Councillor Robert Foster

Councillor Robert Foster

Robert Foster is one of the current (Talitha Harbor Age 985)Council of Thirteen. The Thirteen make sure The Ecology, the document that preserves the planet and human dignity, is maintained. They will sometimes represent the vocation that they came from.

Early Life

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Robert was the firstborn of Adam and Mondo Foster. He also has a sibling named Griffin who’s two sols younger than him.
When Talithan children are born, Talithans do not assign them a gender. In early childhood, the pronouns te/tem are used, until the child decides they no longer want those pronouns. When Robert was five, he announced that he was a boy with he/him pronouns.
Griffin didn’t declare a gender as a child and eventually dropped the childhood pronouns and switched to they/them. When Griffin became an adult, they changed their name to Alrescha after the Alrescha Flower Mountain Shrub and changed pronouns to xe/xyr.
Robert grew up with two fathers, which is not unusual in Talithan society. This is a culture where gender isn't assigned at birth or attached to one's physical form. Parents designated as father, parent, mother, or any other chosen title isn't indicative of reproductive organs.
In Robert and Griffin’s case, they were the product of their parent’s DNA, through natural means, though both identify as men and fathers.

Physical Description

Body Features

Robert is a little on the taller side and has bright amber eyes. He doesn't particularlly stand out physically though.
He wears the free vocation made clothes most of the time, which also makes him blend in. He is distinct when he's wearing his Councillor shoulder bands, but only because it is a notable and rare position in Talithan society.
During celebrations when Talithans wear custom made and dyed fabrics, Robert leans towards solid colors in green or brown.

Mental characteristics

Gender Identity

Robert identifies as a man with the he/him pronouns.

Sexuality

Robert is queer and romantically polyamrous. Luna is his main partner and he doesn't bring any of his other partners home. Luna knows that he has others, but when she is with him she doesn't want to share their time.
Though there are fully monagmous couples, they are the exception and not the rule. Luna knows that Robert wouldn't be happy in that sort of relationship and doesn't ask it of him. She's not completely monogamous herself, but she doesn't have any romantic relationships with anyone else.

Education

Robert attended primary school, as all Talithan children are required to. When it was time for him to choose he put the Protection Vocation vocation as his number one, then the vocations of his fathers as his next choices. The Protection vocation was more than happy to take him under their wing. It is one of the larger vocations and always has openings.
When time came for him to choose a branch, he choose Investigation without any hesitation. He knew he would work with Ecologists and the Preservation Vocation in that role. Plus, he would be able to seek out the other Talithans who were not following the rules. His father Adam took care of the environment. His father Mondo made sure Talitha Harbor and ancient Earth history wasn't forgotten. He would protect the planet in a third way.

Employment

Robert started his work in the Protection Vocation under the Investigation branch. His investigative skills were pretty average. However, he quickly proved to be a natural at interrogations. He had a warmth about him that made it easier for people to relax. His friendlessness, somewhat unusual in conversations where the person was suspected, often helped him gain information when the more traditional interrogations didn’t work. 
When he became a Tier-II Investigator, he shifted from working full investigations to specializing in interrogations. If the subject was especially difficult, or suspected of lying, he would take over. Their society is cooperative. Working with that, instead of against it, would more often than not work better. 
As soon as Robert hit his minimum time to qualify for Tier-III, he competed for the opening of Subject Matter Expert. He felt he’d learned as much as he could regarding his previous duties and wanted to have more influence over the investigation branch.
Robert was a popular investigator and showed a lot of dedication to his craft. They gave him his advancement soon after he requested it. He had already started training other investigators, but when he became a Tier-III it was is sole job. He would teach those who’d graduated as well as students.
After he had served as a specialist for seven sols, the Councillor appointed by the Protection Vocation retired. Robert put his name on the list for the position and easily won. He became one of the Council of Thirteen at thirty-six sols, which is on the younger side, though he was not the youngest. At that time, it was thirty-five sols, though that number would be beaten in a few sols by another councillor.
Robert is still serving in his role as a councillor. He takes his role seriously. When he is acting as judge in a trial, he is very strict, making sure they follow all rules. During councillor meetings, he will step in and cool arguments or get things back on track if the conversation derails for too long. Outside of work, he’s everyone’s best friend. When he’s in his role, though, he takes it very seriously. The combination of his loyalty for his duties and his friends makes him a well loved councillor.
His devotion to so many distractions outside of his family, however, frustrates both his long-term partner, Luna, and his daughter.

