Bruce Montague

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Bruce Montague
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Profile
Origin Flag-gallia.png Kingdom of Gallia
Affiliation Gallic Royal Navy
Military Service 708 A.G.S. - Present
Rank Lord Marshal, Margrave du Burgundy, Master of the Border Guard, and Minister of the Public
Born 690 A.G.S., Planet Orleans

Bruce Montague commands the Gallic Royal Navy, beneath only the Grand Marshal and the King himself. In addition, he is responsible for countering Council propaganda, organizing the defenses of the Gallic Border Worlds, and running the Gallic invasion of Sirius. All in all, he is a very powerful man, serving the Kingdom of Gallia like few others can.

History

Bruce Montague was born to Christophe and Annette of House Montague, a minor noble house of little power or influence. When he came of age, he elected to join the Gallic Royal Navy rather than train himself to be a minor aristocrat like most of his family, seeking to refine his abilities as a warrior and to find others possessing similar spirit. His sister, Lucile, chose a similar path, being offered the position of personal bodyguard to Princess Aurelia.

Everything began to change when Council broke Gallic isolation. For assisting and protecting Prince Joseph on numerous occasions from Sirians and separatists alike, the Prince knighted him, and later used his influence to have Bruce appointed Margrave of Burgundy, citing the valor in combat that had resulted in a series of promotions through the ranks of the navy across his years of service. After the previous Lord Marshal, Marcus Duval, was executed for treason, Grand Marshall Lilith LaCroix chose Bruce as the new Lord Marshal, placing him in direct command of both Gallia's forces in the field as well as the defensive operations of the only remaining major system in the Gallic Border Worlds still under Royalist control.

Since his appointment to Lord Marshal, Bruce has requisitioned a prototype extensively armored Valor-class battleship, which he has named the Temeraire. It has become his command ship, from whence he both organizes the defenses of Burgundy and runs a small army of writers responsible for both repudiating Council propaganda and putting a positive spin on some of Prince Joseph's more "eccentric" actions. Command of this vessel has also enabled him to continue his search for a "true warrior" amongst Council's ranks, often challenging other battleship captains to battles above Planet Tonnerre.

Political Views

Bruce is deeply Royalist, believing that central authority is necessary for the decisive action required in times of crisis. He does not, however, hold that the right to rule is divine, or that it is always passed down genetically. Rather, he believes that the merits of the individual are what matters, and that all officials should choose their successors based on merit alone. However, he accepts that this is not always feasible, between the political machinations of the nobility and the public's need for constancy even in the light of changing data.

Personal Relationships

Though Bruce is a warrior first and foremost, he is not so foolish as to neglect developing relationships with the major players of Gallia. He does not trade favors and titles constantly like the nobles of the Gallic Core Worlds, but does involve himself in politics, favoring prudence over gambles that might risk all he has accomplished.

Bruce and Joseph

The wisest thing Bruce has ever done was attach himself to Prince Joseph DeFrance. Initially just following his duties, Bruce made arrangements to protect the Prince more directly, and as he continued to serve effectively the Prince began to pull strings for him in return. By the time Lord Marshal Marcus Duval was executed for treason, the Prince had placed Bruce into a prime position to take the job. Since the return of Princess Arielle DeFrance, which removed Joseph from the line of succession, Bruce has begun being more critical of the Prince's actions. Neither of them are sure if this is because the Prince is less useful to him now, or because Bruce cares about the Prince and cannot allow him to jeopardize the Prince's chance at the throne.

Bruce and Aurelia

Since her return to Gallia, Princess Aurelia DeFrance has caused no end of problems to the established nobility. As a primarily military man, this in and of itself would be viewed positively by Bruce, but being older than Prince Joseph, she is heir to the throne. His sister Lucile's status as Aurelia's personal bodyguard complicates things; while Bruce might have been able to arrange for the death of Aurelia when she first arrived, he could not do so knowing it might mean the death of his sister. Though not actively working with the conspirators against Aurelia, Bruce does not trust her and pays great attention to her activities. Aurelia does likewise.

Bruce and Arielle

Princess Arielle DeFrance, the youngest of the King's children, has never gotten as much political attention as her brother. However, for many years, as far as she knew removing her brother would make her heir to the throne, as Aurelia's existence was hidden from her. When Bruce attached himself to Prince Joseph, he made sure to remove opportunities for Arielle to damage the Prince's reputation- or kill him. When Arielle disappeared in late 817 A.S., the Council claimed that Joseph had her murdered. Bruce went to great lengths to dispel this notion, placing the blame on the Maquis who gratefully accepted it. Upon her return in mid 818, no record of what had happened was released, and Bruce- despite being Minister of the Public- did not speak on the matter. Though precisely what happened remains unclear, Bruce and Arielle have avoided each other since then.

Ships

Titles

  • Lord Marshal of the Gallic Royal Navy, second only to the Grand Marshal and the King, in charge of the Gallic invasion of Sirius
  • Master of the Border Guard, responsible for organizing the defense of the Gallic Border Worlds
  • Margrave du Burgundy, the ranking noble controlling the political operations of the system
  • Minister of the Public, responsible for maintaining public adoration and countering Council propaganda