Name: Andrew Curtiss
Rank: Captain, Earthforce
Role: Commanding Officer, Earth Alliance Station Babylon 5
Age: 45

Appearance

Andrew is 5’8 and thin, carrying himself with an easy confidence that stops short of a swagger.  He exudes an aura of calm, seriousness, and extreme intellect.  His face is long and thoughtful, slender with well-cut, angular features.  His eyes are a deep, piercing blue, with a softness around the edges that suggests kindness and venerability beyond his years.  He has thin blond hair that is so fine and neat that it appears almost painted on his skull.  His broad, thin-lipped mouth is stern, but contemplative.  Andrew is comely, but not remarkably so.  His uniform hugs the contours of his wiry musculature and is always crisp and inspection ready. He walks upright like a soldier; broad shoulders erect and unbending.

Personality

Andrew is articulate and patrician in every word – written and spoken – as well as in his mannerisms.  Being born into the elite of academic and social circles, he lacks an understanding of the lower classes.  He attempts to identify with them on an intellectual level, but he comes across as patronizing, and thus appears distant and aloof.  He has had exceptional academic training, and his keen and perceptive intellect is evident immediately upon meeting him.  He is a natural-born perfectionist on himself and those who surround him.  The men and women who work for him know that he is exacting and stern, but generous with praise and rewards when deserved.  He is impartial when it comes to correcting poor behavior or meting out punishment.

Andrew is charming and a good conversationalist, but his approach is more diplomatic than genuine.  He is level-headed and cautious, preferring to take his time to consider every word and angle before committing himself to action.  This has led to critics accusing him of being indecisive.  He is quickly irritated by crude manners and vulgar speech.  Andrew does not take criticism, regardless of how constructive or politely delivered, well.  Nor does he tolerate insult to the respect and obedience he demands.

As a military leader, Andrew is universally loved by his superiors, who value him for his intellect, ability to manage deliverables, diplomatic abilities, and his considerable social connections.  He manages the morale and welfare of his people very well, but it is an effort undertaken through a careful, logical, and reasonable approach, rather than one of genuine compassion.  He does not accept eccentricities among his leadership team or staff.  He is generally well-liked by peers and subordinates within his sphere of organizational hierarchy, but many of the lower-class employees have a hard time relating to him and vice versa.

History

Andrew was born the only child of Andreas and Alice Curtiss.  Both of his parents were well-known and respected professors at Geneva University.  His father was a sociology professor and is now an ardent novelist and academic celebrity and frequent guest on media channels advocating for caution when dealing with alien influences and promoting an earth-first mentality as it relates to trade, immigration, and cultural adoption or assimilation. His mother was an economics professor and a mentor to several current central bankers, treasury secretaries, and corporate leaders.

Andrew was raised in a classically New England patrician fashion, attending private schools in New York as a child.  He has always been very close to his parents, and as such, had a healthy respect for adults, rules, and societal mores and norms throughout his life.  In his high school years, he joined his parents in Geneva to study at a prep school there, where he became a popular figure as the leader of the debate team and a member of student government.  Andrew was passionate about politics and law as a profession, but personally obsessed with classical literature, philosophy, history, and especially military science.

It was a given that he would attend Geneva University, where he graduated at the top of his class with an undergraduate degree in Political Science.  At university he had few enemies, but also few true friends.  He was active in several school clubs and political groups, and was studious and charming, but he was considered a bore by his peers who were interested in experimenting with alcohol, drugs, and sex.  In his sophomore year he fell in love with Maria Burgess, an aspiring journalist and daughter of a retired Army General who had founded his own multi-billion-dollar defense armaments research and manufacturing firm.  Both of their parents approved of the match, and they were engaged by the summer of their junior year.  After graduation, the young couple was married and enjoyed a month-long honeymoon in Greece.

Andrew had been accepted into law school at Geneva University, but his interest in military sciences and the influence of his father-in-law, led him to pursue a commission in Earthforce instead.  He was obsessed with the ideal of a warrior-scholar and thought it would be a great platform with which to launch a political career after retirement.

Service Record

* Commissioned as Ensign
Jan 2236 - Jan 2238: analyst and briefer, Headquarters Strategic Space Command, Io Station.
* Promoted to Second Lieutenant
Jan 2238 – May 2241: Chief of Intelligence, 51st Tactical Fighter Wing, Saturn Station.
May 2241 – Jul 2241: student, Academic Instructor School, Geneva.
* Promoted to Lieutenant
Jul 2241 – Aug 2244: academic instructor and commandant of cadets, Earthforce Academy, Geneva.
Aug 2244 – Jun 2245: student, Earthforce Intelligence School, Geneva.
Jun 2245 – Jul 2247 (Minbari War): Chief of Intelligence, 3rd Fleet, Mars.
* Promoted to Lieutenant Commander
Jul 2247 – Jan 2248: student, Earthforce Staff College, Geneva.
Jan 2248 – Jul 2249: student, military attaché training, Geneva.
Jul 2249 – Jul 2251: military attaché, Earth Embassy, Centauri Prime.
* Promoted to Commander
Jul 2251 – Sep 2254: politico-military affairs officer, Headquarters Strategic Space Command, Io Station.
Sep 2254 – Jul 2256: Director for Defense Policy and Arms Control, Earth Alliance Security Council, Geneva.
* Promoted to Captain
Jul 2256 – May 2258: Chief of Staff Group, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Geneva.
May 2258 – Dec 2259: Director of Intelligence, Headquarters Strategic Space Command, Io Station.
Jan 2259 – Present: Commanding Officer, Earth Alliance Station Babylon 5.