Story

Profile Overview

Louwanna Horin

Betazoid Female

Character Information

Rank & Address

Captain Horin

Assignment

Captain of Counselling
USS Odyssey

Born

Louwanna Aleixa Horin

23rd January 2361

Summary

Louwanna Aleixa Horin is a Starfleet officer and is one of the lead professors at the Starfleet Academy campus on Mellstoxx in counselling, xeno-psychology and interstellar relations. The eldest daughter of the Betazoid Fourth House, Louwanna has followed her older brother’s footsteps in developing her career away from her family’s position away in Betazoid society. Known as one of the finest counsellors of her generation, she has led teams to deal with mass trauma on several occasions.

Appearance

A slender frame, Horin is of average height for a Betazoid woman. Though not required for the job she undertakes, she does ensure she maintains her physique and wellbeing through a well balanced diet and a regular regime of daily exercise. Her black Betazoid eyes have a somewhat sparkly in them, especially when she laughs. She applies a light make-up, without it being too obvious and heavily layered. 

With shoulder length hair, Horin is known to mix up her style on an almost week by week basis. Sometimes she may have it braided, curled, pulled back into a ponytail or up in a bun when she is on duty. While off duty it normally hangs loose. Sometimes she opts to wear civilian attire during counselling sessions, but this is only for certain occasions when she wishes to enforce a calm and informal setting for her patients. When on duty on the bridge she would normally be found wearing her uniform.

  • Height: 5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
  • Weight: 123 lbs
  • Hair: Brown
  • Eyes: Black

Personality

A hard working officer, someone who firmly believes in the work she does, Louwanna is someone that can make anyone feel at ease in her presence during one of her counselling sessions. Her open-minded approach ensures that anyone in her care can share freely what is bothering them. Generous with her time, Louwanna has no issues in spending more time than she needs to help someone else. 

Strengths & Weaknesses

One of the finest counsellors of her generation, Horin has been recognised for her excellent abilities to support her patients through a range of issues. Though she is confident within her sessions and many have praised her, she has not let this go to her head. Her humility and calm nature is something that she does not get from her mother (who is extremely outspoken and brash in interactions with one another). Horin takes many things to heart and worries if her actions have caused issues for others. 

Though exceptional in her job, Horin admits she wished she had spent more time in understanding starship operations. Though she passed the bridge officer’s exam, she found herself having to cram and study hard especially for the engineering sections. Sometimes she has been known to be hesitant in issuing an order as she normally finds herself over thinking things before she says them.  

Ambitions

Becoming an experienced counsellor, one who helps others was always a passion and drive for Horin and later on becoming a professor with Starfleet Academy. As a result she has found herself reaching her professional goals and now is enjoying them. Though she has been offered the opportunity to undertake more command responsibilities on a ship or station posting, she has politely turned them down in favour of remaining with her work. 

History

Political Information

  • Affiliation: Starfleet, United Federation of Planets

Family

  • Mother: Vxivanna Horin, Federation Emissary
  • Father: Darrexxa Horin, Starfleet Admiral (retired)
  • Fiancé: Trent Hunsen, Starfleet Commander
  • Daughter: Jaxerlynne Horin-Hunsen
  • Brother: Jaxxon Horin, Starfleet Captain 
  • Sister-in-law: Anizza Horin, Starfleet Commander – married to Jaxxon.
  • Nephew:  Tateumm Horin, Starfleet Ensign

Biography

Early Life

Born to the Horin family on Mellstoxx III, Louwanna Horin was the youngest daughter of a Starfleet commander and a member of the Betazoid government. Her father, the Starfleet officer, was the one of the liaison officers assigned to the colony and her mother worked in the diplomatic services. Growing up in the family’s estate northern hemisphere, the Horin family was part of the Fourth House of Betazed, as such they were quite high up in Betazoid society. A member of the aristocratic society, Louwanna was cared for by a range of nannies and childminders, just like her slightly older brother Jaxxon. 

Thankfully both children were fortunate to have one particular nanny that gave them a well-rounded informal education and ensured the children didn’t have a silver-spoon upbringing. Her progressive views of ensuring the children saw others who were not part of their class lived aided how the children viewed the world and the galaxy around them. She taught them strong values and principles, somewhat in conflict with their parents’ views on certain matters, however the children eventually understood where their parents came from. When they were old enough they both attended private boarding school. Louwanna was left at the family home for a couple of years without seeing her brother on a daily basis. The siblings only saw one another when he was home for the holidays or at certain functions or events their parents had to attend or even host. 

