Serapia Albitina

Ensign Serapia Albitina is a security officer on the USS Odyssey.
== Upbringing ==
In the early months, 2330 Starfleet satellites detected a powerful mysterious signal emanating from deeps in unexplored space. The signal showed signs of an Tholian signature and Starfleet command wanted to know if the signal was a sign of another attack or even possibly a distress call. Regardless of if it was Tholian or not the power to emit such a signal would’ve been great and many scientists at the time were very much interested in what could possibly generate that much power. Command put together an exploration fleet of four vessels to investigate the anomaly. The trip would take 2 years at cruising speed however as they got closer to the system more ship disabling anomalies started to appear along their path. Due to the high importance of the mission the Commodore decided to press on making their way to the outskirts of the system before they hit a wall of anomalies. The ships were being crippled, systems were failing and hull breaches reports were coming from all over the fleet. It was too late for them to turn around and already one ship was destroyed via a warp core breach. Not feeling that they would survive much longer the commodore sent one last message to Starfleet command stating that all hope was lost and their destruction was imminent. He managed to say his final words before communications were destroyed, all prepared for their final fate. Miraculously that fate didn’t come to pass and 3 crippled vessels came across the veil somewhat intact.
Whatever sensors that worked detected that they arrived in a trinary star system with 15 planetary bodies only one of which was a lush M-class jungle planet. Scans tracked the power signal towards the planet designated Rector 559. The Commodore of the fleet went down to the surface to investigate and upon further inspection, they discovered an abandoned Tholian lab. Further investigation showed that the omega particle was being generated on the surface and was the source of the high-powered signal. Moments later after their discovery the away team would be attacked by a Tholian strike team coming from the hidden part of the lab. They managed to fend them off but during the fight a stray blast hit one of the consoles which reactivated something in the active signal, causing an EMP-like wave to wash over the planet and surrounding orbital bodies. They were too late in disabling it in time and after the Commodore's report the fleet hastily made their way to Rector 559 as per the omega directive but once the ships entered orbit systems started to malfunction and almost suddenly all impulse drives failed to leave only maneuvering thrusters intact. It wouldn't take long for the fleet to succumb to gravity and crash into the planet. There would be no more reports from the Commodore and his away team. With them beaming down on a completely different continent than the ships they were trapped in the lab, then later, taking chances with the wilderness for survival.
The survivors quickly set up triage areas and fabricated structures which housed emergency response assets to help locate missing escape pods and shuttles. Captain's did their best to mitigate the fallout by sending recon teams into the jungle to look for anything that could be used for long-term stay, assigning research and science teams to find a way to restore the damage to the ships as well as restore the propulsion systems. However, unfortunately, the ships crashing into the planet seemed to trigger something in the planet's ecosystem. It seemed almost alive and aware of the Starfleet officers and crewmen on the planet's surface. The planet responded to them aggressively. One by one recon teams disappeared. Their rescue teams reported that they were being attacked by the plant life on the planet. Then the animals who were once friendly upon first contact started to ruthlessly and relentlessly attack the star fleet staging areas. All but one of the ships was overrun. The USS Herald Jupiter class managed to shore up a hasty defensive perimeter around the vessel just in time for the attacks. Under the coordination of the ship's chief security officer, the crew held the line. Everyone that wasn't working on restoring the ship or finding a way to push back the assault was given a phaser and thrown to the battlements. The crew valiantly fought for 4 days tooth and nail against the plant aliens. Every day they started to adapt to the CSO's tactics, creating new plant things to combat the star fleet defenders. It wasn't until researchers discovered a certain frequency that could be used to drive back the assailants that the defenders had an endgame. They held for one last day, fighting with their backs against the wall but hope in their hearts before the device was deployed. With the aliens retreating the Starfleet crew finally had some breathing room to assess their current situation. Efforts had been made to expand the defensive perimeter allowing for more fabricated structures to be created to help sustain a long-term settlement on the planet or until the ship was repaired. However, everyone concluded without the CSO’s defensive tactics the ship would have suffered the same fate as the others in the fleet.
