Molly McAdams

Career History

Molly was born in Helana, Montana, the youngest of five. Her parents were fairly well off and she was sent to a decent private school growing up. Unfortunately due to her obstinate streak she did not take her schooling seriously until she set her sights on Starfleet Academy her first year of high school. From then on out she focused diligently on her studies, gathering the knowledge necessary to pass the Starfleet Academy entrance exams after her high school graduation. At first she wanted to enroll in the Security program, having a penchant for brawling and assuming that's what being a Security officer was mostly about. However, after learning more about the program (and after realizing the extent of its exercise/fitness routines) she changed her mind and enrolled in the Communications program. With a natural knack for languages and technology it was an ideal program for her anyway, and she thrived throughout her four years. She graduated without honors and somewhere in the middle of her class, having studied diligently enough to pass, but had other (social) interests as well.

After graduation she spent six years traveling and in civilian jobs before finally requesting assignment when she was 28. Her first assignment was the U.S.S. Legacy, where she now resides. Due to a variety of factors she rose quickly through the ranks to Lieutenant Commander, and at age 29 received the post of Head of Communications on the Legacy. At age 31 she applied and received the post of Second Officer of the Legacy. Certain circumstances aboard the Legacy led to her temporary position of Acting Captain, and through these situations her leadership experience and expertise has given her the knowledge necessary for her current positions, even if she doesn't personally feel like she quite qualifies for them and therefore often has trouble with certain elements of professionalism.

Personal History

The youngest of five children, Molly has one brother five years older named Patrick, a sister six years older named Sandra, and twin sisters ten years older named Mary and Hannah. Because of this drastic age difference she did not associate much with her siblings, instead preferring her own company and the company of her best friend, a young man named Brandon. Before her desire to attend Starfleet Academy cropped up, she was somewhat irresponsible when it came to her schooling, often preferring to skip classes or school entirely. Brandon tried to keep her on track as much as possible but the poor boy could only do so much. She and Brandon never discussed entering a relationship, though Molly did date a boy in high school in a half-hearted attempt to make Brandon jealous. Besides that she had very few friends, instead preferring to spurn the various boys that tried to get to know her. As a pretty, vivacious, athletic red-head she often caught the eyes of the boys at her schools. A naturally mischievous girl, she often would lead on a young man and then turn around and reject him completely. One of these young men was named Hector, she lead him on for several months, teasing and promising until finally she got tired of him and drove him away with a few cruel words. Brandon always chided her for such behavior, but she never saw it as much of an issue.

Starfleet Academy was much of the same, she enjoyed vivid socializing and drinking, always leaving time for her studies but making sure to have fun as well. She lived in San Fransisco throughout the four years of Academy, because her father kicked her out of the house when she made it clear that she was going against his wishes and attending the Academy. He instead wished for her to follow in her siblings' footsteps, they chose career paths of business, architect, and other such steady jobs. When she completely denied his wishes he informed her that until she made something of herself, she was not welcome back in his house. With that in mind, she did not return to her home until after graduation, only to be kicked out yet again by her angry father.

Miserable and depressed, she attempted to contact Brandon for both comfort and a place to stay. Unfortunately he did not answer her call, as his father had just been involved in an accident. Without knowing the reason for his absence, Molly assumed he was ignoring her and when an old high school acquaintance contacted her, asking to hear about the Academy, she impetuously agreed. In an attempt to get back at Brandon for his perceived slight, she and Hector hiked out on the old trail that she and Brandon used to frequent, to a small pond in the middle of the Montana woods. There they stargazed as she told him all about the Academy, watching the stars distractedly and not paying attention to him as he crept closer. When he sexually assaulted her, she managed to use a pocket knife that her brother had given her many years ago to halt the assault. When he continued to try to get her she continued attacking him with the knife, ultimately killing him. She then drowned the body in the small pond and returned to her car to drive away from her home, spending the next six years in isolation as she moved from civilian job to civilian job. She finally returned to active duty at age 28. On the Legacy, she began to slowly build friendships and face her fears. When she was 30 she married Terrence Hooker, who she had known for two years and who had helped her start to overcome her fears and move on from her assault. Unfortunately, after about a year and a half of marriage, they decided it wasn't right for them and mutually separated. As the head of Communications and the Second Officer she often has a hard time balancing her work and her personal life, but she is slowly figuring it out.

Physical Appearance

Molly has unruly red, curly hair that has an extreme aversion to being tamed in any way. For most of her life she kept it cropped chin-length to keep it manageable, but for about a year aboard the Legacy she grew it out, a mass of tangles reaching most of the way down her back. Deciding that it was both unmanageable and dangerous in her line of work, she cut it to chin length again and intends to keep it that way. As an extremely Irish red-head, she of course is also blessed with freckles. The hair and freckles combined with youthful features result in an unfortunate side effect of making her look much younger than she is. Again due to her Irish heritage she is very fair-skinned and has dark green eyes. Standing at 5'6'', her weight often fluctuates as a result of stress and her inability to eat during such times. When she is at her regular weight, however, she has healthy curves and a well maintained figure due to her regular workout routine.

Personality 

As a girl, Molly was intensely mischievous, curious, vivacious, and rabble-rousing. She loved nothing more than a good scrap, often inciting others into a brawl just for the pure adrenaline of the fight. She was purely rebellious when it came to her parents, sneaking out as often as possible, disabling their security systems, skipping school, and basically just trying to cause as much trouble for them as possible. This was a result of both her attempt to get attention as the youngest of five, and a dissatisfaction at her parents trying to outline her future for her. She also had an intense sense of justice, often initiating fights with bullies at her schools in order to get them to stop picking on other kids. When she entered high school she realized she could escape from her parents' strict regime by attending Starfleet Academy, and threw herself into the pursuit of passing the entrance exams. As an incredibly stubborn person, she attacked her goal with single-minded tenacity until she achieved it. Being thrown out of her home over it was something she expected, but at the same time it was a heavy blow to her enthusiasm. To make up for it she gathered a large, superficial friend group around her, and when she was not studying she attended many social functions. This continued all the way up to graduation and her return home and her assault. After her assault, however, her demeanor was drastically altered.

In the six years between her assault and her assignment to the Legacy, she spent all of that time alone as much as possible. She isolated herself out of fear and terror of being re-assaulted, and through a steady regime of being alone with herself she slowly worked up emotional and mental walls to protect herself. Because of these walls she became outwardly abrasive and brash, pushing everyone away with a harsh demeanor or a carefully applied insufferable disposition. She carefully kept everyone at arm's length both mentally and physically, having shut herself off so drastically that any sort of physical touch sent her into a panic attack. Even a handshake or an accidental brush of shoulders had this result, which only made her isolate herself even more. Her time on the Legacy has slowly started to break down those walls and progress her towards mental health along. However, her tendency to become nervous around certain situations and individuals will never fully dissipate.

Now with the situation behind her and working every day to keep it there, she is gradually returning to her vivacious nature. She still enjoys a bit of mischief and teasing and is still incredibly curious, often resulting in her being nosy. This nosiness is often driven by a desire to help others, and although she means well she can often push people to anger or exasperation. She doesn't know how to take a hint and can be very overbearing. The abrasive and brash front she built up is slowly fading, but her aggressive nature remains resilient. Her stubbornness and tenacity sometimes earn her trouble when confronted with the chain of command, when she has decided on something she tends to follow it through no matter what. Her aggressive nature combined with her acute PTSD results in her emotions often being extremely volatile, she will fluctuate from one extreme emotion to another in moments. Despite this, when faced with a professional situation she almost always keeps her head and stays calm, seeing the situation through.