Lieutenant Commander Charmaine Ning is a 48 year old human currently serving as a science officer aboard the USS Astraeus, under the command of Captain Mei'konda Delano. The ship is currently on deep space exploration mission in the Eagle Nebula.
| USS Chin'toka
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| Charmaine Ning
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| Position
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Science Officer
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| Rank
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Lieutenant Commander
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| Species
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Human
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| Gender
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Female
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| DOB
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235309.13
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| Age
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48
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| Birthplace
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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Earth
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In her professional life, Charmaine tends to see herself as a scientist first and a Starfleet officer second. On occasion, this has led to minor conflicts with superior officers, especially those in other departments. Especially those she doesn't feel respect the scientific method, or even a traditional scientific approach to unusual phenomena. Nevertheless, she is now in her 16th year with Starfleet.
Charmaine is of fairly average height and build for a human female, with a slender frame. She has long dark hair that she typically keeps in a braid or otherwise styled in a way that keeps it out of the way while she's working.
Quick reference:
- Height: 5' 5" (1.65 m)
- Weight: 115 lbs (52.2 kg)
- Hair Color: black
- Eye Color: brown
- Voice: Mezzo-soprano, mild Malaysian accent
- Handedness: Right
- Quarters: USS Astraeus, 10-3223
- Religion/Spiritual Devotion: Buddhism
- Hobbies and Pastimes: acting, calligraphy, crafts, piano playing, reading
- Likes: reflecting on deep thoughts, solving complex problems, exploring new ideas, spending time with family
- Dislikes: conflict, ambition for the sake of ambition, pettiness, cruelty in all forms, sleeping in darkness, being cold
- Ambitions and Goals: Charmaine's career ambitions are modest, and mostly limited to recognition within the wider scientific community
- Achievements in Life: Was part of a team who shared the Heinneken Prize in environmental sciences in 2395
- Disappointments in Life: The loss of the USS Kongo and her daughter
- Temperament: Professional but warm in public, a bit more relaxed with her family and close friends
Family
- Sarah Ning: Charmaine's mother; former school teacher, currently retired and living in rural Malaysia with her husband.
- WeiDah Ning: Charmaine's father; chemistry professor, mostly retired. Currently residing in rural Malaysia with his wife.
- Qui En Song: Charmaine's husband; currently serving as a science officer at Starbase 92.
- Tian Song: Charmaine's eldest son, age 19; currently living with her aboard the Astraeus.
- Eldwin Song: Charmaine's youngest son, 13; currently living with her husband on Starbase 9.
- Adriel Song: Charmaine's daughter, born in 2384. She was killed in 2388 following the loss of the USS Kongo.
Charmaine has a very large extended family, including one living grandparent and many cousins, aunts, and uncles.
- Date Graduated from Academy: 238007.14 (July 14, 2380)
- Current Rank: Lieutenant Commander
- Current Assignment: Science Officer
- Duty Post: USS Astraeus
Summary
- Charmaine spent most of her early life in Malaysia, though she quickly grew into the kind of child who enjoyed pushing her boundaries. As a youth, she was an above average student who often used her intelligence to coast through her studies without putting in any real effort. By the time she was 12, her family had moved to Singapore where her father accepted a prestigious post as a professor of chemistry at University of Singapore. As Charmaine was exposed to the large metropolis and her father's academic and scientific life, she quickly realized she wanted to be a part of that community. By the time she was 14, she was on a clear path to follow in her father's footsteps to become a scientist.
