Christine Smythe

Summary
Christine Jessica Smythe is a Luna-born Starfleet Commander and the Executive Officer of the Saber-class USS Lammergeier NCC-61815, which is assigned to Task Force 11 as part of Starfleet’s mission to chart and explore the unknown region of space known as the Shackleton Expanse.

Having been raised at an orphanage in Tycho City alongside her younger brother Jacob; Christine’s parents were both Starfleet Engineers who had died tragically in a warp experiment gone wrong when she was just six-years old. As a result, she can scarcely remember them beyond the uniforms they had worn, and the pride with which they had worn them. It was this long-lasting impression which had later driven her to apply for Starfleet Academy when she’d come of age, and which has since driven her to excel as an Officer, making her something of an especially wanted commodity among the more prominent Captains throughout Starfleet. Yet it is her loyalty to the man who had saved her life during the early stages of the Dominion War, whom she admires, respects, and in fact idolizes as a pseudo-father figure, which has kept her from accepting any posting other than that of the USS Lammergeier. Though she has not always seen eye-to-eye with Captain Palmer, she has ultimately always supported his decisions as Captain, and been there to back him when challenged by foes and friends alike. For this stubbornness and refusal to accept other postings, she has been somewhat shunned and labeled a malcontent by certain members of the Admiralty who’d had hopes of plucking her away from Lammergeier for their preferred staffing needs.

As the Lammergeier is set to embark upon this new journey, the newly promoted Commander Smythe has stepped in to fill the void of Executive Officer left by a member of the previous senior-staff who has since gone on to accept another posting. Now set to act as Captain Palmer’s Number One, she is committed to continuing her dutiful service to him as the little ship is about to embark upon its newest mission.

2342 - 2348: Early childhood with her Parents
The eldest of two, Christine and her younger brother Jacob were both born on Tycho City on Earth’s moon, Luna. They were the children of Mark and Helena Smythe, two promising young Officers who had met while working on an experimental and highly advanced fusion core for the Starfleet Core of Engineers. From an early age, Christine and her brother were often regaled with heroic stories of early NASA Astronauts who first explored Earth’s Moon, or of Zefram Cochrane and his first warp-flight. The importance of science, exploration, and service to humanity was routinely emphasized in their lunar-based household, filling their young minds with visions of venturing out into the unknown reaches of space. This facet of their lives was further compounded by their parents who had worn their respective uniforms with great pride, and who sought to reinforce the noble ideals of the Federation, and Starfleet in their young children. Even in the wake of the tragic accidental death of her parents, Christine’s love and adoration of Starfleet and the finer tenants of the Federation remained resolute. Sadly the same cannot be said for her brother, who blamed Starfleet for the absence of their parents following the incident which killed them.

2348 - 2359: Life as an Orphan
Following the deaths of her parents in a calamitous accidental explosion of the experimental fusion core they had been working on, Christine and her brother were transitioned unto the care of a Tycho City orphanage, as they had no immediate family within Federation space that they could live with. Just six-years old, Christine’s childhood as an orphan wasn’t necessarily difficult, as she had the good fortune to live in the largest city of the moon which orbits the Federation Home World, which was rife with plenty, but it wasn’t easy either. For while she had adored the concept of Starfleet and the Greater Federation, many of the other children who inhabited the same orphanage were less enthusiastic. A general apathetic notion which was wholly understandable for children their age, but nonetheless bothered the young and inspired Christine immensely. She would routinely chastise and scold her peers, and in fact many of the staff who worked at the orphanage for their lack of interest in Starfleet news, often accusing them of willful ignorance. It left her at odds with those around her and had an ostracizing effect which only increased her general lack of patience for others. Annoyed to no end, she kept mostly to herself so that she could excel in her studies, and eventually win early acceptance into Starfleet at the age of just sixteen.

2359 - 2363: Starfleet Academy
As would become the requisite case for nearly every facet of Christine’s Starfleet career, her time spent at the Academy on Earth was one of utter excellence. Hard work and a steadfast determination to achieve, and a desire to prove that despite her disadvantaged upbringing she could perform and in fact outperform anyone in any way, Smythe took a serious no nonsense approach to her training and studies. However, while her scorings were far and away above standard, often times at the very highest of her class, she struggled to develop healthy interpersonal relationships with her peers. There was no ‘slow’ approach, and her impatience with fellow cadets wore thin rather quickly. Her promise was of course visible by any and all who knew her, and outwardly it was just as easy to see the stress that she was putting on herself through. Eventually and thankfully, a group of her peers acted in spite of the manner with which she had treated them, broke through to her and worked to soften her to the point where she began to fit into their modest social dynamic. Christine would go on to call them her first batch of real friends, describing how thankful she was that her abrasive nature hadn’t burned all bridges behind, and that the sensibilities of her classmates could see through her tough exterior and understand what it was that drove her.

As graduation approached, wherein she’d emerged as the obvious choice for valedictorian, Christine respectfully refused any special treatment for her accomplishments, and accepted a modest posting aboard whichever Starship was most in need, rather than exercise her right as top cadet to choose her first commissioning.

2363 - 2366: USS Baker NCC-1889
Leaving the Academy, her friends, and in fact her brother behind, Christine was excited to strike out on her own aboard the Miranda-class USS Baker. An original Miranda-class starship which had been in service for nearly a hundred-years, it wasn’t exactly glitzy or glamorous, but it did carry with it an incredible and storied past. Her first commanding officer, Captain Vera Carter, immediately took a liking to her newest Tactical Officer, understanding why Christine had come so highly commended fresh out of the Academy, yet she could also see how the young Ensign’s personality still needed additional fine-detailing. From the onset, Christine had sought to essentially uproot the manner in which the Tactical department operated, stepping on the toes of her immediate superior. While Christine and her Chief didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye, and argued incessantly, it was under the guidance of her Captain that the Ensign learned to voice her concerns but accede to the final judgements of more experienced superior officers. This was an important life lesson she’d recall upon often through the remainder of her career.

