General Aspinaca

*"It is useless to win a battle if you do not know what to do with your victory" - War and Politics, by General Aspinaca after a series of grilling interviews after the Seven Month War.*

The highest-ranking Jir in the Commonwealth' armed forces, Aspinaca has lead armies in many campaigns against a great number of foes, from Yaanari slavers, to Karthemas knights and Biluan hordes. Unlike other, far more aggressive commanders, he always tries to secure the territory he takes for later reconstruction and uses a mixture of diplomacy and force to defeat his opponents.

While he has been known to lead all manner of armies, Aspinaca has a clear preference for heavy armor and tight coordination between tanks and infantry, the former creating opening in the enemy's line for the latter to exploit. His command tank, the "Palace of Silence", often keeps to the rear so Aspinaca can have a clearer look of the battle and its changes. Still, it is not unheard of that the Jir general sent his tank, alongside his reserves, to the heart of the battle during an important or desperate moment.

Alongside General Branicki and General Telaviin, he is one of the best-known faces of the Commonwealth's army and the idol of many Jir who live within it's territory.

## Early life

Lop Aspinaca was born on board of JSS Vrax - one of Jir Compact's construction vessels - as the first one of a brood of eighteen. His parents - Dekran and Nis Aspinaca - were working there as engineers, and so young Lop and his 17 siblings spent their early years without ever setting foot on a surface of a planet, instead being informally schooled in ways of astral engineering. This peaceful life changed shortly after his 5th birthday, as his mother Nis contracted an unknown disease while setting up an automated mining camp on one of the more inhospitable worlds on Jir frontier. The sickness began with a violent cough but within few days Nis was bedridden, suffering from debilitating migraines and spitting blood and bile. Unfortunately for her, Jir medical teams were completely unprepared to deal with this disease, and so Dekran took the only option he had left - he quit his job, grabbed his brood and dying wife and moved into Commonwealth, hoping that Human advanced knowledge of medicine will be enough to save her.

After few weeks of journey, Aspinaca family arrived at Arvo spaceport with almost no time to spare. Nis' sickness progressed extremely fast, and by the time their shuttle docked with the station she was on death's door, her body already rotting from inside. At first, Dekran was afraid that his request for help may be refused - after all, he brought a person dying of an unknown, potentially contagious disease on board. Instead, his wife was rushed into station's hospital mere minutes after docking, while Dekran and his brood were placed in a Quarantine Zone. They spent next two days there - comfortable, but unable to leave - but after that time, a Human doctor arrived and brought them the news: Nis was alive and her condition was stable. The disease turned out to be some extremely volatile virus that masked its presence by burrowing into subject's tissue, but once medical team located it, removing it was relatively straightforward. Unfortunately, the fact that Nis was sick for over a month - and spent most of this time away from medical facilities - meant that damage to her body was extensive. Though alive, she would have to remain in bed for the rest of her life, relying on complex machinery to keep her body functional. Alternatively, the doctor added with a blank face, Commonwealth doctors could simply grow her a new set of organs, and replace those damaged by the disease. Unfortunately, such treatment was rather expensive for visitors... but completely free for the citizens of the Commonwealth. Dekran signed admission file there and then, and six months later his wife returned to full functionality. But once Aspinaca family left the hospital - finally together - they decided to not return home to Jir Compact. During past months, Dekran found a job as an engineer in one of Arvo's many mines, and was astounded by the sheer technological gap between his old home and the Commonwealth. His people were not fools, but these Humans, Kithris and the rest, lived and worked in conditions that seemed downright utopian, compared to what he had back home. Once she saw all these technological marvels herself, Nis agreed with her husband and - after quick deliberation - decided to remain on Arvo. And soon, young Lop found himself standing in a long, diverse line of first-year elementary students in his new school.

## Keeper of Peace

While he is a competent tactician, the fields where Aspinaca truly shines are logistics and the occupation of new territories. His attitude may seem arrogant and condescending to most people, yet the general still knows how to handle a conquered people, providing resources and making the deals necessary so there will be no guerrilla warfare to worry about in the future.

The occupation of Fal'Kaboss is an example of his genius when dealing with recently-conquered planets. Instead of using an iron fist, Aspinaca managed to gain the trust of the Karthemas living in the planet as he provided the food and medicine they so desperately needed, sharing it in an efficient matter amongst the population. While never loved by the Karthemas there, Aspinaca earned the respect of Fal'Kaboss.

## Destruction of Voice

Aspinaca commanded the heavy armor and mechanized infantry forces during the destruction of Voice, slowing the Biluan horde as best as he could while the drills fought to reach the planet's core. He organized the evacuation during the invasion's last phase, taking as much military forces as possible out of the planet before its destruction. Of the high-ranking officers who took part in the land battle, only he survived.

## Chancellor

Following professor Tanwar death. Aspinaca became head of the Commonwealth's second largest political party the Technocratic Committee. Despite still staying within the Army following the Yaanari-Entente war, his rise to the position was brought on by the people's will to solve the current Unbidden crises. With Kuo's party losing popularity and Lin's party having suffering from low confidence by the populace, Aspinaca was easily able to beat both in the 2315 elections becoming the Commonwealth's first Xeno Chancellor.

## Equipment and items

During his campaigns, Aspinaca acquired a number of objects, tools and machines he kept with him at all times. These include:

**The Palace of Silence:**Aspinaca's command tank, made in the forges of Curacao, looked more like a fortress than a tank, easily standing over other mechanized forces as its macro-cannons pulverized hundreds in a matter of seconds. Equipped with all manner of communication systems, maps and enough space for a hundred people, it was the home of Aspinaca in most of his campaigns.

Aspinaca's command tank was abandoned, alongside most of the army's heavy equipment, during the retreat from Voice as it was to heavy to be carried out of the planet.

It was later recovered however, and used again during the battles against the Yaanari in the west, during his Branicki style Blizkrieg tactics.

**The triumph of perseverance:**The only piece of art ever to be found in Aspinaca's office. Its strange mixture of lively colors and extreme shapes are rarely understood by the general's subordinates or visitors. Some even say that Aspinaca himself does not know what the painting represents, only that he likes it.

The painting was taken from the ruins of a Yaanari corsair ship.

**Snail Love Neckless**

 A neckless that he had gotten from one of his many loves throughout his life, he treasures it more then all the other trinkets in his collection, and yet nobody knows why.

Some thinks he had a marriage with a fellow soldier in arms, yet lost her or him in one of the wars. Others theorize that he was, in fact, in love with a very particular woman who goes by the name of Ice Queen, nobody is sure, but rumors abound on both sides...