Cadet Senior Grade Luna Konev

Name: Luna Konev (Born Liira)
Rank: Cadet
Position: Red Squad Cadet
Gender: Female
Species: Orion
Age: 22 years
Height: 174cm
Weight: 57kg
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Brown, though changes with fashion (currently Red)

Physical Description
Standing at 174 centimeters and exotic with the typical green skin of her kind, Luna is the very image of an Orion dancer. She is naturally a brunette, but changes both her hair color and style constantly with fashion. She has blue eyes that seem to brighten with the lighting.

Personality
Always smiling or smirking, Luna is an engaging creature that enjoys company at all times. Generally outspoken in public, she shows obvious subtlety in private conversation. Although well studied in xenorelations, she seems to be thoughtless in her invasion of personal space, constantly described as a “touchy-feely” kind of person. She does not speak much of her past and makes no reference to her family.

Luna does harbor a competitive streak and seems to develop a territorial behavior concerning her department and friends. She strives to be the dominant cadet amongst her classmates and works hard on projecting both a strong work ethic and a social atmosphere, including as many of her peers into the conversation.

History
Born 2365 on Tragar's Den of Thirat, the second planet in the Yuhso star system of the Orion Neutrality Area , Liira grew up in the relative comfort of her parents' tropical estate. Her parents ran the lucrative Den, trading all items of worth, both legal and illegal, and rubbing elbows with all manners of beings, such as Klingons, Naussicans, Acamarian, and Gorn. Liira grew up witnessing all sorts of business transactions, illegal acquisitions, thug violence, and even frequent assassination attempts on partners and family members.

Likewise, her training to prepare for her future life in this world of dirty politics and business quickly tore her away from her dolls and pets to dancing, self defense, and side arms, as was customary on the world of Thirat. Math and business seemed to be a constant course hammered into her, as hiding large sums under a blanket of numbers seemed to be the specialty of Tragar's Den. Xenorelations and psychology, while never taught to her formally, were instilled in her at every gala, party, and business meeting she attended, at the side of her dominating mother, Lostria. Her mother doled out these assignments and awarded her materially for every success, punishing her cruelly for every failure. Liira developed a love-hate relationship with her mother then, but seemed to enjoy the thrill of the adventure. Turning 13, she handled more and more of her parents' behind-the-scene workload of gathering information from the less important guests, researching manifests and logs, and even sneaking on board docked ships.

This came crumbling to a halt just shy of her 16th birthday. A hostile takeover by a rival Orion Caj succeeded in overcoming the defenses of Tragar's Den, resulting in the death of her parents. As per Old Law, the killer named Tarsk claimed ownership of the Den in the name of his family. Aware that she would soon be sold into slavery or worse, she quickly escaped under the guise of a common servant and bartered her way onto an Acamarian trade ship with what resources she was able to smuggle from her estate. Arriving in Federation Space and without any support from her Caj, she relinquished her heritage and applied for asylum under the age old Federation protection clause that had originally been laid down to rescue Orion Slaves. Eventually gaining Citizenship in New Berlin on Luna, she signed her files as Luna Konev, taking the last name of her Human foster parents.

Acclimating to Federation life, especially in the Core Worlds where the culture is so pronounced, was a bit of a shock. Secondary education was short and tempestuous for the Orion girl, who while mentored by Xenospecialists, still struggled to be included in society. She found the majority of males to get along with her perfectly, as was expected. But the negative reactions she received from the human females was disheartening to Luna until she befriended a pair of Vulcan girls, T'nasha and V'lara. Racially immune to her biotic influence, she clung on to their camaraderie fiercely, and brought a sense of adventure to their group that the Vulcans enjoyed beside themselves. Their tutelage helped the remedial Orion graduate on schedule and perhaps seeded the idea of joining Starfleet, which at the time, had not been a thought in her mind.

After studying choices for further education, Luna found that Starfleet was much better adapted to Orions than the general Federation populace, due to centuries of exposure to the species on the frontier. Her application was written to be energetic and optimistic, which was soon accepted, placing her on the San Francisco Presidio on Earth. Her studies gravitated toward Xenoculture, Psychology and Diplomatic Protocol, and her mathematics background helped her in many of her flagging science courses. Continuing her friendship with her Vulcan friends from New Berlin's Gymnasium, she enjoyed the company of others in Social Studies classes. She dated several menfolk in rapid succession, but later admitted to her girlfriends that they were systematic experiments in Xenorelations. She indeed seemed to have gone down a list of the different species attending the Academy, including unlikely choices such as a Tellarite, a Shamin, a Grazerite, and a Saurian. However scholastic this had been, she quickly gained a reputation as a tawdry woman, a term not helped by her Orion heritage. Nevertheless, undaunted by the opinion of others, she learned to stick to what her strengths were and applied her studies relentlessly. Using information and material saved from her flight from Orion space, her essays on Naussican-Federation relations and Klingon-Orion conflict resolutions earned her high marks.

During her third year of schooling, she developed an interest in Intelligence and Strategic Operations, but continued her certifications in double degree of Xenoculture and Psychology, with a minor in Diplomatic Protocol. Encouraged by her professors, she was alerted to several new postings for midshipmen cruises made available by the new developments on the frontier. Applying to several postings, she was accepted on the USS Normandie, a Academy Adjunct vessel active in the Expanse. Assigned to the Intelligence Department which lacked an officer, Luna soon worked to become the go-to person in all Intelligence and Data Information needs. The arrival of the Wanderer and a new Chief Intelligence Officer soon changed this situation.

Service Record
2383 Graduated Copernicus Gymnasium in New Berlin on Luna
2383 Accepted in Starfleet Academy, San Francisco Campus
2385 Petitioned for Midshipman Cruise and accepted onto the USS Normandie, Insignia-class Battlecruiser assigned to the Alpha Quadrant.