Noelle Connor
From USS Takeda Shingen
 Noelle Connor | |
| Gender: | Female |
| Species: | Human |
| Height: | 5'1½" |
| Weight: | 115 lbs |
| Rank: | Lieutenant Junior Grade |
| Position: | Project Manager, Engineering |
| Born: | 2341 Madera, California, Earth |
| Parents: | Selby Lynne Hanford James Maitland Connor |
| Siblings: | Jackson Randall (deceased) Dawn (deceased) Joseph Brian (deceased) |
| Marital Status: | Divorced |
| Spouse: | Pol Marek (ex-husband) |
| Child(ren): | Ariana Raya Connor, 10 Haro Joray, 7 |
| BBS Handle: | Dawntreader225 |
Noelle Madalyn Connor is petite, freckled, with dark blonde (often highlighted) hair in a short, athletic style. She has a gymnast's build, and a tiny (barely noticeable) tattoo on her right bicep with the tiny words, "Technicians Local 359". She likes to wear casual, comfortable clothing when off-duty.
In her position as a manager in Engineering (a position she held with her former rank of Chief), she has about five engineers who report to her, including Ensign Thalashreth ch'Selos and Lieutenant junior grade Lucas Spiegel. She is one of about six managers who report to the Chief Engineer, Lt. Cdr. Indra.
She recently earned her commission (the hard way, after completing her Bachelor's Degree over a period of many years) - out of a desire to be getting her hands dirty, rather than simply managing the people who get their hands dirty.
She has an enthusiastic interest in other cultures, and is knowledgeable in Chinese and Bajoran language, culture, and history.
Contents |
Life and Career
Childhood and Adolescence
Noelle Connor (known, up to age 18, as Madalyn or "Maddie") was an "ugly duckling" as a child, considered a plain, awkward and somewhat unattractive girl, with pin-straight "dirty blond" hair, freckles, and an odd nose and slightly crooked thin mouth. She honed the role of "brain" early on with a strong interest in mechanics and science, and planned on a Starfleet career. She had a love of horses from an early age and became an accomplished rider; the family had several horses over a period of time. Additionally, she loved other animals, including dogs and cats. She had an interest in becoming a rural veterinarian and moving to the colonies as a young girl, but eventually her science interest became more focused on physics, electronics and mechanics. She had few hobbies other than reading and horses, due to an overly responsible childhood that involved looking after her younger siblings while her parents were away.
She was socially and physically somewhat awkward, with an overly adult demeanor for her age. She was more accustomed to being a "little adult" than to being a child, and was shy and reserved around other people her own age while bossy to those younger than her. She was accustomed to a large amount of responsibility early on as she was often in the role of caring for her younger siblings while her father (a Starfleet crewman for half of Noelle's early life) and mother (a crewman, and later, civilian businesswoman) were away. With her parents away much of the time, she formed a tight relationship with her grandmother, Noelle-Lynne Heniken-Hanford.
Maddie was not popular with boys in her youth. Her sister Dawn was prettier and more developed, and only a year younger, and took away most of the attention that Maddie could have possibly gotten. When she did get attention from boys, she usually found them to be dumb and immature. This, and being consigned to the role of personal secretary to her parents and "little mother" of her youngest siblings, contributed to her decision to leave McKittrick and form an identity of her own. She decided on attending Starfleet Academy, with these factors as much of her motivation. She put off many experiences common to people her own age in order to do things to maximize her chances of getting into the Academy, not having a boyfriend until after she had already joined the Fleet.
In middle school, she took up athletics to overcome her physical awkwardness, becoming an accomplished swimmer - although she still felt awkward on dry land. As a sophomore she joined her high school's swim team and competed in several local competitions, finishing first in a tri-county meet. She also joined student government and competed in several science fairs.
Enlistment in Starfleet
Actually trying to get into the Academy proved to be a shock to the system for which she was not prepared, despite her successful high school career. She first took the entrance exams late in her junior year, and scored high, only to be advised to wait another year. She attempted again as a senior, and made it nearly to the end of the process, only to be tricked by another girl into giving answers to a test. This turned out to be a test in itself, and the panel rejected her application, citing that she wasn't socially mature enough to handle cadet life.
Maddie was finally accepted to the engineering program at University of Washington (which would fulfill her hopes of moving far away from McKittrick), and worked for her mother during the summer, but some sort of family drama inspired her to enlist in Starfleet instead of going to university. This choice was accepted by her family as most of the family has at some point enlisted in Fleet. At the processing station, she was addressed as Noelle, and did not correct anyone; from that point on she would go by her first, not her middle name.
She was accepted into a program that provided training as a systems technician, and over the course of her first two tours with the Fleet, completed about three years of coursework in engineering.
Relationships
Love Life
Love didn't happen for Noelle until she joined Starfleet, and discovered men who did not come from her homogenous, largely Caucasian hometown of McKittrick.
