“Duty, duty, duty. In this moment, there is nothing but duty, so that tomorrow we may be men again.”
- - Jean-Baptiste Teindas, before the Battle of Manticore
Jean-Baptiste Teindas (born 2653) is a legendary French human military leader and one of the oldest and most well-respected living Marshals of France.
History[]
Early life and career[]
Descended from a long line of proud officers within the French Armed Forces, he attended the Volerin Officer's Academy and graduated with honors in 2673. Through the power of his family's connections, Teindas rose quickly through the ranks of the French Starfleet and acquired a reputation as a thorough and hard-working officer. By 2687, he had risen to Admiral, surpassing in rank all of his ancestors, and had married and divorced twice.
His ascension to the Marshalship was far less meteoric, taking another twenty years of diligent service before he was admitted to the rank of sous-marshal in 2711. Though he was by no means a military genius, his name carried weight and his experience and leadership were increasingly sought after as he gained seniority within the Marshalship. A promotion in 2726 to Marshal paved the way to his eventual ascension as the unofficial leader of the French Armed Forces.
Manticore was one of the largest battles the Gigaquadrant had ever seen. The human militaries, under Teindas' direction, did their part to bring about a Coalition victory.
Dominatus War[]
Many speculate as to Teindas' eventual retirement, as no French Marshal has ever served as long as he has (74 years in 2800). At age 147, he is still in full possession of his physical and mental faculties and hardly seems to be considering ending his military career. In fact, he seems even more involved in the shaping of the French Armed Forces in light of its emergence as a galactic power, fronting conventional but somewhat adaptive points of view which often clash with the generally unconventional ideas of the younger members of the French Marshalship. No French official has ever dared suggest that he resign. However, there was talk of his potentially leaving the Armed Forces when he had a second daughter with his third wife in 2789, though Teindas broke off the marriage in 2792 to focus on the Dominatus War and put distance between himself and his wife in case he was killed. He entered the international spotlight when he was appointed to the rank of Generalissimo in the allied military of the Orion League in 2793, and he went on to lead the combined forces of Humanity against the Drakodominatus Tyranny first in the Milky Way, then in the Mirus Galaxy.
Teindas' performance as Generalissimo was exemplary in that he kept Orion military efforts afloat for the duration of the war despite significant setbacks. This won him a great deal of international acclaim, though many wonder how much credit was actually due to him given how decentralized the command system of the Orion League was. Regardless of this fact, he became a popular hero, the face of Orion efforts during the Dominatus War.
Interwar period[]
After the conflict was over, many encouraged him to use his heightened popularity to run in the 2797 presidential election, but Teindas rebuked these suggestions. On one occasion, he explained at a public dinner that he might have wanted to attain the presidency in his youth, but that it was no longer a goal for him.
Instead, Teindas rallied behind President Maxime as she created the beginnings of the French Colonial Empire. He oversaw the rapid expansion of its military and colonial forces and served as an important diplomatic asset for the Maxime administration in forming relationships with anti-Dominatus Coalition nations like the Draconid Imperium and TIAF. In 2796, he accompanied Maxime in a state visit to the Draconid Imperium, where he spoke to some of his contemporaries in the Imperial Talon Navy.
Later that same year, Teindas commanded French forces during the international intervention in the East African Civil War, and subsequently spent a lot of time in the Pan-African Economic Alliance helping rebuild the shattered African militaries. It was at this time that he developed a friendship with Marshal Tasha Jorgensen, the then-recently appointed Commander-in-chief of the African armed forces. At roughy this time, Teindas heavily criticized the direction the French Armed forces was taking in putting its trust in hyperspatial weaponry. He was skeptical of the Angelfire and decried France's increasing lack of heavy line battleships in their new order of battle. At his insistence, the French Armed Forces purchased the Jove-class from the Allied Terran Republic in 2798, thus garnering a Gigaquadrantic-class ship-of-the-line.
Teindas joined delegates from France, the Draconid Imperium, and the TIAF as they met on Alcanti to forge a new alliance that would reshape the balance of power in the Gigaquadrant.
Gigaquadrantic Conflicts[]
Teindas gathers the Orion fleet in orbit of Earth in preparation for a campaign against the Neraida.
