Male
Born: 2325
Hair: Greyish Black
Eyes: Grey
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 180lbs

Vincent is a strong though slender man, with graying short cropped hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He has a blue ink tattoo that wraps around his right forearm and up to his elbow, a gift from the people of Nal. It is just a simple blue band, but striking none the less. He has a very well defined face with pronounced cheekbones, and a ready smirk. He has been known to have been called quite dashing, in his time.

Personality

Vail is a man of strong opinions with a sarcastic sense of humour. His wealth of experience compared to most younger starfleet officers plus his age and natural arrogance means he feels like he generally has the rights to express his opinions, and will not hesitate to speak if he feels he has something to say. He is quite confident, and he has less of a deference to authority then then event he average civilian. He spends most of his time observing people, despite his willingness to speak out, as he uses his knowledge of anthropology to study the people surrounding him before he begins to make forays into conversation. This allows him to get an idea of how they will react. While he is a risk taker, Vincent uses his prodigious intelligence so that every risk is a calculated one.

He has been known to be somewhat selfish and arrogant, but he is more then capable of making friends and helping people, and he doesn't seem to be a bad person at heart.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Vail is a man of many talents. He took a more hands on approach to Anthropology and Archeology then most Starfleet types would. He is an avid outdoorsman, and in very good shape. He can also handle a weapon better then most other anthropologists, and knows smatterings of more then one martial art taught to him by the alien cultures he studied. His experience gives him a calm under fire many people, let alone scientists, would envy and the ability to think about academic concepts in broader strategic and tactical terms. The way his talents tend toward militarism seem suspicious, and many people who know his pasts suspect he was involved in a more illegal business then his current record would suggest.

Vincent can be prone to arrogance, however, which has gotten him into trouble more then once. Also, his independent streak might do him more harm then good in the structured world of starfleet.

Ambitions

Vail's reasons for being on a starfleet ship are nebulous, and some believe he is there to run from something from his past. As such, his ambitions lie outside the starfleet arena.

Hobbies and Interests

Vincent enjoys the intellectual pursuits, but also prides himself on his physical fitness, and will often be found in the gym or holodeck exercising. He also enjoys the artwork of alien races, and he has a large selection of artifacts from various worlds. He also reads often, and has written the occasional anthropology journal article. He is excellent at playing chess and will rarely be beaten in cards.

History

Vincent Vail was born to a father in the Federation Diplomatic Service, and as such he saw many alien cultures as a child, and was introduced to many new experiences that earth bound children never see. It was through studying the cultures he met with his father that Vail gained his passion for Xenoanthropology.

Vincent had all the best tutors as he traveled with his father, and got his doctorate in anthropology and a degree in archeology at a relatively young age at the prestigious universities on Bolarus IX. The university life had bored him, though, so he immediately went out exploring the galaxy, going to little known planets and living with the people there as he studied their culture. He would release a paper about a planet he visited, then disappear for months, even years at a time, returning a lot richer and with only a wink to those who inquired as to how. Most people assumed he was 'acquiring' and selling pilfered alien artifacts, but no one ever found out for sure. Vail did this for years, eventually becoming a respected, though never really exceptional, anthropologist.

Right before he joined starfleet as a civilian contractor, Vincent returned from a absence of more then a year with less enthusiasm then usual. He bid farewell to all of his friends, sold his house and things, put his latinum into a trusted bank, and signed up for a consulting position on a science ship, hoping that he would get to see at least a little excitement.

Vail also suffers from a disease called the Stigma, which makes him deathly allergic to plant spores on the planet Nal. This hardly matters in his normal life, as long as he doesn't go to Nal or a planet with similar plant spores, but he still takes medication for it regularly, and some question the validity of him continuing to take this drug so far away from Nal. Rumors of an addiction have spread, but are unconfirmed.

Family

Father: Alexander Vail
Mother: Amberly Vail