Attending her own boarding school, Louwanna’s interest in wanting to help others grew and grew. From enjoying her lessons in biology, history, sociology and later on early psychology, Horin was intrigued to know more and learn more. Deciding to join Starfleet Academy felt right and she was heavily influenced by the presence of Starfleet on her homeworld. Fully supporting their daughter (just like they did with her brother), Louwanna’s application was successful. 

Starfleet Career

Starfleet Academy

Completing her entrance exam at the Mellstoxx campus, Louwanna found herself at the heart of one the most sophisticated training centres outside of Earth. Her eight years on the Mellstoxx Campus gave her the chance to explore her abilities as a counsellor, the career she had chosen at the start of her time at the academy, and thanks to some of her instructors being Betazoid themselves she was able to learn from them how she could use her empathic and telepathic abilities to help her patients. 

Though she had the opportunity to undertake the additional option to specialise in advanced starship operations during her third and fourth years, Louwanna opted not to do this. She wanted to truly focus on counselling and this resulted in her being the valedictorian of her class.

While at the Academy, her family’s attempts to enforce her marriage to a fellow Betazoid (who was also at the academy) was revoked. Though she had been dating someone else, someone who her mother never met, she was relieved that she didn’t end up marrying the son of the Twelfth House of Betazed, one Cadet Tremt Hunsen. Instead her relationship with her fellow classmates, Max Duncan, was one she preferred but ended seeing him as she decided she wanted to focus on her studies instead.  

Deep Space Four

Joining the counselling department at Deep Space Four as assistant chief counsellor, Louwanna found herself enjoying her time while on the Federation starbase. Here was where she enjoyed being involved not just in her general practice but also developing the community further on DS-5.

While attending a symposium on Earth in 2385, she joined everyone else in the sheer horror that took place when synthetic beings turned on the Federation and attacked Mars. Volunteering to join one of the many relief efforts, Horin found her team assigned to the USS Westminster. Her time on Deep Space Five came to an end after she was permanently placed on the Parliament-class ship. 

USS Westminster (NCC-70499)

Being made the ship’s chief counsellor under its new captain, one Zack Marshall-Bennet, Horin’s initial rejection of wanting to ever be starship based soon disappeared. Though their first mission together as a crew was to assist with relief operations after the attack on Mars, eventually the ship was sent on other missions in and around the Federation.

Remaining on the ship for the next eight years, Horin was instrumental in supporting the crew to come to terms to the tragedy on Mars as well as assisting Captain Bennet in bringing the crew together as a community. Her thoughtful insights and advice was warmly received by Bennet, she became one of his closest advisors and confidants. She looked to him as a strong mentor in what was expected to be a good officer.

When Bennet’s time on the Westminster came to an end and he was offered the command of the USS Vesta, he offered her the chance to join him. Deciding to decline the offer, she instead applied to become a professor at Starfleet Academy. Able to return home to Mellstoxx, she took up a teaching position on its campus there.

Starfleet Academy – Mellstoxx Campus    

Her time as a professor was one she enjoyed the most. Being able to teach young cadets and share her own knowledge from her time on Deep Space Five and the Westminster gave her the chance to give back and prepare the next generation of Starfleet counsellors. Working her way through various classes, she eventually became a faculty head and remained an active counsellor. She provided support not only to her students that required it but also to her colleagues. 

Ultimately, she was approached by her superiors to consider expanding her abilities and experience by taking on further training herself. This was in the form of the advanced starship operations module she opted not to do during her time at the academy and later the bridge officer’s exam. Excelling in these areas, she felt it would be appropriate to continue her studies while teaching. Expanding her knowledge further, she took courses in advanced diplomacy and politics, thus allowing her to serve in a diplomatic function. 

While at the academy, she led small units in training in short term missions. Some of them included taking teams to the refugee camps that had been set up to assist those Romulans who had escaped from the collapse of their government after the destruction of their homeworld in 2387. Helping those who were suffering from long-term side effects of losing their home was work she found to be inspiring and worthwhile. This was something she instilled in all of her students.  

By 2395, she was requested to join another ship that was heading into Romulan Republic territory to assist in developing further relations with them. Unable to turn down the offer, it would be a two-year mission and she would eventually be allowed to return to her teaching on Mellstoxx. 

