Born into a world of Imperial opulence, Duke lived a lavish lifestyle. Son of a patron and true Imperial stalwart, he was groomed to join the Imperial Navy from a young age. As an adolescent, he was entrusted to carry on the family legacy of service to the Empire. Questioning the path laid before him, Duke rebelled against his fathers wishes and instead set out on his own path.

Cut off from the family fortune, disowned by his parents, Duke acquired a sidewinder and set out on his adventures. Years of being drilled to join the Imperial Navy had given him valuable tactical training, which he used to his full advantage. Excelling in combat, he built his fortune hunting the lawless, fighting other peoples wars and delivering high value cargo throughout the bubble.

At the age of 25 he found himself in Yuri Groms space. A disagreement with the locals turned into a ferocious space battle with a number of Clayakarma’s system security forces. Outnumbered and outmatched, he was captured and taken to the dictator himself, Yuri Grom. He was given a choice, face execution for his transgressions or serve at the whim of the dictator. It was not a hard choice.

Starting out as an enforcer, he carried out Yuri’s bidding, putting his skills to great effect. He built a respect and admiration for Grom but never felt at home in EG space. Fighting war after war, an endless stream of battle and violence began to affect the young man in a way that he never fully understood. He dreamed of a different life, free from the stresses of battle and death, but surrendered himself to the reality he was chained to.

The return of the thargoids brought with it devastating news. Duke received the message via a short wave automated transmission. The voice in the message was robotic, cold and uncaring. It casually informed him that his parents were onboard a beluga class liner, in the Pleiades Sector, when it was attacked and destroyed by Thargoids. There were no survivors.

Duke couldn’t come to terms with what had happened. He clandestinely escaped the service of Grom and set out on a quest of vengeance against this implacable foe, leaving hundreds of dead Thargoids in his wake. Realising this could not bring back what he had lost, he made his way back to the bubble to rediscover his humanity. A chance encounter with an exploration enthusiast helped him forge a new path, a better path, one where he used the skills he has acquired over the years in the protection of others.

He was asked to lead combat operations for the explorers group. There were no grand designs for galactic domination. Just a dream of carving out an independent territory for the explorers, avoiding the major powers and creating a safe haven for the lawful. It worked. Duke built strong bonds with a number of Squadrons throughout the galaxy during his time with this group and whilst he may not be an explorer at heart, he believes that he found his calling in defending those that are.