Lieutenant James Barnes
Name James Ramses Barnes
Position Chief Security/Tactical Officer
Rank Lieutenant
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | El Aurian | |
| Age | 286 | |
| Languages | El Aurian, Federation Standard, Terran |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 6'4 | |
| Weight | 225 | |
| Hair Color | Brown | |
| Eye Color | Blue | |
| Physical Description | A large, muscular man with an easy smile, Jim doesn't give off the impression that he knows how 'big' he is but rather relaxed in his body/self. |
Family
| Spouse | N/A | |
| Children | N/A | |
| Father | Glenn Barnes (adopted, Terran) | |
| Mother | Kathryne Barnes (adopted, Terran) | |
| Brother(s) | Bradley Samuel (Rook) Johnson multiple others |
|
| Sister(s) | multiple | |
| Other Family | Nieces, nephews, etc |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Barnes spent a very long time bitter over the destruction of his homeworld and then the loss of his emaining family in the Ribbon. Due to that he went to a very dark place and then lost himself in intoxicants. With the help of his adopted family, he foun dhis way out and has returned to a more balanced, even place. | |
| Strengths & Weaknesses | Has a very strong attachment to his adopted family (which can come to include the ship and crew). That he is an 'endangered' species weighs heavily on his mind. He is just now beginning to understand how his long live will impact with that of his adopted family. | |
| Ambitions | To make sure his actions would make both his natural and adopted parents proud. He wants to create a stronger Security department that is better prepared to handle multiple and shifting threats both known and unknown. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | Jim enjoys outdoor sports, especially ones with a 'thrill' factor but mostly cycling, trail running, old Terran style football from the Western tradition. Aside from that he enjoys holo-novel adventures. As something of a 'home body' he also enjoys spending time with his adopted family and loves it when he can. |
| Personal History | Ramses was born hundreds of years ago on El-Auria. He had just entered his 'rebellious teen' phase when the Borg came to assimilate the planet. He was able to escape with his parents but his brother, and only sibling, was killed in the attack. Ramses never considered that his brother may have been assimilated because either way his brother was dead. Losing his brother, and best friend, devastated Ramses as much as it did his parents. They drifted as homeless refugees with others who managed to escape, collecting stories from people of all sectors of the galaxy. Through this time, Ramses started to grow brooding and dark, constantly coming up with schemes and plans to retake their planet and make the Borg pay for their attack. His parents became worried but felt there was little Ramses could do to put his plans in motion, there were too few El-Aurians and they were sure to keep themselves secretive from other races. The El-Aurians were making a pilgrimage to Earth when their ships were caught in a cosmic nexus of the space/time continuum. Ramses aboard the S.S. Lakul was pulled off before the ship was destroyed, but his parents weren't so fortunate. Already grown brooding over the death of his brother and homeworld, Ramses went to Earth and became self-destructive. At that time he became involved in illicit substances and alcohol while doing whatever was necessary to keep himself numb. He fell into nihilistic philosophies, at one time espousing the work of Nietzsche as "the only one truth in the entire galaxy". Here he had run ins with Terran law enforcement over minor matters such as panhandling or trespassing, but the confrontations usually escalated to the point that officers would need to use force to subdue him. Ramses often found himself detoxifying in a jail cell while waiting for another quick trial and 'time served' sentence. During this time he was also hospitalized several times for suicide attempts - only half of which were actual attempts. The rest were accidents caused by his drinking or drug use. This pattern of behavior eventually brought him to the notice of Glenn Barnes, a law enforcement officer. Glenn found something remarkable about the person he considered to be just another young Terran male gone astray. Glenn took an interest in Ramses, trying to prove to him that other philosophies held more truth and more hope - including the deontology of Kant and the duty to help others. Eventually, with the guidance of Glenn and his wife, Ramses was able to get clean and turn his life around. After a stint in rehab, in order to help reinforce Ramses's life change, Glenn and Katheryn offered to do an 'adult adoption' and bring Ramses into their large family. After agreeing to become part of their family, Ramses had