Triumvir Publius Decius
| Name | Publius Decius |
|---|---|
| Title | Triumvir |
| Date of Birth | 14.07.31098 |
| Planet of Origin | Umbria |
| Affiliation | Triumvirate |
Publius Decius is the scion of the vaunted Decii family, whose members have had an outsized impact on the history of the Umbrian Republic. Born in 31098, Publius would immediately be immersed into the mythos of his legendary family, where service to the Republic was the epitome of a life well lived. His mother, a retired Senator, would expose him to much of the Republic's upper crust, creating relationships that would serve him well throughout his adult life.
As a child he was raised on his family's estate, only a few hundred kilometers from the Republic's capital city of Perugia, Umbria. He was an active youth, spending his spare time exploring the expansive grounds of the family's villa. He would receive the best education money could buy, being taught both the core curriculum required of all Umbrian children as well as a more hands on instruction on the finer points of Umbrian politics and high society.
Decius would come of age at an important juncture in the Republic's history, as the new worlds of the Frontier began to blossom into fully fledged members of the Republic. In a surprising twist for a member of his august family, Decius would forgo a formal education in political science, instead earning a degree in engineering before earning a commission in the Umbrian Republic Army.
It was in this capacity that he would first demonstrate his worth. While the peacetime army spent much of its time training, a few disturbances would occasion small scale deployments. One of these would occur on the Frontier world of Sovizzo.
Angered by a number of oppressive actions taken by the local Reaction Force garrison, the citizens of Sovizzo rose up against their supposed protectors. The last straw would come after the local RF commander, Kaeso Ulpius Anatellon, used lethal force to disperse a crowd of protestors. This only further inflamed tensions, which resulted in the colonials besieging the RF encampment.
Sensing that the situation was spiraling out of control, the Senate elected to send a URA detachment to the planet to serve as peacekeepers while a senatorial delegation went to the planet to address the colonists' grievances. The man chosen to lead this mission was none other than Legate Publius Decius.
Upon arrival, Decius went out of his way to satiate the local populace's grievances, setting up time with the planet's viceroy and quartering his soldiers in an open clearing well outside of Sovizzo's capital. After two weeks of negotiations, Decius succeeded in getting the colonials to lift the blockade, on the condition that the RF would remain confined to their barracks. Instead, Decius's soldiers would take over the RF's responsibility while the Senate's tribunal did its work.
Ultimately, the senatorial delegation would white wash the whole episode, and K. Ulpius would avoid any significant consequences for his actions.
Decius, however, had earned the gratitude of many prominent senators, and with the fortuitous retirement of one of the URA's army commanders, or Praetors, Decius would be promoted, becoming the youngest person ever to attain the rank at 35 years of age.
The remainder of Publius's time in the service would be uneventful, and by the time he reached his fortieth birthday, he was ready for his next challenge.
Decius would approach the Umbrian Academy of Sciences, offering his services as the Republic's foremost scientific body continued to press ever deeper into unexplored space. Decius would lead multiple expeditions beyond the Republic's furthest extent, cataloging a dozen different planetary systems with habitable worlds or important raw materials.
In time, this too would wear thin on the ambitious heir to the Decii family name. He would retire to the family's estate on Umbria, turning his gaze to philanthropic work and building a network of contacts and associates amongst the Republic's movers and shakers. Many observers believed it would only be a matter of time before he turned his attention to politics.