Maji

Species: Emite (meaning, from an M class world)
Position label: Counselor
Physical Description:
Height: 5‘6”
Weight: 130 lbs
Eyes: Blue, with the ability of the pupil to open up almost the complete diameter of the iris in order to see in the darkness of deep water.
Hair: Gray, wavy and very long. Worn in a single braid over her left shoulder.
https://imgur.com/a/hPB5KAK

Skin: Pale, almost translucent, with patches of blue/green fish scales here and there on her body, but none apparent while in uniform. If she did not wear the neck cuff, you would be able to see a patch of them on the side and back at the left of her neck, but the cuff covers them.

M43 is an M class planet that began as a water world. Fifty thousand years ago, a highly magnetized asteroid passed so closely to the planet that it grazed the atmosphere. The consequences were immediate and long lived. They continued causing changes into the future. Massive tectonic shifts to the sea floors caused land masses to rise over 1/3 of the planet. Many Emites died in the upheaval and temperature changes. Over the last 50,000 years, evolution has been in overdrive and thousands of creatures of M43 have developed amphibious characteristics. M43 became a world of land/water dwellers and also total water dwellers. The land dwellers lost most of the characteristics of the original water inhabitants.

Maji (a name given to her when she joined Star Fleet because her language doesn’t translate into Federation standard. It means ‘water’ in Swahili and was her choice.) is descended from the land dwellers. She still has gills, although they are small and located on each side of her neck, which allow her to breathe in water for hours. She doesn’t have the physiology of the water dwellers and so cannot live indefinitely under water because the gills are small and won’t supply her with enough O2 to stay submerged for days or weeks, and she is not equipped to handle the changes in pressure at deeper depths. She also has patches of blue/green scales (like a fish) on her body. When she submerges in water, vestigial fins grow on the outer lengths of her calves and forearms. Once she is out of the water, the fins dry and crystallize like sand, to be brushed off. Maji also has two sets of vocal chords. She can speak Federation Standard with one set and make normal ‘humanoid’ sounds. The second set is located behind the first, and allows her to make the vibrations and clicks of communication for the underwater Emites.

M43 has been a member of the Federation for 75 years