Heron au Saguntum

> *"I live, because I'm a plague hard to get rid of." —Heron, to Firaon.*
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Heron au Saguntum (formerly au Belii) is the youngest of the Saguntum children. He is a subPraetor for Ghost Battlefleet (formerly Helsa Squadron) fighting under Tiberius ti Valiander's command and the leader of Suerte Unit.

## Heron au Saguntum

* Republic
* Society

## Social Information

### Relationships

Tiberius ti Valiander (mentor)
Firaon (sworn enemy)

Rosalind ag Oakden (roommate)

Cassia au Ignis (one-time bedmate)

### Family

Victoria au Saguntum (cousin once removed, later step-sister)
Agrippa au Saguntum (cousin once removed, later step-brother)

Narcissus au Saguntum (cousin once removed, later step-brother)

Maria au Saguntum (step-mother)

Antoninus au Saguntum (father)

Tacita au Belii (mother)

Sabina au Belii (aunt)

## Biography

### Joining House Saguntum

Heron is the only child of Antoninus au Baetulo and Tacita au Belii, Antoninus's marriage prior to Maria au Saguntum. He barely remembers a thing from his childhood prior to becoming part of House Saguntum at the age of six, but he was raised primarily by his father, a compassionate and caring man who just wanted a lifetime of happiness for his son.

He always felt like an outcast in his new home, often being teased by his step-siblings for being more a scholar than a warrior and they even accused him of being an usurper, as they feared an "outsider" to become House Primus. Heron never wanted to earn a scar before meeting his new family, but after spending a couple of months with them, he desperately wanted one just to cease their teasing.

He was a House Minerva midDraft in the Western Hemisphere Institute of Earth and took a more passive role within the House. He was fine with not getting Primus, but stood close to his house Primus primarily as an advisor and master strategist, but also a soldier when necessary. Like his step-sister, he was good at planning a defense against the other Houses and helped coordinate his people to make Castle Minerva an impenetrable fortress, using stealth as his advantage.

Heron was supposed to be a sacrificial lamb in the Institute and he was paired with a taller and stronger girl in the Passage who, unlike him, knew what was going on. After almost a lifetime of defending himself against the attacks of his step-siblings and also craving his family's approval, he finished off by twisting the flesh under her upper arm to release her grip on Heron's neck and slam her head against the ground. Due to Heron's lack of strength on his arms compared to hers, he had to step on her skull to finish her off.

### The Fall of Luna

After the Institute, Heron attended the Politico School on Luna but gave up on that kind of education due to conflict of ideologies, him being openly reformist against the traditional views of the Society, and enlisted in the Academy, hoping to become a Praetor of Legio Rosmarinus like his step-brothers.

However, the schism of House Saguntum during the Fall of Luna rained all over his future plans. With his father killed and Victoria as the new heir, Heron decided to cut ties with them and escaped on his corvette, the Aeolus. However, he couldn't remain as an exile for too long. After a couple of months orbiting Earth, Heron was struck by a pang of homesickness and landed on the Mediterranian to resupply and scout around. He came to the Republican forces to seek aid and asylum as a defector, but was captured under the assumption of espionage. He considered the capture as fair and remained obedient and compliant, providing the Republic with the intelligence he gathered. Not long after his capture, the Aeolus was retrieved back by Legio Rosmarinus.

#### Enprisonment

Heron was held captive in the Cutie Patootie Fluffy Wuffykins II for a whole year until he was up for a parole hearing, overseen by archPraetor Caladus au Grimmus. During the interrogation he responded honestly, but visibly nervous and anxious due to the questions reopening old wounds and bringing unpleasant memories back. After confessing that he would likely not respond to a Gold, the Rose Eris suggested Praetor Tiberius ti Valiander as an overseer. Heron was also suggested to change his name to cut ties completely with the Saguntums.

The Gray Praetor met up with Heron to assess his skills at commanding fleets by proposing a simulation on his dataPad, which Heron solved with a 90% of success, but after an innocent hand gesture from Tiberius that reminded him of the hand movement one of his step-brothers did when he was about to strangle him, Heron backed away in terror and at the verge of a breakdown, still recovering from the previous interrogation. While still on the edge, Tiberius proposed another simulation of a similar difficulty but that required quick responses, but Heron couldn't focus and confessed that he couldn't do it as he watched his simulation ships disappear. Tiberius decided then that he was not ready for war yet and walked out of the room, leaving Heron having his emotional meltdown in peace until he was escorted back to the brig.

