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Name: Jaton Belden
Gender: Male
Species: Joined Trill
Born: September 1, 1730
Died: June 4, 1832
Mother: Davin Aderyn
Father: Aren Aderyn
Siblings: Egil Aderyn, Espen Aderyn
Children: None

Jaton Belden was a leading member of the Trill Science Ministry during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was also the second host of the Belden Symbiont.

Early Life[edit]

Jaton was born in 1730 in the A'Pili Province of Trill, to Davin and Aren Aderyn, the second of three children. As the A'Pili Province was very mountainous, his parents both worked as guides to tourists climimg Mt. Milima, the highest peak on Trill. It was assumed that Jaton would go into the same line of work as his parents, but he grew increasingly discontent with his life there, and left for Mak'ala when he turned 18. At that time, he applied to the Trill Symbiosis Academy, and was chosen to become an initiate.

Life as an Initiate[edit]

Jaton came under the tutelage of Erod Belden with a large chip on his shoulder. By the time he came under the care of the aging ambassador, he was on the verge of being dropped from the initiate program in the grouinds of juvenile delinquency. However, after about six months of living with Erod, he became much less belligerent and thought of Erod almost like a grandfather. The two became very close, and Erod became Jaton's greatest friend in his young life. When Erod died in 1750, Jaton complied with his wishes and was joined, with the approval of the Trill Symbiosis Commission, with the Belden Symbiont, becoming the second host.

Career[edit]

Soon after being joined, Jaton applied for an internship in the Trill Science Ministry, a calling which he had felt since he was a child in A'Pili. As he was only about 20 at the time he chose his career path, he was able to rise throughthe ranks of the Science Ministry rather quickly, until, in 1783, he became the head chair of the Science Ministry, second in power only to the Science Minister, a member of the Trill cabinet.

Serving as Science Minister[edit]

In 1790, elections in the Congress appointed a new Prime Minister. Soon after, the Science Minister of the old administration retired, and the job passed to Jaton, who became the first joined Trill to hold a position in the Cabinet. Under him, the Science Ministry enjoyed a great time of prosperity and progress, including many iimprovements to the Trill warp drive system, allowing Trill ships, for the first time since they achieved warp drive approximately a century earlier, to pass Warp 4. His retirement from public life in 1810 was considered a great loss to the science community of Trill, and to some extent, the known galaxy at that point in time.

Later Life[edit]

After retiring, Jaton remained in Mak'ala region, living in the rural countryside outside the city, near the caves of the same name. He had never married, and spent his time in quiet seclusion and reflection on his life. However, after a few years, he began to get lonely, and decided it was time to fufill his requirement on taking on initiates.

Taking on Initiates[edit]

Jaton had built a rather large house for himself, and at many times had as many as five initiates living with him at once. They each boarded with him for one year, as was the custom, while a part of the Initiate Program. However, in 1820, Jaton's health began to deteriorate, and he stopped taking on initiates.

Aging and Death[edit]

In 1824, Jaton was diagnosed with Hemocythemia, a terminal disease that had no cure known to the Trill at the time. Doctors gave Jaton only a few years left to live, and he began to get his affairs in order, including to whom the Belden symbiont should be transferred to once he died. He decided to leave the decision up to the Symbiosis Commission. He held on for eight more years, and died in 1832 in Mak'ala, and was buried with all honors afforded a member of the Trill Cabinet.

Hosts of Belden