She has a distinct preference for men who are "exotic" by McKittrick standards, and the more exotic, the better. She has a distinct non-preference for men who could potentially look like any member of her family.
Carson Wang
Wang Kai Xin was Noelle's first boyfriend, whom she almost married.
While in a training course in San Francisco, and staying in a dormitory at the Academy, Noelle saw a flier for "Wushu Club". She decided to try it out in the interest of doing something to stay physically active, since abandoning high school athletics. After a few sessions of humiliation due to being uncoordinated and clumsy, she almost gave up, but the head of the club (a medic who was about three years older than her), talked her into staying, and offered her private lessons. They formed an easy-going friendship, and he had a great sense of fun as well as a sense of humor, and was able to get her to laugh and take things less seriously. Their friendship continued after they were sent to the same assignment, and they started dating, eventually becoming engaged. They were together for four years.
Although they had been growing apart since Carson's reassignment, Carson broke off the engagement barely a month before the wedding date. He did not intend to re-enlist. Their relationship had already been strained by the distance between them. They attempted to remain friends but it became awkward, and they drifted out of each other's lives. Ironically, he re-enlisted many years later as a medical doctor.
Noelle retained a lifelong love of Chinese culture, language and martial arts following the relationship's dissolution, and despite having been very heartbroken by the relationship's end, she has mostly nostalgia and positive memories. If he drops back into her life, it'd be likely that they would be friends - though she definitely has moved on.
Pol Marek
Noelle dated a number of men following the breakup. None of the relationships lasted more than six months.
At age 26, about three years after the breakup, she met Pol Marek, a Bajoran militia officer, while on a short-term assignment at Deep Space Nine. Marek was about ten years her senior, very tall and classically handsome, with dark skin, piercing eyes and regal, aquiline features. He swept her off her feet with a traditional courtship. As appears standard with Noelle's romances, the courtship involved a great deal of familiarization with Marek's culture.
They married within six months in a simple, private and impromptu Bajoran ceremony. Noelle's family and friends weren't present, something which she regrets to this day and has vowed not to repeat if she ever remarries.
Within a few years, Arianna Raya and Joray Michelle were born. The first pregnancy was complicated, and involved several months of bedrest. Following that, Noelle became devoted to the disciplines of t'ai chi and chi gung to aid in her recovery.
Marek and Noelle had a fiery relationship that was characterized by much separation (they spent most of their marriage living apart, due to respective military careers), much contention, occasional moments of peace, and passionate reconciliations. Their best times were during the Federation's various wars, when they had an external enemy who was a bigger threat than their respective problems.
Marek however came to want a peaceful, settled life, a fact which became more obvious over the years. He had seen too many of his own friends and family die during the Occupation, and later, during the Dominion War. He and Noelle purchased a sprawling estate with orchards, with the intent of moving in and settling down to raise their family, but by the end of the marriage Noelle finally admitted to herself that she didn't want to leave the Fleet, although it took much time before Marek could finally draw this admission out of her. Noelle's own desire had been for Marek to transfer to Starfleet once Bajor gained admission (which he had planned on, in previous years), and for them to get an assignment either on a station or on a large craft which could house families.
Marek eventually filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. He retained custody of both children and three years later, married Haro Dilys, a fellow ex-freedom fighter who was also a former lover, and who wanted much the same things. Dilys, Marek and Noelle had been acquainted over the years, but Noelle was blind to the fact that Marek had once been in love with Dilys. As a long-term friend of the family, Dilys is immensely fond of the children, and is raising Joray more or less as her own, a fact which galls Noelle tremendously. Arianna is fonder of Noelle, however.
And then there was Risa.
Since the divorce, Noelle has been meeting her carnal needs via regular trips to Risa. She generally takes these vacations with Adrijana Milosevic. Her sole experience with another woman, as it turns out, was with Neera (as well as her entire marriage group!) - which is why the Chief Medical Officer occasionally looks over at Noelle and winks. She developed a lot of confidence in her sexuality from these adventures, and recently has begun to attract attention for the first time in her life - which at times is either enjoyable or awkward, since she's not used to it. A very recent change has been a switch from her usual "soccer mom" off duty clothing to more revealing wears that show off her toned physique.
Therav th'Shan
Since March, 2381, Noelle has been involved with Hravitherav th'Shan, Shingen's Chief Tactical Officer, though the two have not in any way verbally defined their relationship beyond joking about having a "tezha contract".
Personal Errata
Hobbies and Interests
- Horses
- Chinese Culture and Language
- Chinese Martial Arts (Wushu, black sash; white crane kung fu; Yang-style Tai Qi) - 20+ years. Noelle occasionally teaches Tai Qi and Qi Gong classes during the longer and more boring patrols.
- Bajoran culture
- Fantasy genre of literature
- The writing of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis
- Engineering
- Learning about other cultures
