Katlyn Mianaai

Childhood

Katlyn was the daughter a prominent Proxima colony politician and a Halanan scholar who had immigrated there for study in his youth and though happy coincidence remained well after earning his doctorate. Katlyn’s entry into the world wasn’t so easily guaranteed, the exception on genetic engineering for minimal birth defect corrections allowing her entry into the world. Her mother’s career meant that she saw her father more often, adopting a profound enjoyment for the simple act of learning from him. That same career of her mother’s however meant that at a young age Katlyn had childhood experience of interacting with people of importance, as well as skipping down the halls of power.

Frequent trips between Proxima and Earth featured as she got a little older, as well as holidays in certain well to do locations near the heart of the Federation. She learned to essentially be two different Katlyn’s at this time – the carefree and outgoing child of loving parents and the more well behaved, charming child of a politician and her academic husband.

Tragedy

April 5th, 2385 however is a day that Katlyn, like so many others in the Federation, can not and will not be able to forget. Her mother had been offered the chance to head to Earth to represent Proxima at numerous First Contact Day celebrations and naturally the entire family had gone along for the trip. Arriving early on April 5th at Mars, awaiting transit to Earth, the synths attacked while they and thousands of other innocent bystanders had crowded the orbital transport terminals. As chaos took a tight grip on all assembled, Katlyn’s mother had been able to, along with her security detail, force the family’s way onto a transport leaving the crippled station in a desperate attempt to flee the attack.

Unfortunately fleeing prey garnered a response and the transport rapidly came under attack itself. As chaos erupted Katlyn found herself separated from her parents and in the care of one of her mother’s guards who opted to make for an escape pod with anyone he could help after his key charge. As the transport came under renewed attack they were forced to abandon ship with a half-full escape pod. Katlyn never saw what happened to her parents, but with the explosion of the vessel and them never being recovered from any of the escape pods, crippled ships, or evac suited individuals, they were declared dead mere days after the attack.

Not even 5 years old and an orphan, she was taken in by her maternal grandparents and left the world she knew for a far different one.

To the Academy

Her grandparents had opted in their later days to settle down on a relatively young Federation colony, where the planetary population was less then Proxima City, so the transition for Kathryn at such an age had been a true shock. Childhood traumas piled together to produce someone bitter and angry with the world, determined to wreck vengeance upon those who had taken her parents and life from her. Vowing to join Starfleet to do just that, Katlyn’s grandmother took it upon herself as a loving grandmother and a retired captain to mould this young woman.

While her grandmother coxed her education, her grandfather, a semi-retired forestry ranger, became an emotional support and educator, sometimes just being someone to listen to a child try and express their grief and anger. It was his decision to seek out formal counselling for Katlyn which is still a regular part of her life.

In her teenage years there was never any doubt she was still committed to Starfleet and joining the Academy, the influence of grandmother’s career and stories having left an impression, but also an element of just not knowing what to do with her life, save for that childhood trauma induced determination. Her academic performance was never a doubt, sailing in with above average grades and scoring, but concerns from entry interviews persisted until they seemed to fade away and Katlyn’s entrance to the Academy was granted.

Mellstoxx

Arriving at Mellstoxx by virtue of its proximity to where she ultimately grew up, Katlyn was once more subjected to culture shock in her life. Gone were small class sizes and few but intense friendships, replaced with a student body larger then the nearest town she’d grown up near and an endless parade of new faces in each class. She found refugee in her studies and with a small group of friends she made over her first semester.

Not one for the social scene terribly often, she was dragged out by extroverted friends on more then a few occasions, but never as the life of a party, or even a presence most would remember aside from a single incident in her second year when she got drunk for the first time in her life. Apparently Drunk Katlyn is far more socially confident, not that she remembers any of it, insisting to this day she went back to her dorm after only a few drinks and to bed.

Applying herself to her physical pursuits as equally as her academic, she is however only a ‘capable’ pilot, which is to say technically proficient, well versed in all flight management and emergency scenarios, but lacks a certain intuitiveness that would let her stand out. Seeking to push herself in a moment of confidence inspired by pressure from her friends, she applied for Cadet Squadron Bravo and was accepted as its last, lowest ranked member.