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Saturday, 20 January 2024 - 3:12pm
Captain Pippa Whitley
Name Pippa Whitley
Position Commanding Officer
Rank Captain
Character Information
| Other Names | Pippa | |
| Gender | Gender Fluid | |
| Species | Efrosian | Human | |
| Age | 53 |
Physical Appearance
| Hair Color | White (sometimes Platinum Blonde) | |
| Eye Color | Blue | |
| Physical Description | Pippa Whitley is half Efrosian and half Human. This means that Pippa has a forehead that looks similar to a Klingon, but not nearly as prominent due to their mixed heritage. Pippa has sported several hairstyles and hair colors over the years albeit they have taken on a more masculine look in recent years, opting for a shorter hairstyle resting on the neck, well above the shoulders, and either platinum blond or white (colors traditionally male for Efrosian). Though assigned female at birth, Pippa identifies as more gender-fluid and prefers to use they/them pronouns but understands the occasional slip of feminine pronouns by others. Pippa has light grey-blue eyes and unfortunately, classic Efrosian eyesight which is abysmal, to say the least. Opting for a more fashionable look rather than ‘corrective’ surgery or implants, Pippa relies on glasses for reading. Standing at only 160 centimeters, Pippa is quite short. |
Family
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | An introverted logistician, Pippa tends to get along well with Vulcans. They are an individual of immense integrity with a backbone that is not afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone who steps out of line. Pippa is a strong believer in order, structure, rules, and in-laws; however, Pippa has a mischievous streak in them that tends to surface at the expense of those they are fond of, a practical joker at times. Traditions also are of great importance to them, and Pippa does not appreciate the current situation of the United Federation of Planets. They know that it has lost its way and are determined to see to it that it is restored to its former honor. Pippa analyzes their surroundings carefully and cautiously. They are unlikely to act without spending an appropriate amount of time determining the most prudent course of action, and the potential consequences said action(s) will have. Pippa has very little patience for indecisiveness though, once they have selected an option to go with, they do not hesitate any further. They take the action and live will tackle any repercussions head-on. They do not enjoy their time being wasted, every second matters to them, and wasting their time will whittle down their patience. To Pippa, personal integrity is core to them, and goes beyond their own mind – Pippa strongly adheres to established rules and guidelines regardless of cost, reporting their own mistakes and telling the truth even when the consequences for doing so could be disastrous. There is perhaps no greater virtue than honesty to them and that is far more important than any emotional considerations. However, Pippa’s blunt approach often leaves others with the false impression that they are cold, or even robotic. Though Pippa may struggle to express emotion or affection outwardly, the suggestion that they do not feel, or worse have no personality at all, is deeply hurtful to them. They keep a big part of themselves isolated and cut off from others because that is what they believe is in the best interest of a crew underneath them. |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | Strengths: Highly responsible – Pippa has absolutely no problem making the tough calls and decisions. Starfleet Command has come to respect them, trusting in Pippa’s decision-making, and their background in intelligence leaves them privy to the utmost classified of information. Pippa takes full responsibility as Commanding Officer and can be depended on to get the mission completed. Calm – A clear-minded individual who keeps calm under pressure, Pippa does not display emotional outbursts freely. It is not in their nature nor training, almost every strong tone or expletive is used in the privacy of their Ready Room and only among their closest advisors and confidants. Pippa is very fortified with their emotions, even-keeled in nearly any situation regardless of how challenging. Dutiful – Their shift may end, but if they have unfinished business, Pippa will ensure that it is completed. They are extraordinarily loyal to Starfleet, the Federation, and considers it an immense honor to wear the Starfleet uniform. Anyone who makes a mockery of the uniform will be met with an icy cold glare and potential repercussions. Weaknesses: Stubborn – Pippa is strongly tethered to facts and data. It is what they rely on when taking action, and they believe so strongly in themselves that they are hard-pressed to recognize errors that they may make. It is sometimes difficult for them to accept that even they can be mistaken at times. Orthodox – Pippa is a by-the-book officer. There is not much wiggle room when it comes to rules and regulations. Though Pippa is open to originality and out-of-the-box thinking from the officers serving under them, they themselves will play things out by the book unless an original idea is put forward that seems viable. Blames themselves – ‘The Captain goes down with the ship’ that is engraved in the consciousness of Pippa Whitley. They also believe that a good Captain is only as strong as their weakest crewmen, and if the crew fails for any reason, Pippa shoulders it themselves as if they personally messed up. They expect their crew to perform admirably and strongly believe in continuous learning and regular drills. |
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| Ambitions | Pippa is a hardworking and dutiful individual. Their general ambition is to do the best that they can do and to gain even more respect and admiration from the admiralty. When given a command, they want that ship or station to earn a distinguished reputation. |
| Personal History | Born into an affluent family on Earth, Pippa Whitley calls the streets of the London's Islington Victorian district home although their family were frequent travelers both in space and within the safe confines of Earth and the broader sol system. Several family members lived in Boston, others elsewhere along the historical North American eastern coastline. On their Paternal side of the family, however, lies Pippa's Efrosian roots. Their father, a full Efrosian makes Pippa half-Efrosian though Pippa has only been to Efros Delta (Efros) a few dozen times for brief visitations with family members. Traditionally, Pippa would have taken their father's surname/family name which is on their initial Federation birth certificate, but through process of legalization they had their name changed to officially recognize their mother's maiden name of Whitley, choosing to take that instead of walking on eggshells and being forever worried that they would be recognized. On Efros Delta, Pippa is as close to bloodline royalty as one can be, a descendant of well-respected warrior priests, tribal