In 2800, with tensions rising to a boiling point on the eve of the Gigaquadrantic Conflicts, Teindas was sent along with Prime Minister Valéry and Marshal Chartier to meet in secret with delegates from the Draconid Imperium and the TIAF on Alcanti. The object of the conference was the creation of what came to be referred to as the Alcanti Triad Treaty, a three-way binding alliance against the growing power and aggressiveness of the Delpha Coalition of Planets. Teindas and Chartier were there to hammer out the military details of the agreement with Larnus Vontarion of the Imperial Talon Navy and James Lorrelas of the TIAF 1st Assault Armada, though it was noted during the proceedings that Teindas spoke little. For the most part, he allowed the others to hammer out and debate the minutia of the Allied strategy while he watched.
Upon his return to France, he was almost immediately called back to serve as the Generalissimo of the Orion League by Chairman Zhen Liu. The Orion League had just called for a campaign against Neraida Gigamatrix, which was invading the Milky Way. Teindas once again heeded the call and fought alongside the Allied Terran Republic for most of the rest of 2800.
Orion War[]
Teindas' loss at the Battle of Calaras is thought among military scholars as a symptom of Teindas' deteriorating command style.
- Further reading: Orion War
In March of 2802, Teindas entered the developing Orion War between the Kindred Coalition and various Orion League nations, including France. While there were very few French troops in the area of conflict, he was granted command of the Allied forces occupying the Kindred Coalition Orion territory. From March 5 to March 18th, he worked tirelessly to fortify his position in preparation of a Coalition counterattack. He repeatedly petitioned for more starships and reinforcements, though the Allied governments could spare very little with the DCP threatening Northern Orion's Spur. However, the French, African, and Hal'Sk armies were able to deliver to him a great number of ground-based Angelfire launchers. Teindas, skeptical of the technology, planned to use these as a last resort if ever Coalition forces reached the strategic world of Hat'Mohr.
The Battle of Second Hat'Mohr was the first recorded use of the Angelfire hyperspatial missile in warfare, utterly devastating the Kindred Coalition fleet which had no established countermeasures or comparable weapons.
When the Kindred Coalition's counterinvasion finally came, Teindas and his disorganized Allied force met them at the Battle of Calaras, an enormous battle which weighed heavily in his favor at first, but due to the tenacity and sheer number of Coalition troops, ended in a costly retreat. Teindas' defeat at the Battle of Calaras is often pointed to as an example of his deteriorating command style, which by that point was woefully behind the times. Instead of using the hyperspatial weaponry at his disposal to obliterate the Coalition invasion force from the get-go, he had engaged his enemy in conventional battle and had paid dearly for it.
The Battle of Calaras served as a rallying cry for the Kindred Coalition, leading many more of its member states to pledge troops to retaking their territory. Within several days, Teindas found himself outnumbered 7 to 1 in the area of conflict. Teindas' subsequent use of the Angelfire hyperspatial weapons at the Battle of Second Hat'Mohr is remembered as a stroke of tactical genius, as he baited the enemy into a favorable position before unleashing the missiles, resulting in the complete loss of the enemy force. Yet, many wonder whether this maneuver had been the result of dumb luck rather than careful strategic planning. Yet, the fact remains that Teindas won the Orion War against impossible odds, and that feat would win him a central position in the initial Allied campaigns against the Delpha Coalition of Planets.
Image[]
Though he is modest about his accomplishments in his twelve decades of service, Teindas has become a living legend in the public mind, epitomizing what a French Marshal should be: competent, honorable, and patriotic. His name is attached to many military campaigns in recent French history which are widely taught in the French curriculum, especially in military institutions. Despite his fame, Teindas lives an increasingly private life, submerged in his work. In fact, he seems to take little pleasure in hero worship, especially among his staff, and has reacted badly to the amazed stares, gawking, and stuttered phrases of new personnel.