2366 - 2370: USS Gryphon NCC-42066
By 2365, Starfleet had finally decided to retire the aged USS Baker in a ceremony fit for it’s status as a durable and reliable starship. Following said retirement, the crew were sadly broken up and re-assigned to other posts of need, Christine, a newly promoted Junior Grade Lieutenant, was herself assigned to the Centaur-class USS Gryphon as it was due to begin a new leg of patrol duty along the Cardassian border. As the Chief Tactical Officer, Christine was finally able to institute her preferred system of operation with the rest of her department, and in doing so established some procedures which would later be adopted as standard by Starfleet.

2370 - 2373: Counter Maquis work with Starfleet Intelligence
Promoted and re-assigned, Smythe found herself serving alongside the Vice Admiral as part of his cabinet and helped to formulate the plans necessary to stifle the Maquis. It didn’t take long for illicit supply lines to be broken, and for the situation to reach a certain level of stability as the policy of containment seemed to work. Eventually, Christine was tasked with overseeing an operation aimed at capturing a high-ranking Starfleet defector that had gone over to assist and lead a particularly ambitious Maquis cell. Months would pass as she endeavored to build a reliable network of informants and track the movements of her target until finally the opportunity came to pass, and the team she had personally assembled had managed to successfully bring him in.

Officially, the fate of this target and in fact his identity have been scrubbed from Starfleet records, and can only be accessed by high-ranking members of Starfleet Intelligence. For her part played however, Smythe was awarded the Intelligence Star by Starfleet, promoted, and upon her request returned to her posting aboard the Gryphon.

2373 - 2374: USS Gryphon NCC-42066
Returning to the ship she had previously left, Smythe resumed her role as Chief Tactical Officer.

Following the decline of the Maquis threat thanks to the combined efforts of Starfleet Intellignece, and the Cardassian Union, the Gryphon and the rest of Vice Admiral Winters’ Task Force were returned to the greater fleet in order to prepare for the eventual outbreak of war with the Dominion and their new Alpha-Quadrant allies, the Cardassian Union under the leadership of Gul Dukat. When war did break out, as the Dominion and Cardassian fleets converged on the Bajor system in order to prevent the mining of the Bajoran Wormhole, the Gryphon along with a fleet of other ships launched a surprise attack on shipyards in the Torros system, dealing a decisive blow. After which, the Gryphon took up the very role it had previously been tasked with preventing, as it ran raids into Cardassian space as part of efforts to test their defensive capabilities.

Success soon changed to tragedy for the Gryphon, as during Operation ‘Return’ the ship was hit by a devastating blast from a Dominion Battlecruiser during the push to get through onto Deep Space Nine. The damage tore the little Centaur-class ship apart, killing all but twenty members of the crew who were fortunately beamed to safety aboard the USS Lammergeier.

2374 - Present: USS Lammergeier NCC-61815
Rescued in a bold way by the Lammergeier and her Captain, Jackson Palmer, a battered Christine materialized aboard the diehard Saber-class starship and immediately made herself of use by answering the call for more hands to the Bridge to assist. The previous Chief Tactical Officer having been critically injured during the battle, Christine took over the console and refused to relinquish it until the battle had subsided. Hours later, when the Lammergeier and the remainder of the Allied fleet arrived at Deep Space Nine to bolster its defenses, she finally allowed herself a chance to have her own wounds tended to.

For her valorous efforts during Operation ‘Return’, in which she served dutifully aboard two starships, and was severely injured, Smythe was awarded the Starfleet Distinguished Service Medal. Additionally, she was approached by Captain Palmer, who needed to find replacements for his moderately depleted senior staff, and offered the position of Chief Tactical Officer, as well Second Executive Officer. Smythe accepted the posting without hesitation, as she saw it as an opportunity to repay the debt owed to the ship and Captain that had saved her life. So it was, that Christine found her home of five years, and developed an admiration and appreciation for the man whom she considered to be one of the finest Officers in all of Starfleet.

Her devotion to Palmer was so strong, that she passed up a number of prominent postings and promotions in order to remain aboard the Lammergeier, and at his side, eventually taking up the role of Executive Officer, which is where she still serves to this day.

Appearance
Though not exactly grand in her stature, Christine Smythe presents herself as someone with the utmost of confidence in her abilities and presence. She is stoic, though hidden beneath her pale features is a firery passion matched only by the red hair which adorns her, which she often keeps tied behind her head. Piercing green eyes exude her professional approach to duty, though as eyelids drift closer together it soon becomes clear that her patience for the shortcomings of others can wane in surprisingly hasty fashion.

Motivation
Christine is woman of confidence, of duty, and of hard-work. She is dedicated to the grander ideals of Starfleet and the greater Federation, perhaps to a fault, and harbors a disdain for those who would question its morality. Her rise from a difficult position in life has played a definite part in carving out the permanent chip on her shoulder, and which drives her onward in her efforts to achieve. Not unpleasant to be around, at least if you measure up in her estimation, she has earned the reputation as someone who is cold to those whom she is unfamiliar with. Personally, and professionally she hopes to someday prove herself as capable a leader as the man she idolizes and serves under as Executive Officer.

Episode 01

 * Day 01 | 0000 hrs. | Thread Title with Character 01, Character 02, Character 03