Commander Roderick Blaine

Rod is one of the main characters in the story. He is the third son of the Marquis of Crucis and seeks his future in the Navy. He enters the military knowing he won't ever hold the family title as he has two older brothers. Rod enjoys the military and looks forward to developing his career. He is shocked when both brothers are killed and Rod becomes next in line for the Crucis title. His father, still alive, is a powerful man politically and the family is extremely wealthy. Rod grew up privileged and with anything he could want. As someone who's been raised around the machinations of high government, Rod is well schooled and prepared for the unavoidable political and social impacts of contacts with an alien culture.

Rod is desperate to prove himself as being more than just a child of the nobility. The...