Lieutenant Commander Ezekiel Hill
Name Ezekiel Hill
Position Chief Medical Officer
Rank Lieutenant Commander
Character Information
| Gender | Male | |
| Species | Human | |
| Age | 37 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5'10" | |
| Weight | 145 lbs. | |
| Hair Color | Black | |
| Eye Color | Hazel | |
| Physical Description | Ezekiel -- Zeke to his friends -- is beginning to show his age from the stress of war and work. Regardless, Zeke is still striking with his square jaw, warm smile, and somewhat cold eyes. Zeke has a slim build, and is quite lean and tall. |
Family
| Spouse | Matthew Hill (Deceased) | |
| Children | None | |
| Father | Jonah Witz (Deceased) | |
| Mother | Gloria Witz (Deceased) | |
| Brother(s) | Timothy Witz (Deceased) Joshua Witz (Second Engineer, USS Atlanta) |
|
| Sister(s) | Tanya Witz (XO, USS Philadelphia) | |
| Other Family | None |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | In his youth, Zeke was a severe optimist. He believed in the general goodness of all sentient life, and the galaxy as a whole. As a result, Zeke wanted to become a doctor from an early age, if anything, to contribute to the “general goodness" of the galaxy. However, the Four Years War was devastating to Ezekiel's psyche. Through the course of the war, Zeke lost his parents, his brother, and his beloved husband. Additionally, being a frontline doctor, Zeke witnessed enough carnage in four years to last for a lifetime. Zeke always tries to retain his optimism, especially when dealing with patients. Having lost so much, Dr. Hill goes above and beyond to save lives even if the odds are stacked against him. Each loss reopens the wounds of war, and each victory restores his optimism -- bit by bit. |
|
| Strengths & Weaknesses | Ezekiel, to his friends and patients, is a kindhearted, and warm individual. However, as he has aged, he has become more quiet and reserved, particularly after the death of his husband. Zeke is also particularly uncomfortable around Klingons. Zeke also has a tendency to isolate himself, and to be emotionally distant. When he is alone, he spends most of his time contemplating his loss. When Zeke works, he works himself to the point of exhaustion. When he is exhausted, he tries his best to isolate himself from his colleagues. Despite his changes in personality, Zeke staunchly adheres to his ethics as professional, and renders aid to any individual who needs it, regardless of differences. |
|
| Ambitions | The trauma of war has stunted Ezekiel's ambitions for the most part. He enjoys his work as a doctor, and is happy to work from one assignment to the next. If Zeke has any goals beyond completing his current tour of duty, they are only known to him. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | Zeke spends most of his free time reading. He habitually reads medical journals for, what he deems to be, exciting developments in medical technology and technique. For leisure, Zeke studies ancient Hebrew literature, as he finds comfort in the stoicism of his ancestors. If he can be cajoled out his his quarters, Zeke enjoys spending time with friends at whatever dive bar or mess hall is serving the strongest rotgut whiskey. |
| Personal History | Ezekiel was born in 2218, on the remote colony world of Vetarius IV. Vetarius was one of the most distant colonies from Earth, resting near the edge of Klingon space. It was mostly an agrarian colony, providing foodstuffs for more populated planets within the Federation. What little civilization existed Vetarius, was there to make sure the grain shipments were delivered to more important worlds. Ezekiel's father, Jonah Witz, was one of the colonies administrators and an agricultural scientist by trade. His mother, Gloria, was one of the only doctors on Vetarius, and she sometimes doubled as a veterinarian. Jonah and Gloria had four children total, most likely because of the slowness of living on Vetarius. Timothy Witz, Ezekiel's older brother, wanted to follow in his footsteps as a scientist and administrator. The three younger Witz children, Zeke, Joshua, and Tanya all had the itch to leave their home as soon as they were old enough. These desires were fanned every time a Starfleet vessel would occasionally stop by on a patrol mission. Zeke was enamored by their crisp uniforms and infectious optimism. Zeke was a bright child, and gifted like his mother. He spent much of his free time helping his mother around the clinic. Far from the regulations of Federation law, Zeke unofficially became a "nurse" of sorts, traveling to homes, and providing aid whenever he could. When Zeke turned 18, he applied to join Starfleet Academy's medical program to which he was accepted. His first year at academy on Earth took some adjusting as leaving his hardscrabble home left him susceptible to all the vices and distractions of Earth. However, Ezekiel's wild streak didn't last long, as he met someone who, in short order, whipped him into shape. His name was Matthew Hill, a second-year cadet, and Zeke quickly became infatuated with him. The two became fast friends, even though their career paths were very different. Matt was training to become a tactical officer. Zeke would always make jabs at Matt for wanting to, in Zeke's words, "Blow people apart" only for him to sew them back together. Matt was more cynical and serious than Zeke ever could be, and he provided excellent balance in Zeke's life. Zeke