Lieutenant Commander Christopher Arundel

Character Information

Nickname		Kit
Gender		Male
Species		Human (Colony Born)
Age		41

Physical Appearance

Height		6 ft
Weight		180 lbs
Hair Color		Sandy
Eye Color		Green-Grey
Physical Description		At six feet tall, Kit has a lean but sturdy build, suggesting an active lifestyle rather than a dedication to physical fitness. His features are strong and angular, with prominent cheekbones, a defined jawline and the faint lines around his eyes that have become more noticeable with age. His light brown hair, streaked with sandy highlights, tends to become slightly tousled, and more often than not he has a dusting of stubble. With an easy smile and expressive grey-green eyes, Kit has a naturally approachable manner, helped by his relaxed posture and disregard for standing on ceremony. There's often a mischievous glint in his eyes, and his crooked smile is a sign that he’s about to crack a joke…or already has and is waiting for the consequences. However, his features can convey an intensity that’s rather startling in someone that’s usually so good-humoured…particularly when something has managed to wipe the smile from his face.

Family

Spouse		None
Children		None
Father		Nathanial Arundel, Governor of Abylon Colony
Mother		Felicity Arundel, Chancellor of the Capital University
Sister(s)		Charlotte Arundel, Administrator in the Abylon Colony government

Personality & Traits

General Overview		Friendly, quick-witted and generally good-natured, Kit is a sociable man who rarely takes himself, anyone else, or ranks too seriously. He has an easy rapport with patients, the ability to talk to them like people rather than medical cases, and uses humour in pretty much every situation...even the grim ones. When things are going well, he’s known for his easy-going quips and jokes. When things are going badly or he’s angry, the humour becomes cutting, cold and sarcastic. You know things are *really* bad when the jokes stop altogether. Even Kit would have to admit that he’s more irritable than he used to be. Years of dealing with bureaucracy have left him cynical about authority. He has no objection to following competent leadership, but he tends to assume that administrative interference is unnecessary. Nevertheless, Kit takes his responsibilities as a physician extremely seriously. He is deeply committed to his patients, regardless of their background or political affiliations, and considers their dignity and welfare above all else. He has absolutely no problem giving someone a piece of his mind when angry, regardless of rank, and he can become too stubborn when he doesn’t agree with a decision. He’s been in trouble plenty of times for losing his temper on such occasions, not that he cared. But fundamentally, he’s not an angry man. He just becomes angry when people cause suffering, knowingly or not. For all his bluster, he’s discovered that he rather enjoys being part of a crew. Not that he would ever admit it.
Strengths & Weaknesses		Strengths: A vastly experienced and resourceful physician, Kit thrives under pressure, remaining remarkably calm and adaptable in a crisis. His years in humanitarian medicine have taught him to think on his feet, improvise with limited resources and make difficult decisions when necessary. Usually easy-going and quick-witted, Kit has an easy rapport with people from all walks of life, with a particular talent for putting others at ease with honesty and humour. Compassionate and fiercely protective of his patients, he is a passionate advocate for their welfare, regardless of rank, status or political affiliation. He is also an approachable and encouraging mentor to younger staff, preferring to lead through collaboration rather than authority. Weaknesses: Impatient with bureaucracy, Kit has developed a tendency to assume interference is unnecessary or obstructive, sometimes provoking confrontations that could otherwise have been avoided. His sharp tongue and irreverent humour become a lot more cutting when frustrated, particularly when dealing with people in authority. He’s been in trouble for being disrespectful to senior officers on more than one occasion. Stubborn when convinced he's in the right, Kit sometimes struggles to recognise that others may be just as convinced they’re doing the right thing. While effective at leading during a crisis, he is a lot less enthusiastic about the routine administrative and day-to-day responsibilities of command, occasionally neglecting them in favour of more interesting work.
Ambitions		Kit has little interest in rank or career advancement. Ideally, he'd like to combine the freedom of his former civilian career with the resources available to Starfleet, although he knows that’s highly unlikely. In the meantime, he hopes to make a meaningful difference wherever he's posted, both through his work as a physician and by challenging the unnecessary obstacles that prevent others from receiving the care they need. Whenever he can persuade Starfleet to put compassion before protocol, he considers that a good day’s work.
Hobbies & Interests		A sociable man, Kit enjoys spending his downtime in good company, preferably over a drink and a game of cards, pool or darts. He has a competitive streak and likes a good wager, although his impulsive nature sometimes gets the better of him. He's also a keen amateur cook, having developed an appreciation for the comfort a good meal can bring during his years in humanitarian medicine. Kit also plays the guitar, a hobby that provided many an evening's entertainment around campfires during his crisis relief days. He still owns the same battered guitar, covered in stickers and adorned with mementoes from his travels.

