Kai Gadar

NAME: Kai Gadar

BORN: 1033 AE, Zirkon

AFFILIATION: Empire

OCCUPATION: Shipbuilder, Activist

FAMILY: Inna Gadar (Wife), Elza Gadar (Daughter)

Early Life

Kai Gadar was born into a family of shipbuilders on Zirkon. His parents were passionate of their craft, and they were also ones who benefited the most when the Kingdom of Limmea (later, Empire) invited Zirkon into its fold. Kai was taught to appreciate the power of their new interstellar overlords, so since early childhood he was fascinated with the Empire and specifically its Colonial Fleet.

The Proud Imperial

During his teenage years, Kai have joined the local branch of Imperial Militia as a part-time volunteer. Swept by patriotic enthusiasm, he even registered his wife and daughter as potential volunteer conscripts during the first decades of the Mirror Wars.

Torn between a supervising job at the shipyard and devoted service to the state, Kai rarely found time for his only daughter, Elza. Late evenings when Kai came home from his combat training were the only moments when the whole Gadar family came together. Kai loved to gather in the kitchen because it would not interrupt his scheduled supper.

Kai and Inna hugging in the kitchen during one of their scarce alone evenings together.

Family Torn by the War

Year 1064 AE, Kai was involved in the Worker’s Riots on Zirkon. He did all right choices, but being on the Empire’s side of this local conflict painted a target on his back. Soon after the peace was restored and perpetrators executed, Kai chose to left his family in order to serve in the Imperial Navy. His wife Inna was forced into conscription soon after him, which left their teenage daughter, Elza to fend for herself completely alone on Zirkon.

Life in the Imperial Navy

Because of his high status on Zirkon, Kai managed to get straight into a leading role as a shipmaster on an Imperial Cruiser. The ship was built on Zirkon, so Kai had an inherent advantage of knowing every smallest advantage and weakness of this vessel. This knowledge proved usable when his Cruiser was summoned to aid in a joined incursion to the Federal Space.

The incursion turned out to be a trap created by Federal Defense Force as they played a gambit on unsuspecting Imperials. The situation seemed to be hopeless, and the Commander of Kai’s ship announced a surrender, but he was soon violently relieved from duty by his own marines. As next in chain of command, Kai had to step up in the leadership position.

A photo of Kai with his young Limmean wife and their two small children.

He was lucky that day and have managed to lead the remains of the Imperial fleet away to a safe distance for a subspace jump. For this deed, Kai was promoted to a Commander and granted a First Class Citizenship as a reward for his courage under fire. In that moment, Kai suddenly got everything he ever dreamed about as a devoted Imperial. New life with living permit on Limmea and honored duty on his own ship gave Kai a definitive incentive to begin a new life and never look back in his Zirkonian past…

Gallery: Kai Gadar in Comics

Behind the Scenes

Kai was a pure narrative accident. When ELZA: Origins was written in its final draft, his character was merely a random Imperial Officer that was inspired by an antagonist from 28 Days Later (2002) When the concept of him was generated, he looked so close to be Elza’s father that I had to challenge the plausibility and make it a part of the story.

It was challenging to write the relationship between Kai and Elza and find a clear motivation for him to do what hi did to his daughter. A promise of a new life with a young wife and two kids seemed strong enough to motivate Kai’s decisions. Also, a question remains now… Will Elza ever meet her half-siblings and their mother?