Tanaka Hatomi
Tanaka Hatomi
Rank: Ensign (O-1)
Position: Former Nurse
Appearance
Species: Human
Gender: Female
Born: 2360
Place of Birth: Federation Civilian Outpost
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 116lbs
Like most Japanese women, Tomi has a lithe frame; delicate, slight and willowy. Almond of eye and skin, she is not known to smile very often but those who have witnessed it report that it improves her appearance remarkably. Though born profoundly deaf, her cochlea implant is completely internal and is not visible in any way to the naked eye. It works as an almost-perfect replacement for a natural organ, though it is mechanical by nature and therefore prone to malfunctions and requires occasional maintenance.
Personality
Though of a quiet disposition, Tomi exudes a sense of strength that, mingled with determination and dedication, have made her the woman she is today. Most people would find her polite, efficient and gentle, though not necessarily all that easy to get to know. This isn't because the woman is unfriendly, as such, but because it has become second-nature for her to hold back and remain unassuming, allowing other people to go about their business whilst she remains behind to "clean up". To all but the astute observer, this seclusion wouldn't appear to worry Tomi, but in actual fact, the woman is dreadfully lonely. Having spent her younger years in silence, she has never quite mastered the skills required for maintaining casual relationships and tends to simply let herself drift into the habit of never seeking people out, even those who show an interest and with whom she shares common goals and interests. Since earning her nursing degree, she has improved slightly in this area, though she still falls woefully short of being assertive when it comes to making and maintaining friendships.
However, Tomi is not a weak woman. Though not prone to flashes of anger or loud protest, she knows how to stand up for what she believes in and does so without compunction, often to the disbelief of those who've already decided she's a pushover. She has an indomanitible will when she chooses to stick to her guns and has been known to get even the most difficult of patients to behave without them even realising what happened. In terms of her beliefs, both professionally and spiritually, she is unshakeable and yet considerate of others; steadfast, and yet open-minded.
Religion: Shinto
Strengths and Weaknesses
Tomi's greatest strength flows from her spirituality, which imbues her with a set of values and beliefs that both ground her and allow her to grow, to reach out to the universe in a meaningful way in order to explore it, understand it and find her place within it. It is, of course, an ongoing processes but nevertheless one that provides her with much peace of mind and a focus that translates very well into her chosen field. She is also very patient, diligent and shows great initiative in her work, which she believes to be her primary means of connecting with herself and with others.
Her weakness, other than the physical impairment which is barely an issue these days, is her tendency to live too much inside her own head. Much of her life is very private and she rarely takes the time to find things to share with others, which in turn leaves her isolated, unnourished and disconnected. Considering her neverending quest for personal enlightenment, this has more than just social implications as it occasionally cripples her with depression and despair that make her question everything she holds dear.
Ambitions
Though it might sound trite, Hatomi's greatest wish is simply to be happy. Part of the road to ensuring this is to continue to perform her duties well, to increase her knowledge and experience so that she may better treat her patients, and to avail herself to whoever needs her the most, no matter where that may take her. It also includes, however, a continued sense of self and purpose and, one day, she hopes, a family.
Hobbies and Interests
Meditation, kendo, Tai Chi, horticulture, cooking and playing the koto.
History
Hatomi was born on a small civilian outpost 3 months prematurely to a dying mother and a soon-to-be-heartbroken father. The tiny babe, though fragile, defied odds from the outset and thrived where others might have faltered and failed, but the disease which had ravaged her mother in the final weeks of her life had a drastic impact on the infant she had been carrying, the most significant of which was an underdeveloped and incomplete auditory faculty that left the child profoundly deaf and without any chance of ever hearing without an artificial implant. As a result, Tomi was born into a silent world clouded with grief and there is every possibility that, even at that very young age, she was influenced enough by her new reality for it to sow the seeds for the kind of person she would eventually become.
