Patrick Fitzpatrick III

Patrick Fitzpatrick III is a fictional character from the "Saga of Seven Suns" series of novels by Kevin J. Anderson.

Biography

Patrick Fitzpatrick III was the grandson of the infamous Maureen Fitzpatrick - former Chairman of the Terran Hanseatic League, and joined the Earth Defence Forces during its recruitment drive. During his training on Mars Fitzpatrick proved not to be the best of the cadets, suffering an injury to his hand due to an improperly sealed glove and starting a lasting antipathy between himself and the Roamer recruit Tasia Tamblyn, however due to his family's connections Fitzpatrick was put on the fast track to becoming an officer.

Fitzpatrick attained the command of a Manta cruiser and served during missions to Yreka, Jupiter, Boone's Crossing - where he helped evacuate hundreds of colonists from targeted settlements - and Osquivel where his cruiser was destroyed.

While Fitzpatrick survived the defeat at Osquivel, escaping the destruction of his ship in an escape pod that was retrieved by the Roamers that inhabited the gas giant's rings, he was resentful of being a captive of the Roamers although they treated him and other rescued EDF members well. He was also worried that the Roamer would discover he had destroyed a Roamer transport piloted by Raven Kamarov while serving as a pilot on General Lanyan's Juggernaut.

Fitzpatrick helped with the doomed escape run attempted by Bill Stanna, by distracting Roamer guards with claims of a fire in a closet. Along with the other captured EDF members Fitzpatrick was sorry to hear of the death of Bill Stanna who had died in the grappler pod he had stolen on the way to the cometary distillation facilities run by the Roamers at Osquivel. Despite an attraction to Zhett Kellum, the daughter of the manager of the shipyards at the gas giant, Fitzpatrick managed to escape the Roamer installation in a transport by tricking Zhett and locking her in a storeroom. He was then 'rescued' by his grandmother (who had come with many parents of the Osquivel fallen to pay their respects) and negotiated that the Roamers would be left alone in exchange for them taking the nearby hydrogue derelict they had salvaged. The deal was a success, though this did not discourage the shipyard personnel from dismantling everything and leaving with haste.

Fitzpatrick then resigned from the EDF, not wanting to work for an organization that had so many falsehoods, he was also branded as a victim of "Roamer brainwashing" due to his claims that the supposed 'facts' about the clans were lies. Unsurprisingly, no terrans believed him. However, after the Soldier compy revolt, all EDF resignations were rendered void, and Patrick was to be forced back onto the front lines. Instead, Patrick opted to hijack one of his grandmother's private space-yacht's (renaming it the "Gypsy" in honor of Zhett) and search the stars for Zhett and her father, hoping to make amends.

After finding Zhett and her Father, Fitzpatrick tries to unsuccessfully apologize to Zhett for what he did after escaping from the Osquivel; however, after trying for several weeks he decided to make a grand gesture and confess the crimes he perpetrated against the Roamers while in the EDF. Fitzpatrick records a full confession which is then transmitted to Earth to help prove the unlawfulness of the actions of Basil Wenceslas and General Kurt Lanyan. After admitting his guilt Fitzpatrick is sentenced to "walk the plank" off a Skymine by the Roamer Skymine captains when no Roamer would speak on Fitzpatrick's behalf.

While getting ready to jump from the plank of the Skymine, Zhett speaks on Fitzpatrick's behalf and his sentence is revoked. Zhett and Fitzpatrick marry shortly after this incident. The newly married couple come up with an idea to recruit Patrick's grandmother, former Hansa Chairman Maureen Fitzpatrick, as a liaison between the Confederation and the Hansa. With King Peter's blessing, Zhett and Patrick head to Earth in the Gypsy and speak with his grandmother on King Peters behalf. When Maureen accepts the offer, they leave to wait her arrival on Theroc; however, Maureen's ship is intercepted and destroyed by the EDF on the outskirts of Theroc.

Enraged at the death of his grandmother, Patrick Fitzpatrick heads back to Earth with Zhett in the Gypsy to stoke civil unrest in the Hansa by joining forces with an underground sedition group. They blast the news nets with footage of Maureen Fitzpatrick's death by the hands of the EDF and encourage civil disorder against Chairman Wenceslas. Zhett and Patrick are eventually apprehended and arrested by Chairman Wenceslas' "Clean up" crew only to be later released Eldred Cain. After being re-released Patrick and Zhett re-join the sedition group, and continue to encourage people to overthrow Chairman Wenceslas and King Rory.

Appearances/ Sources

*Hidden Empire
*A Forest of Stars
*Horizon Storms
*Scattered Suns
*Of Fire and Night
*Metal Swarm
*The Ashes of Worlds