Melanie Brooks

Mother: Sarah

Father: James

Brother(s): Keldor (Adopted Brother)

Sister(s): Emily

Spouse: None

Children: None

Other: None

Physical Description:

Height: 5’6”

Weight: 148 lbs

Eye Color: Green

Hair Color: Light Brown

Personality:

Melanie Brooks is a kindhearted and strong-willed individual who has always placed the welfare of others above her own. As a child she was taught by her parents to always give to others and, to do upon others what you would want done upon yourself. She was mortified later in life when her brother Keldor told her about Ferengi culture. And, relieved when he told her that the lifestyle simply wasn’t for him and would remain on Deneva.

As an engineer she is very creative in solutions and has spent countless hours studying for every problem. In the realm of combat tactics she is a little lacking though capable of defending herself and others from danger. The Dominion War didn’t really affect her the same way as it did others because she was able to keep her head down and push through. As a command level officer she never really forgot what she learned as an engineer.

She has her flaws though, Melanie is somewhat discouraged by how other cultures treat their citizens and, struggles as a diplomat for that reason. She is afraid of growing old without having accomplished her laundry list of goals which did not include becoming a command level officer. While, proud of her own family’s accomplishments she is afraid that they may not be proud of her. Even if they’ve told her countless times that they are. Melanie is her own worst critic sometimes doubting solutions to problems that she was able to come up with.

History:

Melanie Brooks was born on January 14, 2351 on board the USS Steamrunner where her father James Brooks was the Assistant Chief Science Officer and, while her mother Sarah was visiting him with their other daughter Emily. Shortly afterwards her family, minus her father, returned to their home on Deneva. One year later the vessel that her father was assigned to found a derelict unknown vessel where the sole survivor, later to be determined as a Ferengi, named Keldor was found.

Later that year Keldor came to live with the family on Deneva and would never be accepted by Ferengi culture due to his more human like nature from growing up with two sisters. Melanie didn’t realize that the Ferengi treated their women the way they did until years later while serving in Starfleet. A decision she made early on though she preferred physics and engineering. She entered into the Academy in 2369 as a Quantum Theory student and minoring in Physics.

Just before graduation she took a class on warp theory and learned about the inner workings of the engine systems aboard Steamrunner class starships. Her first assignment was aboard the USS Constantine which was a Steamrunner class. Shortly after her graduation at the outbreak of the Dominion War the Constantine found itself on the wrong side of the border and was attacked.

Melanie was able to rescue most of the engineering staff after both the Chief and Deputy Chief were gravely wounded during the fighting. Once the engine room was sealed the ship was able to send out a distress signal and later be towed to a nearby starbase. Her efforts led her to receive several awards including a Purple Heart from her own injuries. She was eventually promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade.

By the end of the Dominion War, and after seeing combat action on six separate occasions Melanie became on of the most decorated junior engineers throughout the war. Her actions led her to receiving the Combat Action Medal numerous times when she was forced to fight during ground encounters.

Eventually, in 2378 she was assigned as the Assistant Chief Engineering Officer aboard the USS Constantine when the previous deputy head of engineering retired from service. During that time the ship regularly transported personnel between the starbases and the planets where they had been assigned to help with rebuilding efforts in the Cardassian Union. It wasn’t until 2378 that Melanie finally transferred off the ship and aboard the USS Starfall.

The Starfall, a Nebula-class starship, was the first non-Steamrunner that Melanie had ever been on and she had to learn the workings of the engine systems among other things. That same year she was also promoted to the rank of Lieutenant during the transfer. A fast learner, Melanie managed to pick up on things at a quick pace. She became well known on the ship as a born leader, a quality that her Commanding Officer picked up on quickly.

In 2382 the Captain of the ship promoted her to Lieutenant Commander, made her the Executive Officer, and taught her everything she needed to know about commanding a starship. Her interests in engineering remained a strong feature in her career. She never really dreamed of becoming a command level officer, but embraced it slowly. So in 2389 when she was offered her own command aboard Outpost Curtiss, an engineering station, she jumped on the opportunity.