Ever since that interrogation, Heron requested paper and pencil to try and solve the simulation on his own and shove it on Tiberius's face next time they met. However, when he was close to the solution of the simulation, is dragged out of his cell to participate on a "therapy" session by Vanius au Arcos. After the teen riled him up and made him realize he was a coward instead of a diplomat and non-confrontational (and that many of his previous issues could have been solved with violence, and also his lifetime purpose of killing Victoria) , Heron decided to embrace the behavior the Saguntums forced on him and attacked the younger man. The time in prison and rusty fighting skills left Heron missing every punch and falling face-first to the floor, however, he was willing to keep trying over and over again.

### SubPraetor Saguntum, Helsa Squadron

After the meeting Tiberius ti Valiander, having no other options to substitute one of his fallen subPraetors, decides to give Heron another chance after hearing about the results of his therapy with Vanius. He shows up in the Gold's cell to wake him up by pouring water on his head and gives him another simulation to solve. After evaluating the results, the Praetor explains Heron the situation and asks him about if he would freeze mid-battle. Heron, who is just starting to embrace the bellicose nature of Gold, promises not to disappoint him. Tiberius then hands him a subPraetor badge and gives him a torchShip, the *Pharaon*.

A few days after his release, Heron has taken his time to get to know his officers and try to reach common ground with the ones that aren't pleased with him. One evening, he joins Tiberius in the *Merryweather* for a whiskey-and-megaburners chat to get to know each other. In the middle of a filosophical talk about their past selves, Heron promises to fix his past mistakes and refuses to let fear and trauma take over his life again and begins his journey to overcome his issues.

As part of this self-improvement journey, and also a strategy to get his crew to trust his word, Heron requests Caladus to update him on the next naval battle in a debriefing because he knows that, if they don't trust their subPraetor, they will trust the Imperator. He also updates the Ash Prince of his choice to keep Saguntum as his name, since Heron plans to be the last one standing and purge the Society loyalists, and the results of his therapy with Vanius. However, Heron prefers to work on himself on his own before letting Arcos be in charge of his improvement again.

The next day, Tiberius ti Valiander gathers together all the subPraetors in the Helsa Squadron to discuss their strategy during the next battle in the Ink. The Gray Praetor announces that, in case he's killed mid-battle, subPraetor Firaon of *The Scarlet King* —which Heron doesn't like because of their general rudeness— will become second in command, which makes Heron burn with jealousy and frustration. He tells his superior that he's worried about Firaon's attitude if they ever get in charge, and Tiberius reassures him that he made the decision based on other factors rather than skill and leadership alone, said other factors being the subPraetor's capacity to fall in line if everything goes wrong.

After this event, Heron feels sore for a while and volunteers to investigate the *Pandora*. However, all the intel gathered by his technicians and engineers leads him to the conclusion that the blackout in the *Pandora* was caused by the use of a coffee machine.

### Day of the Dark Halls

On 2nd June 744 PCE, Heron, alongside the *Helsa Squadron* and Calantha au Valencia, participates in a naval combat against the Society. His torchShip, the *Pharaon*, is accompanied by a handful of fellow torchShips and ripWings and Calantha's Herd, but they are quickly decimated by Aeolus au Ignis's dreadnoughts and the support of Felicia au Cormona. Heron uses the confusion of the battle to flee towards the Deadzone, leaving Calantha behind —who lent him a few of his ripWings and ships to cover his back— and promising her to repay the favor. Once in the edge of the Deadzone and out of danger, Heron begins Operation Last Hope, consisting in two phases: first, repair the torchShip and second, board one of the Ignis dreadnoughts, the *Phoenix*, which received a significant amount of damage. However, the plan is bound to fail from the very beginning since the *Pharaon* is beyond repair and he has no further support from their squadron, since are way too far.

