Lieutenant JG Nathan Cady

Nathan was born on the planet Turkana IV, still in civil unrest after decades. He is the 2nd graduate of Starfleet Academy to have escaped from that violent colony, the first being Lieutenant Natasha Yar (deceased) of the USS Enterprise-D. Nathan was abandoned by his parents at age 7 and fended for himself since that time. He quickly went deep underground and secluded himself in an old library. He was able to survive by eating rats and distilling sewage water, having to come to the surface only for firewood during the winters. During many of these excursions he was assaulted and raped many times (see Psychological note). He kept himself sane by reading the texts in the library, including Federation history and starship theory as his favorites. At age 10, during a firewood excursion, Cady found the remains of a mostly gutted small shuttle, which he hid carefully. Over the next 2 years, he took deadly risks to steal and scrounge parts to repair the shuttle, using his library books as reference. He managed to make the shuttle space worthy and imagined leaving Turkana IV and going to Earth, not realizing that without warp power it would take him centuries to get there. Instead, he barely made it through the atmosphere and plotted a course (something he'd only read about) out of the solar system, only to be caught in the orbit of Turkana VII. With his life-support failing and no communication system (another necessity he thought he could do without) other than a distress beacon, he thought he was doomed. Miraculously, a passing Andorian freighter heard his distress beacon and managed to rescue him. They took him safely to the nearest starbase, where he applied for amnesty and Federation citizenship and traveled to Earth.

Now 12 years old and a Federation citizen, Cady was examined and tested by scientists. Although his upbringing was crude, his intelligence tested high enough for advanced education. Cady had other ideas, however, and petitioned Starfleet to allow him to take the entrance exam on the basis that he had been independent for over 5 years, had no living relatives anywhere, and had no other means of supporting himself. The Academy Admissions Council reminded him that he didn't need money, but understood and allowed him to take the exams, certain that he would not be able to pass, and could then be persuaded to attend to more basic education. Cady surprised them by passing all entrance exams (some brilliantly, most barely). Without grounds to refuse, the Admissions Council had no choice but to admit him, and he entered Starfleet Academy at age 12.

After graduation from the Academy, Cady was assigned to the Cocoon Fleet as Operations Officer aboard the USS Horizon. Shortly after arriving on board, he and the FCO, Lt. Jarek Malaar, were captured by the Romulan renegade P'Ghal who had a personal grudge against Malaar and the Horizon's CO, Capt. Tergin. Cady was released in exchange for the Captain. During this mission, Cady met a young Bajoran girl named Alorna Sel, whose parents were members of the Horizon crew. He and Sel began a brief courtship, which ended when he took her to an establishment on Starbase Omega, where he became involved in a brawl. Sel refused to have anything more to do with the young man, who also had a note placed on his permanent record about his conduct. Around this time, Cady also became attached to the Horizon's counselor, Lt. Pol Canon. Canon had just begun to gain the boy's trust when he was reassigned to Deep Space 101. Cady was very hurt by Canon's sudden departure, even though he since gained more friendships in the Horizon's FCO/2O (Lt. Jarek Malaar), CMO (Lt. Trinity Layne-Malaar) and CSO (Lt. Arkanis).

During his second mission aboard the Horizon, Cady began a Friendship with Cadet Cal Douglas, who was on field training. With permission of the Captain, Cady and Douglas became roommates. On a stopover at Deep Space 101, Cady was talked into drinking an alcoholic beverage, which nearly killed him with toxic shock. DS101's CMO operated on Cady, replacing his blood and thereby saving his life.

Cady led his first away mission on 12.0622, assigned to deliver a device to a scientific outpost on the Noo'ach moon, while the rest of the crew engaged in the diplomatic conference there. Believed to be a harmless mission, Cady was given a team of young inexperienced officers. Cady also chose Cadet Douglas to be the pilot for the mission. Soon after takeoff, a sentient 'space storm' of unknown origin damaged their shuttle and caused the team to crash land in the moon's cavern. Finding atmosphere, the team began a journey along the cavern to the science outpost in order to contact the Horizon and complete the mission. While there, Cadet Douglas tripped a Hetgarot Security Training Area called the Proving Grounds. Like a holodeck with no safeties, it created scenarios of the worst fears of the team. They managed to escape, with only emotional scars, and were eventually returned to the Horizon, with the mission complete. As a result, Cady was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his successful completion of the mission.

Just before the Horizon's return to SB Omega, Cadet Douglas was possessed by an entity that had been in his subconscious mind, released and strengthened by the ordeal in the Proving Grounds. The entity took over Cal's body, killing several crewmembers before it burned out, killing Douglas in the process. Cady, who had fallen in love with Douglas, was devastated and became much more emotionally distant.

After the Horizon's return to Omega, Cady was transferred to Deep Space 101 as Operations Officer. Soon after his arrival, DS 101 experienced a number of temporal distortions due to the Bajoran Orb of the End. While attempting to make repairs in an irradiated area, Cady was rescued and brought to sickbay where he was treated for severe radiation poisoning. In a despondent mood, he chose to have his scars removed, moving closer to accepting his past. At this moment, Cady received the Star of Hope, posthumously awarded to Cal Douglas, sent to him by Captain Tergin.