USS Fibonacci (NCC-83007)

Assigned as Chief Counsellor and Chief Diplomatic Officer to the Obena-class explorer, USS Fibonacci was another highlight for Horin’s career. Not long was she involved in almost every away mission, every negotiation and interaction with the people of the Romulan Republic, but she was appointed second officer in the ship’s second year. 

When the mission came to an end, she had a struggle deciding whether or not to remain or return to Mellstoxx III. Eventually she decided that she wanted to return home and use what she had learnt to inspire more cadets.

Starfleet Academy – Mellstoxx Campus    

Though returning home was a joyful moment for her, Horin requested from her superiors the chance to do more than just teach more eager counsellors-in-training. She had the chance to mentor and coach those officers who were visiting the campus to undertake other training. 

By the end of 2399, her former commanding officer, Zack Marshall-Bennet had been promoted to the rank of rear admiral and was now made the Chief of Staff of the Fourth Fleet. He sought her out and attempted to recruit her to join his staff as his executive assistant. She turned him down but the two remained in constant communication, often seeing one another on a weekly basis for a meal. 

At the start of 2400, Bennet pulled some strings to have Horin spearhead the effort to assess the crew of the USS Odyssey after its crew escaped two months of incarceration on an alien ship in the Delta Quadrant. Her orders were to determine if their time away caused any concern for the crew, including its civilian population, on their ability to undertake their duties as well as assess what the short term and long term effects of their time away had on everyone’s wellbeing. 

Commander Horin, c.2399

Though her large team was able to see almost all of the crew within a space of a week, it was clear from the onset that the two months away under duress caused significant harm to the mental wellbeing of the crew on various levels. Horin recommended that everyone participated in therapy to assist them to deal with what happened and to assist with them moving forward. Unfortunately the Century Storm appeared in the Paulson Nebula and with not having enough people to crew the ship, Bennet was forced to reinstate the Odyssey crew back into active status to assist with the relief efforts in the nebula. However this order came with one huge caveat, Horin would be assigned as the ship’s chief counsellor and a number of her colleagues would join the ship to carry on with their work. Her appointment to the ship saw her taking over the duties from one of her former students (Lieutenant Samris, who had been assigned as the ship’s chief counsellor only months before). 

USS Odyssey (NCC-80000)

Finding the transition to the Odyssey one of the most awkward postings she ever had, Horin’s attempts to work with the crew started out with some resistance due to Samris’ demotion. However she had been able to rekindle her friendship with its chief engineer, her former betrothed, Commander Tremt Hunsen.  

Service Record

Date Position Posting Rank
2375 - 2376 Cadet First Year Starfleet Academy - Mellstoxx III Campus
Cadet Freshman Grade
2376 - 2377 Cadet Second Year Starfleet Academy - Mellstoxx III Campus
Cadet Sophomore Grade
2377 - 2378 Cadet Third Year Starfleet Academy - Mellstoxx III Campus
Cadet Junior Grade
2378 - 2379 Cadet Fourth Year Starfleet Academy - Mellstoxx III Campus
Cadet Senior Grade
2379 - 2382 Counsellor-in-training Starfleet Academy - Mellstoxx III Campus
Ensign
2382 - 2383 Counsellor-in-training Deep Space Four
Ensign
2383 - 2385 Assistant Chief Counsellor Deep Space Four
Lieutenant Junior Grade
2385 - 2388 Chief Counsellor USS Westminster (NCC-70499)
Lieutenant Junior Grade
2388 - 2393 Chief Counsellor USS Westminster (NCC-70499)
Lieutenant
2393 - 2395 Professor of Counselling Starfleet Academy - Mellstoxx Campus
Lieutenant Commander
2395 - 2396 Third Officer, Chief Counsellor & Chief Diplomatic Officer USS Fibonacci (NCC-83007)
Lieutenant Commander
2396 - 2397 Second Officer, Chief Counsellor & Chief Diplomatic Officer USS Fibonacci (NCC-83007)
Commander
2397 - 2400 Faculty Department Head Starfleet Academy - Mellstoxx Campus
Commander
2400 - 2401 Chief Counsellor USS Odyssey NCC-80000
Commander
2401 - Present Captain of Counselling USS Odyssey NCC-80000
Captain