Barely holding together, the leaking *Pharaon* marches towards the *Phoenix*, but his presence is detected by Aeolus and Felicia. The Imperator sends a swarm of ripWings to finish the torchShip off, but Heron is adamant about sticking to the plan, much to his crew's dismay. Seeing the torchShip getting destroyed, the crew shares their indignation to Heron, but the subPraetor's morale crumbles when he realizes that his blind ambition and his determination to eradicate his reputation of a coward had doomed them all. As one final gesture towards his crew, hoping it serves as an apology as well, he tells them to save themselves and to "let him rot in peace."

The entire crew of the Pharaon is executed when the Ignis soldiers board the *Pharaon*. Hoping to drown their cries, screams and the shooting, Heron mutes his comms, lights up a burner and basks in one of his favorite songs until the impending doom arrives. He's forced to watch his pilots and guards being slaughtered in the bridge and that's when he realizes that, by tampering with the lives of the lowColors in the crew to save his, he's become what he hates the most about his family. When the Ignis soldiers take him as a prisoner, he is nothing but a hollow husk of a man void of emotions, void of any more ambition.

### Groundhog Day

Right after his capture, Heron had undergone a 30-day torture orchestrated by Sheba au Grimmus, Aeolus au Ignis and Felicia au Cormona aboard the *Dark Dove*. He is forced to believe he's in some sort of a time loop, sedated until the interrogation time arrives, in which Heron wakes up in a comfortable room with nice couches, furniture and potted plants and is visited by the Imperator. Aeolus tells him that both Tiberius and Firaon are dead and begins questioning him about the Republic commanders. Right after that, a Pink is sent inside to further poke and prod the prisoner, but the phrase she speaks triggers Heron's violent tendencies —months of pent up anger and taking in all the mockery in the Republic without being able to lash back— and kills the Pink. He's immediately sedated and the loop plays again. During the second loop, Heron starts to question if what he's going through is real or fake, especially since the Pink entering this time is a man. He also gets killed, and so the third loop starts. This time, Heron is beginning to question his faith in the Republic and how he was treated when he sought their aid since Caladus, who is also a member of a prominent Society House, was entrusted with a better military position.

His suspicions about the realness of the loops increase as days go by and Heron begins to track the time by leaving nicks on his hands and arms with his rosemary hairpins. Instead of a Pink it is a Brown who comes in, one of Azure's crewmates who was taken as a war prisoner. Heron refuses to kill that one, so Aeolus does it instead and passes the blame to the Gold prisoner. A Blue gets killed, then a Red and finally a gray going by the name of Harlem ti Yoke, a Corporal under Syn Sternfanger, comes in. By the way he speaks, Heron realizes that the loops were in fact fake and that he had been killing all of those lowColors mercilessly, so he tells Yoke to run at first, then ask him about what's outside the room and refusing to kill the Gray. When he sees that there is no way out, Heron slams his body against the door, then the coffee table and the potted plants while threatening Aeolus. The Imperator plays the recordings of Heron killing the Pinks in response, as well as edited audios of his previous interrogations with the promise of ending the loops if Yoke dies. Being ridden by guilt, Heron refuses to kill Yoke and embraces the mantra that Maria taught him when he first joined House Saguntum.

At the end of June, Heron falls from grace. Instead of sparing Yoke's life, he was extending his suffering instead. And so the Gray speaks the trigger words and Heron finishes him off, ending the loops. After a brief talk with Aeolus Heron is transported to his cell, which seemed to be the former housing of some mid powerful Gold. He's fed, dressed in a Society uniform and visited by the Imperator again, which he takes as an opportunity to build the prisoner's trust in him. The two of them play a drinking game for the interrogation until Heron is left alone again.

#### The meeting with the Ash Lord

Three months passed since Heron was captured. In July, Aeolus au Ignis begins his indoctrination to make the prisoner open his eyes and get rid of his reformer beliefs, shattering every hope and dream he might ever had. In the end of the month Heron wants to die, but during the first days of August that wish is soon replaced by a sudden surge of rage and will to live only to get his revenge against the ones who stole his joy, which means Victoria and the Republic. This desire for revenge killed the man Heron used to be, the man who was crippled by trauma, wanted to protect himself and didn't dare to speak up out of fear of backlash. It changed his mannerisms, confidence and his treatment towards the cell staff, and he's now closer to an average Society Gold than before. Heron has fully embraced his feats —graduating as Peerless Scarred and winning the Academy— and exposes his disappointment towards the Republic for undermining his skill.

