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| Lasandra Pacheco
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Aeotheran
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14 ABY (age 28)
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Human
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Female
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1.70 m
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73 kg
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Black
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Dark Brown
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Wing Commander of Covenant
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Born on Aeotheran in 14 ABY, Lasandra Pacheco grew up in the city of Seng Karash, the largest city on the planet. She is currently the Wing Commander aboard the Covenant. As of 34 ABY she is the youngest crew member to hold a prominent position on the ship.
Early Life
Lasandra grew up in the residential district of Seng Karash, the second daughter for the Pacheco family. Although her family struggled to keep themselves fed and clothed, they poured a lot of their remaining money into their youngest daughter, allowing her to live a relatively sheltered life. Lasandra went to school like any other normal kid, and passed her courses with the necessary grades. Nothing made her stand apart from her peers, except her fascination for flying.
At a young age, for as long as she could remember, Lasandra dreamed of flying through space, exploring uncharted territory and saving her friends and family from harm.You could say she was a bit of a dreamer, and this was reflected during her schooling period where she was easily distracted and bored. Due to her particular interests, she had very few friends and was commonly seen as a loner within her age group. However, this did not seem to bother Lasandra at all, and she remained a bright and cheerful person throughout her entire life. Always the optimist, Lasandra Pacheco could turn any frown upside down.
Her parents worried for her future, but brushed off her fascination for flying as just a childhood fantasy. They neglected her dreams for joining the Warhost Fleet and instead tried to push her towards civil services and providing for their community.
Lasandra, being the rebel that she is, snuck out quite often during the early morning and made secret visits to the training yards and watched the pilots do their morning exercises out on the field. By the time she was 16, Lasandra had notebooks full of information about the process of becoming a pilot, and had even formed her own training schedule to better prepare herself for the dream job that she knew she would excel in. Her interest grew tenfold during this period, as she borrowed books from the library containing piloting information. She was even able to sneak onto the training field once and partake in the morning exercise before being detected and removed from the premises.
Upon turning 18 in 32 ABY, she announced to her family that she would be joining the Warhost Fleet and enrolling as a pilot. Although her parents were less than thrilled by the dangers of the job she was willing to risk her life for, they relented and agreed to send her off to training.
Warhost Fleet
As soon as Lasandra passed her basic training in record time, it was clear that she had more to offer than any of her peers combined. Fast thinking and taking calculated risks that paid off for her in each instance, she quickly rose through the ranks of the pilots. She was unmatched by any in her class and proved that she could only become an even better pilot. She had garnered the attention of many great pilots who fed the young upstart female their own tips and tricks on flying. All of this was taken with much gratitude from Lasandra and she was able to further hone her own skills.
She turned out to have a knack for leading as well, which surprised even her. Being mostly a loner in her childhood years, she quickly came to realize that her personality and charm worked wonders on the morale of those surrounding her. She was an example many other beginner pilots aspired to be, and flocked towards her in the hopes some of her skills would rub off on them. She was informally elected as leader of her class in 33 ABY.
Searing Blade Squadron
It was not long before she was given command official command of a Squadron, the Searing Blade Squadron, which she led through their first real combat experience in 34 ABY during the Dominion attack on the Orian System. The squadron consisted of 12 TIE Interceptor's, her preferred craft. Fresh out of training school, this also counted as their first space mission. For a few it was also their last, but those who had stuck to Lasandra and her ways throughout their training years mostly survived the ordeal. For every lost pilot though, Lasandra felt a small sense of guilt that she couldn't be there to protect everyone.
Transfer to the Covenant
Lasandra Pacheco shortly after being promoted to Wing Commander aboard the Covenant.
After the first Dominion attack, the Searing Blade Squadron was transferred to the Covenant in order to provide support alongside the Dancing Bantha Squadron.
Captain Russell Bartholomew had read through her files and came to the conclusion that she was a very gifted individual who deserved more opportunities to shine. He promoted Lasandre to Wing Commander in late 34 ABY right after the retaliation attack on Dominion territory. Although they had not participated in the retaliation, Lasandra had remained a stoic beacon to which both squadrons looked up to.
The squadrons work well together in their training flights allowing the young Commander to feel the responsibility of her new position. She has vowed to train her squadrons as best as she can, leading them from one battle to the next with the intention to keep as many of them alive as possible. Luckily for her both squadrons are mixed with elite pilots who know what they are doing. The Wing Commander has earned mutual respect through her own piloting skills and the safety in mind of her squadrons.
With the retirement of Russell shortly after promoting her, Lasandra has not yet had the opportunity to prove her worth to the new Captain, Ginla Xinsel. Though with the recent outbreak of the Karashi Void virus and reports of the Dominion mobilizing their forces, it won't be long before Lasandra Pacheco is tested to the extreme in her new function.