Akeno Chung

Akeno was not born into a wealthy family but was rather adopted into one during his early teens. Little is known of his biological parents, but he is now seen as somewhat of a disappointment to the parents who adopted him, although they try their best to hide their feelings of regret.

Akeno grew up in the foster system where he first met John Richards at a shared foster home. Akeno was adopted from the home and John remained in foster care, but the boys stayed in contact despite Akeno’s new parent’s attempts to force him into a circle of higher class friends. John was often the reason Akeno got into trouble with his new parents, as John coaxed Akeno into sneaking out at night to get involved in some sort of raucous behavior that would inevitably end with them in the grasp of the law. Akeno’s influential parents would always bail him out, but John was generally left to suffer the punishment of his crimes, an unfairness to which Akeno was opposed.

Akeno’s adoptive parents were unable to have children of their own, and as a wealthy businessman with an empire of momentous proportions, Akeno’s new father wanted to have a child he could raise to take over his legacy. Akeno’s mother stayed at home and desired a child to occupy her somewhat tedious life, but in truth, the couple largely adopted Akeno because they felt a child would assist in their failing marriage.

Things started out well, with Akeno’s new mother taking on the role of the doting guardian while his father pushed him to study and learn new skills as well as taking him on extravagant hunting trips to teach his new son what he considered to be the sport of men. When Akeno’s father wasn’t in the office working, he was off on an exotic hunting trip to set his sites on his next wild game trophy. Akeno took to shooting a long-range rifle with a skill that made his new father proud and caused his new mother to cringe, but the family life that had started out so well ultimately went downhill over time.

When Akeno could not live up to every expectation that both his diverse parents placed on him, they quickly lost interest in their new project as they were prone to do with most ventures. Caring for what they considered to be a troublesome child certainly provided them with somewhat of a diversion, but when a child proved to be less than what they had hoped for as a therapeutic patch, they ended up filing for a divorce.

Akeno primarily lived with his mother after the divorce, who comfortably resided in one of the several homes she had acquired in the divorce. Throwing lavish parties nightly, his adoptive mother quickly moved on from her previous relationship and gave little attention to what activities Akeno engaged in. Beyond serving as the occasional arm accessory at his mother’s parties or his father’s hunting trips on the rare moments in which his father took him for a day, Akeno was now free to do as he wished.

Akeno excelled in school and sports without even trying. A naturally smart and athletic boy, he was the envy of John who struggled with his studies and chose to primarily dedicate his time to sports instead. Akeno took advantage of his parent’s wealth and enrolled in every martial arts and weapons class he could take, in turn teaching John what he learned. John exchanged this knowledge for his self-taught experience with explosives and together the two boys came up with some unique contraptions that were impressive for their age.

When John announced his intentions to join Starfleet, Akeno was determined to follow. His parents fought the decision, his father still wishing he would follow him as a businessman, but Akeno remained firm in his desire to enroll in the academy and unwilling to dedicate the energy it would require to change his mind, his parents caved to his wishes. However, Akeno’s parents would not consent to him joining Starfleet unless he took the route of an officer and completed the four-year program at Starfleet Academy.

John and Akeno’s brotherhood grew during their time in the academy, each one pushing the other in different ways to get through the rigorous classes and navigate the tempestuous waters of social life in their respective academies. Akeno used his parents’ resources as often as he could in order to travel and visit John, and Akeno became better known at the Starfleet Technical Services Academy than he was at his own academy. Akeno was somewhat of a wallflower at first, embarrassed by his past and unable to relate to the lives of others. But John pushed him out of his shell and forced him to attend social events. Akeno eventually learned to approach his past with an easy humor that became a permanent part of his personality.

After his graduation from Starfleet, Akeno is determined to remain as close to his chosen brother as possible. They managed to cross paths on a few assignments, although they did have several assignments apart from one another. When Akeno heard of John’s assignment to the Tesla, he immediately volunteered for a position aboard the vessel, and the two friends were once again reunited under the command of Captain Ryder. It was serving under Ryder where both Akeno and John were first introduced to their current captain, Tia Dalia Savik, who they developed close ties with after braving a few dangerous encounters in the field as a team.