Positions
Held
Positions
HeldChief of Security
Kelvan
Benton's ancestors were participants in the attempted conquest of the
Milky Way Galaxy by the Andromedan Kelvan Empire which occured during
the time of Captain James T Kirk. In fact, Benton can trace his lineage
directly to Rojan and Kelinda, two of the leaders of the invasion force
who were stopped by Kirk himself. Raised in the snow-covered northern
latitudes of New Kelva, the small planet colonized by the original Kelvans,
Benton became interested in learning about his adopted galaxy. To that
end, he enrolled in Starfleet Academy. He decided to focus his career
on the Security arm of Starfleet. His sworn duty would be to protect all
sentient beings from injustice and harm.
After graduation from the Academy, Benton was assigned to the security
detail on the small starbase Farpoint Two. It was a dull tour of duty,
as the base was rather out-of-the way, and the local population was mostly
peaceful. Still, he managed to distinguish himself by single-handedly
uncovering and bringing to justice the leader of an illegal exotic animal
smuggling ring, and was subsequently promoted to lieutenant. Benton requested
a transfer to starship duty, and when the opportunity to work on the USS
Virgo presented itself, Benton volunteered. Unfortunately, an unexpected
and particularly violent ion storm had delayed his arrival at Deep Space
15, and he had arrived after the Virgo had already set sail. He was then
forced to wait to a year until the first Federation Transwarp Drive could
be assembled. Then, he was given permission by Rear Admiral Zultok himself
to take the transwarp-capable shuttle and catch up with the Virgo.
Outwardly, Benton appears to be complete Human. Upon arriving in our
galaxy, the original Kelvans shed their alien bodies and assumed human
shape. Their Human bodies were textbook perfect, possessing above average
strength, stamina and reflexes, and these characteristics were passed
down to their offspring. Benton therefore is physically indistinguishable
from an extremely healthy Human. Mentally however, Benton has pronounced
Kelvan tendencies. Kelvans are possessed of enormous intellects, capable
of processing and following hundreds of separate lines of thought simultaneously.
While not capable of quite this level of cerebral activity, Benton has
a keen intellect and unwavering mental discipline.
Benton is always careful to be as polite and as gentlemanly as he can, because he considers himself to be an ambassador (of sorts) representing his race, and should therefore always project a positive image. Benton is intelligent and observant, but because of his Kelvan heritage he has some difficulty understanding Human behavior and idiosynchracies, and often fails to pick up on the subtleties of what is going on around him.
Except for the hundred or so Kelvans present in the Milky Way today, the Kelvan race has not been heard of in over a century.
On April 23, 2383, Benton was promoted to Lieutenant Commander for his
valor in a campaign led by Captain Maruu on Xenon III.
Richard Merk