Iniko Mpeba

I'm nonbinary, so as soon as I thought about creating a character I immediately knew I was going to make one that was neither male or female. That isn't an opportunity I get very often. I decided to choose from a species where that's a pretty normal biological thing just because I wanted it to be something of a non-issue. It still comes up pretty often when deciding what to wear off duty or interacting with very binary-gendered species, so it also provides some interesting narrative opportunities.

Not exactly sure how subconscious this is, since this is a memory from Iniko's past, but jhe still has nightmares about it and is a bit paranoid because of it. This is during the Romulan occupation of Duronis II, when Iniko had joined up with a group of protestors hoping to oust the Romulans.

Hi! My name's Katy. I'm a huge Star Wars fan, but I really enjoy Star Trek, too! I'm married and a stay at home parent to our daughter, so play by email seems like a good fit :-)

Iniko sat on a bench outside the Federation embassy. They held their pad and a stylus on their lap and doodled nervously, glancing up through their short black curls at the door. Their foot tapped nervously, jiggling the stylus and ruining the doodle. This is the last chance to give up this crazy idea. Just go back home, invite Mel and Oni over for dinner, and nothing will have to change. Nothing will change at all. No, that is not an acceptable option. Iniko stood abruptly and shoved the pad in their pocket. They stepped purposefully toward the door, before swinging back around and hunching down on the bench again. What if this doesn’t work? What if I wash out of training and have to come back home and face them all? Is this really worth the risk? A runabout lifted off behind the embassy and they watched it fly up through the clouds. That is what I want. I am going to be up there someday. I can’t be stuck here forever. Alright, then, no more hesitating. Iniko stood up once again and walked toward the door. This time they didn’t look back. It was time for a new beginning.