Dakota Lihn

Dakota Lihn is a Starfleet officer recently transferred to the USS *Minerva* to serve as its security chief and tactical officer. Her current rank is Lieutenant Commander.

## Early Life

Dakota was born on the island of Serenity, the first and only child of a farming family. Her upbringing took place there, in open fields, white beaches, and jungles. There was never any shortage of things to do for her, especially since the island is home to one of the larger training temples.

She grew up alongside the only other child on the island, who was born just two hours after her - a girl named Joanna Gray. Dakota and Joanna were inseparable, and very seldom would one be seen without the other. Both families embraced this, becoming very close as the girls grew. Joanna and Dakota expressed an uncanny understanding of each other, and even occasionally seeming to almost read each other's minds. At the very least, they were incredibly adept intuiting each other's intents.

In terms of personality, they were yin and yang. Dakota was extroverted, headstrong, and brash, but surprisingly astute and observant. Joanna was introverted, almost serene, and helped Dakota keep herself in check, but with a streak of daring to her that seemed to pop up at the most unexpected times. Dakota's strong sense of curiosity and inquisitive nature sometimes got the pair into trouble as well, as she had a habit of sticking her nose where it didn't belong - though truth be told, the worst times the pair got in the trouble, it had been Joanna's idea.

The two trained in martial arts together at the nearby temple, with Dakota becoming proficient in Wing Chun, Muay Thai, and Judo; Joanna learned Tai Chi and Judo. The two of them could also be found swimming, exploring the reefs surrounding the island, or hiking through the surrounding jungle. They even picked up music - Dakota has a good singing voice and skill with a guitar, and Joanna picked up bass guitar. The two never had problems keeping to their beat.

Dakota and Joanna were not satisfied with their life on Reunion, despite how wonderful they found it to swim and explore and train. They dreamed of the stars, of joining Starfleet. And so, together they studied. After dinner, they studied. After training sessions, they studied. After practicing their music, they studied. During hikes, harvests, and even while diving, they would quiz each other on what they needed to learn.

Their dedication paid off. They were both accepted into Starfleet Academy shortly after their 17th birthdays. Their parents, while sad to see their daughters go, understood that they needed to find their own ways in life - and were proud to see their daughters' hard work pay off.

## Starfleet Career

Under what is nicknamed the 'buddy system,' they were roomed together at the Academy, and shared their core classes. They had their separate specializations, however - Dakota's more aggressive, confident nature saw her pursue security training, and Joanna's more caring, gentler disposition drew her towards medical.

They both graduated in the top 20% of their class (Joanna scored several percentages higher than Dakota), and requested to be assigned together.

Their first assignment was aboard the USS *L'Var*, a Reliant-class starship assigned to planetary survey operations. Commissioned as ensigns, they took to their duties with the professionalism expected of Starfleet officers. While the assignment was ultimately uneventful (which, honestly, suited them just fine), they both had positive reviews from their commanding officers and were promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade.

From there, the pair's next assignment was to the Ambassador-class USS *Ushaan*. The *Ushaan* was a patrol vessel, and had several engagements with Cardassian forces. Dakota and Joanna distinguished themselves on an away mission while investigating a crashed Cardassian probe, when they came under attack from the Cardassians sent to retrieve it. The *Ushaan* engaged the ship in orbit, and the away team was able to repel the Cardassian forces and extract the probe's data. The *Ushaan* was able to drive the Cardassians off before retrieving the away team.

Joanna distinguished herself further when some minor irregularities in cargo manifests caught her attention. She noticed minor variations in weight between what were supposedly identical cargo containers, and was given permission to investigate when she brought it to the security chief's attention. Following the leads she could find, she was able to expose a small ring of war profiteers.

### Encouter with the IKS *QulDun*

While on patrol, the USS *Ushaan* received a call for aid from a Klingon cruiser that had been ambushed. The IKS *QulDun* had been on its way back from delivering a minor diplomat to a conference in Federation space when it was attacked by a numerically superior Cardassian force. When the *Ushaan* arrived, most of the Cardassian attackers had been dealt with, but the *QulDun* had been disabled and boarded. Dakota and Joanna volunteered to join the away team to beam over to the Klingon ship and help repel boarders and render aid while the *Ushaan* engaged the remaining Cardassian ships.

Joanna is credited with saving multiple Klingon lives - as well as ensuring that several Cardassians would survive to be taken as prisoners of war. Dakota was singled out for her contributions to the ships' defense by both the away team leader and the *QulDun'*s commanding officer, Vo'Quv. Then-commander Vo'Quv was most impressed with both her willingness to engage in hand-to-hand combat and her effectiveness in doing so, having personally witnessed her "thrashing a pair of Cardassians like an angry mugato."

