J. C. Swishman

Full Name: Julianis Caulder (J.C.) Swishman

Hair Color: Typically a salt and pepper blend, but there may be some exotic colors explored on longer shore leaves
Eye Color: Hazel
Distinguishing Marks: A sizable scar that sits over his collarbone (between his neck and left shoulder), and a small scar on the back of his left hand, in line with the index finger
Build: Lanky, but healthy
Other Physical Features: Hair is kept Ancient Earth military short, with a short-kept full goatee (also salt and pepper).

Born: Ennis, County Clare, Ireland, Earth
Birthdate: February 3, 2378
Parents: Ariana O’Sullivan-Swishman (Mother), Constantine Swishman (Father)
Siblings: Merideth O’Sullivan (Half-Sister, deceased)
Additional History: Both of J.C.’s parents were members of Federation agencies; his mother worked with the Federation Astronomical Committee, and his father was a member of Terraform Command. Through those, Ariana gave J.C. a love of space, and Constantine gave him a love of engineering. J.C. spent a lot of his formative years tinkering around the home with various kit-bash projects, until the untimely death of his sister Merideth. After that, his engineering focus grew much less practical, and more in the realm of thought experiments and theoretical studies. His higher education included Academy prep and fundamental Starfleet Engineering coursework, with his father calling in favors from the Starfleet Corps of Engineers to get J.C. much-needed real-world experience; Constantine knew that, while his own work was important, and he would’ve loved for J.C. to follow in his footsteps, his son was meant for a grander stage.

Medical History: J.C. has a genetic condition that caused him to go gray in his teens. While it’s not a full-blown gray, it’s definitely enough to be noticable, contributing to the salt-and-pepper look. J.C. also has 2 noteworthy scars: one on his left collarbone, between the neck and shoulder, approximately 3.5” in length… And a small 1/2 inch scar on the back of his left hand, just under the knuckle of his index finger. The first was caused by, in his words, ‘an engineering mishap’ when he was 13. He says he asked to keep it ‘as a reminder of what he lost’. The second was from his first time volunteering with the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, after he reached into a tool pod and caught himself on the business end of a flux coupler.

Psych Profile: J.C seems to be well-adjusted, friendly, and eager to engage on-duty, though he does tend to isolate himself somewhat socially. He does try to inject humor into tense or awkward situations to try and lighten the mood, which has been described by a small number of people as, “at times trying too hard”. But all-in-all, people know he means well.

As far as his Academy and Engineering course duties are concerned, he is quick with suggestions, seems to enjoy healthy debate and brainstorming, and can lead if needed… But he tends to want to be ‘in the action’ and actually doing the work.

One notable psych item concerns his sister Merideth. Apparently, her death came when a particular homemade engineering experiment of J.C.’s went awry and exploded. J.C. suffered a significant injury attempting to shield his sister from the blast (the scar on his left collarbone), but she unfortunately succumbed to the injuries he couldn’t shield her from. There was no negligence on J.C.’s part; it was found in investigation that the power source he had used, normally perfectly safe, was faulty from manufacture in a way someone of even his skills at his age wouldn’t have detected. Despite the pure accidental nature of how everything happened, J.C. did feel personally responsible. He has had occasional counselling sessions over the years to try and come to grips with his personal guilt, and while it hasn’t adversely affected his performance in pre-Academy and Academy education, it’s hard to say if that will remain that way. His parents noted that J.C. did become more introverted after Merideth’s passing, giving up nearly all of his physical tinkering and experimentation until his father was able to use connections to the SCE to get J.C. back to working in a ‘more controlled’ environment.