During the meeting with the Ash Lord in September, Heron confesses that he is the meek and terrified man no more, claiming to be "The son Maria au Saguntum wanted him to be". Cyrus advises him that the scar is no proof of Iron, and if he wanted absolution he had to earn it, to which Heron responds that what he needs is a change to make the Republic eat itself. He's also interrogated about Caladus and the Reaper and his relationships with them, as well as his Gray commander.

#### Recovery

On September 10th, 744 PCE, a scrimmage takes place on the edge of Republic territory. Aeolus au Ignis launches his plan to return the indoctrinated Heron back to the Republic. To do so, he has him drugged and left in a cell aboard Teng au Ren's torchShip, alongside other prisoners. It is Azrael au Azure the one to recover him, and he sends the prisoner to the medBay on the Cerulean Dream, his Destroyer, as soon as possible.

When he wakes up in the medBay of the *Cerulean Dream*, Heron asks Azrael about what he's been missing and learns that Tiberius is still alive and has been promoted to archPraetor. Though still sore about his mentor preferring Firaon and delegating him to a subPraetor in charge of a torchShip, Heron prefers to be the Gray the one to seek him out instead to prove he still cares about him.

### Freedom

Five days later, Heron is dispatched from the medBay and awaits a shuttle to take him to Luna so he can start anew. It is then when he meets Rosalind ag Oakden, a Silver freelancer who would show his accomodations and wants to make a connection with a Praetor. Heron notes that both Azrael and Rosalind refer him as Praetor, but doesn't bother correcting them. Rosalind finds him a penthouse in Imbrium City and they become flatmates, with Heron promising her to train her to become a Praetor.

Once accomodated in the penthouse, Heron and Rosalind head out to dine out. On their way there, they discuss their families and home planets and he begins wondering about whether if he had admitted that reform was a delusion earlier, perhaps he could have had a good relationship with his siblings and he considers forgiving them. However, Tiberius's words back in their casual meeting makes him abandon that thought. In the restaurant, Heron takes some time to revisit some of his past mistakes with Rosalind, disguised as a job interview.

### SubPraetor (again)

A few days after being accomodated in Imbrium City, Heron decides to enjoy the nightlife in Hyperion and head to a jazz bar in the Promenade. It's there when he meets Tiberius again by chance, and Heron confesses his shame for the man he used to be and that he had treated Tiberius as the father he never had. The old Gray, now archPraetor, returns him to his former rank as subPraetor and gives him the command of the Destroyer *Merryweather*. Heron asks Tiberius about Firaon as well, since he wants to make ammends with the Pink Praetor. However, Heron comes up with an idea to assassinate them and steal their Destroyer, the *Scarlet King*. But this option ends up discarded as Tiberius suggests that the two of them should know each other enough to work together, and that they might get along after all.

### Audience with the Scarlet King

Heron and Firaon meet in the Praetor's condo. Instead of ending up bonding as Tiberius wanted, the two of them end up fighting each other and processing their mutual hatred.

### First revenge

In the 5th October, 744 PCE in Lost City, while scouring The Roadkill's patrons for new crewmates, Heron crosses paths with Cassia au Ignis. Both of them being the black sheep of their families, they talked about her rank as the Reaper's bodyguard and his return to the White Fleet as well as Heron's period being Aeolus's prisoner. After bonding about scars and how they deserve better than being a bodyguard and a subPraetor, Cassia tells him that she's in for a funtime and the two of them end up kissing and sleeping together in Heron's shuttle. Their fun is cut short by a message from the Reaper to Cassia's dataPad, and Heron decides not to accompany her since he doesn't believe their relationship would work.

### Prodigal Sons

The same day of the Cassia thing, Heron meets up with Imperator Caladus au Grimmus for a debriefing of what happened during the inprisonment at the Dove. Once they set up a jamField, Heron confesses that he used to look up to Cal and that's why he was so nervous the first time they met but as time went by, especially after the indoctrination, he began to wonder why the Imperator would settle for less when he had everything he could back in the Society. They open up enough for the subPraetor to confess what he did in the Dove, and Caladus suggests that he should tell the Reaper, with him vouching for Heron if needed. Heron dislikes the idea at first, but gives up after realizing he has no choice.