Command ability[]
Command rating: 7/10 
- Charisma: 5/5
- Ability: 2/5
Teindas' military record is perhaps one of the most impressive in French military history, spanning more than a century of stoic and capable leadership. While certainly not a military genius, Teindas's years of experience have yielded a commander with a good understanding of both strategy and tactics and a decent intuition to navigate it. However, he is the product of an era in which armored battleships dominated conventional warfare among human states. With the advent of hyperspatial warfare the early 2800's, Teindas has found it increasingly difficult to adapt to the times. His command style is obsolete, and that has shown through in a deterioration in his performance. Very aware of this trend, he has been increasingly unwilling to take risks, which in turn affects his chances in the field.
What Teindas lacks in military skill, he makes up in reputation. While he carries very little personal charisma, he has been made into a living legend by the French Armed Forces and the public at large. His victories are often spoken of and reenacted, and he is responsible for many maneuvers that changed the fate of entire campaigns. It is for that reason that his very presence in the field can significantly boost morale, and many an enemy would think twice before doing battle with him.
Starships[]
Céleste ✝[]
- Designation: CBH-1 Céleste
- Type:
- Launch year: 2782
- Participated in:
The first iteration of its class, the CBH-1 Céleste was the ceremonial flagship of the French Starfleet from 2782 to 2795. After its launch in 2782, it saw much of modern French military history and become an icon of pre-colonial French military power. It was been modified several times to accommodate for new technological advances, notably in 2786 when it was refitted into a Monarque-class with the addition of a command bridge at the center of the ship. A powerful battleship by human standards, its limitations became quite apparent in comparison to other Gigaquadrantic starships during the Dominatus War. It underwent further modifications in the field, though these had not been fully implemented when the ship's power systems were irreparably damaged during the battle of Manticore, necessitating a full evacuation a few days later.
The Céleste remained adrift during the rest of the campaign, though it was eventually retrieved by the French Armed Forces and was ceremoniously decommissioned in 2796. It then underwent renovation from 2796 to 2797 and was docked for the last time in orbit of Paris, where it was turned into a museum detailing its thirteen years of service as the French flagship and its role in the Dominatus War.
Indomptable[]
- Designation: CBH-1 Indomptable
- Type: Indomptable-class dreadnought
- Launch year: 2793
- Participated in:
Launched by the Allied Terran Republic on the eve of the Dominatus War, the Indomptable, then referred to as the ATS Indomitable, served as a command ship within the Terran stellar navy for the duration of the Milky Way and Mirus Campaigns. After the war, it was gifted to the French Republic by the ATR as a diplomatic gesture, meant to act as a replacement for the lost French flagship. Teindas graciously accepted the gesture, and moved his flag to the ship when it arrived in 2796. Though he disliked the design differences at first, Teindas came to appreciate its firepower during the East African Civil War. He ended up liking the ship's capabilities so much that he repeatedly recommended that France replace its aging Céleste-class battleships with ATR-made craft, which finally happened in 2798.
A massive 2.5 kilometer-long battleship, the Indomptable boasts impressive firepower even by Gigaquadrantic standards, possessing a devastating broadside and other capabilities which truly make it stand out on the battlefield. Recent retrofits have allowed it to carry and launch dedicated hyperspatial weapons like the Angelfire. At the same time, a number of countermeasure to such weapons, such as hyperspatial stealth and a number of hyperspatial anti-missile and anti-air batteries, were installed. Given its size, quality, raw power, and vast arsenal, it is one of the most fearsome starships in the French Starfleet.
Relations[]
Friends[]
“Please, what can I do for you?”
- Marshal Tasha Jorgensen - She and her staff have done well for themselves. The African militaries are in good hands.
- Lucian Chartier - Reliable, trustworthy, intelligent, the French Armed Forces are lucky to have a commander like him.
Liked[]
“Yes?”
- Uriel Ultanos - He seems like a good leader.
- Aurélien Ortiz - If he keeps up the good work, I have no reason to complain.
- Larnus Vontarion - He clearly knows what he's doing.
- James Lorrelas - Perhaps a little eccentric, but he lives up to his reputation.
Neutral[]
“Hm?”
- Adrianne Delacroix - I have a bad feeling her methods are going to get us all prosecuted for war crimes someday.
- Ballatay - I fully admit, I don't trust him.
Disliked[]
“You try my patience.”
- ...
Enemies[]
“I swear, there will be consequences.”
- ...