his name changed to "James Ramses Barnes". It was only just before the finalization of the adoption that Ramses revealed his ancestry as part of a race that counted their lifespan in millenia rather than decade as humans did. Through the adoption, Ramses gained new brothers - and for the first time - sisters. Having a real family helped Ramses to come out of the dark abyss where he had wallowed since the loss of his parents decades before. Ramses still drifted, however, not having any real direction for his life. He had wasted too many years inebriated and trying to avoid the pain of the losses in his life that he had lost all sense of direction. Briefly he considered becoming a law enforcement officer, like his adopted father, but had to admit that was an unlikely course of action with his recent history. He needed to find some way to prove his rehabilitation would stick. Glenn came to his rescue again, suggesting that Ramses join Starfleet to develop some discipline and structure in his life. Ramses, still harboring deep resentment that Starfleet wasn't able to save his natural parents initially declined. But Glenn insisted it would be a good life course and Ramses, eager to earn the respect of his new father, decided to give it a try. Joining Starfleet turned out to be an excellent choice for him. It allowed him a place to channel his rage and anger while feeling he was contributing something positive to the universe. Slowly his personal philosophy changed to a Kantian deontology and reflected that of Starfleet. Leaving behind nihilism was like shedding a skin and becoming someone entirely new. He was glad to have his new family come to his Starfleet graduation, but then realized that no sooner had he found a family than he was going to have to lose them again as he would be given various postings. By this time Glenn and Kathryn considered retirement and assured him they would come visit often and secured the promise that he would return home every chance he could. He didn't know when it happened, but Earth had become the home he lost with El-Auria. He watched as others from his class at boot began climbing the promotional ladder, leaving him behind. He watched as new recruits would pass him by in rank. The timing of promotion didn't interest him as he figured he still had centuries to live and to explore his new calling. An increase in rank would also mean less time he could spend at home. He volunteered for training and transfers that were of interest to him, whether it led to promotion was the least of his consideration. In this manner he has gathered an impressive resume of duty and service but it has also taken him nearly a decade to promote up the ranks. He has spent almost five years as a lieutenant. He has decided that Starfleet needs new ways to operate and maintain themselves and is dedicating himself to creating those avenues and programs as much as possible. The last few skirmishes he participated in the Federation showed him that they needed to consider new paradigms in how they operated and engaged. He feels that he now he needs to leverage himself into a position to begin making those changes. After a brief stint serving as Chief of Security/Tactical on the USS Samurai, James and the executive officer were determined to have conflicting personalities, culminating in the XO creating trumped up charges against Barnes. Instead of going quietly, Barnes defended himself at a tribunal, where it was discovered an obvious bias. He appealed the conviction by the tribunal, gaining an injunction against the enforcement of the punishment handed down and, during the appeal process, forced Star Trek to make him ‘whole’ in position. Barnes was then transferred to the USS Chesapeake, where he was able to serve alongside a young Chief Warrant that he took under his wing long ago. On the Chesapeake, Barnes earned distinction through the performance of his duties and for the actions he took in leading the charge against a Romulan dissident who formed a terror group. The Romulan, Lavik, vowed revenge against Barnes, Johnson, a civilian Romulan doctor and the ship in general. Lavik was presumed killed but events suggest those reports may be premature. Barnes was promoted to second officer of the ship and continued to serve well. Just as he found he won his appeal, evidence that he presented as well as witness testimony exonerated him at a fair appeals process. A member of the tribunal that originally sat in judgment of him was later demoted, stripped of duties and dishonorably discharged as the appeals court discovered that this member presented with an obvious bias against Barnes from the beginning. However, the Chesapeake was now slated to be decommissioned for an extensive retrofit. Barnes was transferred back to Earth to serve in an adjunct role until another assignment could be found for him. |