Erika Benteen was adjutant to Admiral Leyton, and was part of his coup attempt in 2372. She was promoted to Captain and given command of the U.S.S. Lakota, but when ordered to destroy the Defiant, she realized where her true duty lies, and turned against him. Her beta canon background indicates a fair amount of experience as flight controller, operations aboard Starbase 219, and adjutant to admirals.
As a player character, she is best encountered after the coup incident in 2372, when she is likely demoted for her part in the conspiracy. The beta canon had her demoted to Lieutenant Commander immediately after the coup attempt, but by 2373 she had regained her rank of Captain and was in command of the U.S.S. Appalachia at the Battle of Sector 001. Therefore, you may give Benteen any rank that makes sense. She would be a fascinating character to play, redeeming herself in the eyes of Starfleet.
If encountered before 2372, she is likely to be encountered in the role of Operations Manager aboard Starbase 219, or as adjutant, but with some bending of canon, she can be re-assigned to another starship or starbase as necessary. The PC version may double as the Major NPC version.
Erika Benteen (PC version PDF)
Featured Crew articles spotlight familiar characters not currently covered by official stats. Each article will typically feature a Major NPC version of the character, as well as a playable Main Character version (Core Rulebook compliant) that you can hand out to a player for immediate play (such as for a demo or convention game).
Yay, the Lakota will be next. 😀