Alana Ramirez

Alana Richards is one of many younger Starfleet officers, eager to make her mark on history. A veteran of the Dominion War and a capable officer, she's risen quickly in the ranks based on her ability and Starfleet's loss of veterans to combat. In the uncertain aftermath of that major conflict, Alana is eager to see the Federation return to its more traditional peacetime roles. At the same time, with the majority of her experiences having been wartime ones, Alana isn't entirely certain how to adjust to a new universe. It's a problem she wrestles with daily.

Alana is keenly aware she's under the eyes of more than one admiral, some eager to see her succeed and some eager to see her fail. She's a young captain and has all the burden of the scrutiny that entails. She's not one to shy away from a challenge however and embraces the task ahead of her with enthusiasm. Alana wants to explore, she wants to see what's out there, and she wants to keep the Federation safe. It's no secret she's something of a "fighting captain" and her exploits, which would have been the model of a captain in Jim Kirk's era, sometimes land her in hot water with Starfleet Command.

For now, Alana travels the stars aboard the USS Charon, ready to live up to the mantle of responsibility assigned to her.

OOC Note: While Alana is written as a captain, this is for ease of RP in that a ship provides a central setting. I'm willing to adjust this. Alana functions equally well in a tactical, security, or other command role. It would also be fun to RP a story about her time at the Academy.

While her base write-up is meant to take place in the aftermath of the Dominion War, I'm also flexible on era, from Enterprise to beyond.

Alana grew up a Starfleet "brat". Both her parents were members of the organization and both were assigned to Kepler Station, near the Federation-Tholian border. Her parents were scientists who were studying chaotic space, which was so prevalent in the crystalline alien's territory. She grew up in her early years onboard said station and was introduced to a wide variety of different aliens and cultures as a result of it. Unfortunately, Kepler Station was lost when the Tholian War broke out in 2353 and Alana was one of the survivors who escaped onboard the station's life rafts. Both her parents were lost.

Alana was taken in by her aunt on her mother's side and moved to Earth after her lifeboat was picked up by the USS Hood. Her brief time aboard the starship made an indelible impression on Alana's young mind and she was determined even from there that she was going to join Starfleet and help people like she'd been helped too. Alana had numerous cousins growing up on Earth and despite the loss of her parents, her childhood was a happy one. Her adoptive mother and father weren't as eager to see Alana join Starfleet but also realized they couldn't stand in the way of her wishes. Her extended family was supportive about helping her prepare for the Academy entrance exam. Alana failed on her first attempt, losing out to other recruits, but succeeded the second time in 2364 at the age of seventeen.

In the Academy, Alana quickly established herself as a popular and knowledgeable cadet. She didn't have the mind of a Vulcan or the raw power of a Klingon but she became a well-rounded young officer. Alana graduated in 2368 and did her first tour of duty aboard the Saber-class USS Kestral as a tactical officer. She was on hand for the Klingon Civil War and was part of the blockade led by the USS Enterprise to prevent Romulan reinforcements from supplying the Duras family.

2369 led to a lot of confusion for Alana as a young Ensign. The Cardassian attacks and withdrawal from Bajor followed by the Federation's surrendering of territory to the Union left a bitter taste in her mouth. Like many officers, Alana was sympathetic to the Maquis, though her duties took her elsewhere and far from the Badlands. Increasing hostilities with the Dominion in 2370 also served to increase Alana's more martially developing views. More and more, the Federation was being challenged by others, and more and more Starfleet lives were being lost to it. Diplomacy had reached its limit, or so it seemed, and Alana was angered by the loss of the USS Odyssey with all hands.

Alana participated in the Battle of Earth in 2373, helping to repel a Borg Cube. During the battle, the USS Kestral took heavy damage and most of the bridge officers were killed. Alana, the sole surviving bridge officer, took command of the ship and continued fighting the cybernetic invaders. With the arrival of the Enterprise, the Borg Cube was defeated, and Alana was decorated for her actions during the conflict as well as promoted to Lieutenant.

