Bravo Fleet
Summary
Commander Austin Carver is the chief counselor aboard the starship Pallas. He is gregarious and outgoing, with a personality that puts other people at ease. He is in phenomenally good shape and likes to use physical exercise as a counseling technique, especially sports. In addition to being a trained counselor, he has a medical degree and is a qualified psychiatrist, with additional certifications in exercise science and kinesiology.
Appearance
Carver has a very muscular physique, weighing 90 kilograms and coming in at 1.8 meters in height. Thanks to his legendary workout routine, Carver tries to make sure that he is in the best shape of his life every single day. When possible, he finds ways of putting his hard work on display, too, by losing his shirt whenever he can.
Personality
A golden retriever personified, Carver is outgoing, friendly, and often “too much.” He likes being the center of attention, especially off duty, and brings 100% of his energy to every situation he finds himself in. Compared to some of his peers, Carver’s subject matter knowledge is very, very specialized on psychiatric medicine and physical fitness, so he can be on the back foot with things like engineering or non-biological sciences, but he learns quickly and is very innately intelligent. Throughout his career, he’s had to fight the stereotype that he’s only a musclehead or a pretty face—though he’s generally affable enough to not let comments like that get him down.
Romantic and Sexual Relationships
Carver is exceptionally successful in terms of his dating and sexual life—he gets a lot of attention, and he’s more than happy to pursue or be pursued. While he won’t sleep with his patients—something now somewhat difficult given that there are only three counselors on the Pallas—he has few qualms or hangups and doesn’t like denying himself the potential for a good time. Where Carver has had less success is with long-term committed relationships. In some respects, he just doesn’t have the attention span for them. The closest he has come to such a relationship has been his extended “situationship” (not quite a relationship but more than friends with benefits) with Lieutenant Matthew Belvedere on the Arcturus, though the two of them don’t intend to continue this now that they’re serving on different ships. He has also had a long on-again, off-again sexual relationship with one of his best friends, Commander Jack Van Dorland. Carver identifies as bisexual.
History
Education
Austin Carver entered Starfleet Academy in 2384, initially intending to train as a medical officer. While at the Academy, his outgoing personality and the ease with which he interacted with his fellow cadets led his instructors to encourage him to consider counseling instead. In the end, Carver chose to do both—finding a pathway towards a degree in psychiatric medicine, which he combined with a program in kinesiology (the study of how bodies move), as he knew that would open three different career pathways for him: a ship’s counselor, a ship’s physician, or as a personal trainer. It was here that he first met Luca Sheppard, his roommate for their first three years at the Academy, who shared many common interests (particularly exercise) and had chosen a career in nursing. The two remain close friends, and have shared several postings.
Following three years studying psychology at the academy itself, Carver joined Starfleet Medical Academy for the second half of a six-year program. While he somewhat regretted watching his classmates like Sheppard taking on postings in space while he stayed behind, he knew that it was his chance to become absolutely the best he could be in his field. Following his graduation as a medical doctor and a lieutenant junior grade in 2390, Carver entered a four-year residency in psychiatry at Starfleet Medical, where he was able to work with patients of many different species.
Early Starfleet Career
Following the completion of his residency, Carver, now a full lieutenant joined the crew of the starship Ganymede as one of two counselors. The Ganymede was posted to deep space, which marked the first occasion that Carver had spent any extended time outside of the Sol system. In many ways, he found his three years on the Ganymede to be exciting, but he also felt anxiety being separated from his parents and brothers by so much distance. Following this tour of duty, Carver declined to seek another starship position and took a role as an attending physician in psychiatry, again at Starfleet Medical, so that he could continue to hone his skills. During this period, Carver reconnected with his roommate, Luca Sheppard, who was now himself pursuing a medical degree, and he became friends with Sheppard’s husband, Michael Lancaster.
Recent Service
Persuaded by his friends, Carver joined the crew of Starbase 38 in 2399 as one of many counselors. While he was still reluctant to go back into deep space, he was happy with the compromise of being based at his friends’ homeport while staying relatively close to his family. Eventually, he did join the crew of the Arcturus later that year, after realizing that he needed to make some changes to his life in order to not get “stuck” at the lower echelons of his career. Carver enjoyed his time aboard the Arcturus, as it was large enough to still feel like he was on a starbase, which also meant that there were more opportunities to do specialized programs like Exercise as Medicine.
In 2401, Carver transferred to the starship Pallas as chief counselor, with a promotion to commander.
Service Record
| Date | Position | Posting | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2384 - 2385 | Pre-Med & Psychology Student | Starfleet Academy |
 Cadet Freshman Grade |
| 2385 - 2386 | Pre-Med & Psychology Student | Starfleet Academy |
 Cadet Sophomore Grade |
| 2386 - 2387 | Pre-Med & Psychology Student | Starfleet Academy, Earth |
 Cadet Junior Grade |
| 2387 - 2390 | Medical Student | Starfleet Medical Academy, Earth |
 Cadet Senior Grade |
| 2390 - 2394 | Psychiatry Resident | Starfleet Medical Academy |
 Lieutenant Junior Grade |
| 2394 - 2397 | Counselor | USS Ganymede |
 Lieutenant |
| 2397 - 2399 | Attending Physician in Psychiatry | Starfleet Medical, Earth |
Lieutenant |
| 2399 | Counselor | Starbase 38 |
 Lieutenant Commander |
| 2399 - 2401 | Assistant Chief Counselor | USS Arcturus |
Lieutenant Commander |
| 2401 - Present | Chief Counselor | USS Pallas |
 Commander |