Cady's first mission on DS 101 was to join the USS HIKARU in an investigation of warp signals detected in an adjacent sector. Upon arriving, the Hikaru crashed on a desert planet covered with a deep layer of loose sand. While making repairs to the outer hull, microscopic silicon-based life forms penetrated Cady's atmospheric suit and entered into his body. Briefly, they took over Cady's mind, although a way to expel their influence was soon found. Unfortunately, immediately after being released from sickbay, Cady was captured by a related species of alien and taken into the atmosphere unprotected. Due to the remains of the aliens within his system, he was able to adapt to the harsh environment. He stumbled across another injured crewmate that had been lost during repairs and began a rescue attempt. During this attempt, he was able to finally make a communicable contact with the alien life forms who meant no harm. Cady and crewmate were released and rescued by the Hikaru, which had completed repairs and left orbit.

The Hikaru then continued its mission making First Contact with that system's residents, the Gortu. After some confusion over whether or not the Gortu wanted contact, an away team beamed down to the planet, including Cady. When Captain Alyza was called back to the ship to deal with other matters, Cady was left as ranking officer on the away team. While attempting to assist the Gortu in coordinating relief efforts against a natural disaster, Cady was approached by a news reporter for the Gortu's broadcast system. Reluctantly, he was interviewed by the reporter on a world-wide broadcast, making him the first alien to be seen by the vast majority of the Gortu. Meanwhile, Cady's roommate on the Hikaru, an introverted ensign named Randall Knicks, fell victim to a genetic disease that caused most of his organs to shut down and begin decomposition. The Hikaru returned to DS 101 and despite best efforts, Knicks had to be put in cryogenic suspension. At Knicks' request, Cady was given the power to make the decision.

Due to stress over his recent ordeals, Cady was ordered to take three weeks of vacation. Intending to visit Earth, he contacted Commander Irene Rhynes and arrange a visit. She informed him that they had discovered that his mother may still be alive. After further information revealed she might be on the pleasure planet Risa, Cady altered his plans to go there in an attempt to find her. Upon arrival, he met and became romantically involved with Madwyn Border, a guitarist from the band The Maybe Industry. He indeed found his mother after some difficulty and found that she was a willing consort to the Orion slaver Chojin. Unbeknownst to him, the members of The Maybe Industry participated in terrorist acts. At the direction of Maybe Industry drummer "Hex" Lexington, they had planted an explosive device on Chojin's ship. Attempting to rescue his mother, Cady tried to kill Chojin, but was unsuccessful. His mother helped him off the ship but stayed behind, not believing that the vessel was in danger. After being beamed back to the surface, Chojin's ship exploded. Cady's mother was believed killed in the blast.

Upon returning to the Cocoon with Border, Cady was reassigned to Advanced Tactical Training on Verstes IV. Cady finished Advanced Tactical Training in late 2413 and was reassigned to the USS Horizon as Executive Officer of the Special Operations team under Lieutenant Arkanis. He and Border parted ways before his return to the Horizon, however, details have not been made available as to why. Shortly after his return to the Horizon, Cady received a message from a young man known only as "Chug." (Chug had been the leader of the gang primarily responsible for much of Cady's tortured youth, having raped and beaten him on numerous occasions, according to Cady's own reports.) The message consisted only of a vid image and a set of coordinates. The vid image showed Chug torturing Madwyn Border. Knowing this was merely an attempt to trap Cady, Lieutenant Arkanis assembled the Special Ops team, as well as the Horizon's hostage negotiation expert Lt<jg> D'Artaigne Storm, to rescue Border. Unbeknownst to them, this was merely a portion of a plan conceived by the Klingon criminal Garal, who had recently escaped from a Federation penal colony where she had been serving a sentence for attempting to hijack the original USS Horizon on its shakedown cruise. Garal had purchased Chug from an Orion slaver and had made contact with Andromedan/Trasien dissidents known as The Separatists. The Separatists, with assistance from Garal and her allies, had salvaged the stardrive section of the Horizon that had been abandoned in a nebula in the Andromedan galaxy. While the SpecOps team attempted to rescue Madwyn, Garal and her shapeshifting Trasien allies snuck onto the Horizon in disguise as the SpecOps team. They quickly began sabotaging the Horizon, causing the stardrive section to be evacuated and then cutting power to the separated saucer. In addition, Commander Jack Haynes (the Horizon's first Executive Officer, against whom Garal carried a grudge) was taken captive by the terrorists. Cady and the SpecOps team were able to free Border from Chug and escape with the original captured stardrive, however, Chug had stowed away on that vessel, and managed to kill Border after all. Chug was captured, however, and confined. The SpecOps team then used the old stardrive to help the saucer section defeat Garal. Captain Tergin and visiting Alpha Centauran Ambassador Vhesha P'Nehbuddar, who had been trapped on the stardrive managed to free Commander Haynes and were beamed off before the stardrive was destroyed. Garal and her Trasien allies were killed in the destruction.

