Ianto Gwydir

**Captain Ianto Gwydir** *used* to be the subordinate officer to Commander Barratt, before Captain Mandarin took his place. Like Mandarin, Gwydir wasn't too competent at his job, and this turned out to be his downfall, as Barratt promptly executed him after yet another failed attack on Jaws MacTaggart.

## Persona

Captain Gwydir *used* to be the subordinate to Commander Barratt onboard the *Oshan Akuma*, before Captain Mandarin
took his place. Like Mandarin, Gwydir wasn't very competent at his job, and
this turned out to be his downfall, as after one failure too many to capture or
kill *Jaws* MacTaggart, he was suddenly
executed on the spot by Barratt.

As
well as being incompetent, Gwydir was something of a wimp, being reluctant to
follow through with Barratt's demands, or even his own ideas. He was also
overly cautious, resulting in indecision when it came to executing those rare
ideas he *did* decide to act on.

Gwydir
was also a very *by-the-book* officer,
who insisted on following the rules and regulations to the letter. Perhaps this
also contributed to his downfall, as Barratt was much more of the *cowboy cop* type, who wouldn't stand for
such pedantic behaviour. Of course, if Gwydir was in Barratt's position, he'd
be just as cold and rebellious, but as it was, he was rather timid, and not
very good at his job.

## Physical Description

Captain Gwydir was a red fox, standing at
nearly four feet tall, with deep reddish brown hair and blue eyes. The latter
were hidden behind a pair of orange-tinted Aviator sunglasses. He also sported
a black *raccoon mask* across his eyes,
not unlike Captain Mandarin.

Also
in common with Mandarin, Gwydir dressed very casually for a Federation officer,
his only *standard issue* item of
clothing being his green infantry jacket. Everything else was personally owned
by Gwydir, and included a pair of bell bottom jeans, a blue and yellow woollen
jumper, and a pair of maroon and yellow sneakers.

## Background

Captain Gwydir was born Ianto Gwydir on
March 24th 2983, as the middle child of three (the other two being older
brother Gareth, and younger sister Siani). He was born and raised on the planet
Nant-Coed, in the Betelgeuse System, living in a suburban area of the city of
Dinas Rhydnant. Coming from a long line of coal miners, it was expected that
Gwydir would carry on the tradition, and for a few years, things certainly
seemed certain to pan out that way.

However,
over the course of the 2980s, the economy of Nant-Coed was dragged into that
decade's Galaxy-wide economic slump. Unemployment soon became a major issue,
made worse by strike action at various pits, mines and quarries across the
planet. Eventually, things got so bad that many industries were closed down,
and countless workers were made redundant (including Gwydir's father, one of
the miners). This quickly put paid to any hopes the Gwydir family had of *handing down* their professions to their
children, and in the late 2990s, just before the economy of Nant-Coed finally
started to pick up again, alternative employment became sought by the teenage Gwydir
children.

While
Gareth and Siani decided to try and break into the music industry, Ianto became
interested in a potential career out in the stars: after all, there was little
left for him on Nant-Coed, and it looked like even that was about to disappear.
So he started searching around for career opportunities *off-world*. Initially, a job as a freighter pilot seemed like the
most profitable opportunity, but then Gwydir chanced upon a military
recruitment advert outside his local corner shop, and decided that *this* would be far more interesting.

However,
Gwydir's infamous nervous disposition discouraged him from applying as a
soldier, so he signed up as an officer instead, thinking a *desk job* would be more suitable for him.

Gwydir
underwent the rigorous training regime of the Stellar Federation Military
Police, and in early 3001, he left the academy as a commissioned Midshipman. He
was just in time, too, as only a couple of months later, the Fourth Galactic
War broke out. By then, Gwydir had been posted onboard the *HMS Drysllwyn*, a destroyer tender from the Betelgeuse Division of
the Military Police. In stark contrast to his later career, he was actually
rather competent to begin with, and his *by-the-book*
attitude to battle earned him respect from his similarly conservative
colleagues.

Gwydir
ended up serving onboard the *Drysllwyn*
until early 3005 when, now a Lieutenant, he was transferred to a Hinode
Division battlecruiser, the *Oshan Akuma*.
However, this was when the trouble began: Gwydir's new superior, Commander
Barratt, was very volatile and unstable: a far cry from the officers he'd known
on the *Drysllwyn*. He was also
something of a *cowboy cop*, which
meant that right from the start, Gwydir clashed rather badly with him.

It
was also around this time that Gwydir first became acquainted with one Captain *Jaws* MacTaggart, a fellow officer about
halfway between him and Barratt in rank and seniority. Even at this point,
Gwydir saw Jaws as someone who was rebellious, troublesome, and just a little
bit crazy; a further contrast to his own personality. Luckily for him, only a
few months passed before Jaws was dishonourably discharged, for failing to
capture or kill a woman who Gwydir only knew as the *Green Fox*. In the process, though, Gwydir gained not only a new
target, but also the threat of being discharged himself, should he ever fail in
his mission.

However,
Gwydir was to suffer a fate *worse*
than discharge. Over the course of the next four years, he would assist
Commander Barratt in his mission to capture or destroy Jaws, who had turned to
space piracy, along with another former officer, Leslie Kennedy. Time and time
again, Barratt and Gwydir-who eventually rose to the rank of Captain-would do
battle with Jaws, and time and time again, they would fail.

Eventually,
in July 3009, Gwydir's luck finally ran out: after yet another failed attack on
Jaws, Barratt lost patience with him, and saw fit to suddenly execute him on
the spot; this he did by shooting Gwydir clean through the head with his
revolver, ending both his career and his life right there and then. Barratt
then ordered the delivery of Gwydir's body back to Nant-Coed for burial, and to
cover his own backside, he also ordered that the death should instead be
attributed to Jaws.

Gwydir's
corpse was duly sent back to Nant-Coed where, per his wishes from some time
prior, he was cremated, and his ashes were scattered by Gareth and Siani, who had
managed a success with their musical venture, and happened to be passing
through on tour with their band.

That,
then, was Captain Gwydir. In the limited period of time he served the Stellar
Federation, he made his mark on the Galaxy as an officer, a gentleman...and a
coward. His death was abrupt and painful, and serves as an example of exactly the
kind of tyranny Jaws MacTaggart attributes to the Stellar Federation.

## Trivia

* According to creator Craig Black, Captain Gwydir is named after a street in Liverpool, very close to the former home of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.
	+ Producer Jordann Edwards has suggested out that Gwydir's given name, Ianto, could be a nod to Ianto Jones, a character in the BBC series *Torchwood*. Creator Craig Black, who has never watched the series, maintains that the identical name is a mere coincidence.