004 Luis Sera

Personality; Yes, this man really is the head of the Science Department.

At first glance, most people dismiss Luis as a sleazy bum. He comes off as laid-back, sarcastic and careless; he's glib, outspoken and also happens to be a compulsive liar. A self-professed "good-for-nothing ladies' man," he is a huge fan of the fairer sex and has no qualms with hitting on any woman who meets his standards (adult, breathing, hot) no matter how corny, no matter the time, no matter her current relationship status, no matter how badly she could kick his ass if she felt like it. Luis defines shamelessness. He's extremely social and loves a good party, sometimes a little too much.

It's hard to believe and he doesn't seem the part at all, but Luis is, in fact, an incredibly brilliant scientist, a scholar of biology and a dabbler in engineering and pharmacology as well. He's devastatingly intelligent and won't admit it, but had things gone a little better in his former life, he could have been one of the most famous scientists in the world. Luis' attention span is notoriously solid and once he's engaged in a project, he can go for unhealthy periods of time without food and sleep, oftentimes simply forgetting to do such things. Science and knowledge excite him and there's nothing he loves more than cracking a good mystery, or finding a new hypothesis to test, or discovering a new application for the complicated equipment aboard Stacy. He spends most of his time on the ship between researching in the Contagion Labs, though he knows enough about the human body to help out in Medical if need be.

Outside the laboratory, if he's not engaged in his social life it seems like Luis is always wanting to get back to work. He stays quiet at command meetings, usually agreeing with whatever Leon says so he can get out of the paperwork and back into the science. In battle, Luis is something of a coward, however, prone to getting skittish when the chips are down, whether that means running away or desperately trying to lie his way out depending on the situation. He's a crack shot with a pistol, but it would take a serious crisis to bring that talent to the surface-- since by the time shots are being fired, the situation's way more dangerous than he likes it.

Getting to know him better reveals something of a dark side in the sleazy Spanish scientist, however. He is a reformed mad scientist and his new commitment to ethics is absolutely pervasive in his running of the Science Department. He blames himself for thousands of deaths caused by the parasite Las Plagas, and secretly believes he doesn't deserve the second shot at life he was given. His lazy, careless persona is actually a deliberate attempt to downplay his morality and intelligence to keep from attracting people who would try to use him-- something he's very eager to prevent from ever happening again. He hopes by acting the part of the fool, he'll be able to fly under the radar more easily. But no matter how he may attempt to claim otherwise, though, Luis is a pretty decent guy with a strong moral core that he'd give his life to uphold-- and in fact, he did so just recently. Luis will go out of his way or risk his life for a cause if it alleviates his guilt in even the slightest respect-- he will do anything to use his knowledge for good instead of evil.

Luis' best friend on the ship is Leon Kennedy. He often defers to Leon's judgment on ship matters, and by "often" I mean "usually."

Appearance; Luis stands rather tall at just over 6'1", but he's rather skinny and lanky and the height is mostly in his legs. Very dark brown hair and gray/brown eyes display his Spanish heritage, as does his preferred manner of dress outside the laboratory-- he's a tad flamboyant and is fond of decorative leather, rings and other touches that scream EUROPEAN to other people from Earth. He has long hair that varies in appearance between "windswept" and "unkempt" depending on how long he's been at work when you see him.

In the lab, he generally wears plainer clothes and can also be caught wearing his glasses. It's also not uncommon to find him looking weary and exhausted after another 36-hour stretch of staring at a microscope.

Incidentally, he speaks with a heavy Spanish accent.