Mental Trauma

Robert has had a mostly satisfying life in Talithan society. There is one event that clouds what would be a charmed life, however. The kidnapping of his daughter. She was gone for only five days, then dropped off in front of the Anunitum Fortress. She was physically unharmed, but the event took a mental toll on her and she’s had PTSD symptoms since. To add to the pain of the event, he knows the identity of the kidnapper, but the Investigators of Anunitum have never found him.
On the day that she was kidnapped, Luna had asked him to spend the day with the two of them. Instead, he spent it with another. She was taken during the festival for Founders Day. He was at the festival, but nowhere near his daughter when she was lured away. He feels guilty for not being there.
He also hates that no one has found the ousted councillor and kidnapper, Michiel Blackwood. He has threated several times that if he ever finds him, then he’ll drop his role as councillor and put a fist through Michile’s face. These are words he only speaks around his immediate family, but he truly feels them.
With his daughter, he has an on and off again relationship. He wants to be the dad who’s always there for her, but he finds it challenging to do in practice. Before the kidnapping, he probably didn’t spend as much time with her as he should have. His duties kept him busy, and he hated telling his friends no. Now, when he sees her, he just feels the pain from that day. He will put on a smile and suffer through it. There are days where he barely feels it, and on those days, he truly enjoys time with Margaretha.
She is an adult now and an Investigator with a life of her own. So, he doesn’t see her often. But, he still tries to show up, even if it’s mainly because Luna has insisted.

Morality & Philosophy

Robert has held onto his love for Talitha Harbor for his entire life. He gets the most joy when he feels like he’s really helped to preserve the planet and his people. If he is honest with himself, he gets more joy out of this than time with any of his partners or daughter.
He doesn’t always have duties that hit these high notes, however, and doesn’t want to completely ignore the people around him. When he is there for his friends, he is truly there for them. He’ll happily be the shoulder that they can cry on. He tries to be careful and not stretch himself too thin, but he fails at this on a pretty regular basis. Once he realizes that he’s emotionally exhausted, he’ll dial back a little.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Robert’s love for Talitha Harbor started at a very young age, with a lot of encouragement from his parents. They devoted their lives to the preservation of the planet and the Talithan way of life. His father, Preservationist Adam Foster dedicated his life to the study and care of Talitha Harbor’s native species. His other father, Historian Mondo Foster, studied Earth's geopolitical trends to further the understanding of what drove those ancient humans to take part in their own destruction.
Though his parents cared deeply about the preservation of Talitha's axioms, they still respected Robert as his own person and didn't demand that he agree with them. Regardless, he developed a reverence for Talitha and its structure.
Robert showed his devotion in his request to join the Protection Vocation. Once he found his niche he devoted his time to it, building on the skills that would help Talitha.
Robert has taken his duties very seriously, even at the expense of his time and relationships with family and friends. After his daughter's kidnapping and return, he backed away from the intense focus that he gave his position. He started spending a little more time with her and others that he cared about. Though, he could never fully pull back as much as he probably should and he still spends more time with his Councillor duties.

Pronouns

he/him/his

Eyes

Amber

Hair

He is starting to get some gray and his light brown has paled into a dark sandy blonde in places. He has always had hints of red in his hair and they have grown more obvious as the brown fades

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

light olive, but tans easily

Height

2.44 m

Weight

84.4 kg

Aligned Organization

Council of Thirteen