Gérard Devreux

Gérard Lefebvre Devreux was born August 7, 2339, the son of André Devreux, a renown fencing champion, and Lieutenant Commander Bellerose Devreux, a Starfleet zoologist. Growing up, Gérard’s parents exposed him to a range of activities and environments. One week, they’d be on a busy Federation world for a fencing competition. A few weeks later, they’d be hunkered down together in tents waiting out a monsoon on a desolate jungle world at the edge of Federation space. This early exposure to the vastness of the universe inspired a spirit of exploration in Gérard, one that’s remained with him the rest of his life.

In Gérard’s teenage years, his father retired from fencing and his mother took a desk job at Starfleet Science back on Earth. Gérard wasn’t ready to settle down though. With his parents blessing, fifteen year old Gérard Devreux took a backpack and set off on a great adventure across the stars. Over the next three years, he traveled to nearly a hundred worlds across the Federation and beyond. As he travelled, he met the local denizens of these worlds and dove into their culture, philosophy and history, all the while journaling his encounters and musings. His parents supported his adventure financially with only two conditions: he had to finish his studies while traveling and apply to Starfleet Academy when he turned 18.

After three years wandering the stars, Gérard followed through on the promise he’d made his parents and applied to Starfleet Academy. While he hadn’t gone to an elite high school, he’d completed all the online course work necessary to eligible for the Academy. While he didn’t have stellar test scores, they were weren’t so low as to disqualify him from the Academy. Ultimately, Devreux was accepted, presumably due to the breadth of experiences he’d had as a youth.

Starfleet Academy was a major change of pace for a young man who’d defined his own path and set his own schedule for most of his youth. The rigid schedules, discipline, and hierarchies frustrated Cadet Devreux, but he embraced the opportunity to dabble in all sorts of disciplines. He was a natural in engineering and operations from the time he’d spent on starships during his youth, a gifted linguist and writer from all the species he’d encountered and all the journaling he’d done, and a decent medic from all the field medicine he’d learned while in nature with his mother. Nonetheless, while Cadet Devreux was competent in most areas of study, he didn’t stand out in any particular area.

When Ensign Devreux graduated Starfleet Academy, his average marks across the board meant none of the premier postings were available to him. This didn’t bother him though. He’d rather clean waste reclamation systems on Nova-class survey ship on the edge of Federation space than serve as a junior bridge officer on a Galaxy-class flagship ferrying an Admiral between core Federation worlds. The position he got was far more comfortable than crawling around waste reclamation systems though. He was offered and accepted a job as Stellar Cartographer aboard the Constellation-class USS Amundsen, which was assigned to surveying systems in the Talosian sector block. While Starfleet had long maintained Starbase 11 as a a deep space outpost in the region, much of the sector block was still uncharted. For five years, Ensign Devreux served on the Amundsen until it was announced that the aging ship would be decommissioned.

While Ensign Devreux had done his job well aboard the Amundsen, stellar cartography wasn’t exactly the sort of place where one could really stand out. However, on a small deep space vessel, everyone does multiple things besides their main jobs. Whether it was recalibrating EPS manifolds, doing shifts as a medical assistant in sickbay, or cooking in the mess, Devreux always made himself useful and did it well. He was also personable and interesting, someone who always had another entertaining story to tell or a philosophical observation to make about any predicament. Put together, these two traits earned him stellar recommendations not just from his Chief Operations Officer, but also the Commanding Officer. This meant that Devreux scored his dream assignment for his next posting, along with a promotion.

In 2364, Lieutenant J.G. Devreux transferred aboard the Ambassador-class USS Reuben James as its Communications Officer on a multi-year deep space mission that would set out beyond Federation territory in the Beta Quadrant and survey regions beyond the Tholian and Klingon Empires. Where he’d often been buried below-deck on the Amundsen, on the Reuben James, Lieutenant J.G. Devreux had bridge duty shifts and participated in several first contacts, including most notably first contact with the Trigati. Unfortunately, when the Klingon Civil War began in 2367, the Reuben James, which was operating out on the other side of the Klingon Empire, was recalled to the Alpha Quadrant.

Lieutenant J.G. Devreux, not particularly interested in patrol duty within core Federation territory, started looking for a new position immediately. Starfleet was in the final stages of preparing an expedition into the Omega Antares Sector, its first major expansion push in a number of years. Although there were no prime postings available within the expedition, there was an opening for a Quartermaster aboard the Nebula-class USS Pioneer. Although overqualified, Devreux took the job in a heartbeat, the opportunity to see a new frontier of the Federation far more interesting to him than furthering his career. For two years aboard the Pioneer, Lieutenant J.G. Devreux worked below deck as little more than a clerk managing equipment.

