David Jackson

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Revision as of 11:43, 15 November 2011

David 'Smoke' Jackson
Smoke Jackson in 2392
Species:	Human
Homeworld:	Earth
Gender:	Male
Born:	2366
Eyes:	Blue
Hair:	Brown
Height:	6'1"
Weight:	165 lbs.
Affiliation:	Starfleet
Assignment:	Starfleet Special Investigations
Position:	Echo Team Member
Rank:	Lieutenant J.G.
First Appearence:	[Episode 1: Prime]
Status:	NPC
[ Source ]

David Jackson Jr was a Starfleet Special Investigations officer assigned to the organisation since its creation in 2392. A former pilot in the Starfighter Corps, when his flight status was revoked he was transferred to SSI on account of his Academy training in security. There he was assigned to Echo Team, and partnered with veteran Alya Kade. Lacking the same training and experience as her, his strengths as an investigator lay in his trust in his instincts, adaptability, and people skills. He preferred to go by his call-sign from his time as a starfighter pilot, finding 'Smoke' more palatable than 'David', which he claimed always made him think of his father.

This article is about a character from Star Trek: Echo and may contain spoilers.

History

Jackson was born on Texas, Earth. His mother was a Starfleet officer, killed in the Dominion War. When he studied at Starfleet Academy, he first and foremost trained as a pilot, but also took classes in security training. As a member of the Starfighter Corps, he fought in most of the major engagements of the late 2380s and early 90s, including Trill, Qualor II, and both Khitomers.

He was assigned to the USS Venture in 2392. When on a CAP in an asteroid field, his flight detected a Borg ship hidden from the starship. With his flight and the Venture equally unnoticed, instead of risking detection and hailing his home ship, Jackson ordered his flight to make a sneak attack on the Borg, believing they could destroy them before it raised shields. The Borg unexpectedly survived, and in the ensuing battle Jackson's entire flight and half of the Venture's crew were killed.

His flight status was revoked for the disaster, since procedure dictated he should have warned the USS Venture. This coincided with the formation of SSI, and with his training in security and SSI's desperation for officers, Jackson was transferred to the division. At the New Moscow headquarters, he was partnered with his fellow Echo Team member, Lieutenant Alya Kade, and sent on his first assignment.

Jackson proved early to have minimal regard for the procedures of Starfleet Security. He locked horns with the officers of VegaSec he was supposed to cooperate with in the hunt for Starfleet-issue weapons being provided to civilian dissidents on Vega Prime, disapproving of their procedures. He saw success in an unorthodox interrogation of a weapons smuggler Echo Team apprehended, but his inexperience saw him proposing rash actions which were overruled by the more seasoned Kade.

Echo Team infiltrated the criminal holdings at Styx Base, during which time Jackson demonstrated his talents for dealing with people. His friendliness with local smuggler Talia Theron not only provided useful intelligence, but when caught attempting to steal a ship to use to leave Styx Base to bring in SSI reinforcements, he managed to convince her to let him go, and even help him bring the perpetrators to justice. Jackson and Theron were pursued by Vincent Black and his associates, but Jackson's skills as a pilot allowed him to evade capture until Echo Team's crucial findings had been dispatched to SSI. Talia Theron was murdered when the two were apprehended, and Jackson survived only due to his rescue by Kade and the Cardassian mercenary Lann.

Jackson was commended for his role in uncovering the arms trade managed by Vincent Black, and Echo Team were made a permanent partnership. His second case was equally successful, if somewhat less distinguished; Echo Team indeed apprehended a group of smugglers attempting to steal goods from a Federation starbase. However, in the course of the arrest, Jackson was left outnumbered and forced to start a fire in a cargo hold to even the odds. Whilst the smugglers were taken into custody, a proportion of the goods they would have stolen were destroyed rather than recovered. SSI did not formally reprimand Jackson for this event, though it was disapproved of by Lieutenant Kade.

In answering the hijacking at Antares of a Starfleet transport carrying valuable munitions, it was Jackson who conducted the profiling of the two crewmen on board, and he who identified the hijacker as Petty Officer Jeff Brendan. That identification allowed Kade to discover Brendan's true identity and motives, but it was Jackson who ultimately boarded the freighter, he who talked Brendan down from destroying the whole ship, and he who then incapacitated the hijacker before he could kill either Commander Torlais, or himself.

Echo Team's next case was in raiding the Sirius Munitions Facility to apprehend officers who had been leaking supplies to Vincent Black's arms trade in what would prove to be SSI's biggest and most successful operation at that time. This success was short-lived, for celebrations between Charlie, Echo, and Foxtrot Teams in the Starbase 12's bar were cut short by an explosion that killed Lieutenant Commander Harkeen and left others injured. Jackson only suffered superficial damage, and was credited with saving the life of Ensign Garrett, whose unconscious form he dragged from the collapsing establishment. Echo Team were subsequently assigned to hunt down Yaris Tsavian, the primary suspect.

Skills and Attributes

David Jackson is credited with being an exceptional pilot. A veteran of several major battles of the Borg War, he was shortlisted for a promotion and to be made executive officer of a squadron, or perhaps commander of a more minor one before the disaster of the Venture. He has demonstrated an ability to fly smallcraft of various kinds, from fighter craft to larger freighters to Starfleet shuttles.

As an investigator, Jackson's strengths have proven to be his capacity to deal with and read people. He is often seen as personable, and this has aided Echo Team on several occasions in gaining cooperation from witnesses and sources of information. He remains inexperienced as a security officer, however, and is occasionally flummoxed if required to manoeuvre within the demands of Starfleet procedure, Federation law, or simply proven investigative techniques.

Jackson's quick reflexes and good hand-eye coordination have seen him improving as a marksman since he joined SSI, though he is rough and unpolished in hand-to-hand combat and likely thwarted by a trained opponent. In contests of prolonged stamina he has been routinely out-stripped by his partner Kade and her more stringent physical training routine.

He is known to rely on his gut instincts and to plan 'on the fly', which can make Jackson flexible and sometimes unburdened by preconceptions, but underestimating a situation has proved disastrous for him in the past as it leaves him under-prepared. As an inexperienced investigator, he is still sometimes easily influenced by his emotional reactions and personal loyalties, which can cloud his judgement.