### The Denial —Dschubba Exchange

In 17th October, 744 PCE, another encounter against the Society in the Ink takes place. Heron participates alongside Tiberius au Valiander, Firaon and Syn Sternfanger, an Obsidian Praetor, forming Battle-fleet Ghost. ArchPraetor Aurelion au Nyx had sent three stealthy attacks towards the Orbitals and Heron is starting to notice the first signs of a loyalty crisis since his crewmates haven't detected those enemy ships. Seeking absolution and remembering the words of his mentor, Heron informs his crewmates of the attacks. His performance was average in the battle, but at least he broke the Trajanus fleet.

When most of the smallcraft in Suerte Unit, his flotilla, had been destroyed and the Merryweather leaking fuel, he was forcibly removed from the battlefront and decided to escort Tree —Tiberius's Man-O-War— to safety after it had been severely damaged and the archPraetor had hit his head and lost consciousness. Heron was awarded a Destroyer —later named *Asmodeus*, the demon of lust, as a jab to Firaon— and a Praetor First Class rank. Immediately after the debriefing, Heron finally meets with Caladus and the Reaper in the Bridge of the Morning Star to discuss the kind of torture he suffered aboard the Dove and what will happen to any captured Republic soldier,

### Loyalty Crisis

Four days later, Heron returns to the penthouse in Imbrium City he shares with Rosalind. The two of them go through the battle debriefing and pending tasks, but restlessness and the growing loyalty crisis keeps Heron unfocused. Rosalind suggests the two of them save the tasks for later and she and Heron end up sleeping together. Heron asks her if what they did was just casual, but she didn't seem pleased with her answer. In the end, the Praetor suggests they keep things as they are, just friends with benefits as he couldn't handle hurting her in case he defected back to the Society.

## Appearance

Heron is way shorter than the average Gold and he's toned and slender as a ballet dancer. He's slightly paler than his step-siblings and his whole body is covered in freckles. His hair is shoulder-length and light blond, sporting well-kempt loose curls held together by the double rosemary-shaped golden pins and his soft features give the impression of being permanently sad. He has wandering hands, so his fingers are almost always laced with each other, tapping at stuff or twirling items.

### Personality

According to Heron himself, he was haunted by a past he couldn't let go of. Ridden with fear of the unknown, grief, a crumbling mess that was painful to watch. Afraid of his own blood, afraid of not meeting what was expected of his Color and willingly not even trying. Taking and taking and taking without even standing up for himself or speaking up. An insult to the Iron bloodline that raised him. The behavior of a Pixie who only cared about feeling safe.

After his torture aboard the Dark Dove and the indoctrination received by the hands of Aeolus au Ignis, Heron had a change of heart and began showing absolute repulsiveness towards the man he used to be. He claims to have become the man "his family always wanted", driven by rage fueled by the disappointments he got from the Republic and a deep thirst for revenge rooted within his heart.

## Abilities and Stats

Razormaster (+6), Stealth (+3), Praetor (+6)

## Trivia

* His favourite book is *The Count Of Monte Cristo* by Alexandre Dumas. His own copy is worn out, yellowed and full of pencil anotations.
* Heron doesn't hate all of his step-siblings equally. He's actually less resentful towards Narcissus, who had stayed countless times to console him after getting beaten up by the other Saguntum children. Narcissus also spared Heron from death during the Fall of Luna, much at Victoria's dismay.
* He has a rosemary branch tattooed on each collar bone.
* He used to carry an iridiscent balisong in his pocket for stimming and, if the situation required it, stabbing.

## Quotes

> "I have no time for gorydamn games! I've got places to be!"
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> "I wasn't as decent as you think, Tib. A spoiled, delusional brat hiding behind daddy's back to protect himself from the world isn't decent."
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> "We don't have much time, so save yourselves and let me rot here in peace. I don't care. I don't care anymore."
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> "Slag the ones who want me chained, behind bars, who may threaten my integrity, deny my feats. I will not be silent. I will not hold my tongue. The sheep were suffering and I had no choice to put them down. Does this make me a monster? Absolutely not. This was a necessity. The wolf needs to eat. A shepherd can't do anything to rescue agonizing sick sheep."
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