Dawson, Sierra

NPC	STAR FLEET PERSONNEL COMMAND FILE  SECURITY RATING 3, CONFIDENTIAL

Sierra Dawson
Career Occupation
Position:	Rapid Response Team Leader
Assignment:	USS Gettysburg, CA-1863
Rank:	Lieutenant Commander
Biographical Attributes
Full Name:	Sierra Dawson
Played By:	Tyra Crawford
Species:	1/2 Betazoid, 1/2 Human
Gender:	Female
Height:	185 cm (6 ft. 1 in.)	Weight:	86.2 kg (190 lb.)
Eye Color:	Brown with gold specks
Hair Color:	Dark Brown with light brown streaks
Hairstyle:	Wavy when off-duty/ in a loose bun when on-duty
Physique:	Extremely athletic
Complexion:	Tanned
Voice:	Thickly accented, Hispanic accent. Very melodic.
Affiliation:	United Federation of Planets
Homeworld:	Earth
Birthplace:	Corpus Christi, TX
Born:	27906.25	Age:	33
Familial Relationships
Father:	Major Jason Dawson (betazoid)
Mother:	Cdr Alexandria Dawson (human)
Siblings:	Corbin Dawson (deceased) Jeremy Dawson (39) Tara Dawson (34) Laci Dawson (18)
Marital Status:	Single

Personal History

Sierra was born in Corpus Christi, Texas to a counselor and a Marine XO. She spent the majority of her life moving from ship to ship at an early age. This mobility gave her an independence that is both a strength and a weakness; while she didn’t rely on people, it hindered any proper training of her telepathic abilities when she was older. The constant moving caused her to have to work harder to make and keep friends from all the different ships. It wasn’t until her early teens that her parents were assigned to a warship, USS Amadeus, on which they still serve.

Her empathic and telepathic became prominent at the young age of 10. At first, it was just stray thoughts or an annoying ‘buzzing’ sound; no one thought it serious seeing as she was just adjusting to the new awareness. While she was fiercely close to her father, he tended to indulge her with stories instead of actually teaching her anything, and without any actual guidance, Sierra began to find her telepathy taking over. The stray thoughts and occasional ‘buzzing’ morphed into a constant thing, giving her serious headaches and causing her to lose the ability to concentrate on anything for a long period of time. They frequently overwhelmed her, putting her health, both mental and physical at risk. After months of counseling and every other method available on the warship, Alexandria and Jason were out of options. Jason, unable to bear the thought of his precious daughter driven crazy by the gifts of his race, sent her as a last resort to Vulcan to undergo training. Sierra was placed into the hands of a Vulcan master named T’Kor. There she went through intense suppression and control training. While it broke her father’s heart to be forced into such action, what she learned changed everything.

After her return from Vulcan, it was noticed as she became older that she was very precise and logical; sometimes so much so that she was almost emotionless. This was especially noticed after the death of her oldest brother, Corbin. She began to seem increasingly emotionless to the concern of those around her. It is believed that this state of mind was a side effect of her Vulcan training, a form of defense against emotions she didn’t know how to handle. She eventually recovered but during times of stress or discomfort, she reverts back to that behavior.

During her teenage years, she began to show an increasing interest in joining the Marines. Without other children to play with during her childhood, she had developed a knack for entertaining herself, usually involving the holodeck. She had grown to love physical activities, especially those involving martial arts. She had also honed her skills with guns of all types during those long hours on the holodeck. When her father discovered that, he began bringing her to the Marine Barracks more frequently. It was during one of these visits that she managed to outscore the majority of the Marines during target practice. It was the cause of great pride from her father and was highly encouraging for her.

At age 18, she joined the Marines. She trained as a weapons specialist with side training in medicine. Boot Camp was a learning experience for the young woman, forcing her to rely heavily on her team and her telepathic and empathic abilities. It was the first time she truly tried them out without any fear of losing control.

She graduated at the age of 22, and was stationed on the USS Armadeous under her father. It was a difficult experience for her because her father wasn’t easy on her, if anything he expected even more of her than he did anyone else. It taught her an even stricter discipline, but also the confidence to make decisions in crucial points in a mission. She proved herself to be a great marine in combat situations with a ruthlessness that seemed to contradict her easy and calm off-duty manner. She served there for three years before being transferred to the USS Gettysburg as the 2nd in Command of the Marine detachment.

Serving on the Gettysburg, away from the familiar faces and places, was difficult. She had become so use to the support of her family that it was odd to lose that. Her time on the Getty was spent trying to keep marines out of trouble, which seemed especially difficult. While the Security department seemed to be fairly understanding, Sierra had spent her whole tour counting down the days until one of the marines mysteriously vanished after a drunken night out on the town. Security could only be so tolerant before they started kicking people around.

After two missions on the Getty, her tour ended and she returned to Starbase Alpha to meet the Amadeous. It was on Starbase Alpha that she was approached regarding a special operations team that was being formed. She eagerly signed on as the sniper and secondary assault, looking forward to a chance to use her specialties once again.

This special operations team, SFSIS, was assigned to the USS Gettysburg under Derrick Grant, where Sierra had previously been assigned. The team itself was rather unique with multiple backgrounds and personalities. Their leader, T’Kir, was especially unusual as Sierra was used to marines, not impulsive leadership, but she grew to accept it, even possibly like it. She also wasn’t the only marine on the team, and Alec Daher and she became very close friends. She took his loss very hard later in her career with SFSIS, and still hasn’t totally come to terms with it.