Over time, out far beyond Federation resupply, Devreux’s ability to improvise solutions with whatever was on hand eventually became noticed, which led to his promotion to Lieutenant and reassignment to Main Engineering on the USS Pioneer in 2370. Devreux found the work as an Engineering Officer far more interesting and challenging. However, a year after Lieutenant Devreux was promoted to Engineering Officer, the Pioneer’s mission of exploration shifted to one of support establishing Omega Antares Colony. As soon as they stopped venturing into the unknown to see strange new worlds, Devreux’s interest waned and he put in for a transfer. This time, he got lucky with his transfer. His former Commanding Officer aboard the Amundsen had just assumed command of the Galaxy-class USS Vancouver, which was to be assigned to the newly discovered Raeyan Sector. Remembering his time with Devreux fondly, he offered the Lieutenant a posting as Assistant Chief Operations Officer.

Lieutenant Devreux’s previous experience with the Trigati made him more familiar with areas near the Raeyan Sector than just about anyone else on the Vancouver. It was pretty much his perfect posting. He had plenty of bridge shifts, as well as got an opportunity to interact with the senior staff as a bit of a cultural affairs advisor. Out in the Raeyan Sector, Devreux missed the Battle of Sector 001, but one thing that the Vancouver couldn’t avoid was the impending Dominion War. As operations ramped up, and the Fourth Fleet was pivoted towards the war effort back in the Alpha Quadrant, Devreux decided, yet again, it was time to move on.

Going to war wasn’t something Lieutenant Devreux wanted to do. Just as when he’d taken the Quartermaster job aboard the Pioneer to keep himself on the frontier, avoiding the war effort would yet again mean derailing his career. The only option he could find that wasn’t tasked to the war effort was an aging Oberth-class survey ship, the USS Geras. What appealed to him about the ship was that the Geras was surveying the Wastelands beyond the Omega Antares Sector. Unfortunately, the only open position aboard the Geras was as a Medical Assistant.

The first year in the Wastelands was uneventful from a job perspective, but being out in the unknown made it all worth it in Devreux’s eyes. Between patching up scrapes and bruises, Devreux spent most of his time just thinking, writing and, when there was an opportunity to go aboard an alien station or planet, exploring. In 2375, the under-equipped Geras came under attack from pirates. Devreux responded to a call in Main Engineering, where a major EPS manifold had exploded, killing the Chief Engineer and wounding several other members of the Engineering department. In the midst of patching them up the survivors, a warp core breach became imminent. Triaging the scenario, he leapt into action, putting his wealth of engineering and operations experience to work, organizing an effort in Engineering with whomever was on hand that eventually stabilized the breach while also keeping the wounded alive.

After the Geras limped back to Omega Antares Colony, Lieutenant Devreux received the Distinguished Service Medal. His Commanding Officer then asked him why on earth someone with his skillset was tending to bruises in sickbay. Devreux’s answer was: “Because I wanted to be on the frontier and it was all that was available.” Down a Chief Engineer, the Commanding Officer offered Devreux the job on the spot – it wasn’t as though Starfleet had qualified officers to spare with their ongoing war effort. Devreux took it, along with a promotion to Lieutenant Commander. For the next year, Lieutenant Commander Devreux served with commendation as the Geras’ Chief Engineer as it resumed its survey of the Wastelands.

In 2376, when the Geras’ term in the Wastelands ended and it was recalled for decomissioning, Devreux yet again found himself without a job. This time, he took a big step up from Chief Engineer of an aging Oberth-class vessel to Chief Operations Officer of a newly minted Sovereign-class vessel, the USS Copernicus. The Copernicus was assigned to deep space duties and first contact missions in the Delta Quadrant through the Union-F’Hoca Gateway. With all the tools to succeed, Lieutenant Commander Devreux distinguished himself in the role, and his leadership qualities led his Commanding Officer to recommend him for the Command Academy only three years later.

Lieutenant Commander Devreux emerged from his shell at the Command Academy. He had a unique blend of emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity and operational aptitude, coupled with a sense of exploration that many of his counterparts lacked due to their careers during the Dominion War. Upon graduating from the Command Academy, Devreux returned to the USS Copernicus as its Executive Officer. He excelled in the role both outwardly, taking point in a number of first contact negotiations, and in managing the challenges of personnel on a deep space mission.

Devreux would not serve long as the Copernicus’ Executive Officer though. In 2381, while the Copernicus was resupplying at Union, the Borg attacked Starfleet’s presence in F’Hoca. When it didn’t seem like operations would resume in the Delta Quadrant, Devreux requested a transfer. He found an opportunity on the USS Aurora, which was continuing the work of exploring the Wastelands. The only catch was they didn’t need an Executive Officer, only a Chief Operations Officer. As was a common trend in Devreux’s career, he yet again stepped off the command track, taking the transfer without thought to his career.

Lieutenant Commander Devreux spent two years on the USS Aurora as a Chief Operations Officer before a Commanding Officer in search of an Executive Officer with his skillset reached out to him. This Commanding Officer would be taking the Galaxy-class USS Rialto through the Gavarian Corridor, a newly charted area of contested space between Romulan and Cardassian territory, to explore what lay beyond. Lieutenant Commander Devroux took the offer, getting back on the track to leadership with a promotion to Commander.

