Captain Elizabeth Monroe (Elaine Barrett):
Elizabeth has long curly red hair, fair skin, sapphire blue eyes, a fit build, and freckles. She is thirty years old and about 5ft 8, 120lbs, in fit physical condition but not muscular or anything like that. More like she works out, stays in shape, and can really kick ass if she needs to. Think Mara Jade from Star Wars. Usually wears her uniform. She’s considered beautiful and has a ready smile but can go deadly cold when she needs to. She is a fair woman but stubborn and her temper and sense of humor matches her hair. She doesn’t flinch in the face of battle and has experience in combat through a tour of duty on an exploratory vessel as a Science officer under Captain Tate. It was because of this and her original study of ecology, environments, and biology, as well as her impeccable record that earned her the command of the Gaia. She was born in the city of Anchorage in what had once been Alaska in the United States. She is unmarried though a hopeless romantic at heart – a fact she tries to hide under a businesslike exterior. She has a weakness for Broadway musicals from the twentieth century of Earth and has been known to sing along when others are not around. She also has a tendency to break the rules when the situation calls for it.
Commander Mycroft Beckert:
The First Officer, born and raised in London, England. He is extremely intelligent and was thought to be at the top of his class yet was outdone by Elizabeth Monroe. In their university days the two of them had a lively rivalry going, one that continued once they entered the Spacefleet and went into active service. This fact and his sterling record made her specifically request Beckert as her First Officer. She knows his abilities and that he has never hesitated to tell her what he thinks – a prime quality in a First Officer. He is a stickler for following the rules and likes having his quarters arranged just so. Yet, he is unfailingly loyal and is morally uncorruptable. Threaten that which he cares about or those under his protection and he will react with deadly force without hesitation if the situation warrants it. Yet, he has the talent for seeing all sides of a situation and being the voice of reason. His devotion to duty often hides the sense of humor that he tends to reveal only to his closest friends. Mycroft has black hair that’s wavy – short but not very short – and always perfectly styled and grey-blue eyes that darken to a stormy color when angry. He is thirty years old, six feet tall, average weight, and has a fit build – think volleyball, gymnast, runner, swimmer type. Very handsome but combines that aristocratic British thing with a hint of boy next door. Think Clark Kent crossed with Bruce Wayne. He’s a bit more standoffish. He’s friendly and such but he takes longer to open up so he has a few people he calls close friends. Though handsome he can be a bit intimidating and that, along with his strict following of rules, tends to keep others at arm’s length. When Elizabeth’s around and bending the rules he tends to get a bit harried.
Lt. Borask:
A large member of the Kindoran race. The Kindorans are ten to twelve feet tall with skin the consistency, strength, and texture of rock. Think the big rocky dude in the Fantastic Four but not that orange color – more a mix of all the different colors of rocks and lumpy. But, he as well wears a uniform. He is immensely heavy.They eat different types of rocks and possess immense strength. Yet that benefit comes with a downside – extreme weight. In order to not damage the floor and ground underneath them they wear shoes that negate most of their weight, making them seem no heavier than an average Human. Borask is one of the few members of his race who have left their homeworld which is seeking membership in the Galactic Confederation. He is one of his race’s chief security specialists and has been attached to the Gaia as Security Chief in an ambassadorial effort to promote goodwill between his species and the Confederation. He is obsessive about security and loves battle – that he looks likely to find little of it on the Gaia is something he regrets. He collects different types of weaponry, hoping to add to his collection from most every planet he comes across. He is not the best ambassador, however, since he has no skills at diplomacy and is a man of few words in general.
Dr. Jonithan Noah:
Head Keeper. Dr. Noah is kind of a white hunter from Africa. However he doesn’t down the animal, but saves them. He’s in his 60s with green eyes and tanned skin seamed by a lot of scars. Still in fit condition considering his age and prefers khaki clothes one might wear on a safari. With his white beard, mustache and hair, he shows his age and life’s experience, an old crusty eccentric guy, with a lot of experience. He has a cybernetic limb, where an alien animal bit off a leg, loves animals though and the adventure. After receiving his formal education from Cornell University, he felt, to really learn about different species, he needed to go to them. So he made it a point to travel the world, Kilimanjaro Safaris, San Diego Wild Animal Park, Beauval Zoo, and National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Chester Zoo in England, Taronga Zoo and the Singapore Zoo. His desire to learn brought him to this ship. Part of the Captain’s support teams, and reports directly to her, he is her left hand. He won’t stand for any mistreatment of an animal and makes sure their environment, health and food is all top notches. He does runs his people ragged and demands a tight ship, to speak. He speaks his mind and thinks up all sorts of strange cuss words (nothing really dirty) like “bloody blue bucket wasps”!
