Commander Mariko Tao
Name Mariko Tao
Position Executive Officer
Rank Commander
Character Information
| Gender | Female | |
| Species | Human | |
| Age | 31 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5' 1" | |
| Weight | 115 lbs | |
| Hair Color | Black | |
| Eye Color | Brown |
Family
| Father | Kentaro Tao (deceased) - The former Governor of Kintochi Province and a respected elder statesman, Kentaro Tao embodied the highest ideals of Anbara-sei’s traditional values—honour, service, and restraint. Deeply disciplined and quietly authoritative, he raised Mariko with the clear expectation that she would carry forward the family legacy. His passing during her time at Starfleet Academy was a deeply personal loss and marked a turning point in her emotional distance from Anbara-sei. | |
| Mother | Kuyoshi Tao - A respected scholar and matriarch who curates the Ancestral Heritage Foundation of Kintochi. Kuyoshi is fiercely traditional and deeply spiritual, maintaining the family shrine and genealogical records. She disapproves of Mariko’s deviation from the path laid out by the House and speaks to her mostly through formal messages. | |
| Brother(s) | Narihari Tao (Younger Brother): The current Governor of Kintochi Province, Narihari is ambitious and austere, heavily shaped by their father’s legacy. He has rejected his sister’s choices outright, claiming she abandoned the family. He is married to Tomiko Sera-Tao, a legislative scholar and strict constitutionalist. They have two children: Yusuke Tao (Age 9) – Heir apparent, already being groomed for leadership. Aimi Tao (Age 6) – Curious and playful, often scolded for her mischief during rituals. Haruki Tao (Youngest Brother): A medical trainee with a compassionate nature, Haruki studies xenobiology and Federation ethics. He is newly married to Keiko Juno, a nurse from a prominent healer’s lineage. They have one child: Riku Tao (Infant) – Named after an ancient Tao ancestor known for healing. |
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| Sister(s) | Chiasa Tao (Younger Sister): A serene presence who lives as a spiritual archivist at the Great Temple of Amagiri. She maintains daily rites in honour of their ancestors and offers emotional sanctuary when Mariko returns home in secret. Quietly supportive of Mariko, though rarely vocal about it. | |
| Other Family | Extended Family and House Structure: The House of Tao: One of the most historically venerated noble families of Anbara-sei, renowned for its purity of bloodline and preservation of classical Japanese values, now interpreted through the planetary cultural evolution of over 150 years. The family seat, a sprawling estate in Uramizu Valley, houses ancestral scrolls, gardens in seasonal rotation, and a private Noh theatre. Mariko, though eldest daughter, abdicated all rights to the line when she left for Starfleet. Renji Tao (Paternal Uncle): A senior policy advisor on the planetary council. Revered and feared in equal measure, Renji sees Mariko as a political liability and often urges Narihari to formally expunge her from the succession line. Midori Tao (Paternal Aunt): A retired ambassador to Betazed who still commands respect on Anbara-sei. Midori is far more compassionate and cosmopolitan, and quietly encourages Mariko’s service beyond their world. She remains Mariko’s most consistent familial ally. Eiji Tao (Cousin, son of Renji): A decorated officer in the planetary defence force. Eiji walks the line between loyalty to the Tao tradition and a private, conflicted admiration for Mariko’s bravery. He rarely speaks to her, but he follows her career from afar. Naoko Tao (Cousin, daughter of Midori): A subversive political satirist, author, and academic who lives offworld. Openly critical of Anbara-sei’s aristocracy, she delights in taunting the family and sends Mariko encrypted messages filled with wit and encouragement. Grandparents: Takeshiro Tao (Paternal Grandfather, deceased): The revered former patriarch of the Tao line, known as The Iron Chrysanthemum. He rebuilt the family’s ancestral fortune after the Great Earthquake of 2214 and codified many of the traditions still observed by the House today. Aika Tao (Paternal Grandmother): Still living, Aika serves as the quiet keeper of the inner shrine. Her presence is regarded as semi-mystical, and she rarely speaks to anyone outside the family circle. To Mariko, she is both distant and oddly comforting. Shunji Kuroda (Maternal Grandfather): A former temple magistrate and poetic philosopher, Shunji published several volumes of verse blending Taoist and Shinto cosmology. He is now retired and lives in seclusion with his garden and scrolls. Emiko Kuroda (Maternal Grandmother): An artisan potter and herbalist from the mountainous Iekawa region. Emiko infused Anbara-sei’s traditions with elements of folk craft and home ritual. She and Mariko were once very close, and Emiko taught her how to prepare tea using Anbara-grown jasmine root. |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Mariko is calm, composed, and razor-sharp—an officer who prefers quiet authority over theatrics. Trained in diplomacy and interstellar law, she is methodical in both speech and action, favouring structure and due process even in the most morally charged situations. She rarely raises her voice, but her presence commands attention through clarity, posture, and deliberate precision. Mariko holds a deep belief in justice as a tool for truth, not vengeance. She is principled but not inflexible, willing to challenge authority when necessary to preserve integrity. Though she appears emotionally reserved, this stems from discipline rather than detachment. Her empathy is quiet and measured, revealed in subtle gestures and moments of dry wit. She leads through competence and conviction, not charisma. Rooted in the traditions of Anbara-sei, Mariko carries a sense of cultural distinction and personal restraint. She values ritual, clarity, and self-control, often acting as a voice of reason when others are led by impulse. Those who know her well recognise that beneath her cool exterior lies a fierce commitment to justice, truth, and the people under her protection. |
