Captain Aleksandr Pokryshkin

Hephaistos is a techpriest currently working with Inquisitor Bastian Vandemar.

Background

[ Excerpted from ''The Chronicles of Bastian Vandemar: Cetus Scrutiny'' ]

[Captain Pokryshkin] is the first member of the Operational band that I have not chosen personally. I gave Herodotus the task of choosing a new pilot when our previous incumbent – a woman called Graia who had been with me for half a decade – was killed by explosive decompression in a fire fight at low orbit. I wanted to test his judgement in assessing people. Frankly, I think he needs work in this area. There is no doubt that Pokryshkin is a superb pilot, I’ve seen him do things in bulk transporters that I would have blanched at the thought of in a void fighter. Unfortunately he is a terrible fit for the team. He is brash, blunt to the point of rudeness, boastful and has developed a rather dangerous – for him – obsession with Dolus Andraste that I foresee ending with blood. Only Bard can tolerate him for lengthy periods and that is only because he sees making up stories to outdo Pokryshkin’s as a source of endless entertainment. I only hope that whatever well hidden depths there are to his personality come to the surface before I am forced to dismiss him.