Tobias Michael Winters

## Vital Statistics

**Name**: Tobias Winters

**Year of Birth**: 4511

**Planet** **of** **Origin**: Ceranus Prime

**Race**: Human

**Job**: Naval Officer

**Affiliation**: Solarian Empire

**Rank**: Captain, Senior Grade; Knight-Captain of the Order of Guylos; Duke of Koln

**Religion**: The Way

## Biography

### Alliance Days

Born to merchants, his parents were killed in a pirate raid, leaving him in the hands of an orphanage in the capital city of the Shell World. At the age of five, the orphanage burned down and Tobias escaped into the streets. Growing up on the streets wasn't easy, but he adapted. An avid learner, he convinced a con man to teach him some games of chance, which he used to earn credits to live by. Finding his way into a public library, he happened upon works of famed ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu. From then on, he focused on strategy, to the point of taking up the game of chess. While at the library, he befriended a young girl with a genetic defect, which kept her wheelchair bound for life, her family having avoided prenatal care to have it fixed. It was she who taught him the aristocratic game of Oportunidad Tactica, a game based on starship fleet maneuvers and played mainly by the nobility on the planet.

As he grew into his teens, he became a con artist himself, using every loophole and cheap tactic he could to win at every game, both strategic and chance, though he never ventured into the territory of cheating. All of the credits he earned, that weren't spent on food, went to the local orphanage, which was built upon the ruins of the old one, though he vowed never to go back. One day, not too far from his 18th birthday, he conned the wrong man. Realizing what had happened, the older man had Tobias arrested on the spot. All was not lost, however, as he visited him in the local jail, carrying a game board with him, one Tobias recognized very well. The old man identified himself as Viscount Alfonso de la Cueva, a local noble. He gave Tobias a choice: Defeat him in Oportunidad Tactica or be sent to prison. Tobias did his best. He utilized every trick he could think of, bending every rule he could get away with, but he still could not defeat the Viscount. After 20 games, Tobias accepted defeat. The Viscount, however, was impressed with his ability to gauge a situation and a battlefield formation and made a new deal with him: He would sponsor Tobias’ entry into the Shield Fleet Academy, and in return, he would work his hardest and bring honor to the Free Human Alliance. Unaware of what he was getting into, he agreed and was accepted into the Academy.

After six years of being run ragged, as well as three near-expulsions, he finally graduated. His middy cruise was uneventful, with him focusing mainly on tactics and avoiding the senior officers. It was on his first assignment, the Frigate *ACS Altamira* that his tactical genius began to show. *Altamira* was ambushed by two pirate cruisers, at least thirty minutes from the nearest friendly vessel. A lucky shot hit the tactical station, killing the Tactical Officer and the Assistant TO. Tobias took over, barking orders, engaging point defense as needed, and lining up shots, using one of the middies as his assistant. The XO, who was in command after the CO had been knocked unconscious, went with it. *Altamira* didn't fare very well, but Tobias’ quick thinking saved the crew and the ship herself. It wasn't long before he was given his own command. It wasn't much, but the Frigate *ACS Bandit* was his. He made a name for himself, taking small groups of ships, or his single vessel, against larger, more powerful formations, and coming out the victor. Those under his command always ended up advancing in rank, having served as skilled pirate hunters. In battle, while he lets his Tactical Officers be Tactical Officers, he has been known to take over when things get heated, though that doesn't happen often, due to his method of accepting Tactical Officers. He also did the occasional stint as a Tac Officer, his most notable posting being the 4th Fleet TO.

### Arrival Arc

> For more information on the battle, see Battle of the Corrin System
>
>

Tobias received orders promoting him to Lieutenant, sending him to the Corrin System, and giving him command of the aging Weapon-class Destroyer *ACS Longsword.* A few days later, he was joined byLieutenant Vanessa Schaefer, CO of *ACS Broadsword*, where they were designated Destroyer Division 613 (DesDiv613). Their orders were to patrol the system to provide show of force and early warnings of pirate activity, during which the pair grew close, a little more than professionalism would merit. Two weeks after the arrival of Schaefer, an unknown ship arrived and was engaged by DesDiv613, which resulted in the complete destruction of the enemy and irreparable damage and loss of *ACS Longsword*. He and the surviving crew were place aboard *ACS Broadsword* and ordered to the Betelgeuse Binary System to offload at the autonomous planet's hospital and assist in the defense. Tobias and Vanessa formed an intimate relationship en route. Upon arrival, though against his wishes, Commodore Daffyd McKay, the CO for the entire defense force, had him sit out the fight as Schaefer and *ACS Broadsword* were assigned to the formation. After the Battle of Betelgeuse came to a close, Tobias, Vanessa, and a few others were hailed as great heroes of humanity, with special attention given to Tobias and Vanessa, for their actions against the single ship in the Corrin System.

### Solarian Empire

During the entire reformation, Tobias sat on Half-Pay status, as a Board of Inquiry couldn’t be held until the transfer was completed. However, as expected, once the Board was convened, it took a matter of minutes and the loss of ship and crew were deemed to be the fault of the enemy and not the actions of Tobias. After he was cleared, he was given a series of commands, eventually ending up commanding *HMS Valkyrie,* a Myth-class Cruiser, as part of Task Echelon 61.1, under Captain Joseph Stone, another hero of the Dom’Kavosh incursion, for anti-piracy patrols, before the entire TE was reassigned to the newly formed Task Group 71.1, lead by Rear Admiral Anthony Crimson, the Earl of Dover, and redesignated TE71.11. Vanessa ended up in the same formation, where the two started becoming close again, having a weekly dinner aboard one of their ships. It was there that they rekindled their relationship, resulting in Tobias joining Vanessa on her mandated leave when she was named Duchess of Koln, requiring her to travel to Osalias. After the events in the Nestubius Nebula, as well as the Convent Civil War, with their relationship growing, the pair now engaged, Tobias actually accepted half-pay status due to lack of available commands, so he could return to Osalias and manage Vanessa’s Duchy, seeing as he'd have to make sure they knew him, due to him marrying the Duchess. He is a Duke by Privilege of Marriage and was Knighted as a Knight-Captain in the Order of Guylos, due to his actions in the Battle of the Corrin System and the intel he provided in the Battle of Betelgeuse.

## Relationships

* Vanessa Schafer-Winters: Tobias' Wife.
* Tylar Noche: Tobias served as then-Fleet Admiral Noche's fleet Tactical Officer, aboard *HMS Denali.*