True Name: Binti Wa Mvua Na Ya Wazi, Msafiri Juu Ya Anga
Translation: Daughter of the rain and of the plain, sister of the wind, traveler upon the sky
Assumed Name: Rebecca Cairo Paxton
Born: February 19, 2354 (Stardate: 32715.84)
Race: M'bwa M'witu (AKA: Wolfen)
Place of Birth: M'bwa M'witu Refugee Ship
Rank: Lieutenant
Assignment: USS Thunderchild
Position: Senior Deck Officer, Flight Operations
Rebecca was born to a noble family. Her father was one of the sole surviving members of the orginal M'bwa M'witu government. The M'bwa M'witu came to the Federation after their homeworlds were overrun and conquered by the Tholians. Millions of M'bwa M'witu were killed during the largely one sided war. When they expelled from their homeworlds, the M'bwa M'witu were forced to wonder space as refugees looking for a place to call home and rebuild their culture. After spending decades in their refugee ships, the M'bwa M'witu washed up in the Boreal system. Their hopes of resupplying and allowing some of their people a chance to leave their ships were dashed when the Boreal government met the large refugee fleet with armed resistance.
This time, the M'bwa M'witu were more than able to defend their ships and their people. The Boreal ships were repelled and even some were captured. The Boreal placed a call for help from the Federation as the M'bwa M'witu closed on their world. After a long drawn out negation, the crisis was ended as the M'bwa M'witu were allowed to build a settlement within the Federation. However this settlement was far from what many wanted for a new homeworld, but few complained. The need of the M'bwa M'witu placed a heavy strain on the local systems but everyone chipped in to help.
For Rebecca, life aboard a refugee ship was nothing short of maddening. Even though her ship was filled with noble families, it was still filled to nearly six times its capacity. Other ships were far beyond this ratio. Stories of their homeworld with its wide open ranges and plenty of room for everyone seemed almost too good to be real. Rebecca was born to a refugee world where over population was the norm and basics were almost like a luxury for her. For all of its social improvements, many M'bwa M'witu were greeted by their new neighbors with distrust and treated as second class citizens. This was largely due to their own lack of social development. Rebecca's father took his family on to Earth where he worked at the Cairo University.
On Earth, life was completely different for those few M'bwa M'witu families that were allowed to relocate there. Here the dream of the Federation was completely realized and the M'bwa M'witu were welcomed with open arms and treated like equals. On Earth there were no need or wants. Everyone lived with this sense of utopian happiness. For a young teenager, Rebecca found Earth to be everything her people called the Great Plains (a reference to their After Life). Rebecca often referred to life on Earth as time spent wondering the Great Plains and that what followed was her fall from grace.
From an early age, Rebecca had a gift with painting and art. For two years, some of her work hung at the Cairo University's art gallery with other M'bwa M'witu artists. The entire exhibit was centered on the M'bwa M'witu suffering. Starting with paintings of life on the M'bwa M'witu homeworlds before the invasion by the Tholians. A number of pieces done by Rebecca showed life aboard a number of M'bwa M'witu refugee ships as they searched for a new home. Her work was best described by Vulcan Federation Council Member T'Leia "A dark and emotional view through a window in to the suffering of this proud people."
Her life took a tragic turn when a group of exchange students from Mudor engaged in simple teasing about Rebecca's physical appearance. Alcohol added to the situation with disastrous effects. Acting out of anger over the teasing and with her mind clouded by a night of drinking, Rebecca attacked one of the girls who was picking on her. The fight ended with the death of the young woman. Despite a number of pleas for leniency from family members of the victim and from the Cairo University, the M'bwa M'witu wanted to send a message to its fellow citizens that this kind of behavior would not be expected in such a culture like the Federation. Rebecca's own father issued her sentence. One of the harshest for the situation even by M'bwa M'witu standards. On Stardate 49212.94, and just days before her eighteenth birthday, Rebecca was ordered to serve a life sentence within the M'bwa M'witu Republican Guard.
