Bios
Vax HolserBiography compiled by Anita NealName: Vax Stanley Holser Vax Holser entered the UNNS in 2190 and was made midshipman in 2192. He served aboard UNS Hibernia on her famous voyage of 2194-97, at first as second midshipman and then as senior when Nicholas Seafort assumed the Captaincy on the death of Hibernia's other officers. He was promoted to lieutenant by Seafort in 2196. On Hibernia's return to home system in 2197 Holser was offered command of an intrasystem ship UNS Caledonia but refused, preferring to follow Seafort to his next command. Holser sailed with Seafort aboard UNS Portia in 2197 where he served as first lieutenant. When Seafort was compelled to take command of the crippled ship UNS Challenger Holser asked to accompany him, but Seafort refused and so Holser continued on to Hope Nation where he was transferred to staff duties. In 2200 he was promoted to Commander and given command of the first fastship, UNS Victoria. He was sent to Kall's Planet to evacuate civilian personnel and was thus out of the Hope Nation system when the fish attacked. He returned to Hope Nation in May of that year and attempted to intervene when Nicholas Seafort caused the nuclear detonation of Hope Nation's Orbit Station. Holser was killed, but the detonation also killed every fish in system and undounbtedly prevented the destruction of the Hope Nation colony. Seafort escaped and assumed command of Victoria, which he sailed back to Earth. Vax Holser begins the stories as a bully – older and much larger than Seafort and bitterly resentful of Seafort's position as first midshipman. He challenges Seafort for control of the wardroom, but neither is able to defeat the other and they agree on a truce. After the deaths of most of the other officers Vax voluntarily accepts Seafort's authority along with the rather severe hazing Seafort imposes on him. When Harvey Malstrom, the new captain of Hibernia, lies dying of melanoma T Seafort begs him to promote Vax to lieutenant because of Vax's superior abilities as a navigator and Fusion technician. It is Malstrom's unwillingness to do this which catapaults Seafort to the Captaincy. Once Captain, Seafort addresses Vax's propensity for cruelty by draconian measures and evokes a promise on Vax's part to restrain himself where hazing his juniors is concerned. This newfound restaint does not prevent Vax from hazing the sensitive Derek Carr to the point where Carr nearly gives up, but in the process Derek is transformed from an arrogant aristocrat into a self-disciplined and competant midshipman. Vax becomes a loyal friend and follower of Seafort, refusing a direct order to abandon him in interstellar space when they discover the wreck of Telstar and the alien fish. On Portia Vax insists on following Seafort onto Challenger, and is furious when Seafort orders him to stay with Portia. His attitude to Seafort when they next encounter one another on Hope Nation is icily correct, to Seafort's considerable pain. However, when Vax returns to Hope Nation to find Seafort attempting to blow up Orbit Station he saves Seafort's life by breaking his jaw and getting him off Orbit Station. He himself stays behind to ensure the detonation takes place. Vax's officers are convinced Seafort has murdered their much-loved commander. In a final irony Seafort, unaware that UN law has been changed to allow nuclear detonations to take place under certain circumstances, tries to shield Vax's good name by lying about Vax's role in Orbit Station's destruction and thus deprives him of the hero status he would otherwise have gained. References:
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