Even though he is tough on the outside; he is looked upon as a fatherly figure by the crew, and would give advice on life personal matters when asked. Kind of an all bark no bite leader.
Dr. Candice Undomo:
Chief Medical Officer of the Gaia. She is South African with really dark skin and black hair which she keeps coiled in elaborate chignons at the back of her head. She’s in decent shape though not a fighter and quite pretty in a more exotic way. She has a nice feminine figure and wears the Gaia uniform covered by a white lab coat. She’s five and a half foot tall and weighs 115 lbs. Born and raised in South Africa, she entered the service of the Galactic Confederation after going through Medical school. She specializes in xenomedical research and requested the post on the Gaia as a way to meet and study the different diseases that plague different alien species, knowing that the Gaia is at the vanguard of the Confederation’s exploration efforts. She is a lover of science and research and her bedside manner suffers because of it. She is tough, no nonsense, get the job done, and to hell with the niceties. She tends to push people’s buttons and rub them the wrong way. But, despite that, she is blindingly intelligent and has been known to discover cures when no one else can. She could have the pick of any job in the Confederation and she chose the Gaia.
Dr. Squijert Filigort:
Is the Head Veterinarian on Gaia. He is a member of an insectoid race called the Zeem. He is 10 feet long from head to tip of his abdomen and his head reaches about 10 feet in height. They are much like grasshoppers in the fact that they have incredible jumping abilities and are vegetarian. They possess six complex eyes set in the center of their mantis like head that enable them to see in incredible detail both far away and very close up. Their eyes are in fact like living electron microsopes. They posess six arms in addition to the jumping legs and each arm has a hand that has fingers that have tips that can extend quite far in order to do delicate work in small places. They can see and manipulate with incredible accuracy unaided in a level that would require advanced computers and robotic assistance for any human. Squijert also is extremely strong, his top set of arms being much like praying mantis arms – fast and very strong. He possesses a set of iridescent green wings on his back that enables him to fight and an extended abdomen with a stinger much like that of a wasp. His body is a rich emerald green in color with spikey protrusions along his arms and legs. Before joining the Gaia’s crew he worked as the main vet for the largest (before Gaia) zoo in the Galaxy. He has seen and treated many types of animals that nobody has seen. Yet, he tired of the sedentary life at the Galacorp Zoo and, when offered the job on Gaia, jumped (literally) at the chance to have some adventure. He has a strange craving for broccoli and collects different plants from the worlds he comes across, growing them in a module off the Vetbay specifically designed for this. These plants are ones he can eat, yes, but also ones that look interesting, have unusual behaviors, and especially medical attributes. He and Dr. Undomo have decided to collaborate on a research project to find medicines to benefit both people and animals.
Lt. McCall:
McCall is the parrot Communications Officer. She is a member of a species of genetically bred and engineered Scarlet Macaws from South America that are quite as intelligent as Humans and have become full citizens. Her actual body is four feet tall to accommodate the larger brain size and her tail is a further six feet long. McCall is a member of her kind that truly has mastered languages and communication, having an uncanny ability to pick up and become fluent in the various languages she hears in remarkable time and actually retain the language over time. She has no hands and so has a small lightweight communicator that she wears as a necklace around her neck. It is keyed to her voice and follows voice commands. Her console at the bridge is also situated to allow her to tap out commands with her beak and feet. It is a flat platform with a perch off to the side. The platform is covered by a touch screen and a holoprojector that follows the tapped out commands as well as voice commands. Yet, for all its intelligence McCall tends to still speak like a parrot and hasn’t quite outgrown the tendency to repeat what others say. She also loves poker and all forms of gambling, sometimes getting trouble because of that. In addition, she has a love for limericks, dirty jokes, and poetry.