- She entered her father's university on scholarship when she was just 17. Four years later, she graduated with honors after completing a dual major in chemical nanoscience and elementary particle physics. During her time at the university, she met the acquaintance of a visiting faculty member from Vulcan, who suggested she apply for graduate studies at the Shi'al Institute of Science off-world. Both frightened and intrigued, Charmaine applied and was surprised when she was accepted to the highly prestigious program - few non-Vulcans had the mental stamina to keep up with the rigorous programs. Though challenging, Charmaine developed a fondness for the Vulcan people and their traditions. She also began to see the universe in a different light. When it came time for her to consider where to complete her education, she found herself increasingly drawn towards Starfleet Academy. Against the urging of her family, who feared that the Federation's recent conflicts at with the Borg and Dominion would ultimately claim their daughter's life if she joined Starfleet, Charmaine applied for the Academy's doctoral program. By the time she completed work on her Master's degree in chemical engineering, her place at the Academy had already been secured.
- During her time on Vulcan, Charmaine was fascinated by the world's fascinating weather patterns, and wrote a Master's thesis on the unique properties of certain types of sand that, when suspended in the atmosphere by windstorms, actually helped to shield the planet from the most intense heat from its sun. At the Academy, she continued her interest in meteorology by pursuing two simultaneous PhDs; one in general chemistry and the other in meteorology. She wrote her dissertation on the use of artificial gravity microunits to increase the density of various gasses. She created a prototype storage unit and patented the technology, which is now seeing widespread use in both civilian and military grade environmental suits.
- Charmaine's first posting after the Academy was as a junior science officer aboard the the Galaxy-class USS Kongo. Much of Charmaine's time on the Kongo involved analyzing long range sensor data to determine the atmospheric makeup of distant unexplored worlds. It was sometimes tedious, often thankless work. Fortunately, it was punctuated by strong personal friendships and the occasional excitement of an away team or shuttle mission. It was during her second year on the Kongo that she met the man who would become her husband. Qui En Song was another junior science officer working opposite shifts in the ship's Stellar Cartography department. They met for the first time at a science division meet-and-greet. One year later, the two were getting married. Before the Kongo was lost in 2389, Charmaine had given birth to three children - two sons and a daughter.
- The Kongo was destroyed on stardate 238901.23 while surveying an unusual collection of spaceborn lifeforms in the Oneamisu sector. To this date, no exact cause of the ship's destruction has been identified, but the prominent theory supported by available evidence suggests the ship had a flaw in a recently installed upgrade to the matter/antimatter containment unit. Although the backup systems were able to delay the core breach long enough for the ship's saucer section to separate with all crew aboard, the saucer failed to cover the distance needed to avoid damage from the breach. By the time the saucer had been towed back to starbase, 47 people had been killed by injuries sustained in the explosion. One of those was Charmaine's daughter.
- Following a six month leave of absence from Starfleet, Charmaine and her husband both returned to their careers, but Charmaine requested to be removed from the Starship duty roster. She was instead assigned to Starbase 9, where she was a member of a 16-person task force in investigating unusual chemical reactions occuring within the atmosphere of a planet designated GJ-436b. Phenomenon studied included the so-called "burning ice" (Ice VII) and the strange chemical reactions occurring between hydrogen and methane and hydrogen in the planet's stratosphere. The research held little practical use to the average civilian, but for Charmaine and other scientists in her field, it opened up an entirely new area of study in atmospheric study. As a result, Charmaine and the rest of her team were awarded the Heinneken Prize in environmental studies.
- With her research on Starbase 9 ending, Charmaine was faced with a choice - did she look for another project, or did she set aside the pain of her daughter's loss and return to Starship duty. Her mind was made up when her old commanding officer - now an Admiral involved in the Astraeus relaunch project - asked her to consider a posting on the newly refit Galaxy-class ship as a personal favor. Though conflicted, Charmaine reluctantly accepted.
Service Record
- 2377-2380: Starfleet Academy. College of Sciences, Graduate Studies
- Completed PhDs in general chemistry and meteorology. She also holds degrees in chemical engineering, particle physics, and chemical nanoscience
- Served as junior science officer before promotion to science officer
- 2388-2389: Leave of Absence
- Bereavement leave
- 2389-2395: Starbase 9. Research project task force member
- 2396-Present: USS Astraeus. Science Officer
