The Basics
Name: Masima Hashem
Nicknames: Cap, Zima, Lady Bird if you want a knuckle sandwich (was her callsign in the Air Force that she's been trying to shake ever since.
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Occupation: Captain

The Looks
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 135 lbs
Eyes: Green
Skin: Bronze
Hair: Brown, shoulder-length. Usually worn in a tight bun while on duty.
Build: Put on a few pounds since her Air Force days, but still fairly athletic.
Markings: A small ankh tattoo on the underside of her right wrist, normally hidden by her sleeves, and a small scarab beetle on her left ankle.

Face Claim: loosely inspired by Marwa Elselehdar.

The Heart
Do People View You as Kind? She is probably not the first person people think of when they hear the word kind. She is very polite and professional, but also a bit aloof.
Are You? By nature yes, but constantly trying to prove herself has worn some of it away. Her heart is in the right place, but she can be a bit guarded.

Do People View You as Honest? Yes, without question.
Are You? Yes, for the most part, though she may withhold information at times when it seems appropriate.

Do People View You as Trustworthy? Yes
Are You? Yes. She has worked an entire career to earn the trust of her family, friends, crew and company. Though lately she has come to take some of that trust for granted.

Can People Depend On You? Yes
Why? Masima always finds a way to meet her objectives. Sometimes by creative thinking, and others just by blind determination. Lately though, she has seemed a bit...distracted. But it hasn't affected her duties.

Would You Sacrifice Yourself? Yes, but only as a last resort to save the ship, crew, or its passengers. She does have a son at home and would both not want to deprive him of a mother, but also want him to be proud of her sacrifice.
Or someone else? She would prefer to sacrifice herself, but is aware of the possibility and has accepted the responsibility to give an order to preserve life that may endanger a crew member. She prays nightly never to have to issue such an order.

Personality
There are several facets to Masima's personality. While on duty, she remains cool headed and professional. Polite even, in mixed company. But she can also curse like a sailor amongst her staff. She values every one of them and makes a conscious effort to demonstrate that. The staff knows her as fiercely loyal and hard-working. She would never issue an order that she wouldn't be willing to follow herself.

Amongst friends, she is generally more relaxed and unassuming. It's been this way since flight school. When the uniform is on, she's all business. When it's not she feels less pressure to command a captain's presence.

With her family, she is warm and attentive. More willing to express vulnerability and concern.


The History

Born in a suburb of Cairo, Egypt, Masima attended a private school. Her father was a wealthy shipping magnate, with some standing in society. When she was old enough to consider higher education, she chose to leave the still repressive Egyptian society and went to the United States.

She met her wife-to-be while studying at UT Austin, and was ecstatic to find that her sexuality was for the most part a non-issue in her new home. She didn't have to hide it or lie about it as she did in Egypt.

Masima started her career as an officer in the US Air Force. She studied mechanical engineering at university, but had always dreamed of flying and maybe someday seeing the stars. She was trained as a pilot, consistently scoring well on both her academic and practical exams. She was the only woman in her class, which was odd for that time period. A class mate called her "Lady Bird" one time, and that became her callsign. She's been trying to shake it ever since. After a few years flying C-17's she applied to NASA and was accepted as an astronaut trainee.

During training, she suffered an injury which reduced the peripheral vision in her right eye by 20%, leaving her below the criteria needed to enter service as a NASA astronaut. With a baby on the way and a medical discharge looming, she had a choice to make: leave the astronaut program, and ride a desk at NASA, or find some other way to reach the stars. The Redwood Ship Line was an easy choice. Not as glamorous as NASA's astronaut program, but she'd finally get her wings. She worked her way up through the ranks and after years of training finally received her commission to command the SSEAL Vanessa.