Laden Bur'I

Laden Bur'I is the son of Nitta Bur'I and brother of Dora Bur'I. He is the stepson of Caleb Bur'I and the step-brother of Jason Bur'I. He is a minor reocuring character in the Course Books.

Personality

Laden is largely stuck-up and arrogant, without any reasonable claim to such sensibilities. He is much smarter than he lets on, but has very poor people skills, leaving him unable to exploit his inteligence in a useful manor. He often entertains notions of succession to the thrown, but under Bur'Ian law, he has no claim to it.

History

Laden's backstory is not established canonically, his father(Nitta's first(?) husband, is not mentioned) He is probably at least a member of the aristocracy, though his mother may have been of common birth and was not above banging the occasional pool boy. So Laden may or may not be nobility.

During the events between The Reunion of the Eighth Power and Full Circle, Laden led a resistance movement against Metanie Bur'I. His group was, in fact, highly effective, evading capture and winning numerous strategic victories. When the Foundation was brought in under the order of Jason Bur'I to attempt to stabilize things on Bur'I, Laden was allegedly killed in a final shootout with Metanie's loyalists. This last, heroic act, secured his status as a martyr, and many millenia later statues were still build in his honor.

Later Life and Death

In reality, Laden was mortally wounded and placed in stasis so that his life could be saved. In the confusion of humanitarian and war efforts taking place on Bur'I, a paperwork error caused the stasis capsule to instead be transfered to cryogenic suspension. Another error some years later had the frozen martyr placed in long-term storage.

Nearly a century would pass before Laden was finally found. At the time, his injuries were still considered too severe to consider bringing him out of stasis. However, his neural pathways were extensively scanned, and a computer simulation of his mind constructed and studied by Instructor Gailen.

Gailen worked on the brain off and on through the whole Long Night, Laden was an enigma to him, a curiosity. Gailen said that "While our most medicocure tacticians could defeat him with ease, he had an uncanny nack for winning against any and all computer-controlled opponents... including Lastries."