Commodore Gadea Hennard, commander of Fleet Corvus.

Once described as one of the most unimaginative and undistinguished senior officers in the Sector, Commodore Gadea Hennard owes his current command more to endurance than talent.

Born to a wealthy family nearly three centuries ago, his ability to fund frequent rejuvenat treatments has allowed him to outlive his contemporaries. As the most senior officer still on active duty in the Sector, it proved politically impossible to retire or sidetrack him from a fleet command.

Several lifetimes of experience have not, alas, provided the commodore with the finest command abilities. Prickly and highly sensitive to appearances, Hennard has paid little attention to the drill and training that leads to a highly effective fighting force—but has focused inordinate attention on regulations and orders of the day that ensure he’s surrounded by “spit and polish.”

Paying absolutely no attention to the well being of the officers and men under his command, his ship—and, to a lesser degree, his entire fleet—is a hotbed of unrest, sedition, and near-mutiny. It is little wonder that his small fleet scored the lowest in combat readiness in the Sector’s most recent navy analysis.

For all his failings, Hennard is not ignorant of the subtleties of space combat. In 668.M41, during an Imperial attack on a Demiurg trading fleet, Hennard earned a commendation while in command of an Avenger-class grant cruiser that heavily damaged a Bastion-class mining ship. The xeno vessel escaped, but given that the Imperial fleet fared poorly overall in the military exchange, the propaganda-conscious fleet admiral played up Henndard’s accomplishment—and so it was recorded on Hennard’s record.

In the nearly seven decades since, however, Hennard has watched many officers whom he considers less capable rise to promotion above him, adding a degree of bitterness and resentment that’s hardened his unpleasant demeanor. As a result, his command is considered the unhappiest fleet in the Sector.

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Artwork in public domain.