Lt. Commander Desdemona Xanthaxis:
Desdemona is the Science Officer and a member of the Thylora race, a race of people totally devoted to the pursuit of science and knowledge. The Thylora are the supreme scientists of the galaxy and offered one of their very best to the Gaia in the name of diplomacy. They are a race of shapeshifters, actually made of energy made corporeal. When they touch another living being they can take the form of that being for as long as they wish and store their pattern in their memory. They are nearly immoral – or at least none but the Thylora actually know how long they live – and travel the galaxy trying to learn about different peoples and creatures by sharing their lives as one of them. Desdemona is one of the oldest members of their race and has traveled far and wide – though she doesn’t often speak of it, leaving the other races to explore and learn on their own terms. Yet, when needed, she’ll come out with interesting surprises, forms, and bits of knowledge quite appropriate to whichever situation that the Gaia’s crew finds themselves in. She is a pacifist but knows that fighting and violence is part of the nature of the galaxy. She will fight when needed but prefers to avoid it when possible. When not choosing a specific form she appears as a golden ball of sheer energy. Yet, for the sake of the crew and her duties she chooses to appear as a beautiful woman with fair skin, long black hair and glowing golden eyes. She is a true bombshell beauty – think feminine perfection. She is five and a half feet tall and curvy. She’s very playful and flirty but also a scientist. She wears the Gaia uniform. She doesn’t stand for nonsense though and is incredibly ancient – though she appears a human woman in her prime. Only her eyes and faintly glowing skin give her away as a Thylora though she could hide those if she wished to. Yet, she is not in disguise and travels openly as what she is – something that she has not always done in the past. Desdemona is a woman of many years and many stories yet to be told.
ZT-39V3:
Zeet for short is the robotic Chief Engineer of Gaia. He is the height of the man with a thick cylindrical body with an octagonal head on top with different attenae and opticall sensors as well as speakers for his voice. He has eight arms designed for specific engineering tasks set in a circle around his body and moves about using an anti-gravity generator to float above the floor. This body would also have all sorts of panels and compartments and such for different gadgets and his arms would each look different with different attachments for different functions. His coloring is white, blue, and green with the Gaia Engineering insignia on his front. He possesses the entire engineering library of the Confederation. Zeet was designed specifically for the Gaia and interfaces extremely well with the main computer. An eccentric robot he is always modifying and upgrading himself with new gadgets and abilities – not always to the best effect. He also is fond of spouting out bits of trivia and one-liners, thinking that because he is an expert in Engineering and an advanced robot he can aid in most any field just after boning up on it in a library. He is always willing to lend a hand but tends to lose his temper with anyone who treats machines badly, giving lectures and holding grudges. He is capable of working in conditions that would kill most living beings – extremes of temperature, no atmosphere, deadly gases, and radiation.
Lt. Andre Anjou:
Andre is the Helm Officer aboard Gaia. Born and raised in Gascogne in what was once France he read the classic book The Three Musketeers and fell in love with it. He’s a man in his twenties who fancies himself a romantic type hero who is very good with the ladies – a modern day Musketeer – devoted to Captain and Confederation, always willing to brave danger in the name of duty (and beautiful ladies). He has dyed wavy blonde hair, light blue eyes, and tanned skin (something he makes sure he keeps since he thinks it makes him look good). He has also made sure to grow and wax the curved moustache that always marks a Musketeer in the old stories. He’s even gone to the extent of becoming a fencing master with a rapier and collects swords and anything he can find relating to the 1500s when the Musketeers were at their height. His French accent is heavy and he doesn’t bother to try and hide it. Yet, regardless of the fact that he is vain and a dandy he is an accomplished pilot and a good man. Mycroft Beckert served with him once on a prior commission he jumped at the chance to be Gaia’s Helmsman knowing that there would be adventure, plenty of women visiting the hotel, and exotic places.
Gaia:
The ship itself is sentient via the ship’s main computer. She is an artificial intelligence. She herself can pilot the ship if needed, gather information with sensors. She is the most advanced robotic intelligence in known creation. Yet she does not outrank the Captain. She can learn, express herself via the arts, has emotions, and is in every way a person. She’s just a person who happens to be a huge Zooship. She’s very young, however, having only just woken up for the first time when the Zooship was finally completed. Therefore, she is learning, growing, and stretching her capabilities.
