Bastien Durand

Bastien Durand was the First Officer of the Tamerlane, serving under Captain Otavia Corvo, and a Norman officer of the Red Company. A born spacer from Algernon -- quiet, formal, and self-effacing -- he spent years at Hadrian's side before his one moment of candor: a confession that his family had likely perished when Marinus fell to the Cielcin. He died when the Cielcin prince Elusha captured the Red Company's officers, stepping forward to identify himself as captain rather than let the search continue, and was beheaded with Hadrian's own highmatter sword. His final words were bitter disillusionment directed at Hadrian.

Lorian Aristedes recalls that Durand was left in command aboard the Tamerlane when Hadrian went missing on Padmurak, and that he likely never saw Dorayaica's attack coming -- good at following orders, too rigid to lead. Bassander Lin says he liked Durand and always wondered why Corvo held command instead of him. Hadrian's verdict is simply that Durand died well.