Within her own people, Rebecca would forever be known as a murderer and an outcast. Under the order handed down by her own father and supported by the M'bwa M'witu Republic, she had no hope for parole or release from her sentence. Her father's words echoed across the few M'bwa M'witu colonies, "your soul as well as our shame would be cleansed of this sin upon your death. Die soon my daughter." For M'bwa M'witu, the Republican Guard was a means for the guilty to serve their republic and earn a place back in the society. For many, sentences were only a few years. Only for the most harden criminals, life sentences was the more the norm. But there was always a means of becoming released from their sentence. For Rebecca, there would be no retrial. No hope to have her sin cleansed without being by her death. To her people, she would forever be the one who brought murder to the Utopia that is Earth. A blemish that she carried heavily on her shoulders.
Lift in the Republican Guard was harsh as she was trained to be a M'bwa M'witu Warrior. The years leading up to the Dominion War, was filled with training in many forms of brutal combat. A life that Rebecca didn't take to easily. Born in to a world of nobility and treated as a member of the ruling cast, Rebecca enjoyed the finer things in life. Now, she was forced to live below even a common criminal. All that she had worked for was gone, and she had but one hope in life. To die with honor and cleanse her sin from her family and her people. It became one of her driving goals in this new life she had been forced to live.
During the invasion of Velos, Rebecca's unit was called upon to assist Starfleet Marines during the first wave of landings. While other units suffered, none suffered as high losses as Rebecca's unit. She often referred to that invasion as proof that her life had been cursed by the M'bwa M'witu Gods. For she was one of the few survivors of that invasion. She fought along the front lines as a heavy weapons specialist. Not once did she shy away from battle or failed to charge when ordered. But she survived. It was Commander Zdenko Adolfs, the Executive Officer of the
USS Thunderchild that took notice of Rebecca and her heroism. He asked for her to be reassigned to the evacuation effort of Ghost Recon. Once more, Rebecca fought with all the courage of the damned. Sometimes even refusing to take cover while other more experienced Starfleet Officers hid from enemy fire.
After the failed invasion, Commander Adolfs was so impressed by her actions that he asked the Republican Guard to transfer Rebecca to the
USS Thunderchild. Republican Guard leadership couldn't understand why they would want someone like Rebecca serving along side them. They warned the
Thunderchild leadership that she was damned to die for her sin. None of their statements change Commander Adolfs' mind, he wouldn't be denied. After a series of communications, Rebecca found herself transferred to the Starfleet ship,
USS Thunderchild. This transfer came with a warning to her from her own government, "Bring us no shame, and DIE with honor for them as you would for us!'
While a seasoned warrior and convicted murderer, Rebecca found herself for the once more among those who saw her as an equal. But in her heart, she didn't see herself as their equal. In her heart, she was damned for her sin. She fought bravely along side her Starfleet Masters and took every mission as a chance to cleanse her soul and her people of her sin. However death would not call upon her. Many on the ship considered Rebecca lucky, while she considered herself cursed. For the more experienced officers and crew aboard, Rebecca became a source of respect and acceptance. The newer recruits saw Rebecca as a source of actually combat experience and a mentor.
When Lieutenant Lindquist was asked to create a new style of fighter unit, Rebecca was one of his first picks as a pilot. It was later learned that her race lacked the eye sight needed to be good space born fighter pilots. However her combat experience and drive to serve her Starfleet Masters earned her a place on the Flight Deck. Lieutenant Lindquist saw people like Rebecca as vital to the survival of his new unit. During 2374, Rebecca C. Paxton was officially transferred from her assignment among Starfleet Marines to Flight Operations. Rebecca became one of the most seasoned officers on the Flight Deck during the Dominion War. She prided herself in her ability to learn new concepts and pick up skills needed to serve her new role.
During 2375, the
Thunderchild was boarded by Jem'Hadar warriors. The flight deck was one of their prime targets. A small band of deck hands led by Rebecca were all that stood between the Jem'Hadar and crippling the flight deck. Rebecca and her team held off the Jem'Hadar warriors as her natural senses were able to pick up the sounds of their movements despite their clocking technology. At the end of the battle, Rebecca attempted to give her own live in stopping the last of the invaders aboard her ship. She blasted the invaders along with herself out a near by cargo airlock. Finally Rebecca thought that she would have the death that her people deserved after her sin. However Addison Bonham would deny her this death as he heroically saved her from certain death.
