Petty Officer 1st Class Kara DeSotto
Name Kara Lynn DeSotto
Position Yeoman
Rank Petty Officer 1st Class
Character Information
| Gender | Female | |
| Species | Human | |
| Age | 28 | |
| Cabin Assignment | “Officers lead; I make sure they can.” |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 1.65cm | |
| Weight | 56kg | |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown | |
| Eye Color | Hazel-Green | |
| Physical Description | • Build: Lean, wiry; maintains strict Starfleet fitness regimen • Distinguishing Features: Small scar along right forearm (plasma conduit accident, USS T’Vel) • Voice: Warm alto, clipped professionalism when on duty |
Family
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | Personality & Habits • Calm, grounded, meticulous — speaks little but with impact. • Drinks black coffee, never replicated — prefers hand-ground beans. • Keeps a holo-photo of her family’s New Orleans restaurant on her desk. • Maintains a private music journal, composing simple melodies under the pseudonym KL. • Occasionally assists in memorial services by preparing remembrance lists and musical accompaniment. Beneath her professionalism lies deep compassion; Kara often lingers after briefings to check on officers’ wellbeing, pretending to straighten padds while quietly offering comfort in a few gentle words. |
Character Background
| Personal History | Kara DeSoto was born in the heart of New Orleans to Louis and Marianne DeSoto, third-generation restauranteurs whose Creole fusion bistro, Le Papillon Bleu, was a local staple. The DeSotos valued discipline, tradition, and music — Kara learned piano before she could write, and she often performed in her parents’ restaurant. While her siblings followed the family business, Kara was drawn to structure and order. Her fascination with logistics and her admiration for Starfleet’s humanitarian work during the Cardassian conflict pushed her to enlist at age 20, joining the Starfleet Enlisted Personnel Corps in 2370. She wasn’t a career officer candidate — her scores leaned toward organization and administrative precision rather than command aptitude — but her efficiency and empathy marked her as an exceptional aide. She often described her motivation as: “Officers lead; I make sure they can.” 2370–2372: Starfleet Academy Enlisted Track (San Francisco) • Specialized in Administrative Operations, Starship Logistics, and Command Support Procedures. • Completed coursework in interpersonal communications, command correspondence, Federation legal frameworks, and crisis reporting protocol. • Graduated top 10% of her cohort. • Commendation for “exceptional calm under pressure” during cadet evacuation drill simulating warp core failure. 2372–2374: USS T’Vel (Miranda-class, Administrative Clerk) • First deep-space posting during the tail end of the Federation-Cardassian border tensions. • Assigned to coordinate mission logs, duty rosters, and diplomatic correspondence. • Sustained minor plasma burn during an EPS relay failure (resulting in her forearm scar). • Displayed remarkable composure during a civilian rescue op near the Demilitarized Zone. • Recommended for promotion by Lieutenant Commander Varon Jaye: “DeSoto doesn’t just keep the department organized; she keeps morale steady when everything else falls apart.” 2374–2376: USS Raphael (Nebula-class, Yeoman to First Officer) • Transferred to the Raphael during the Dominion War, serving directly under Commander Anson Trel. • Duties included managing casualty reports, coordinating departmental requisitions, and maintaining field communications logs during shipwide red alerts. • Experienced significant trauma following the Raphael’s engagement in the Second Battle of Chin’toka (2375), during which she compiled loss records for over 80 deceased crew members — a task that deeply shaped her later compassion and professionalism. • Decorated with the Starfleet Commendation Medal for her dedication under extreme psychological stress. 2376–Present (2378): USS Elysium (Odyssey-class, Yeoman to Command Staff) • Handpicked by the Elysium’s executive officer for her efficiency and discretion. • Serves as administrative coordinator for the senior staff, managing classified correspondence, departmental scheduling, and after-action report collation. • Known for balancing bureaucratic precision with quiet emotional insight — often the first to notice when officers or crew are near breaking point. • Informally nicknamed “the Captain’s Shadow” among lower decks personnel for her near-constant presence outside the ready room and her ability to “get things done before anyone asks.” |
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| Service Record | Skills and Training • Starfleet Command Procedures (Advanced Certification) • Logistics Coordination and Mission Report Management • Federation Legal Correspondence & Diplomatic Formatting • Basic First Aid & Emergency Triage • Certified in Type-III Phaser Proficiency (2377 renewal) • Fluency: English, French, limited Vulcan Standard • Musical proficiency: Classical and Jazz Piano (self-taught continuation aboard ship) Notable Relationships • Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson: Professional admiration; Kara respects Phoenix’s commanding presence but worries about her tendency to shoulder everything alone. Often mediates between bridge and admin staff. • Commander Gary Taylor: Maintains a pragmatic working rapport — he calls her “the ship’s conscience.” • Doctor Sthilg: Mutual respect; she ensures his reports are properly submitted on time — and reminds him to eat. • Crewman Lira Hovan (Operations): Younger colleague whom Kara quietly mentors; sees in Lira the same idealism she once had. |
Medical and Psychological Information
| Counseling Review | Evaluating Officer: Lieutenant Arev Sirell, Ship’s Counselor Summary (2378): Petty Officer DeSoto exhibits strong emotional intelligence and high adaptability. She maintains composure under duress, often redirecting her own trauma into purposeful routine. Her calm demeanor masks a deeply empathetic core, and her loyalty to command is absolute. However, she demonstrates classic symptoms of vicarious trauma — emotional detachment, insomnia, and avoidance behavior following high-casualty events (notably the Raphael and, most recently, the Galtonian attack). Counseling is recommended quarterly. DeSoto’s coping mechanism is ritualistic organization: she cleans her workspace daily at the same time, alphabetizes every digital file, and rarely leaves tasks unfinished. She sees completion as control — a way to impose order over chaos. Despite her emotional distance, she’s beloved by crewmen and officers alike for her quiet reassurance and sense of stability. Few realize how much she sacrifices behind that composure. |