Veralise Jessop

"Well, doctor, it's time to take those first steps on your own again."

–Jessop's final words to Tenzin Zhou

Veralise Jessop was a medic aboard the USS Independence-A who was killed in action in 2387.

Backstory

In 2387, Veralise Jessop was serving on the bridge when an injured Doctor Tenzin Zhou (then, a freshly appointed ensign on his first away mission) was beamed directly to the bridge along with the rest of the away team. Zhou was escorted to sickbay, located on deck 7, by Jessop and Ensign Christopher Shan.

Because of damage the Independence received from the attacking Vaadwaur, the ship's structural integrity field was down to fifty percent, with the actual hull integrity in various sections falling even lower. Access to decks 6 and below were cut off from the bridge, and Jessop, Zhou, and Shan were dropped off on deck 5 by the ship's turbolift. From there, they encountered additional injured members of the Independence crew and slowly made their way through the damaged corridors on foot to sickbay.

Upon reaching a crossroads, Jessop suggested that the group continue to sickbay by dropping through the ship's theater, which spanned decks 5 and 6. Once at the theater doors on deck 5, the group was joined by security and engineering personnel who were attempting to create a "forcefield tunnel" which would cut through the debris and bulkheads to reach deck 7. The engineering team successfully created the tunnel, and the rest of the group successfully traveled down to deck 7. Zhou and Jessop were the final two members of the group left to enter the tunnel, which was only large enough to accommodate one person at a time.

Unfortunately, just before Zhou was to enter the tunnel, the ship's strained bulkheads ruptured on deck 5, having been further compromised by the tunnel's creation. Jessop quickly shoved Zhou into the tunnel and sealed the theater doors moments before the cascading decompression reached her location and pulled her unconscious body out into space. Although she was soon beamed to the nearby USS Achilles by the Thetis AI, she had suffered severe burn and puncture injuries during the decompression itself and died shortly afterward on SD 238708.13, despite the best efforts of Doctor Sasak and the Achilles medical staff. She was 27.

Though he only knew her briefly before she died, Zhou's memory of her continued to haunt him in the aftermath of her death. As he finally found closure for all that had happened, Zhou nominated Jessop for the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor in the final weeks of 2387.

Award Nomination

"As chief medical officer, I formally nominate Crewman First Class Veralise Jessop to receive the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor. During the course of her duties, she saved the lives of several of her shipmates, including my own, and if it were not for her quick and decisive action that prevented the spread of a cascading decompression, I believe the Independence itself would have suffered even more casualties. Unfortunately, Crewman Jessop gave the ultimate sacrifice in the course of her duties. If this award is granted to her posthumously, I ask that it be presented to her family."

–Nomination by Chief Medical Officer Tenzin Zhou, submitted to Karynn Ehlanii, USS Independence-A Second Officer on SD 238712.09.

SIM

• "The Home Stretch" - SD 238708.13 (Jessop's Death)

Additional Information

• Jessop is a PNPC created by Tenzin Zhou.