leaders from the Efrosian ice age. This was a factor in what propelled Pippa's paternal great grandfather into Federation politics that lasted decades of public service, gaining notoriety around the United Federation of Planet during the 23rd century and respect from the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire, no easy task for anyone. It was this that propelled their political ambitions forward upon the sudden death of President Hiram Roth, and secured them the nomination and later confirmation of President of the United Federation of planets for three terms, a relatively popular President overseeing the signing of the Khitomer Accords during their first term. His legacy recognized in the Presidential residence where one of the fifteenth floor conference rooms is named after them. Named after their mother's mom, Penelope (to their parents)was a spitfire even from a young age, maturing or rather evolving into a very spirited teenager who opted to distance themselves from the name and their family, wanting to carve a path of their own rather than have a 'red carpet' unrolled before them. The transformation from Penelope Ra-ghoraterii to 'Pippa Whitley' was more than just a name change. It was creating an identity and building upon it. Penelope was privileged, posh, and could have anything and everything she dreamed of within reason. Pippa Whitley, had nothing - a blank slate that had to earn everything they received overtime. Where most intelligence officers come from a well-established tactical background rooted in security driven education, Pippa's roadways to becoming the officer they are today with a rich intelligence background was one they paved themselves. Setting foot at the academic advisory center of Starfleet Academy's San Francisco campus, Pippa worked with their academic advisor, a Vulcan whom helped Pippa place themselves on a science track. It was Pippa's ambition at the time to graduate Starfleet Academy and go into the service a bright-eyes yet skeptical scientist, an adventurer of sorts, but a cautious one. Pippa wanted to become an experienced and trusted Chief Science Officer before retiring from Starfleet after several years to become a seasoned officer, maybe earning the pips of a Commander or Captain based on seniority and longevity in the service, not by switching to the command track or becoming a bridge commander. How does one go from ambitious cadet with their eyes on a science station to becoming Captain Pippa Whitley, starship Commanding Officer? A long story with hurdles and intervention. At Starfleet Academy, Cadet Whitley studied the full spectrum of sciences to one extent or another as Starfleet science officers tended to be robust individuals at a basic level of understanding. However, by Pippa's third year of study the cadet narrowed their focus in on Sociology taking particular interest in the Bajoran people, their agricultural roots, deep spiritualism, and subsequent shift to resistance fighters during the Cardassian Occupation of their planet. Federation Law and Xeno Politics were considered minors for the young cadet's studies. During Pippa's senior year as a cadet at Starfleet Academy, Pippa relocated from the large San Francisco campus to one of the academy's smaller satellite campuses. In their case, it was the satellite campus on Cestus III, and then Representative Nanietta Bacco of Pike City's Fifth District was guest lecturing for Starfleet Academy, offering a course in Galactic Diplomacy that Pippa took as an elective. Professor Bacco became sort of an idol for Pippa, and even though the course was only a semester, Nan Bacco took a bit of a liking to Pippa, inviting her 'prized student' over for tea. They continued to correspond by communiques after the semester ended, meeting up for tea once in a while, but communication became less frequent as Bacco ascended into the Governorship of Cestus III. Nothing could have prepared Pippa as the years went by that their idol would become President of the Federation and be assassinated. Pippa graduated from Starfleet Academy in 2365, the Federation was dealing with 'border skirmishes' with the Cardassians as the Occupation of Bajor was ongoing. The Federation had also made first contact (unintentionally) with the Borg. To say it was an interesting time to be coming out Starfleet Academy was an understatement. Pippa's first posting was the USS Billings, a Constellation class starship though Pippa does not make a habit of discussing their three years aboard the Billings as a junior science officer because of who her Department Head was at the time. Pippa left the Billings in 2368 with a promotion to Lieutenant Junior Grade. With a transfer to the USS Ivory Coast, Lieutenant JG Pippa Whitley became the starship's Assistant Chief Science Officer. The Ivory Coast named after the country that was historically along the coastline of West Africa, was a Sabre class light cruiser that was primarily given the role of Federation border patrol along disputed lines butting up against Cardassian space. Though at times the starship had a secondary scientific purpose, that of charting and studying the badlands, a hundred years after the first Federation starship, the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk first charted the inhospitable region. The USS Ivory Coast was one of a handful of starships sent into the Badlands in 2368 to assist the USS Enterprise-D with its charting and surveying mission. It was a joint mission that saw the support of the Cardassian Union who sent several 'scientists' to assist the Federation starships though looking back on it now, Pippa suspects the Cardassian scientist were not exactly there without ulterior motives. The Enterprise-D was eventually whisked away from the Badlands to handle another mission of more urgency, leaving the USS Ivory Coast and a few others behind to continue the charting and surveying. In 2371, while now serving as Chief Science Officer of the USS Ivory Coast, the more experienced and freshly minted Lieutenant Whitley found themselves back in the Cardassian Badlands. This time, however, as part of a search and rescue operation that ended up being deeply personal for Pippa. The Intrepid class starship USS Voyager had gone missing in the Badlands under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway. The Ivory Coast had spent several days in the Badlands, but was pulled off the search due to growing political instability and hostility between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, who were opposed to the Federation's 'relationship' with the Cardassian Union. Pippa was not pleased with the Federation's chose in strange bedfellows either, but they did not view it as a reason for the Klingons to engage in war with the Federation. Nevertheless, the war began in 2372 and lasted until 2373 with Pippa becoming the Second Officer of the Ivory Coast amid wartime. She briefly returned to Starfleet Academy during this time to take an Advanced Tactical Training course in preparation for her new de facto role as Second Officer. - Work in Progress - |