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| Strengths & Weaknesses | Mariko Tao’s greatest strength lies in her disciplined intellect. She absorbs information quickly and retains it with precision, allowing her to navigate legal frameworks, diplomatic tensions, and operational challenges with ease. Her calm under pressure makes her a stabilising force in high-stakes situations, and her ability to remain impartial—especially in emotionally charged environments—sets her apart as a reliable voice of reason. A skilled negotiator and tactician, Mariko excels at reading a room, anticipating political consequences, and adapting her approach to achieve the most constructive outcome. However, this same control can become a liability. Mariko struggles to express vulnerability and rarely shares her emotional state, even with those close to her. Her self-restraint, while admirable, often creates distance between her and her peers, and she risks appearing cold or aloof—especially in moments where compassion is needed more than precision. She can also become overly cautious, delaying action in pursuit of complete information or protocol adherence. While her intentions are rooted in fairness and justice, this need for structure can clash with more impulsive or emotionally driven colleagues. Mariko is not quick to trust, and her standards—for herself and others—are high. While this drives excellence, it can also make collaboration difficult when others don't meet her expectations. Her patience has limits, particularly with those who act without forethought or fail to grasp nuance. Despite this, she continues to evolve—recognising that leadership sometimes requires flexibility, not just control, and that strength can also lie in shared uncertainty. |
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| Ambitions | Mariko Tao does not chase rank or accolades; instead, her ambition is rooted in shaping a more just and accountable Federation. She hopes to refine the role of law in deep space, proving that diplomacy and due process are not weaknesses but essential tools for peace. Long term, she quietly aspires to a strategic advisory or judicial role—somewhere she can influence policy and precedent rather than merely enforce it. Privately, Mariko yearns to reconcile her demanding career with the traditions of her people. Though she rarely speaks of it, she envisions one day returning to Anbara-sei to mentor the next generation, contribute to the legacy of the Tao family, and perhaps raise a family of her own. Beneath her disciplined exterior lies a quiet desire for connection, continuity, and a life defined not only by duty, but by meaning. |
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| Hobbies & Interests | Mariko finds solace in the structure and discipline of traditional martial arts, having trained extensively in Kenjutsu and Kendo since childhood. These practices are more than exercise to her—they are meditative rituals that keep her centred. She also studies classical literature and interstellar legal theory, often reading late into the night to unwind or sharpen her thinking. Beyond the intellectual and martial, Mariko has a quiet appreciation for calligraphy and brush painting, arts passed down through her family. Her quarters are neatly kept, with minimal décor save for a few ink scrolls and a carefully maintained bonsai. While she rarely indulges in leisure for leisure’s sake, she does enjoy tea ceremonies, quiet gardens, and stargazing—moments where formality softens and stillness becomes its own reward. |
| Personal History | Mariko Tao was born in the early hours of July 11th, 2366, on a quiet, golden morning in the city of Nishu, nestled in the rolling, serene plains of the Kintochi Province on Anbara-sei—a Federation colony founded more than a century and a half ago by Japanese pioneers seeking to shape a new world in their image. With the support of Starfleet, these settlers established a peaceful, culturally rich society where art, agriculture, and tradition thrived in harmony. By the time of Mariko’s birth, Anbara-sei had become a proud and self-sufficient planet near Bajoran space, with Kintochi serving as one of its oldest and most influential provinces. Mariko’s upbringing was steeped in tradition and expectation. Her father, Governor Kentaro Tao, ruled the Kintochi Province with dignity and restraint, having inherited the position from his father, Mitsunari Tao. Her mother, Kuyoshi Tao, was a quiet but incisive presence—an academic and artist whose connections reached deeply into both political and Starfleet circles. As the eldest daughter, Mariko