Jon Owen Hertzfeldt

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Jon Owen Hertzfeldt
jon_hertzfeldt.gif
Science Advisor
Federated Segments of Scolopendra
Director
Galaxy Exploration Command
Species/Ethnicity
Human/Scandinavian
Height / Weight
190 cm / 66 kg


Current Science Advisor of Scolopendra and director of the Galaxy Exploration Command. Has had a mixed history after The Break that is most apparent in his past Supreme Emperorship of Scolopendra in what is widely considered as the least successful modern administration.


Physical Data

  • Species/Ethnicity: Human (Scandinavian extraction)
  • Height: 190cm (6 ft, 2.8 in)
  • Mass: 66 kg (145 lbm)
  • Hair/Eyes: ice blue / platinum blonde
  • Notable Features: Tall, lanky build, "rueful figure"


Biography

Hertzfeld describes his own life as "a series of serious disappointments offset by minor windfalls." This is generally attributed to his attitude and general lack of the strength of character required for command at the highest levels.

Pre-NS

Hertzfeldt was born to parents of Scandinavian-American descent in Istanbul, then the capital of Mediterranean Scolopendra. He was a quiet child, content to study and play games off by himself instead of socializing. He enjoyed puzzles and was very good at problem solving, which brought him to the attention of several talented-and-gifted student organizations. Throughout primary and secondary school he excelled in all the most difficult science programs and branched out a bit socially, using his status as science guru to network and create a group of acquaintances, if not friends. During college, he began working for the Science Section and continued on as a civil servant after his graduation. Upon promotion to senior civil servant he was tasked to be the scientific and industrial head of the Titan colonization mission, which in turn saved him from the fate of the rest of Scolopendra during The Break.

NS

In modern times, Hertzfeldt has been less successful for a variety of reasons both internal and external.

PseudoEmperor

As the civilian commander of the Titan exploration expedition, Hertzfeldt was arguably superior to Alshai Kommetrez, who was then acting as military-civilian liason. However, Alshai proved to be the better leader and Jon willingly gave him the helm, supporting him to be emergency Supreme Emperor. Jon then took the second-in-command post of PseudoEmperor and, while outwardly quietly mourning his quiet position, secretly enjoyed it, supporting Alshai to be elected Supreme Emperor after the period of emergency had passed.

Records show that Hertzfeldt was perfectly capable of taking command for short periods of time while Kommetrez was away and, unlike his successor Julius M Razak, avoided causing any international diplomatic incidents. However, his limitations became apparent when Alshai Kommetrez joined the Angelus Archailect, thus thrusting Hertzfeldt into the position of Supreme Emperor.

Supreme Emperor

Hertzfeldt's administration is generally agreed to be the weakest in the modern period. During his administration, the power of Arda grew generally unchecked, the extraction campaigns of the Foot-to-Ass Section and the Triumvirate of Yut were held back as needless military adventurism. His international relations posture was primarily defensive but not isolationist, leading to a definite slowing of the expanse of Scolopendran foreign policy in all sectors and even stagnation in some others. The damages have not been completely rectified as of yet in the current Speaker-Rrit administration.

Under Hertzfeldt, multiple Scolopendran allies fell to or became aligned with Arda; friendship treaties were handed out recklessly which lead to the beginning of the Triumvirate of Yut's conflict with the Order of the Seraphim after the nation of Sketch broke its treaty with an attack on Angelus, and corruption grew in the Scolopendran legislature as seen in the later indictment of Ayman Al-Thynniyan and the investigation into Trade Advisor Raphael Vito Spoilsport.

When the next election cycle came, Hertzfeldt was quickly voted out of office in favor of Speaker-Rrit by a broad margin of over thirty percentage points. Such a landslide is almost unheard of in the nonparty coalition system of the Segments and is still considered to be a vocal mandate on Hertzfeldt's inadequacies.

Science Advisor

Still, Hertzfeldt showed value in other ways. Speaker-Rrit installed him as Science Advisor, taking over for the venerable Al Rijil who then went to be the governor of the Bright Morning colony. Now director of the Galaxy Exploration Command, Hertzfeldt was responsible for expanding that agency's capabilities with the upgraded ''Beagle''-class research cruiser and ''Endeavour''-class scoutship. He was also primarily responsible for suggesting the creation of the Triumvirate Interstellar Trading Corporation. He remains in these posts, quietly overseeing Scolopendra's research and education as well as the Triumvirate's space exploration policy.