Vance Theren

Vance Theren is an unusually compassionate Lord Commissar within the Achilus Crusade. Currently the head of the Triumvirate that is in command of the Orpheus Salient, he is also the mastermind of the "Great Deception".

History
Educated at the Schola Progenium on Veneris, Vance Theren has faithfully served the Commissariat for the past sixty-five solar years.

He was assigned to the Achilus Crusade from the outset and was attached as a liaison to General Mikal Curas' staff. Theren is a hard man, but unlike a stereotypical Commissar, he actually cares about the lives of the men and women under his command.

This became apparent to the other two members of the Triumvirate when he rewrote the defence plan for Treyan upon seeing General Arkelius had called for over one million Imperial Guardsmen to be sacrificed as bait to bring the Tyranids into a specified kill zone. The death of General Curas hit Theren hard.

While they could not be considered friends, the two men had a mutual respect for one another and General Curas would often take Theren into his confidence about private command matters.

As the orchestrator of the Great Deception, Lord Commissar Theren is constantly on the lookout for signs that one of the two Arkelius siblings is plotting his downfall. Without his iron discipline keeping the rank and file in line, the Orpheus Salient would be lost. His relationship with the Deathwatch is strong since, as a Commissar, he always appreciates when a walking morale booster shows up on the field of battle.

Source

 * Deathwatch: The Achilus Assault (RPG), pg. 142