Elizabeth Hayden

Early Life (2332 – 2350)

Born in Upstate New York, Elizabeth Hayden had an early fascination with nature, especially the vast forests near her family’s home in the Adirondack Mountains, where she spent many long days sketching the flora and fauna that thrived there. As the only child to a former Starfleet officer, George, and a conservation scientist, Alexandra, she was homeschooled all the way up through her high school years, which led her to be both socially reserved and academically inquisitive. The Hayden family often went camping, and she learned survival skills including hunting and fishing from an early age.

As a teenager, Hayden developed an interest in horticulture, learning how to grow and cross-breed roses as part of her scientific studies. This led to her to start to think about a career as a botanist, working with nature as her mother did, but she was also fascinated by her father’s stories of the time he’d spent on starships exploring the galaxy. With her excellent academic performance, though, her teachers reminded her that it was possible to sate both curiosities: she could become a scientist in Starfleet. While she found the physical rigors of the Starfleet Academy Preparatory Program daunting, she persevered thanks to the support of her parents.

Starfleet Academy (2350-2354)

Hayden matriculated into Starfleet Academy in the fall of 2350, pursuing a degree in xenobotany.

USS Malinche (2354-2357)

USS Galaxy (2357-2367)

USS Magellan (2367-2376)

USS Surak (2376-2382)

USS Antares (2382-2390)

USS Opportunity (2390-2399)

USS Arcturus (2399-2401)

Task Force 9 (2399)

In early 2399, the Arcturus was recalled to Starbase 38 for repositioning from the Nacene Reach to head up an expedition to Swallow Nebula, deeper in the Delta Quadrant. However, this was not to be. The Arcturus returned through the Barzan Wormhole during the Breen Attack of 2399, with the Seleya already in flames and the station’s support vessel destroyed. Before the Arcturus could intervene, Vice Admiral Knox rammed his flagship into the attacking Breen dreadnought, slicing it in two and saving the station, but still leaving several dozen fighters in the theater. With Admiral Belvedere focused on the station itself, Hayden assumed command of the mobile assets, including the sixty or so runabouts from both her own ship and the starbase and the Arcturus‘s own support ship to secure the star system. She retained command of the defensive garrison which received reinforcements from other sectors over the following days, still intending to prepare for her mission to the Swallow Nebula, once the situation was resolved and a permanent field commander was selected.

However, following Vice Admiral Knox’s funeral, Hayden was promoted to Rear Admiral and was placed in charge not only of the garrison over Barzan II but an entire mobile task force assigned along the Breen and Kzinti borders, with the goal of securing the coreward section of the Federation’s Alpha Quadrant territory against further destructive raids. While she had spent her entire career as an explorer, it was felt that her tactical acumen and her diplomatic talent were needed back home, rather than in the Delta Quadrant. She accepted the promotion reluctantly as her friend, Knox, had done, but was ready to lead from the front to bring stability to the region. She kept her flag aboard the Arcturus but made her former XO, Captain Michael Lancaster, her Flag Captain rather than a mere First Officer.

Fourth Fleet Operations

Following her tenure in Task Force 9, Arcturus Squadron was placed directly under Fourth Fleet Operations. Hayden continued to command this squadron through 2399 and 2400, overseeing the Arcturus and the Apollo through several campaigns. In early 2400, Hayden commanded the squadron remotely during a teaching stint at Starfleet Academy, which lasted for the majority of the year. During this assignment, she realized that teaching was a chance for a new chapter in her career. She was promoted to Vice Admiral at the end of 2400 and formally became the commandant of the Fourth Fleet Academy in January 2401.