May-Li Shan

May-Li was born on the remote Tianting Zhijia colony in 2334 where her father was chief magistrate and her mother was part of the colony’s administration. May-Li did well at school and considered following her father into the study of the law, but that all changed when border skirmishes with the Cardassians began in 2347.

The Federation was caught unprepared and the colony did the best it could recruiting and training a civilian militia, led by her father.

When a raid came the Colony’s shield gave it a fighting chance keeping the Cardassians from destroying it by orbit, instead they were forced into a ground assault where the colonists’ numbers and command of the terrain allowed them a hard fought victory. Unfortunately May-Li’s father did not survive, shot by a Cardassian soldier as they retreated.

May-Li and her mother were soon evacuated along with the rest of the colonists deeper into Federation space. There May-Li continued her education and in 2353 she joined Starfleet Academy and graduated as a security officer in 2357.

Naturally, May-Li volunteered to serve on the Cardassian border where she distinguished herself in combat. When the fighting paused in the early 2360’s May-Li was assigned to Starbase 86 as a security officer. Her Bolian superior, Lieutenant Tovix helped smooth her rough edges and taught her how to be an investigator. She loved the posting, Starbase 86 with its mix of Starfleet and civilian populations felt more like home than anywhere since Tianting Zhijia.

So when Tovix was reassigned in the wake of Wolf 359 in 2367, May-Li happily stepped up and took his place. Unfortunately that would not be the only personnel change in 2370 the station was turned over to Captain Stiles, things seemed fine at first, but when the Maquis rose up Stiles showed his true colours. The idea of betrayal from within drove him to see every theft or malfunction on the station as the work of Maquis spies. Crackdowns followed, May-Li refused to carry out the orders and was relieved of duty pending a court martial.

Ultimately the trial found May-Li guilty of refusing a lawful order but brought to light Stiles’ own flaws, May-Li was reduced in rank to Lieutenant (JG) and while Captain Stiles kept his rank due to family connections he was transferred to a backwater corner of Federation space.

When the Dominion War began May-Li volunteered to join a ground assault squad and served as their weapons officer. It was a long bloody couple of years that May-Li never talks about but when it was over, after a long leave on Starbase 86, was assigned to the USS Forger as her master at arms. Fitting in well with the other veterans in security and looking out for the green kids thrown into the mix the Forger may not be Tianting Zhijia or Starbase 86 but it’ll do.