was raised to uphold the Tao family’s reputation: to speak when spoken to, to excel without arrogance, and to challenge nothing that would bring shame to the house. But even from a young age, she revealed a sharp mind and a subtle defiance. She questioned, she debated, and she learned faster than her tutors could keep up with. By the age of four, she had begun formal schooling, and by fifteen, she had completed her secondary education and passed early entrance into the prestigious University of Kintochi, where she earned her degree in interstellar law by age eighteen. The turning point in her life came during the final year of the Dominion War. On a summer afternoon, the skies above Nishu blackened—not with clouds, but with Dominion warships. What followed was devastation. Her father was slain in an honour duel with the Jem’Hadar commander who demanded surrender. Nishu was ransacked. Fires consumed ancestral homes. The fighting was desperate, but Anbara-sei resisted with everything it had. After the invaders left, much of what had defined her world was lost. Her elder brother Narihari stepped into the governorship at just seventeen, becoming the youngest leader in the province’s history. His rule was harsh and absolute—a blend of youthful idealism and the iron will necessary to keep order in a wounded land. Though Anbara-sei rebuilt, the scars of that invasion ran deep. Mariko, still grieving and shaken, buried herself in study and duty, retreating into thoughtfulness and self-discipline to cope with a world that no longer felt stable. Her reward for academic excellence came in the form of a marriage arrangement—courtesy of Narihari—to strengthen diplomatic ties with a neighbouring house. But Mariko declined with firm grace. She had already accepted a commission with Starfleet, choosing instead to apply her legal background in service of diplomacy and interstellar peacekeeping. It was a controversial move in her family, though her mother quietly supported it. Mariko had grown up immersed in ceremony and cautious tradition, but she could no longer ignore the broader galaxy’s chaos—and her desire to protect the vulnerable from the kind of violence that had shattered her childhood. Starfleet Academy was a quiet challenge. Though competent and curious, Mariko’s reserved nature and youthful start to academia had stunted her socially. She often preferred solitary walks, books, or silent meditation over gatherings. Still, she performed exceptionally well, particularly in cultural mediation, xeno-legal studies, and diplomacy. After graduating in 2387, her first assignment was as a diplomatic attaché to the Klingon Empire, posted to Qo’noS. There, she served under Ambassador Pemberton, an ageing diplomat whose bluntness often required Mariko’s intervention. She was a quiet but skilled presence in negotiations—her calm, deliberate tone and honour-bound sensibility resonating with many Klingon counterparts more than expected. After Pemberton’s retirement, Mariko transferred to Deep Space Nine, where she spent two years working to enhance relations between Bajor and the Federation. Though progress was limited, her understanding of Bajoran trauma—shaped by her own colonial upbringing and the Dominion’s legacy—made her a thoughtful and effective intermediary. In 2392, she was posted to the USS Enterprise-F as an assistant chief diplomatic officer, working under Lt. Commander She’ra. Her deft handling of a border conflict with the Ratonians—backed by careful legal research and cultural insight—earned her early distinction. Later, in 2394, she led first contact negotiations with the Mathadians, orchestrating a trade agreement that opened discussions for possible Federation membership. For her efforts, she received formal commendation from her commanding officer. By 2395, Mariko had earned the position of Chief Diplomatic Officer aboard Starbase Hope, tasked with navigating tensions between Romulan refugees and local Federation interests. Here, her ability to plan several steps ahead—taught by her grandfather, sharpened by her mother—served her well. Some likened her approach to that of the Romulans themselves: quiet, strategic, never revealing too much until it was necessary. While trusted by many in the Romulan Republic, she became equally distrusted by figures within the Tal Shiar—a mark of success, depending on one’s perspective. Her reassignment to the USS Artemis in 2397 as Executive Officer came not by request, but by influence. Her mother’s subtle machinations, combined with Admiral Ford’s favour and Narihari’s persistence, created the opportunity. Mariko accepted the position with quiet grace, unsure if it was a step forward or a trap of familial design. She did not seek command, nor did she crave power. Yet she carries with her the weight of expectation, the memory of loss, and a vision shaped not by ambition—but by duty, precision, and the belief that justice and diplomacy remain our most powerful tools. |
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| Service Record | 2384 -> 2387 - Starfleet Academy, Diplomatic Corp specialisation. Fast tracked. 2387 -> 2390 - Diplomatic Attaché to Ambassador Pemberton, Qo’nos 2390 -> 2392 - Diplomatic Officer, Deep Space 9 2392 -> 2395 - Assistant Chief Diplomatic Officer, USS Enterprise-F 2395 -> 2397 - Chief Diplomatic Officer, Starbase Hope 2397 -> PRES - Executive Officer, USS Artemis |