Years would pass after landfall and the survivors would learn much about their situation, the planet, and their environment through many expeditions into the wilderness around the crash site. The creatures that continuously attacked them were a part of the planet, a hive mind that reacted violently to the intruders of their ecosystem. They were adaptive, changing tactics to best defeat the survivors by throwing waves upon waves of plant creatures at expeditions, outposts, and defenses to see how they would react. There were several attempts to establish a dialogue but all ended up in failure. The hive mind actually managed to adapt through the noise frequency that drove them off during the initial attack causing the Starfleet scientists to create a new frequency to replace it. Nonetheless, the planet would create entirely new creatures to combat Starfleet’s defensive tools with many of them being hellish and foreboding to the crewmen who encounter them. The scientists and engineers, however, devoted significant time and resources to create technologies to help protect the main settlement and the Starfleet personnel who venture out of the safe zone to protect them. These teams were considered the best the settlement could offer, the brave and the daring. The theory was the first line of defense against any possible attack and they were revered as heroes to the rest of the settlement. It was due to their actions that the settlement was safe enough for the Starfleet crew to start thinking about the long term such as children and farming. While life was extremely rough with occasional attacks breaching the perimeter it was life. Society became more centered and guided on the hope that Starfleet would come and rescue them and that all they needed to do was survive until they did. It had some religious undertones which was mostly a result of low morale and hope, but it inspired everyone to keep on surviving for their crewmates and a future back in Federation space. The Starfleet crew managed to survive and expand for 48 years. Their descendants took up many positions that the originals had held; some were given commissions or enlistments unofficially keeping up with the Starfleet tradition.
Serapia Albitina was the granddaughter of the legendary Chief Security Officer who saved the crew from the alien onslaught upon crash landing on Rector. She was born on January 3rd, 2387, being the sole child of her parents. Her father, like his mother, was a security officer and a Commander of one of the Starfleet recon teams. Growing up Serapia listened to the stories he told of the Federation, of how beautiful it was and how trillions worked together in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding. She believed in it and she wanted to fight for it just as her father did to protect everyone in the main settlement. Her father realized this and knowing her potential started grooming her to take his place one day as a member and commander of a recon team. While she did go to school like all kids in the encampment she spent her free time on the perimeter with the other defenders learning about all the creatures and stories they’ve experienced. Occasionally, if a route was already cleared she would accompany her father on an escort mission to a nearby outpost seeing his team perform their duties with minimal risk to herself. It wouldn’t be until she turned 16 that she would experience the stories that her father and others had been telling her. 
Serapia signed up to be a cadet which wasn’t a surprise to anyone who knew her. Being a descendant of one of the settlement’s greatest heroes put a lot of eyes on her. She took a Starfleet entrance exam modified to include questions about survival on the planet and particular information that would be crucial to know if she were to be an officer. There were many hours devoted to studying for the exam but many of the concepts were already familiar to Serapia having been taught by her father as well as others. She passed and was subsequently inducted into the rigorous training program to help them prepare for the various officer positions they could serve on and outside the settlement. Much of the training contained live-fire drills, patrols outside of the settlement in addition to other courses adopted from Starfleet academy coursebooks. Early on in her training, she was selected for being a security officer following in her family's footsteps and after 2 years she managed to graduate being one of the top of her class making her able to apply to become a commander on one of the Recon teams. 
For the first year, she shadowed one of the recon teams. Being already familiar with many of their tactics and procedures would’ve usually surprised them but knowing that Serapia was the daughter of one of their commanders made them skeptical. Some believed she only was considered due to a form of nepotism causing everyone to push her harder than others who went through the training. Serapia was given grueling scenarios in the jungle often to the point of impossibility. Many of said scenarios were meant to be done with a team but not knowing any better she believed the team she was shadowing when they told her that the missions were supposed to be solo. Surviving in the harsh jungles alone was nearly a death sentence but Serapia managed to for 3 days fending off attacks from creatures, hunting her own food, and finding a source of water. Each of the scenarios she was put through she accomplished however barely earning the respect of her shadowing team and others a part of the unit. A year later after receiving the recommendation from her shadowing team Serapia was given command of her own recon team who had just lost their previous commander in an ambush. Took a while for the team to click with their new CO but after being sent on several missions together cohesion increased significantly and the team trusted Serapia like no other. 
Over 5 years Serapia made a name for herself as one of the best leaders the recon unit had ever produced. Her team was known for saving others out of incredibly dicey and hazardous situations, never resting or relenting in her duties, and always keeping a hopeful prospect for the future. She inspired people to keep fighting even if the odds were slim. Additionally Serapia was noted for leading several counter assaults against the hive mind and other rescue operations. One particular operation was the setup and activation of a deep space antenna created to send a distress signal back to Earth stating that they were still alive and needed rescue. The only reason why they haven’t attempted to deploy it sooner was due to the increased amount of hive creatures as well as anomalies in the area making the mission inherently dangerous. It was only after 2 generations that the anomalies and creatures subsided enough for a mission to be attempted, and Serapia along with several others had the honors of escorting the device to the highest peak on the planet for deployment. It took several grueling months but they managed to make it. It activated without a hitch, all they had to do was wait for a sign.  