Personal History		Born in 2357 on the Federation Colony Abylon, Kit enjoyed a comfortable upbringing as the son of the colonial governor. His father was a well-respected leader, committed to the colony's prosperity and security, although not immune to the prestige and pageantry that came with his position. Unfortunately, his son found the whole business rather ridiculous. Bright, friendly and with a lively sense of humour, Kit was a capable student, but rarely matched his potential. He was easily bored, particularly with subjects he found tedious, and he preferred distracting classmates to working. His father hoped he might develop an interest in public service, but Kit thought the endless meetings, manoeuvring and political games were a lot of nonsense. That wasn't to say the two didn't get along. Their relationship was generally affectionate, if occasionally exasperating. He just couldn't understand why so much time had to be wasted discussing things instead of *doing* them. The outbreak of the Dominion War in 2373 brought the wider galaxy closer to home. Although their colony was spared the worst of the fighting, its location placed it within reach of the growing humanitarian crisis. As refugees began arriving from worlds threatened or devastated by the conflict, the government established several centres to provide shelter, support and medical assistance. Keen to demonstrate the administration's commitment to the relief effort, Kit’s father volunteered his teenage son to help at one of the centres. It was a decision motivated by genuinely good intentions, but the good publicity certainly wasn't lost on him. For his part, Kit was less enthusiastic. He had no experience with refugees or patients, no interest in humanitarian work, and suspected the arrangement was another of his father's attempts to improve his public image. To his surprise, he found that he rather enjoyed the work. While initially awkward and unsure how to approach people who had experienced such hardship, Kit soon discovered that he had a natural ability to put them at ease. Rather than treating them with excessive sympathy, he simply talked to them, listened to their stories, cracked a joke to lighten the mood and offered whatever practical assistance he could. Before long, he was volunteering of his own accord. It was during this period that he attracted the attention of a local physician, Heather Knight. Initially sceptical of the politician's son, she gradually came to recognise both his affinity for working with patients and an intelligence that had thus far been squandered. Encouraged to assist with basic medical care, Kit discovered that medicine offered the sort of practical and intellectual challenge he had been missing. Under the physician's guidance, his casual interest developed into genuine enthusiasm, and she eventually agreed to sponsor and mentor him through his medical education. After completing his medical training, Kit pursued a career in emergency medicine, developing a particular skill for trauma care. He enjoyed the unpredictable nature of the work, the need to think quickly under pressure, and the opportunity to work directly with patients from all walks of life. It wasn't long before he returned to humanitarian medicine, taking a position with a civilian relief organisation operating across Federation and neighbouring territories. Over the following years, he worked in a variety of challenging environments, including refugee settlements, disaster-stricken colonies and regions affected by armed conflict. Often faced with limited resources, inadequate facilities and overwhelming demand, he became adept at improvisation, problem-solving and making the best of whatever was available. His easy-going nature, dry humour and willingness to muck in made him popular with colleagues and patients alike. He rarely stood on ceremony and was generally content to let others take the lead, provided they knew what they were doing. However, his work sometimes caused conflict with local authorities, politicians and administrators whose priorities did not always align with those of the medical teams. While otherwise good-natured, Kit had little patience for officials who placed politics above the welfare of their people. His usually easy-going jokes would become sharp and savage, and more than once, he found himself arguing with local authorities over access to medical supplies, treatment facilities or vulnerable people. What started as occasional indignation developed into a fierce determination to advocate for his patients, regardless of whose toes he might tread on. Having frequently worked alongside Starfleet medical personnel during humanitarian operations, Kit had developed respect for the organisation, especially its advanced medical technology and resources. Such missions also built his reputation with them in return, garnering approval, and he was eventually approached with an offer of a commission. Initially reluctant, Kit saw little appeal in surrendering his independence, particularly to a fleet with so many rules and regulations. However, Starfleet's representatives were persuasive, assuring him he could continue to work within its humanitarian and disaster relief operations. The prospect of continuing his work with access to all those resources was too tempting to refuse. For the first few years, the arrangement held. Assigned to humanitarian operations, Kit thrived on the challenge of relief work with all the equipment, personnel and facilities he could ever dream of. Although he found some aspects of Starfleet procedure unnecessarily strict, he was generally satisfied. Unfortunately, this comfortable arrangement didn’t last. When Starfleet reassigned him to a more conventional posting, Kit protested that he’d been assured he would continue working in humanitarian medicine. His superiors, however, reminded him that as a Starfleet officer, he would have to go wherever he was sent. His following postings on regular starships were an education, both for the doctor and his commanding officers. Kit struggled with the rigid aspects of Starfleet's command structure, particularly when regulations or orders seemed to interfere with patient care. His clashes with authority became a lot more frequent with senior Starfleet officers, and his trademark sense of humour gained a much sharper edge. Despite his willingness to argue with officers, his competence was never in question. An accomplished physician with a vast amount of experience managing medical emergencies, Kit proved equally capable of organising personnel, making difficult decisions and maintaining a medical department under pressure. Indeed, his superiors often found themselves in the position of acknowledging his talents while simultaneously wishing he would learn to keep his mouth shut. His eventual promotion to Chief Medical Officer brought an additional irony; he was now responsible for enforcing many of the same protocols he had spent years complaining about. By the time of his assignment to Faltan Station, Kit had developed a reputation as an excellent doctor but a challenging officer and subordinate. Whether Starfleet considered the posting an opportunity to put his crisis experience to good use or simply an opportunity to tuck him out of the way is unclear.
Service Record		2376-2382: Civilian medical training 2382-2384: Doctor, Emergency and Trauma department, Capital Hospital 2384-2390: Doctor, civilian mobile humanitarian and disaster relief 2391-92: Accepted a commission with Starfleet Medical, attends condensed training 2393-2395: Served as a medical officer on Starfleet humanitarian and relief missions 2395-2396: Medical Officer, Starbase Hawke 2396-2397: Assistant Chief Medical Officer, USS Winchester 2397-2398: Chief Medical Officer, Starbase 32 2398-Present: Chief Medical Officer, Faltan Station