Lieutenant Mera Richmond MD
Name Mera Kimberly Richmond MD
Position Counselor
Rank Lieutenant
Character Information
| Gender | Female | |
| Species | Human | |
| Age | 29 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5'9 | |
| Weight | 130 lbs | |
| Hair Color | Black | |
| Eye Color | Blue | |
| Physical Description | Mera is on the tall side for a female and has a slight frame that she spends her scarce free time keeping up to Starfleet physical standards. Her narrow, expressive face has the faintest of crow’s feet stemming from her tired, blue eyes. The slight lines caused by too many late nights spent over her research. She usually wears her pitch black hair down at shoulder length or pinned back when she has run out of patience. Off-duty, Mera often wears large plaid shirts with denim pants. |
Family
| Father | Arthur Richmond | |
| Mother | Clara Richmond |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Mera is sensitive and typically very private and reserved. People often mistake her for being awkward or impersonal upon first meeting her; however, once she has had time to build her confidence within a new group her joyful personality and grace emerges. She is most at peace when either hunched over her desk focussing on her work, in deep one-on-one conversation with a patient, or listening to music in her quarters. She extremely close with her mother which she communicates with regularly. She also very close with her two longtime friends Jialla, a Betazoid counselor, and Nelek, a Vulcan/Human engineer, with whom she has been research partners since Starfleet Academy. Mera’s approach to the position of counselor is more clinical than most due to her background in neurology and medical research. She often utilizes electroencephalography and other biological measurements alongside traditional psychological therapy in her diagnostic process. |
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| Ambitions | To become the leader in medical and neuro-implant research and become Chief Medical Officer aboard a Federation hospital ship so that she can treat citizens and Starfleet personnel on the largest scale possible. | |
| Hobbies & Interests | Listening to music from across the galaxy, expanding her already impressive album collection, watching and discussing professional basketball from Earth, and searching for the best cup of coffee in the galaxy. |
| Personal History | Mera was born to Arthur Richmond, a Starfleet Engineering officer, and Clara Richmond, a United Earth diplomat and musician, on Earth in the Pacific Northwest city of Seattle. Her parents raised her in an immigrant neighborhood on the northern side of the city where she grew up shoulder to shoulder with the myriad of Federation species and revelled in the cultural cross-pollination. From a young age her parents emphasized the importance of being creativity and finding joy in everything she did. They nurtured her musical curiosity and fascination with sound. As Mera grew up she had a close, open relationship with both of her parents which laid the foundation for her sensitive and empathic nature. In 2374, when Mera was 15, her father was killed by a shield emitter explosion aboard a prototype Starfleet vessel. Both she and her mother were crushed by the traumatic loss, but formed an even tighter bond. To this day, Mera and her mother exchange messages over subspace weekly. After finishing her traditional education, Mera entered Starfleet Academy where she focussed her studies on biology and psychology. They took She met Jialla Dulas and Nelek during her sophomore year where they quickly became best friends. In 2381, Mera graduated with commendations in xenobiology and immediately entered Starfleet Medical Academy where she began her research into medical implants with an emphasis on artificial sensory organs. In a joint venture with her fellow students, Jialla and Nelek, she developed a new synaptic routing structure for auditory implants that garnered them a marginal amount of notoriety. Upon graduating Starfleet Medical Academy, Mera earned commission as a junior medical officer aboard the USS Mercy, a Federation hospital ship. Jialla also found a position as a junior counselor, and the two provided medical support to starships patrolling the Klingon Neutral Zone. A few weeks into her new role, she witnessed a patient’s body reject an implant and the way it decimated their mental state. She has never forgotten their slow spiral downward or the care the Starfleet Counselor provided to help them recover. This was a formative moment in her young career and she ultimately decided to shift the focus of her research to mental health treatments. She also changed her role within Starfleet to that of junior counselor where she started seeing to the general mental welfare of her fellow crewman in addition to her research. |
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| Service Record | Starfleet Academy 2377-2381 (Cadet) Starfleet Medical Academy 2381-2385 (Cadet/Resident) USS Mercy 2385-2388 (Medical Officer/Counselor) |