Hito Ulanti

Flag-Lieutenant Hito Ulanti was the second-in-command of the Dictator-class Cruiser Lord Solar Macharius of the Imperial Navy during the Gothic War of the beginning of the 41st Millenium. Young, hot-blooded yet supremely competent, Ulanti was one of the key players in the many successes the Macharius earned over the course of the war.

History
Hito Ulanti hauled from the Necromundan Noble House of Ulanti. Posessed of a restless character, the young scion applied and was accepted for training to serve in the glorious Imperial Navy. Competent, possesed of a keen mind and ambitious, he quickly rose through the ranks, and ultimately was assigned as Flag-Lieutenant to Flag-Captain Leoten Semper so he could get a first taste of true command and learn from the experience of the more senior and seasoned officer.

Ulanti's first taste of command would prove to be bitter, however: ancient, hidebound traditions within the Navy stated that any human hailing from a Hive World was trash; scum only fit to be press-ganged into slave labor. Ulanti found it almost impossible to have himself and his authority respected by his underlings. The only person to actually respect him from the very start was his Captain, but due to Semper's stern and formal personality, this was not apparent, and Ulanti believed himself thoroughly disiked by the whole of the Macharius' crew.

This would not prevent Ulanti to do his duty to the best of his abilities, and, when Captain Semper asked for opinions during the confrontation between the Macharius and the Chaos Hades-class Heavy Cruiser Contagion, he did not hesitate to oppose the general consensus that retreating in the Warp was the best way of action, stating that if their opponent was truly the man he announced he once was, he was renowed to never give up a chase, and that daemons were better at navigating the Warp than human Navigators. Ulanti would be proven right, for the Macharius was unable to escape the Contagion, and when Captain Semper gave the suicidal order to weaken the Geller Field in order to lure the Contagion closer, Ulanti did not hesitate to interpose himself between Semper and the Macharius' Fleet Commissar. Staring down the barrel of a Bolt Pistol Ulanti calmly stated to the Comissar that he could shoot them both but they were all dead anyway, and that Semper's stratagem at least gave them a chance. Ulanti's resolve made the Commissar hesitate, and when the Macharius' senior Tech-Priest confirmed that there was a remote chance the stratagem could work, the Commissar backed down and allowed Semper to proceed.

This show of bravery did not win Ulanti much respect amongst the Macharius' crew, and somewhat later he snapped, and accepted a challenge to duel from another officer. Due to his past on Necromunda, Ulanti was an impeccable swordsman, and he easily bested his opponent, cutting him down in one calcultaed stroke. This only served to inflame the crew further, and Semper called Ulanti for a private discussion in his quarters. During that discussion, Semper sternly told his younger ward that further duelling would not be tolerated, and that respect was not a blood-prize collected from slain enemies: it had to be earned through hard work and dedication. Bristling with fury, Ulanti stiffened, but Semper continued, explaining to him that they were now tasked with finding the mutinied Dauntless-class Light Cruiser Bellerophon, and asked his second-in-command how he would proceed if he was in charge. Assessing the situation, Ulanti considered the star chart for a moment, and determined the most probable course of escape of the Bellerophon, educately guessing that the renegade ship would no longer be posessed of a Navigator.

Returning to the bridge, Semper allowed Ulanti to proceed with the chase. They caught up with the Bellerophon, and when the mutinied ship was damaged by the Macharius' Starhawk Bombers, Ulanti surprised everyone by volunteering to lead a boarding action to reclaim the ship rather than destroying outright, since it was a better option for Battlefleet Gothic in the long run. Semper inwardly smiled, satisfied that his dressing down to stop acting like a Necromundan noble and start acting like a Fleet Officer had had the desired effect on Ulanti.

During the boarding action, Ulanti chanced upon the Bellerophon's Flag-Lieutenant, and engaged the other officer in a duel. Ulanti got the first blow in, piercing his opponent's side, but the other officer grabbed his sword arm with his free hand before he could pull his sabre back, and delivered a terrible cut to Ulanti's shoulder. Severely wounded, Ulanti was saved in the nick of time by Maxim Borusa, who prevented the renegade to finish Ulanti off before dispatching him, and dragging Ulanti to safety. Once patched up, Ulanti sought out the man who had saved his life, and gave him the position of personal bodyguard.

Later on, the Macharius was assigned to a battle group tasked with the liberation of the planet Helia IV. During that battle, Ulanti performed admirably, anticipating his captain's needs and ensuring his orders were carried out. When the Macharius was boarded by attackers from the Slaughter-class Cruiser Virulence, he volunteered to lead the armsmen into repelling boarders. His courage and dedication had finally starting paying off, as the crew finally started to accept him.

After de battle of Helia IV, the Macharius was sent to the planet of Belatis to oversee it's evacuation, since it had been identified as Abaddon Planet-Killer weapon's next target, and mounting a defence capable of repelling the unknown weapon and its accompanying fleet was not feasible. When Semper was called down to the surface of Belatis on a diplomatical gesture, he trusted Ulanti with running the Macharius in his absence.

When Semper was presumed lost on Belatis' surface, Ulanti argued passionately with the others Captains in the fleet to at least send a rescue mission to ascertain Semper's demise, but Flag-Captain Erwin Ramas of the Gothic-class Cruiser Drachenfels sensibly overruled him, stating that risking the safety of a whole convoy of ships to save one man, even one as brilliant as Captain Semper, was simple folly, and that the better course of action was to run for it and live to avenge him another day. A dejected and heavy-hearted Ulanti then gave orders to the Macharius crew to join the convoy.

Afterwards, when Captain Semper managed to signify his survival through astrotelepathic communication, Ulanti hailed the others Captains again, and again requested to be allowed to mount a rescue mission. Ramas refused him again, and such was the loyalty of Ulanti and the Macharius' crew toward Semper that they almost mutinied. Luckily for them, matters were taken out of their hands by Adeptus Arbites Marshal Byzantane, who, upon learning that the traitor who had allowed Chaos cults to flourish on Belatis was still alive alongside Semper, simply commandeered the Macharius, and ordered it back to Belatis.

During that rescue mission, Ulanti was forced to assume effective command of the Macharius in a dangerous combat situation, and while he perfomed superbly, rescuing his Captain and destroying or forcing back several Chaos ships, he realised that he was not yet ready to assume command of his own vessel. The pressures of taking major decisions and facing their consequences, rather than merely assisting the man who did take them, left a deep impression on the young officer, and added yet another layer of respect for his Captain.

Personality
A young, hot-blooded human male with an expressive visage and sharp features, Hito Ulanti was ambitious and keen to prove himself. Educated amongst the decadent nobility of a Hive World, he was a gifted diplomat and an accomplished swordsman, having developed both skills in order to survive the treacherous politics of his homeworld. When first joining Battlefleet Gothic, Ulanti had an overall bad relationship with his fellow officers, his Hiveworld background, and expectancy to be treated like the scion of a noble house working against him. He did however temper his brashness with experience, and quickly grew in a competent at respected officer.

On a more personal level, Ulanti remained a noble: used to luxury, he didn't hesitate to partake in all his lofty station could offer while off-duty: games of chance, drinking, keeping a concubine, luxurious quarters and even duelling were all on his agenda, and he readily participaed in everything. He was however a man of duty, and he never allowed his pleasures to infringe on his duty.