Archus Fabian Catus
| Name | Fabian Catus |
|---|---|
| Title | Archus |
| Date of Birth | 12.03.31123 |
| Planet of Origin | Tratirne |
| Affiliation | Umbrian Republic Navy |
Archus Fabian Catus is a rising star in the Umbrian Republic Navy. Having witnessed some of the most intensive battles of the war, Fabian's skills as a naval commander quickly became apparent, and he worked his way up from captaining a frigate to the massive Doramine-Class supercarrier URN Echion and commanding the Republic's Third Fleet.
Born to a pair of spacer parents, Fabian would spend almost his entire youth growing up on his parent's independent freighter. The experience was formative for the young boy, and Fabian had no doubt that he would follow in his parents' footsteps. The crew became a second family, and by the time he reached adulthood, Fabian was already a master mechanic and navigator.
Fabian's determination to join the Umbrian Merchant Marine would be sidetracked when his family's ship would break down in the middle of a delivery. The nearest vessel to respond would be the URN Pegasus, a massive Corsialto-Class battleship, fresh from the finishing yards and on its maiden voyage.
As the URN technical team helped the Catii repair their vessel, Fabian used the opportunity to learn as much as he could about the workings of the ship's supra-luminal engine array. He made an impression on the Pegasus's chief engineer, and the officer recommended he take a second look at the Umbrian Naval Academy.
After spending nearly a week on the Hub learning everything he could about the Republic Navy, Fabian grew more and more certain that his plans for his future had changed. Equipped with only a simple bag containing all of his worldly possessions, Fabian arrived at Umbria ready for the challenges ahead.
Fabian proved to be an introvert at the academy, maintaining only a small, tightknit group of friends. While his upbringing had made him an open and communicative individual, the sheer number of people he now interacted with on a regular basis was almost overwhelming. He struggled initially, but his raw talent bought him the needed time to adjust. By the time he graduated, Fabian had overcome much of his anxiety and joined the fleet, earning a spot on the bridge of a URN frigate.
The peacetime URN was a stultifying organization, desperately searching for its role and attempting to fend off the encroachments of the Frontier Reaction Force. Fabian grew disillusioned with the lack of opportunities for advancement. He and many of his fellow junior officers began to be swayed by the ideas of Archus Alessia Bantia, who argued for a more prominent role for the Navy in the Republic's military establishment.
Fabian grew desperate, and considered joining the RF. But just when Fabian was about to give in and request a transfer, the shocking news of first contact with an alien race wracked the Republic.
This was the beginning of the Ascomanni War, and Fabian would find himself in the thick of the action.
His first ship was shot out from under him, and he barely managed to escape the doomed vessel in time. His second assignment, an Arago-Class light cruiser, was crippled and left adrift. He would spend days in the barely functional hulk, desperately trying to conserve as much of the stale recycled air as possible while waiting for help to arrive.
Fabian would work his way up to command his own ship, the URN Delenda, a destroyer. Soon, he demonstrated his ability to navigate the complex realities of modern space combat, earning increasingly larger commands, culminating with the battlecruiser URN Lares.
It would be aboard the Lares that Fabian would cement himself as a seminal tactician and warfighter. During the Battle of the Colare System, Fabian would be tasked with taking a small group of warships to draw away attention from the main Umbrian fleet concentration. While he succeeded in picking off numerous smaller Ascomanni detachments, the enemy's military superiority could only be resisted for so long.
The URN ultimately was forced to abandon the system. Fabian would be ordered to stay behind and assist a few civilian stragglers in evacuating.
Clustered around a poorly maintained repair yard, a half dozen civilian ships required attention. Understanding that it would not be long before the Ascomanni discovered and overwhelmed them, Fabian and his taskforce played a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the Asco, striking at them where they were weak before disappearing back into the depths of the system.
In the end, Fabian managed to extract his entire taskforce and the civilian vessels. News of the engagement corresponded closely with the URA's victory on Gela, and Fabian's achievements reinforced a shifting in the public's perception of the war.
Fabian would be rewarded for his efforts, being assigned command of the freshly commissioned URN Echion, the latest supercarrier to be completed, and promoted to Archus, leading the URN's Third Fleet.
His first assignment would be to rescue then-Legate Gaius Aurelius Marcellus from Varese. Following the assembly of the newly promoted Praetor's army group, Fabian and his Third Fleet would be assigned to Marcellus's command, conveying his soldiers to Aetnaeus, a world they were ordered to defend at all costs.