A year later while on a patrol mission, Serapia saw a shuttle flying over her position being attacked by several of the flying creatures that roamed the sky. She and her team went to investigate and in turn, discovered what looked like a team of Starfleet officers about to be overrun by the hive creatures, but they were wearing uniforms she had never seen before. Quickly they went in and assisted with their defense, making an escape route out of the ambush towards the main settlement. As they walked the Starfleet team explained, much to Serapia and her team's excitement, that they received their signal. Serapia gave them an abridged version of what happened the past couple of decades which was later expanded on once they reached the settlement. They also stated that their ship had enough capacity to evacuate the entire settlement if they chose to leave. A majority of the population did with an exception of a few who decided to stay feeling an attachment to the planet. Serapia's parents were one of those people feeling an obligation to protect those who remained. He ordered Serapia to go with Starfleet, much to her protest,  to continue the dream and legacy that his grandmother never saw.
== Starfleet Academy ==
When they got back to the Federation, Starfleet helped descendants integrate into society with many of them rekindling with families left behind by their grandparents. However, in the case of Serapia as well as many others who commissioned and enlisted in Starfleet, they would be sent to their respective academies to update and possibly relearn everything about their positions and jobs having been taught with 40-year-old outdated lessons. Serapia went through the last two years of learning to be a security officer. Having been one for several years she was familiar with the material but many things were so foreign to her that she struggled to learn and adapt. She had to take the Starfleet Entrance exam once more due to the fact she wasn’t technically a starfleet officer. She was allowed to do it without a recommendation due to the fact that she was technically born in a federation colony being the granddaughter of a starfleet officer. This afforded her to be classified as a federation citizen as a result. The woman passed the exam but found it to be much more difficult than the one she took during her training on Rector. Serapia, like others that came from Fector, was very much a peculiarity to the other cadets at the academy. In Serapia’s case she was older, more experienced, and weirdly devout to the Federation more so than most. They found her to be weird. There were rumors that she was actually an undercover officer trying to find out who was breaking the academy rules when classes weren't going on. The woman had a hard time making relationships due to this but it didn’t bother her. She saw the unity she dreamed about in the academy, the paradise that her grandfather told stories about. She conceded that she would make friends eventually after people got to know her but she had to focus on her classe. She needed to be knowledgeable and strong enough to protect what she loved so dearly.
After 4 years she passed around average in her class but her leadership abilities were commended by her instructors. They allowed her to attend the Advanced Tactical Training course due to her experience and abilities. She passed with honors only reaffirming her capabilities to conduct her duties up to the standards expected of a Starfleet Security officer. With her experience tested and proven Serapia would be posted on the USS Odyssey as a Security Officer living the dream she had always had as a child. Her faith in the Federation, Starfleet, and the crew around her couldn't be stronger. 
== Personality ==
Even as she was growing up Serapia was always seen as a moral and righteous individual. Always respectful to her peers, always being the optimist in situations, all these traits she carried with her throughout her life. Additionally, the woman has extreme loyalty and faith for the Federation and it's ideals believing in them wholeheartedly. This is often to the point where someone can see some religious undertones when she speaks of it and it's members but in reality she is non secular only practicing certain small Christian practices out of habit. Especially due to the hellish creatures she often had to fight against and watch people die from while being on a Recon team her faith in the Federation was one of the main things that kept her from breaking. She loves both Starfleet and the Federation and will do whatever it takes to protect it and it's citizens even if she must lose her life in the process. This near fanatical loyalty to the Federation however makes Serapia somewhat arrogant and defensive at times. Having been exposed to people who love the Federation almost as much as she does she often has a hard time understanding how anyone could follow any different ideals. She tolerates them as she was taught to but always the Federation will be the pinnacle of all cultures in the galaxy. This reasoning made her develop a black and white moral compass based on her ideals. If you don’t agree with her about what she believes is right then she won’t waste her time arguing.
== Flashbacks ==
* purity-and-fire
* faith-and-judgement
Category:Characters
Category:Odyssey Crew
Category:Security
Category:Ensign
Category:Human
Category:Junior Officer
Category:Ob2lander961
Category:Female