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[[Image:VanceTheren.png|thumb|right|275px|Lord Commissar Vance Theren]]

The most senior Commissar in the Orpheus Salient, Therenhas presided over matters of military discipline since the firstday of the Salient’s foundation. A veteran of many conflicts,Theren has served both on the ground alongside the [[Imperial Guard]], and as a [[Fleet Commissariat|Fleet Commissar]] with the [[Imperial Navy]],giving him valuable experience in a variety of theatres ofwar, and making him an ideal choice for such high authority.His oversight onto all Imperial Guard and Imperial Navyactivities within the Salient is carried out through the meansof thousands of lesser Commissars stationed aboard starshipsand deployed within Imperial Guard regiments.{{Fn|1}}

A dutiful and honorable man, Theren does not sufferthe wasteful use of the Emperor’s armed forces, regardingthe lives of the Emperor’s servants as something not tobe expended frivolously or rashly. Indeed, quite at oddswith the archetypal image of the Commissar, Theren caresabout the men under his authority. This has caused him toclash with the Generals under his jurisdiction on severaloccasions, even going so far as to veto the battle plans of[[General]] [[Derian Arkelius]] more than once, and having executedseveral senior Imperial Guard officers for negligence over theyears of the [[Achilus Crusade]]. Further, he has reprimandedseveral of his subordinate Commissars for being overzealousin their punishments. The lives of the Emperor’s servants arevaluable and it is the responsibility of their leaders to ensurethat the dutiful efforts of even the least of men are employedwisely, as Theren is swift to point out to his subordinates.In spite of this atypical outlook, Theren is a sterndisciplinarian, having established a collection of penalcompanies in order to deal with those who step out of line,and commandeering a special battalion of veteran troopsto serve as military police, as he has found that squads ofexceptionally disciplined men, unbound by regimental loyalty,make effective enforcers.{{Fn|1}}

A devout servant of the [[Imperium]], Theren cannot help butregard the [[Space Marine]]s with due reverence, and long yearsof service within the [[Jericho Reach]], interacting with SpaceMarine commanders, has given him a deep respect for theirabilities, and the morale-bolstering effect their presence canhave. Given the current state of the Orpheus Salient, he isever willing to stand in support of the Space Marines and toaccept their aid in fighting back against the [[Tyranid]]s.Part of the Achilus Crusade from the very start, Therenserved closely with General [[Mikal Curas]], and he held the General inhigh regard almost from the outset. Curas’ death was a blowto Theren, though his stern demeanor will not allow his sense of loss to show. He has begun to doubt the teachingsthat have defined his life in the face of an enemy unlikeany he has ever faced. In spite of this, Theren is one of thefew individuals holding the Orpheus Salient together, hisdiscipline and sense of duty maintaining order in the mostterrible of circumstances.{{Fn|1}}

The deception maintaining the illusion of General Curas’continued service was Theren’s idea, and he maintains controlover it, mediating between the Arkelius siblings who formthe rest of the Triumvirate, and providing overall commandin spite of their familial rivalry. Amidst all this, he liaises withSpace Marine forces within the Salient, cooperates with theDeathwatch, and handles much of the inter-organisationalpolitics that so frequently blights Imperial operations,wrangling with the demands of the [[Administratum]], [[Adeptus Arbites]], Adeptus [[Ministorum]], and [[Adeptus Mechanicus]], whileendeavouring to win an extremely costly war. In short, itis Theren’s iron will that is the greatest factor in both thedeception that General Curas still lives, and rallying theCrusade forces that the General once commanded.{{Fn|1}}

It should come as little surprise that Theren seems witheredand exhausted to those who meet him in person. The costof the Orpheus Salient’s seemingly inexorable collapseweighs heavily on any man, and like his compatriots in theTriumvirate, the strain is taking a toll. Amidst this pressure,Theren is gladdened by the increased Space Marine presencewithin the Salient, and the more widespread deployment ofDeathwatch Kill-teams, for every Space Marine who standsbeside the mortal guardsmen and shipsmen of the OrpheusSalient lessens the weight upon his shoulders and those ofevery officer under his command.{{Fn|1}}

*{{Endn|1}}: [[Deathwatch: The Jericho Reach]] , pg.137