The team’s very diverse mission profile fit the marine well. As an assault specialist, she was almost always needed, but she was capable of performing more delicate tasks, like surveillance and covert missions. She thrived in this environment, even though it lacked the rigid control she was use to.

However, her time at SFSIS became challenging after the Gettysburg was lost to their universe along with the Apparition, the SFSIS’ ship. To return to their rightful universe, it was decided that the Apparition would have to be sacrificed to create a phenomena capable of the return. Instead of allowing Grant to sacrifice himself, the team virtually hijacked the Apparition and went about creating the explosions needed. Somehow, the Apparition and crew survived and were pulled back to their universe.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned from there. They were immediately declared dead by Starfleet Intelligence and ordered to never contact their families again. It was a difficult blow for Sierra, who had always relied heavily on her family for strength and support. Instead of following Starfleet’s rather ridiculous demands, the surviving members of SFSIS went rogue.

They took refuge on Risa for a while with new identities, after destroying the Apparition. That lasted until a member of the team, Trella, was mistakenly kidnapped along with a boy. It forced the team into action once more, and following that incident, they sought out Grant and agreed to help him with something in exchange for his assistance with their situation.

It was during the subsequent ‘assignment’ that Sierra’s cover was blown – she’d had a bounty on her head and was unfortunately recognized by a new associate of the teams while working inside a monastery. Unfortunately, her only option had been to accept the man’s assistance in returning to the nearest base, Delta, where she reported to Intel. It turned out that Grant had kept his end of the bargained and cleared their names and gave them their lives back.

Unlike the other team members, she was given her career back, which was a surprise to her. However, she wasn’t entirely trusting of Smith’s intentions – he placed her on a specialized escort, the James Madison, where she would have minimal contact with others. It was hardly a place for someone with her skills, except in rare situations, but she has made it work. She grew to enjoy the company of her fellow marine, Jeb Mitchell, and has become fond of one of the security officers, Aldren. It was a distant hope that she might some day be able to rejoin a traditional command structure.

Dawson did get her wish as she was transferred to the USS Avenger when the USS James Madison was assigned as its auxiliary vessel. She was given command of the vessel's marines, which included Dominion fighters brought by the Avenger to their new universe. It was a unique command experience but most of the Dominion fighters were lost during the Krynar war, leaving her with a more traditional command.

Upon the destruction of the USS Avenger, Dawson was transferred with the rest of the crew to the USS Gettysburg. During the horrific events on Ryla, involving a training simulation gone wrong, Dawson was horrifically injured. It was expected that she would retire but she held on, taking over a mission to fully heal. Upon her return to duty, she was informed of the dissolvement of the marines and was given command of a newly minted Rapid Response Team.

Personality Profile

Academy Major(s): Marine Combat Training, Advanced Assault Training, Specialized Intelligence Training
Academy Minor(s): EOD
Hobbies and Pastimes: Sierra is known for her exceptional skills with weapons, especially sniper rifles. She is skilled with knives and enjoys many types of self-defense. She also spends a lot of time meditating.
Short-Term Goals: To try to get back to a normal life.
Long-Term Goals: To make amends to her family.
Personality: Sierra can be very cold and Vulcan-like at times, especially with those she doesn’t know. During missions, this becomes even more evident. However, with those she is comfortable with, she will let down her guard and be a slightly more typical Betazoid.
Sense of Humor: Dry sarcasm. She often keeps a decent sense of humor hidden, but when comfortable, she’ll allow it to show.
Phobias: Closed spaces.
Likes: People who know what they are doing, confident people, loyalty, and obedience.
Dislikes: Drunks, shuttles (they make her uneasy), ignorant or cocky individuals, some of the more volatile races and those that can’t control themselves.
Pet Peeves or Gripes: Has little tolerance for foolishness.
Bad Habits or Vices: Has to mediate regularly or becomes very abrupt and difficult.
Achievements: Becoming one of the few marines used by intelligence. Surviving a rather chaotic life in SFSIS.
Disappointments: Having lost time with her family due to her ‘death’.
Illnesses: None.
Strengths: Highly disciplined, well trained, and very quick to decision making.
Weaknesses: Can come across as too cold and often has a hard time relating to others.
Fears: That her family may never truly understand her life.
Prejudices: None.
Off Duty Clothing Tastes: Very informal – t-shirts and cargo pants
Distinguishing Features: A scar along the bridge of her nose.
Pets: None
Friends: Unfortunately, Sierra has had great luck with friends. Her closest friend, Alec, is no longer alive, and because of her career, she is very uncomfortable making close friends. However, her time on the Madison brought her close to Korban Aldren and reunited her with a longtime colleague, Tyra Crawford.

Personal Paradigm Shifts

Most Painful Experience: Being declared dead by Starfleet and being unable to contact her family.
Best Time: Her first few years in the marine corps were probably the best she’s had.
Most Crucial Experience: Her time in SFSIS was probably the most crucial. It has dramatically changed how she views the world.
Role Model: Her father. He was the reason she joined the marines and he helped shape her as a person.

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