As the Horizon continued its mission, Captain Tergin transferred away from the Horizon, replaced by Lieutenant-Commander James Burke. Soon after Burke's arrival, collision with a spatial anomaly cut all power to the entire ship, allowing Chug to escape from the brig, taking the new CO's wife, Ensign Kathryn Burke, hostage in the process. Cady, Arkanis and Bordaq attempted to hunt down the prisoner and free Ensign Burke. Bordaq managed to find them first, incapacitating Chug and returning him to custody. Not long after his recapture, Chug was taken by the time-traveler known only as "Dr. Wednesday" for reasons unknown (see SF document #0144292ar495 "Wednesday, Dr."). Chug's whereabouts are currently unknown, but it is believed that he may ultimately have access to time-travel technology and will almost certainly make further attempts on Cady's life. In the following months, Cady began to recover from the events surrounding Chug's return and Border's death. He has become more integrated with the SpecOps team as well as other Horizon crew members.

With the departure from the Horizon of Jarek Malaar and Trinity Layne-Malaar, Cady has worked on becoming more independent, and recently began a relationship with Ops Chief D'Artaigne Storm, although he has made public declarations that he is not serious about the relationship. Storm maintains that these declarations are not entirely accurate. During a mission to investigate the binary star in the JerJoye system, where one of the stars was on the verge of going nova, the Horizon discovered a large space station orbiting one of the planets. The planet had been abandoned, but a small crew had been left in cryogenic suspension. The Horizon sent an away team to investigate the supposedly abandoned satellite, but the satellite's defenses were triggered, trapping the away team, and waking the suspended native crew. Cady and the Special Ops team were sent over to rescue the away team, and in the process, one of the station's crew shot Cady. Dr. Electra Threin (part of the first away team) used her telepathy to gain information about the medicines available in the satellite's sickbay and used them to help stabilize Cady. The alien medicines had an unfortunate side effect, however, in that Cady's metabolism began to accelerate rapidly, causing advanced aging. Cady aged to over 100 years in the course of a few hours, the shock leaving him quite incapacitated. With the help of the now-cooperative Joyean crew, Threin was able to develop a treatment. Over the course of the following weeks, Cady's age was gradually returned to normal. He was awarded the Wounded Lion for his role in the mission.

Cady has good health for his age. Due to malnutrition and other harsh effects of his years on Turkana IV, he has developed several digestive problems. Consumption of most rich foods is not recommended. Due to rigorous self-training, his muscle structure is well-developed for his age. Though frail and weak when arriving on Earth, he now has a slightly better than average build.

SD 11.0514--
Lexicon

Cady uses several terms, presumably in common use on Turkana IV. Most have been noted as expletives, however I will continue to make note of these as I learn of them. (copy sent to SF Cultural Center)

    Coalie- (noun) A member of the Coalition, one of the two opposed factions of civilians on Turkana IV. Cady was more closely associated with the Alliance, therefore he uses Coalie as a pejorative term.
    fosh- (noun) Stuff, things, miscellanea. Possibly an expletive, but Cady has not used the term in such a way to my knowledge.
    diff- (adjective) Interesting, worthwhile, 'up-to-date,' etc. (e.g. 'You're diff for an old person.'). Has comparative and superlative forms (e.g. 'John is differ than Mark;' 'Sue is the diffest girl on board.').
    licker- (expletive noun) A stupid or inferior person. I have not been able to determine what licked object is being referred to, although it could be a short form of 'boot-licker,' someone who panders to those in authority. (e.g. 'Mark is such a licker.')
    scuff- (expletive verb) To violently engage in sexual intercourse, although more versatile forms are used (e.g. 'scuff yourself,' 'scuffing idiot,' 'scuffed up').

More information will be noted as it becomes available.

A note that on the above stardate Ensign Nathan Cady was involved in activities unbecoming to an officer. The infraction was not enough to warrant an official reprimand nor slight enough to go unnoticed. However I do not feel that this will effect his performance in any way in the future.

On the above stardate Cady imbibed approximately .5 liters of real alcohol. This resulted in toxic shock syndrome and near death. His blood was replaced on Deep Space 101 and he has recovered, but it is absolutely imperative that he never consume alcohol of any kind in any amount.

Due to Cady's experience in the Proving Grounds, he is beginning to face his past experiences. Most notably, he has become slightly more comfortable with his first name. He now allows five people (including myself) to call him "Nathan." He seems to be comfortable with that change, and I feel he will allow more to address him in such a manner as time goes on. However, the death of Cadet California Douglas has been extremely traumatic for Cady, and he seems to be less emotionally invested in his interactions with others. Cady may need extensive psychological help in order to handle this experience.

On this date, after treatment for radiation injuries, Cady elected to have the scars removed from his abdomen and upper legs.