Dealhi Odea

Personality

All her life, Odea has eschewed the image most people have of Betazoids, namely that they are pleasure-seeking pacificists. She has cultivated a career in the tactical division by using her natural telepathic abilities not to assist in negotiations or soothe psyches but to understand the Federation’s enemies and deal them decisive blows when necessary. She is reserved, speaking up only when she believes her contributions will be relevant to the mission. While she does have a wry sense of humor, her taciturn nature rarely allows it to come out. Off duty, she does have a core group of friends but avoids large social situations.

Appearance

At 183 centimeters tall and with an athletic build, Odea can be an imposing figure.  She has dark, shoulder-length hair that she usually keeps drawn back into a bun or secured with a headband. She is rarely seen out of uniform, except when exercising.

Early Life (2368 – 2386)

Dealhi Odea was born aboard the USS Hera in 2368. Her parents were both members of the ship’s medical department. As luck would have it, the Odea family transferred off of the Hera just two months before her disappearance in 2370. Fate struck again, when they were among the non-essential personnel left behind on Deep Space 9 when their next ship, the Odyssey, was destroyed by the Dominion that same year. Faced with two near misses in such a short timeframe, the Odeas requested a transfer to a starbase and were posted to Starbase 11. During the Klingon and Dominion conflicts, they moved between postings, sometimes only spending a few months on a station because of the need to position medical personnel where they could make the most impact. This both kept Odea from making many friends her own age, but also gave her a sense of how chaotic space could really be, even from an early age.

At several points, the Odeas considered returning to Betazed, but abandoned those plans when the planet was invaded by the Dominion in 2374. While she wasn’t fully aware of the gravity of those events at the time, the fall of her homeworld would later inform her decision to take a more martial path than her parents had taken. Following the war, the Odeas settled relatively permanently at Starbase 10, in the Alpha Quadrant.

Tall for her age, Odea was athletically-inclined and was quite popular in high school. Given that she was so far removed from Betazed, she never developed a real appreciation for her own culture, but found herself more drawn to the Human influences that dominated Starfleet. In many ways, she considered the Betazoids to be weak and even foolish, so when she set her eyes on a career in Starfleet it was not out of idealism, but out of a desire to prevent tragedies like the invasion of Betazed from happening again.

Starfleet Academy (2386 – 2390)

Odea entered Starfleet Academy in 2386. As a concession to her parents, she requested to study at the academy on Mellstoxx III, which was a Betazoid colony. While she had thought her views would never change, being around so many Betazoids for the first time did open her eyes somewhat. Even still, she was resolved to take a career path that would allow her to serve in a way that many of her people did not: as a security or tactical officer. She resented the stereotype that as a Betazed, she would end up as a counselor or diplomat by default, which pushed her to compete with other cadets who seemed like more logical fits for the tactical track.

Taking a dual degree sequence in physics and small group tactics, Odea’s academic program was rigorous and left little time for socialization. She developed a reputation for being a woman of few words, often eating alone at meals and retreating to the library to study. In her later years at the academy, she demonstrated proficiency in leading teams of cadets because of the way she could couple intuition and brief glimpses into the thoughts and emotions of others with excellent tactical knowledge.

USS Bonestell (2390 – 2394)

Following her graduation as an ensign, Odea was posted to the Bonestell, a Springfield-class science vessel. While she had hoped for a posting on a patrol vessel or even a deep-space tactical cruiser, the Bonestell was a good ship and it offered her early opportunities to serve on the bridge that she likely wouldn’t have got on a larger or more important vessel. She spent two years as a relief tactical officer before being promoted to chief tactical officer in 2392.

USS Galaxy (2394 – 2399)

With a promotion to lieutenant in hand, Odea was given one of the most coveted spots in Starfleet: a posting to one of the vaunted Galaxy-class explorers, and indeed that class’s lead ship. As chief tactical officer, she regularly led away missions and participated in the captain’s deliberations. She was commended several times for good conduct, bravery, and efficiency, leading to her promotion to lieutenant commander after three years of exemplary service.

USS Arcturus (2399 – Present)

With five years of service on the Galaxy, Odea was in line for several first officer positions, but she was also given an offer to serve as chief tactical officer aboard the Arcturus, a brand-new Odyssey-class explorer leaving on an extended exploration mission in the Delta Quadrant. While exploration had never been her major passion, she was intrigued by the idea of being at the forefront of Starfleet’s efforts to establish the current status of that quadrant, especially with regard to major threats like the Borg and the Voth. Beyond that, she was intrigued by the possibility of serving under Elizabeth Hayden. She accepted the position, and her first test came before the ship even left the Alpha Quadrant with a war game against an Andorian squadron in 2399.

Odea acquitted herself well during several skirmishes with the Kazon during the early parts of the Arcturus‘s stay in the Delta Quadrant, which was more sustained combat than she’d ever experienced on her other vessels. After three months in the Delta Quadrant, the Arcturus returned to Starbase 38 for a thorough debriefing to decide whether or not to continue that mission, but it was quickly swept up in a bushfire conflict with the Breen. While not a combat vessel, the Arcturus led from the front for several weeks, and Odea earned a commendation for an innovative approach to disabling a Breen frigate using a tachyon beam.

Now under Captain Lancaster, she was also present during her ship’s contribution to the Archanis Campaign later that year prior to their return to the Delta Quadrant. During the Tkon Crisis, she once again manned the tactical console for several challenging encounters with the Kazon. By the end of her first year on the Arcturus, Odea had become one of Captain Lancaster’s most trusted bridge officers, both for her seeming lack of ego and for her coolness under fire.

When several members of the senior staff, including the first officer and senior officer of the watch, left for other postings in 2400, Odea was on the shortlist for advancement to either of those two higher roles. An unusual set of circumstances and temporary absences left her as Acting First Officer during the Stormbreaker Campaign under Acting Captain Okusanya. Following this campaign, she was promoted to full commander and became Senior Officer of the Watch, responsible for overseeing the tactical, operations, communications, and flight control departments.