Barnacles

A resident of Fort Austen, Lieutenant "Barnacles" is a nervous young man with untapped smarts and a penchant for sarcasm. He mans one of the radar control rooms, in charge of a myriad of computers and screens, and is always tapping away at the keyboards. He has a few old computing systems of his own that he enjoys tinkering with from time to time and likes to read, but for the most part his focus is on his work.

He's had a crush on his commander for a long time, though he's afraid Aldricht barely knows he's alive - and that he might not even be interested in the first place. Though later he questions why, Barnacles is the first person Aldricht tells about the lone clone he finds on the side of the road. Neither of them know what to do with it, and when Aldricht decides to just bring it home, Barnacles takes it as an excuse to come with and hang out over the next few days, despite being positively freaked out by clones. He wouldn't say it aloud, but he doesn't mind too much when it disappears.

In QX-87's absence, and successive return journeys, Barnacles warms up to his and Aldricht's weird surrogate son as the two of them have a sappy little love story all their own at the Fort. He and Aldricht get up in cahoots and turn QX loose from containment, to have him come free them from their punishment in return. He doesn't mind being kicked out of the force that much, honestly; his heart wasn't in it as much as other officers' might have been - and besides, he has Aldricht by his side now.

Barnacles is exceedingly intelligent and technically-minded and can squirrel a solution out of nearly any engineering problem. He looks young and acts very anxious so he's underestimated often, a trait he both appreciates and despises: he doesn't have to meet impossible expectations, but nobody likes being patronized. Barnacles is very eager to please but is equally as eager to prove himself.