Jaan Minkenen

Minkenen in 2226

Jaan Minkenen is an Ingrian politician, known for being the Sixth Commissioner of Nordica. He served as commissioner from 2226. While technically continuing to serve until 2256, he had no influence over his actions from 2250 onwards.

## Early Life

Jaan Minkenen was born to lower-Middle income parents on the 13th January 2194 in **Yamburg, Ingria**. In his early years, he was increasingly showing himself as being very academic. Seeing this, his parents pushed for him to be enrolled at the prestigious **Yamburg Academy**. While there, he impressed the staff enough to be recommended to The Fifth Commissioner of Nordica, Aiga Truelson, directly. Truelson came to observe him personally, and was impressed with his abilities, especially, public speaking and strategy (Minkenen had risen to become a champion chess player for the academy.). She offered him a scholarship under her Commission once he had finished at university, and agreed to fund his studies. With this, Minkenen enrolled at Petersburg University, taking a course in Political Science.

## Political Career

Upon his graduation, he entered into an immediate scholarship directly under Truelson. Despite her own failings in dealing with Tekin, she believed that Minkenen could finally be the one to stand up to his regime. It was around this time that Minkenen met with AI-Android Freya, who had been a major part of the construction of the Hagall IV for the **mission to Proxima Centauri**. The two grew close, and begun to work more closely. Despite this, Minkenen was kept out of the public eye until he received an official nomination by Aiga Truelson in 2225. He would take over from Truelson during the midst of the Interplanetary Catastrophe, in 2226.

## Commission Years

Inheriting a nation in crisis, and initially distrusted due to his ties to Truelson, Minkenen was forced to work quickly, appointing Freya Ibsen as his Vice-Commissioner, and taking a stand on the insueing Interplanetary War. He was able, partly through negotiation, and partly through threats, to get Tekin to back down from launching a Nuclear missile at The CEHN and Indomalayan mars colonies, before withdrawing Realm support. Despite the War being a Catastrophic loss for The Realm, Minkenen received high praise for his recovery of the situation, especially in his opening days as Commissioner. Under Minkenen, Nordica would begin to rebuild its prestige, finally proving a credible threat to Neo-Europe. However, Minkenen would relent when Tekin's regime collapsed. Despite this, Ibsen disagreed that further advancements were no longer necessary. In 2250, she orchestrated a failed assassination attempt on Minkenen at the **Tangier Conference**, in order to force him to temporarily withdraw from his role, which he did. During this time, Minkenen was approached and taken by Freya, who implanted a chip into his brain, giving her control over his body. He would not truly exist again until 2263, **losing full bodily control** for the interim.

### Under the control of Ibsen

Minkenen found himself paralysed while his body acted without him, though still received sensory inputs. During this time, he helped to integrate the Atlantic Association closer together, setting up their withdrawal from The Realm in 2266, and eventual union in 2269. He was sent to mediate in the Pará-Guyana war, though only invoked the ire of Felonius Tekin, getting himself captured, and many of his delegates and guards killed, Prompting The Atlantic Association's involvement in the war.

## Post-Commission

During 2263, while still in captivity in French Guyana, the chip implanted in his brain was discovered and removed, granting him control over his body after over a decade. The effects of his internal isolation resulted in Minkenen developing a number of Mental Health issues, which continued to affect Minkenen for the rest of his life. He was coaxed into speaking with Felonius Tekin surrounding the circumstances of his situation, of which, the details were promptly leaked to the Indomalayan commission, thrusting Minkenen into another crisis. In the following days, both Nordican and Indomalayan strike teams were sent to break him out of French Guyana, although encountered each other in doing so, engaging in a firefight, killing numerous on each side. The confusion allowed Minkenen to slip into the forest, disappearing from the public eye. To this day, Jaan does not remember the fight, though does recall being handed over to the Indomalayans. Over the next few years he would slowly travel South West across the Amazon, escaping French Guyana within a month. over the next few years, he would wander aimlessly across the Amazon, occasionally being helped along by locals, even sometimes hitchhiking. He would next be sighted by Realm Authorities in Peru, where another crisis quickly ensued, with the Realm Member being divided between Panama and Chile, in an attempt to get to him. Minkenen was found first by the Chileans, and was quickly extradited to Indomalaya for his own safety. he would speak on occasion with Linkar Tayathein, conveying more of his recollections from his ordeal, however, often struggled to do so. His last meeting with Tayathein occured in July of 2277, with their conversations having long moved past the events of the 2050s and 60s.

After this, Minkenen withdrew from the public eye, though made headlines again when he refused treatment for his mental health issues, although this was only a relatively minor story in most news outlets. After this, little is known publicly about Minkenen's activities, though it was rumoured he had been killed in a mugging in 2282, although this is false.

## Legacy

Owing to the events that shaped the later stages of his life, Minkenen's legacy is heavily tied to that of his successor, usurper, and Ex-girlfriend, Freya Ibsen. He was instrumental in the events of the 23rd Century, with involvements from The Great Interplanetary War right through until The Schism. Though Minkenen helped to restore Nordica's image following his Predecessor's Commission, immediately standing up to Tekin and Neo-Europe where Truelson hadn't, even that can be partly attributed to then Vice-Commisioner Ibsen. His most lasting impact, is undeniably with the latter event, with the emergence of the truth causing a lasting split in the Realm, in turn helping to fuel the 23rd Century Collapse.