Born in the Summer months of 2341, Matthew Strathaven spent most of his childhood touring Europe and living with his mother in Scotland, who specialised in farming in the south western end of the land where the country's metropolis and modernisation was taking place yet again. His father, seperated from his mother, played senior officer to a marine regiment and was frequently based all over the quadrant. Despite his random disappearing acts, he spent much time trying to devote himself to his son and very rarely months went by without a long and fun-filled visit from Christian.
A quiet and shy boy, Matthew took the time to develop his intuitive and creative abilities at school. He was never short of friends but often played the grey man and settled into the objectives and mischief pre-planned by others. With such an enhanced ability to pre-guess the outcome of future situations and to develop safer and more methodolical ways to go about their business, friends mutually accepted him and allowed him to take part in all activites.
He thrived and prospered with his education, never sure of where his life was going to take him. Science was a strong fixture although Matt always had a strong ability to understand written literature and adopt other cultures and environments. Into his teenage years he was at a physical peak and played for numerous school teams across the planet and occasionally the quadrant when competitions called for it. He had a stubborness that was somewhat calm and eluded others into following his ideologies, thus he captained many of his extra-curricular groups.
Upon finishing his final secondary school term, the boy was at a loss for his future and spent the Summer aiding his mother and the rest of the agricultural sciences group. He found it tedious and boring and often rebelled and made attempts to quietly escape and spend the day in some other continent or over on Mars. He had girlfriends, small love interests who would pittle away on the back of his mind untill he had finally forgotten about them and hurt them. Friends, however, were slowly disappearing across the galaxy and pursuing their education and careers further. Making a stand during a shopping trip in outter Glasgow, he entered the Starfleet centre and signed his name down, contacting his father for that required recommendation from a senior officer. Christian, happily playing what he thought was a strong role-model, obliged willingly and signed off on the recommendation.
Seven weeks later, Matt passed his aptitude test and entered his first year of the academy before signing onto the marine course. Christian Strathaven, a combat marine for over twenty years, found no faith in the decision and was extremely upset by his sons bold move, having assumed that - as per the young mans nature - he would have entered the science field and pursued a career of exploration.
Matt attended the Corps academy and continued his training and learning experience, passing out after two years of officer training and a year of field training as a second Lieutenant. He was a box-standard officer and liked to stick to the textbook, however young and naive at the time, his quiet nature did not seem to suit the rugged styles of the infantry section. He was instead snapped up and placed at the head of a sensor/analyst platoon for the HQ company of a battalion attatched to the 2nd Regiment.
Assigned to Starbase 41, he spent several years at his post diligently monitoring the sector as he could and working alongside fleet personnel to provide constant analysis and results. Nothing interesting happened, the primal region was extensively geo-seizmac and there were hardly any inhabitants in the system. Starbase life was dull and regimented. His leadership experience bloomed but his shyness and quiet nature kept him reserved and out of the way of others.
When transfers came through, the battalion was moved to join the 39th regiment alongisde a Federation terraforming group. He eased away from his sensory post and took command of a platoon of 28 attatched to the infantry company. They served aboard the USS Plateau and after most of the planetary area was terraformed, they took turns as peacekeeper elements and operated with reconnaisance and patrolling throughout the area. Combat drills, live fire exercises and general infantry maneouverability were on the agenda and the years provided Matt with much experience. He was promoted to first Lieutenant and served in a more senior role within the company, taking charge of drill and slowly succumbing to small administrative duties.
Time ran on, technology changed as did field work and experience. The Dominion War breached in the early 70's and Matthew found himself in full combat for only the second time. His first had been during a month long terrorist skirmish on Betazed where his battalion fought off a small, guerilla insurgency. Now much more was expected of him.
Serving aboard the Galaxy class Plateau had been easy but as ship after ship made their way to areas in dire need of defense, it was only a matter of time before the vessel and it's marine encumbrance would be dispatched to join the growing battles. They were immediately deployed along with three other vessels to the outlying Selona system in a sector closer to the outter rim of Cardassian space. Five days prior to arrival and C Company were deployed on Selona 3 to set up a blocking position and caustic defense.
They were ambushed immediately, second platoon were all but obliterated by camouflaged Jem'Hadar troops who assaulted them upon their drop from the transport. First platoon, commanded by Matt at the time, were ordered to scout the previous position. They stumbled across their fallen colleagues and bedded in, digging into the soft areas within the forrested world and keeping an eye out. At some point during the early evening their communications were cut and they went dark to the rest of the battalion (now encircling spaces of the northern continent) and their vessel. A day later, their external observation post was literally stumbled upon by a member of B Company. They had taken down three seperate groups of Jem'Hadar assault troops, causing disturbance to an enemy artillery battery's supply line. They had dug in and taken the attacks throughout the night before, as it was reported, Strathaven himself had led a squad under convering fire into the enemy's laying-up-position. When Baker Company arrived, they were preparing four prisoners for transport.
Matthew was promoted (rather hastily) to company commander of Able, commended and spent time getting to know the early brass of the battalion's senior officers. When asked how he had managed to take on such an arduous task, the modest platoon leader calmly explained without a blink that he placed two arcs of covering burst fire and had maneouvered a squad through the centre of the area while the remaining troops entered through the rear. The maneouver was textbook and is still referred to in modern instruction to date. Matthew became famous throughout the year on Selona, leading his skeleton infantry company from the front and sustaining little casualties. He was up to date with his administration, respected by his marines and good at communicating with higher ups.
On return for resupply during the second year of the war, he immediately placed a transfer request to fight elsewhere. Matthew had never been a hero but did not enjoy the boredom of shoreleave. He had no direct love interest nor family to visit, he had yet to even receive news of his fathers death on Deep Space 12. He joined the 4th Regiment in the 1st Assault Division and slipped into Baker Company in it's first battalion, specialising in airborne field insertion and close quarters tactics as was required with the cunning and exceedingly strong Jem'Hadar ground forces.
1st Assault found their way to Betazoid, a planet the Lieutenant was already familiar with, and Matt led Baker company through an arduous number of months repelling a Dominion counter attack from the ground. He was praised, commended and on his third medal but always placed recommendation for his troops first. Medals were thrown like bones to dogs to Baker company who thrived under an easy-going and level-headed leadership system with all their officers.
From Betazed to the Badlands and then on past Bajor to hold their ground at the battle of Celestial Starbase 77, a key turning point for assault forces in the war, and then on to dotted planets around the sector; the 1st Assault were a well-known name for combat operations. As the war faded and a peace settled upon the Galaxy, they were withdrawn and returned for a long and well-earned shoreleave away from the hustle and bustle of combat and duty.
On his return, Matthew made Captain and took on a more senior role as a leader. The company settled into routine and joined their entire battalion aboard the USS Normandy, a heavy assault cruiser tasked with carrying fighters and marines. They patrolled and operated, numerous peacekeeping operations kept the soldiers busy and plenty of time was given to field exercises and training. New recruits came and went, the HQ company expanded and beuraucracy became a notion that marines were now used to. First battalion became it's own task force and was moved to Quo'nos where they cross-trained for a year with the Klingon empire. The experience was tough yet exhilirating. The Klingon section leader did not take kindly to Baker Company's commander and deliberately pushed Matt harder and harder yet he continued to be un-fazed and learned with ease. In the end they found peace and said their goodbyes safe in the knowledge that they had both taken something from the experience.
The next five years were a number of dotted assignments. A station on Rijja 5 became a home away from home where the battalion concentrated much of their time and effort towards training and field preperations. They maintained the posting with Cpt Matt Strathaven as the company commander until assignment returned them to active duty and placed them aboard another vessel. |