The girl's early years were full of mixed blessings. Her father, a scholar and spiritual envoy, viewed his wife's passing and his daughter's impairment as a sign that a greater force was punishing him and consequently threw himself into his religious pursuits, seeking an answer as to what was expected of him and his family and why they had been asked to endure so much. This made him inaccessible at times and meant that the little girl's well-being, as well as that of her older brother, was left mostly in the hands of extended family, especially her maternal grandmother. Though time would pass and her father would begin to gain at least some perspective, it still took 7 years for Hatomi to be fitted with the first of many cochlea implants because her confused guardian was loathe to interfere with the will of the gods. A terrifying near-miss that almost cost the unaware child her life finally got him to see sense and thus, at age 7, Tomi discovered what the universe sounded like.
Though it took some adjusting to, the girl's agile brain quickly began to absorb these new stimuli and, within a year, she had acquired verbal language. It would only take her another year or two to refine this new method of communication until, by the time she reached adolescence, it was impossible to tell that she hadn't been talking all her life. Perhaps the only odd thing about her speech is her tendency to speak much softer than most people would consider a usual volume. Indeed, she favours the quiet and is not a huge fan of noisy crowds, though this could be because her implant affords her a slightly enhanced hearing that can make cacophonies very confusing.
Though always a bright child, Hatomi had to struggle for each and every one of her achievements against a family who merely wanted to keep her wrapped up safely, like a treasure to be admired but never risked. Ever obliging, she did her best to settle into the life that was expected of her and undertook all her tasks with a quiet patience that would become her trademark but, inside, she was frustrated and lacking the mental stimulation she required. She found outlets in music and martial arts, but numerous trips to hospitals to have her implant either replaced or simply checked kept bringing her back to a world she had known since birth and which had captured her fascination for as long as she could remember. Initially, her longing was to become a doctor and many of her teachers certainly thought she had the aptitude for it, but her father balked at the idea of sending her so far from home for such a long period of time and, ever the dutiful daughter, Tomi consented instead to train as a nurse and, at age 16, she started what would eventually become a rather long process.
It was after her first year that the now emerging young woman realized she wanted to do more than just change beds in one of the small local hospitals. Her father's religious teachings had given her a fascination for the universe and all its mysteries and, what's more, she felt she could be of more use elsewhere, perhaps where others were at greater risk of injury. Though her father refused to give her permission, Hatomi did the unthinkable and chose her own desires over those of her family, enrolling in StarFleet Medical in secret. Disguising a trip back to Earth to visit her father's parents as an opportunity to "fly the coup", as such, Tomi escaped home without suspicion and by the time her father realized what she'd done, she was already attending her first classes and exhibiting a certain now-familiar stubbornness towards his attempts to coax her home.
Hatomi had finally won her freedom.
However, despite the fact that she was now calling the shots, Tomi didn't change her discipline, deciding to continue training as a nurse rather than opt in her first preference. Whilst possibly a little odd on the surface, an examination of how difficult she found being amongst so many strangers in such a bustling environment might easily explain why the woman decided she simply was not cut out personally for the life of a busy physician. Instead, she gifted the nursing world with a keen and agile brain, inventive and intuitive, and a demeanour that would suit her chosen profession almost perfectly.
Since graduating at age 21, she has moved around a number of smallish posts, primarily on medical ships, though she did spend her first year out working in a Federation hospital on Earth. The USS Archimedes is her first assignment outside a strictly medical environment and, thus far, she has adapted well though most of the crew probably don't even realise she's on board. Unless they get hurt a lot, and then they're probably too doped up to tell.
Family
Father: Tanaka Yasuhiro
Mother: Tanaka Mamiyu (Deceased)
Older Brother: Yasuhiko
Awards
 Newcomer Award Mission: Flight of the Valkyries |
 Friendship Ribbon Mission: Flight of the Valkyries |
 3 Months Service 2 March - 2 June 2008 |
 Treknology Award Mission: Manic Monday |
 6 Months Service 2 March - September 2008 |
 Captain's Choice Mission: Don't You (Forget About Me) |