was distraught when it came time for Matt to graduate, as he decided to stay at academy and finish his M.D. before heading off to the stars. Unexpectedly, Matt proposed to Zeke, and he gleefully accepted. The two were married two days before Matthew accepted an assignment aboard the USS Africa. Four years after completing his training at Starfleet academy, Zeke took another four years to complete his M.D., and to take a residency at Starfleet Medical's hospital in San Fransisco. These years were stressful, as the workload was staggering, and he only saw his husband sporadically. At the age of 26, Ezekiel Hill received his M.D. At that point, he had become as sick of being planet-bound as he did during his youth, and he immediately sought out deep space assignment. His first choice was the USS Africa so he could be with Matt, however, command assigned him as a second-shift medical officer aboard the USS Hunley. The USS Hunley was a rickety, old frigate which served on border patrol duty along the Klingon border, and Zeke hated his posting wholeheartedly. Missions were long and grueling, and the most advanced condition Zeke treated in the early years was a second-degree plasma burn. Two years into Zeke's tour of duty, the Hunley was ambushed by a rogue Klingon ship. The CMO was incapacitated, and casualties poured into the under-equipped sickbay. Among the injured was the ship's captain who had been struck in the neck by a wayward piece of shrapnel. Normally, this would be an easy fix, but the Hunley's captain was an Andorian, and Zeke had little experience preforming surgery on an Andorian. Through volleys of torpedoes and disruptor bolts, Zeke preformed critical surgery on the Captain, and after several close calls, he was on his way to recovery. Ultimately, the Hunley destroyed the Klingon vessel. Zeke had a feeling the skirmish was a taste of things to come -- and he didn't savor it. For his command of sickbay, and his skill at surgery, Zeke received commendations, and a promotion to a full lieutenant. After two more years aboard the Hunley, Zeke fought tooth and nail to obtain a transfer to the USS Africa. It just so happened that the Africa needed a new CMO before going off on another deep space exploration mission, and Zeke fit the job. The two lovers were ecstatic to both serve together. By that time, Matthew had been promoted to Chief Tactical Officer. Zeke considered the USS Africa to be the couple's first home as they shared quarters together. The exploratory mission was long, and eventful. Zeke had the privilege of being involved with several first contact missions in which medical technology was exchanged, he also conducted several vital surgeries, some successful, others not. After their stint aboard the USS Africa, Matthew and Zeke were assigned to Starbase 19 as Executive Officer, and Chief Medical Officer respectively. It was at this time that the Federation and the Klingon Empire was on the verge of war. Starbase 19 served as an important supply depot for Federation outposts and colonies near Klingon space, including Vetarius IV. In the opening salvos of the Four Years War, Vetarius IV was one of the first planets to fall to the Klingons. Starfleet deemed Vetarius to be less strategically important than other Federation colonies. The top brass figured that the Klingons would merely ignore the farm world, and deployed minimal defenses to the planet. The Klingons burned Vetarius IV from orbit as a terrifying show of resolve. Zeke sat silently in his quarters for three days waiting for the casualty reports to be updated. On the third day, he spotted the names Jonah, Gloria, and Timothy Witz among the thousands dead. Zeke was inconsolable, even by his husband. When the first military casualties began to pour into Starbase 18. Zeke swallowed his pain, and did his duty. The war was going poorly for the Federation, and the Klingon fleet was several weeks away from Starbase 18. Starfleet casualties were unimaginably severe, and Zeke was assigned to the hospital ship, USS Hope. Far away from the amenities of Starbase 18, and his husband, the loss of his family, and the horrors of war began to wear Zeke down. During his service aboard the Hope, the Klingons assaulted Starbase 18, nearly destroying the base in the process, before moving on to more valuable targets. The Hope returned to Starbase 18 to pick up the pieces. Unfortunately, Matthew was on the receiving end of a Klingon assault troop's Bat'leth while his husband was away. The station's medical team managed to stabilize Matt under the circumstances, but he was mortally wounded. Zeke resumed his duties as CMO, and tended to his husband as best as he could in his bleak, final days. At the conclusion of the war, Zeke took a leave of absence from his duties. For the first time since he left for academy, Zeke went back to Vetarius to help rebuild his home, an effort in which his remaining siblings joined him. Work was the only thing that could quiet his own misery, and to delay his coming-to-terms, Dr. Ezekiel Hill returned to duty in 2255. |
|
| Service Record | Starfleet Academy - Cadet Starfleet Medical - Doctoral Candidate Starfleet Academy General Hospital - Resident USS Hunley - Medical Officer - Promoted to Lieutenant USS Africa - Chief Medical Officer - Promoted to Lieutenant Commander Starbase 18 - Chief Medical Officer USS Hope - Assistant Surgeon -LOA- USS Musashi - Chief Medical Officer |