### Ambush on NGC-5528

Both being promoted to Lieutenant for their services thus far, the ever-progressing war with Cardassia saw them re-assigned yet again. Having displayed talents for close-quarters combat and battlefield trauma respectively, Dakota and Joanna were transferred to the listening post at NGC-5528.

While leading a patrol around the compound's perimeter, Dakota came under fire from Cardassian forces and her squad was quickly pinned down. Dakota called for reinforcements, and Joanna volunteered to join the squad being sent to assist. A mere few minutes after they left, however, the main compound came under attack and contact with the patrols was lost.

It was a difficult battle, but eventually the attacking Cardassians were either killed or captured. However, the listening post could not contact either patrol, and a third was dispatched to ascertain their condition.

The patrol eventually found the missing officers, right where Dakota had called for help. Bodies, both Cardassian and Starfleet, littered the ground. It was a bloodbath - several Cardassians had even been beaten to death. Dakota was found sitting against a rock, holding Joanna against her. Neither was moving - Joanna had a wound on her chest that someone had attempted to administer aid to, but was unsuccessful in stopping the bleeding. Dakota's arms were wrapped protectively around Joanna, her hands bloody. Several knuckles were obviously broken, one hand had suffered a compound fracture, and they could see several other minor, but bloody, wounds.

The rescuing officers pulled Joanna away, expecting to find a disruptor burn or similar fatal wound on Dakota, only for her to let out a quiet whimper and weakly try to keep hold of her childhood friend. Realizing they had a survivor to treat, they quickly pulled Joanna away so they could assess Dakota's condition. The moment Joanna left her grasp, Dakota curled up into a fetal position, collapsing onto her side and clutching her head, and started screaming. She did not stop until she was sedated.

### Recovery and Transfer to USS *Minerva*

While her physical injuries were within their capabilities, Dakota's mental condition was swiftly deemed to be untreatable by the limited medical staff at the outpost and she was transferred to Starbase 211 for medical and psychiatric care. She barely reacted to anyone for three days after arriving at Starbase 211, and it was a further two weeks before she spoke. She was diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dr. Auri Ystravoi, Dakota's counselor at Starbase 211, was surprised to discover during treatment that virtually all of Dakota's trauma stemmed from the loss of Lieutenant Joanna Gray. She expressed sadness and anger at the loss of the other officers with her, but it was specifically the death of Joanna that traumatized her. The subject of Joanna could not even be approached for over a month without Dakota mentally and emotionally shutting down. Confronting and coming to terms with Joanna's death comprised the overwhelming majority of her therapy, and Dr. Ystravoi noted that while Dakota is now fit for duty, the emotional wound left behind is so severe that it may never truly heal.

Following eighteen months of treatment, Dakota was deemed fit to return to limited duty. She was formally transferred to Starbase 211's security team for six months while undergoing final evaluation, at the end of which she was declared fit for full duty. She was promoted to Lieutenant Commander, and assigned to the USS Minerva as security chief.

## Psychiatric Profile and Personal Information

Loyal, helpful, and generally friendly demeanor. Can become aggressive if she feels she, or those she cares about, are being challenged or treated disrespectfully. Has a strong drive to better herself, and holds those around her to high standards. Believes strongly in Starfleet ideals. Inquisitive nature, will focus on puzzles or irregularities that she is presented with - does not obsess, the trait is mild enough to be considered a net positive. Strong presence, displays good leadership capabilities. Talented at reading other people.

While she is considered more than recovered enough for full-time active duty, it is recommended that her commanding officers keep an eye on her for signs of psychological stress.

Dakota has several hobbies she indulges in. She is often listening to music when working alone or in her quarters, and is a competent guitarist and vocalist. She practices martial arts regularly, maintaining a high level of proficiency in several disciplines. This is linked to her interest in weapons, and combat. Dakota is familiar with a wide variety or weaponry ranging from modern to historical, and considers tactical training under holodeck simulation to be a recreational activity.

She is an avid player of the holodeck program "Aquanaut," a procedurally-generated underwater exploration simulation that creates fictional aquatic environments and ecologies for the player to explore, with the goal of activating several hidden beacons. Upon completion, a new biome and ecology will be generated. While the programs does contain settings for removing or restricting predators, Dakota prefers to play with those settings enabled - even if it results in the occasional minor injury.