Alana was transferred to the USS Grissom and served aboard her when the Dominion War broke out. She saw numerous actions against the enemy and received training as a member of Starfleet's Rapid Response Teams. Alana engaged in numerous ship-to-ship as well as ground combats against the Jem'Hadar and they left a lasting impression on her. Like the Tholians, the Jem'Hadar were merciless, and Alana learned to hate them early on into the war as they butchered and massacred anyone they could. Cardassians weren't much better in her eyes and she had numerous engagements against that race as well. The Grissom participated in the Battle of Ricktor Prime, during which she was lost with almost all hands, Alana being one of six survivors to escape.

The loss of all her friends and fellow officers weighed heavily on the young woman. She was again decorated for meritous action under fire but the war had taken it's toll. Alana was sent to mandatory trauma counseling which was of dubious effect. Her anger at the Dominion didn't cease and she continued to hate both the Jem'Hadar and Cardassians for all the death they'd caused. When the war ended, it didn't feel real to Alana, and she couldn't bring herself to feel any sympathy for the Cardassian's slaughtered by the Dominion in retaliation for switching sides at the end. It served them right for all the other families they'd broken and people they'd killed.

Alana was stationed aboard the USS Ganymede, a Nebula-class ship as Chief of Security. She was present when the USS Voyager returned from the Delta Quadrant and rejoiced in the crews safe return as well as their defeat of the Borg. In 2379, the Ganymede also responded to Shinzon's failed attempt to infiltrate the Federation and destroy Earth. She helped provide relief aid to the badly damaged Enterprise and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander at the end of the year. From 2379-2380, the Ganymede remained on patrol along the Romulan-Federation Neutral Zone as increasing instability in the Empire increased tensions.

The Ganymede came under fire from a rogue Romulan Warbird that had been seized by the Remans in 2382. Once again, Alana was forced to take command of the ship after its surprise attack incapacitated many of the bridge officers. She was able to put what she'd learned fighting the Dominion and Borg to good use and was able to destroy the enemy ship though not without significant damage and loss of life onboard the Ganymede. Due to the war and all the unstable political situations between the Romulans and Klingons, Starfleet was hurting for experienced officers. Alana was fast-tracked to Commander and reassigned to the Atlas V Fleet Yard at Deneb V. There, she was evaluated for command and allowed to tour the USS Charon, one of Starfleet's new Luna-class explorers.

Though young for a command of her own, Alana's meritorious conduct brought her to the attention of Admiral Ross. He assigned the young woman to the USS Charon as it's commanding officer. Alana's well aware his decision was not popular with all members of the admiralty but she would also have been a fool to decline the offer. Though still a Commander, not Captain, Alana was more than eager to take charge of a brand new vessel. Admiral Ross assigned Alana to the 16th Fleet under Admiral Nechayev, tasked to a wide range of survey, diplomatic, and border emergency missions. Admiral Ross wanted Starfleet to 'go out there' again and resume exploration duties, to get away from the more militant organization it was in danger of becoming. Alana is one of the first in a series of new officers given the opportunity to do just that.

The USS Charon varies depending on the era of play. In the original series, she's a Miranda-class refit. In Next Generation and beyond, she's a Luna-class starship.

---

USS Charon Crew
Captain: "Captain" (Commander) Alana Richards
First Officer: Commander Kevin Roberts (Male Unjoined Trill)
Science Officer: Lieutenant Commander Turel (Male Vulcan)
Chief of Security: Lieutenant Kampala Dari (Male Bajoran)
Chief Engineer: Lieutenant Commander Lan Gadiwat (Male Bolian)
Ship's Counselor: Lieutenant Linze Vox (Female Joined Trill)
Chief Medical Officer: Doctor Leonard McCoy the Second (Male Human)
Chief Diplomat: Lieutenant Commander Nivan Chir (Female Betazoid)
Bridge Ops Officer: Ensign Kumari (Male Andorian)

OOC Note: Any of these positions are flexible for other characters to replace. This list merely exists as a baseline for positions not taken. The above NPC characters were created in tandem with a now-deleted account, Lucas.

---

Original Series

Miranda-class Light Cruiser
More information on the ship's specs is available here for those who care to read it.

The Next Generation and Beyond

Luna-class Explorer
More information on the ship's specs is available here for those who care to read it.