On the USS Rialto, Commander Devroux continued to define himself as a skilled frontier explorer, and finally, in 2385, he was offered the opportunity at command himself, this time of the Insignia-class USS Abeona, which would be assigned to exploration and first contact duties through a wormhole into the Delta Quadrant.

During his first year in command of the USS Abeona, Commander Devreux made first contact with more species than most captains do in their entire career. Unfortunately, a year into their mission, the wormhole collapsed, cutting the Abeona and a small task force of ships off from Federation space. Devreux didn’t bat an eye. To him, their mission of exploration remained the same, and his colleagues agreed, hoping that out in the unknown might lie an answer returning to home. During their search, which now had new purpose, the greatest challenge Devreux faced was not logistical in nature, for he knew how to run a ship with little prospect of support or resupply from the Federation, but rather interpersonal, helping the crew cope with the new reality of being completely cut off from home. It was during this period that his emotional intelligence really shone through, helping imbue the crew with a sense of family while still retaining order for operational efficiency.

In 2393, the stranded task force found a way home. Alas, what they found looked nothing like the Federation that he and his crew had been cut off from seven years earlier. Following a series of disasters in the late 2380s, Starfleet had dramatically scaled back its exploratory missions. For a brief time, he found himself on patrol duty along what remained of the Romulan border, but he hated every minute of it. He longed to be back out on the frontier, and lobbied consistently for permission to do so, to get out there somewhere that was not well-charted, well-catalogued, and well-connected with infrastructure and communication – even being stranded back in the Delta Quadrant seemed significantly better.

After a year of frustration for the homebound explorer, Devreux was approached Admiral Allison Reyes. She had arranged for a five year mission of research and exploration beyond the Federation’s borders, and she wanted Devreux along as her XO. He gladly gave up his command to sign on for a mission of true exploration again. For half a decade, Reyes, Devreux and the USS Khonsu wandered the stars. They made first contacts, explored dead worlds and discovered mysteries long forgotten, carrying on the explorer spirit of Starfleet that had faded with the xenophobic, isolationist sentiments that had come over the Federation following the First Contact Day massacre and the collapse of traditional interstellar politics following the Romulan supernova. The support from Starfleet for their mission increasingly diminished over the years, and were it not for the Undersecretary of Starfleet Exploration, their mission might have been straight scrapped by those who felt it needlessly wasted resources.

Unfortunately, while they were away, things were amiss at home. Former intelligence colleagues reported to Fleet Admiral Reyes growing concerns of subterfuge, corruption and a complete disregard for the Federation’s founding principles from within the Fleet’s leadership. Eventually, Reyes turned the ship around and they headed back for core Federation space. Following a complete upending of conspiracy within the leadership of the Fourth Fleet, Fleet Admiral Reyes invited her now-seasoned travel companion to join her aboard the USS Polaris, which would be a flagship in a new push by the Fourth Fleet to return to the frontier in larger numbers. While the mission would not be as dramatically independent as the Khonsu’s five year mission, it was bolder in many other ways, and thus Devreux accepted.

Personality

Captain Gérard Devreux joined Starfleet to see the unknown, and his explorer spirit has never waivered. Throughout his years in Starfleet, rather than following a career path based on a discipline, his career path was based around assignments that would keep him on the edge of known space. This led him to even do things like go from being Assistant Chief Engineering Officer to Medical Assistant and from Executive Officer back to the Operations department. These choices stunted Devreux’s early career but ultimately made him a prime candidate to command deep space explorers due to his background in multiple aspects of starship operations.

Spending almost his entire career out beyond known space, Devreux developed a knack for working with whatever they had on hand. At times, this meant getting creative to leverage resources in non-traditional ways. For example, he once procured parts from alien traders to jury-rig a fix for a warp manifold when his ship was far from Federation resupply. While Devreux’s non-traditional solutions usually worked out, they were not always within Starfleet regulations. This led, at times, to friction the administrators and bureaucrats of Starfleet Command. To them, his solutions were reckless, while to Devreux, he felt these folks simply didn’t understand the difficulties of operating without a support net beyond the reaches of known space.

During his first year in command of the USS Abeona, Devreux made first contact with more species than most captains do in their entire career, a trend he kept up for the remaining three years of the Abeona’s deep space assignment beyond the Jathlin Arm of the Round Table. Devreux is a gifted linguist with great diplomatic instincts, but when it comes to hostile encounters, he’s relatively inexperienced. He missed the Battle of Sector 001 because he was on a deep range explorer charting the nearly discovered Raeyan Sector, somehow managed to end up on a survey vessel not recalled during the Dominion War, could not get back to Starbase 900 for the Battle of the Round Table, and generally just got lucky during his deep space voyages to never encounter more than pirates, smugglers and an occasional minorly hostile species.