Melissa "Missy" Etheridge

[Cortex Mainframe]

MISSY ETHERIDGE

Age:	29
Gender:	Female
Primary Occupation:	Ship Medic
Appearance:	Hair: Blonde Eyes: Blue Height: 5'4" Weight: 125 lb Scars/Markings: None (Previously had birthmark on right calf, since removed) Missy always makes a point of being very careful about her appearance, to the point that her personal style borders on prissiness. She carries herself with rigid precision, and her speaking voice carries the faintest trace of a nearly-corrected lisp.
Faceclaim:	Anna Camp
Initial Personality:	Dr. Etheridge has been complimented her whole career for her warm, soothing bedside manner. She's always ready with a bright smile, always speaks to her colleagues and patients with the utmost politeness and professionalism. She's so nice, in other words. That's what people always say when they meet her, always with the same little nose scrunch between the second and third syllables, always with that slightly elongated 'i' at the end. "She's so nice." And if she comes off as just a little bit distant sometimes after the initial small talk has faded, if she tends to hold people at arm's length on any subject beyond the weather or the blood test results, well, that just comes with the job, doesn't it? Medical professionals have to be focused, don't they? Isn't it a good thing she takes her work so seriously, even at the expense of her social life? And, after all, who can hold it against her when she's just so... nice?
Underlying Personality:	One does not graduate from Osiris Medical Academy with some of the highest honors or land one of the few St. Lucy's residency placements by being nice -- or at least, not just by being nice. Early on in Melissa's medical career, she tried very hard to be taken seriously by her professors and classmates and colleagues -- but with her baby blues, lisping voice, and Daddy's money, "serious" was just a little too far out of reach. She fought tooth and nail to prove herself as more than a dumb dilettante, to force people to recognize her intelligence and ambition, and only succeeded in shifting the label to dumb sāobī instead. So she changed tack. Practically overnight, Melissa became "Missy." She practiced her small talk and smiled in the mirror until her face hurt. She started waiting to answer questions until someone else did it first. She began networking and sucking up with ruthless abandon. And she was almost more disappointed than she was proud of herself when it actually worked. Still, she'd made it too far to give up now, no matter how cold the anger that bubbled underneath, no matter how insulting it was that these were the measures she had to take just to gain the acceptance and respect that she should have won on her own merit -- no, not respect, she would think furiously. Just acceptance. Nobody respected her any more than they ever had; they just praised her and promoted her because they liked her. Because she was nice.
Known History:	Melissa Jane Etheridge Birthplanet: Londinium Birthdate: May 11th, 2490 Father: Justice Charles James Etheridge (Parliamentarian) Mother: Dr. Janet Mei Ling-Etheridge (Osiris Yùhé de Shǒu Clinic, Head Physician) Sibling(s): Charles "Chip" James Etheridge, Jr. (Blue Sun, Head of Core Distribution, Soft Drinks & Canned Goods Division) Education: Niánqīng de Tiāncái Primary Academy (2494-2501) Advanced Learning Center of Osiris (2501-2508) Osiris Medical Academy (2508-2512) Employment: St. Lucy's Hospital, Resident (2512-2517) Osiris Yùhé de Shǒu Clinic, Junior Medical Associate (2517-2518) Cornwolf, Ship Medic (2518-2519)
Other History:	Melissa grew up with a lot of expectations and a lot of pressure. The latest in a long line of Succeeders, Doers, and Overachievers, her sense of self-worth hinged itself on being The Best from a very young age. As a child, she was constantly changing extracurricular activities, jumping from one instrument, sport, or competition to the next at the first sign of failure or imperfection. When this strategy inevitably got her nowhere fast, she threw herself into her schoolwork instead, driving herself ruthlessly to excel there where she had given up so easily in all her other pursuits. She never bothered making friends until MedAcad, when the advantages of cultivating a social life were proven to her, but camaraderie still does not come naturally to her, though she's grown quite adept at faking it. After receiving her medical license, she spent some time working at her mother's practice. It was going well, and her career and prospects were right on track until she and her mother had a sudden and extraordinary falling out. Neither of them ever disclosed to anyone else what started the argument or exactly what was said (read: screamed) that night, but Missy left the practice without notice the very next morning, went directly to the nearest Alliance Recruiting Center, and signed on as ship medic with the first vessel that would have her.
Skills and Strengths:	Medical proficiency, Academia, Smiling, Lying, Winning
Weaknesses:	Any form of combat, Admitting mistakes, Empathy, Commitment, Keeping houseplants alive

[Missy Etheridge]

Equipment

Fully equipped MedAcad doctor's bag, carefully organized DataBook containing medical encyclopedia and access to professional data-library Gold miniband watch, non-functional, inscribed, "With best wishes on your graduation -- Dr. Ling-Etheridge" stolen on Iscariot Personal IdentCard Two white labcoats Assorted clothing and other minor personal effects

[Missy Etheridge]

Medical Records

Official:

MALADY	DESC-TREATMENT-ETC
INJURY	DESC-TREATMENT-ETC

Ship Specific (If going by an assumed name):

MALADY	DESC-TREATMENT-ETC
INJURY	DESC-TREATMENT-ETC