During the battle of CMO-26, Rebecca proved herself once more as a critical member of Flight Operations as she led damage control teams during the height of the battle. Her leadership might be seen by many as harsh or bullying. But for those that served under Rebecca, they see her as a natural leader and easy to follow. She expected everyone to simply do their job with the same level of pride as she had. While her government opposed any other official means of recognizing her efforts during battle, the leadership of the
Thunderchild found another way of showing their respect for this loyal warrior. After the battle of CMO-26, Rebecca was given the honorary rank of Lieutenant and her transfer to the
Thunderchild was made permanent at the request of Commander Addison Bonham. The Republican Guard has attempted to oppose the change to her transfer but later give up their oppositions to the change.
During the refit of the
Thunderchild Rebecca helped design a Hanger and Flight deck that would serve the intended purpose of carrier operations. Her personally experience was taken as gold by Starfleet design teams. She was also allowed to hand pick her own staff during construction. While she didn't have access to the very best minds in their fields, Rebecca looked for those like her. With a determination to make this new shipborne division successful. She drives her people hard and has externally high standards. For her, there is no second best. Her deck crews maintain some of the best records aboard the
Thunderchild. Rebecca is not above taking what she needs to make her division work. During refit she liberated a number of key components that were tasked for another ships. This had once more landed her in trouble. If it wasn't for her mouthy behavior or her lack of following official procedures Rebecca would have a stellar record. However it was Commander Bonham who kept her out of trouble each time.
Rebecca finds herself nervous around Vulcans and other telepathic races. Her fear of them has caused more than a few awkward moments when she jumped at their sudden close proximity to her. While she has managed to get over this enough to have some vulcans serve on the Hanger and Flight Deck, this came after years of becoming comfortable around these individuals. She has openly refused to served around other telepaths and claimed only religious reasoning to prevent others from digging in to her personal life. Rebecca has refused to even be in the same room as Dr. McCoy due to this fear. Rebecca takes this to such a level that she has managed to create a list in her mind of all the known telepaths aboard the ship and she makes a point to stir well clear of them. Despite her minor comfort around
some Vulcans, she still refuses to spent much time around them. This is limited to only the time that is needed to complete the task at hand.
Rebecca is a extremely personal person and refuses to speak of her life before the Republican Guard. She has made it a standing policy for herself that before the Republican Guard, she didn't exist. For her, that life was gone. There are rumors of her having one or two relationships aboard the
Thunderchild but if those few lucky men actually exist, they are keeping her personal life a secret. Even to these very few men, Rebecca's personal life is still shrouded in mystery. She very rarely speaks of what is not in her personnel file. This kind of behavior is very typical of the M'bwa M'witu. Within their private world, a person wears masks that shields who they really are. For a person to learn the deepest and most intimate secrets of another means to control that person's soul and their life after death. For Rebecca, she guards her personal life and the masks she wears dearly. While she may appear open and forthcoming this is only one of her many masks that she wears to make others comfortable around her.
While Rebecca is a very loyal officer, she will not think twice about reacting (even violently) to being referred as a dog or other canine creature. This insult has become a trigger for her that she has shown little ability to control. It has landed her in the brig a number of times and she offers no apology for her actions. Even though she is bared by her government to hold any commendations for her actions, she is openly recognized as one of the most respected combat officers aboard the ship. During a brawl between a handful of Deck hands and Utopian Technicians, Rebecca found herself once more in the brig on Mars. This time, Commander Bonham was not able to keep her out of trouble.
The whole situation for her was being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Despite the fault not being hers, her government was notified by Yard Authorities. Her position aboard the
Thunderchild was placed in review. As a result, the M'bwa M'witu government made it clear that at any moment they can recall her back to the Republican Guard if she didn't behave. Because of this, Rebecca has made a point to be on her best behavior. Fear of returning to the Republican Guard and the harsh world that came with it almost matched her fears of telepaths.
NPC Profile: Rebecca C. Paxton
