Walter Islands

From Gineipaedia, the Legend of Galactic Heroes wiki

Walter Islands (798 UC (489 IC / 3598 CE))
Gender:	Male
Affiliation:	Free Planets Alliance
Occupation:	Politician
Status:	Alive (799 UC (1 NIC / 490 IC / 3599 CE))
Played by:	Tanaka Yasuo

Walter Islands (Japanese: ウォルター・アイランズ) was an Alliance politician who briefly served as the Secretary of Defence before the end of the Alliance–Imperial War in May 799 UC (1 NIC / 490 IC / 3599 CE).

Contents 1 Political career 2 Appendices 2.1 Appearances 2.2 Name variations

Political career

Walter Islands' early life and career are unknown. A self-admitted third-rate politician, he rose to prominence when Negroponte resigned as Alliance Secretary of Defence in April 798 UC (489 IC / 3598 CE) following the Eighth Battle of Iserlohn. Islands was able to obtain the position of Alliance Secretary of Defence by bribing the then High Council Supreme Chairman Job Trunicht with a silver vase. Initially, Islands treated his position as a means of enriching himself, and engaged in rent-seeking activities such as pocketing rebates from military procurements as well as outright embezzlement of public funds to fund his vacations with his mistress. As a result, his early performance as Secretary of Defence was lacklustre and he was more concerned over maintaining his own position rather than strengthening the military. (LOGH: 'War Without Weapons', 'Determination and Ambition', 'Sudden Change')

Islands' attitude towards his job changed dramatically after the surprise Imperial annexation of the Dominion of Fezzan in December 798 UC (489 IC / 3598 CE), which opened the pathway for a full-scale invasion into Alliance territory. During that moment of crisis, he became keenly aware of the grave responsibilities his position as Secretary of Defence entailed and asserted leadership in the High Council when his superior Trunicht backed out of an important High Council meeting. He then ensured complete political support towards any actions undertaken by the Free Planets Star Fleet to resist the incoming Imperial expeditionary force and arranged for the promotions of the key military personnel leading the Star Fleet in the upcoming battle. Even after the Alliance defeat in the subsequent Battle of Rantemario in February 799 UC (1 NIC / 490 IC / 3599 CE), Islands remained focused on his duties and extended the same support towards Yang Wen-li, the commander of the last remaining organised Alliance fleet who had taken charge of fighting against the Imperial expeditionary force. (LOGH: 'The Cold Spell Arrives', 'The Darkness Before Dawn')

On 5 May 799 UC (1 NIC / 490 IC / 3599 CE), while the Yang Fleet was engaging an Imperial fleet commanded personally by Reinhard von Lohengramm in the Battle of Vermilion, two Imperial fleets led by Wolfgang Mittermeyer and Oskar von Reuenthal respectively laid a surprise siege against the defenceless Alliance capital planet Heinessen and demanded an unconditional surrender from the Alliance government. When Trunicht expressed his decision to surrender in an emergency council of war, Islands tried to dissuade his superior, believing that the Alliance could still be saved as long as they bought enough time for Yang to defeat Reinhard, the de facto ruler of the Empire, even if it meant sacrificing themselves by refusing to surrender and facing an all-out Imperial invasion of the capital. However, Islands was quickly rebuffed by Trunicht, who exposed the former's acts of corruption during his term as Secretary of Defence. Soon afterwards, Trunicht summoned armed members of the Terraist Church to suppress any dissent in the council of war. Shocked at this turn of events, Islands became unconscious and was subsequently bedridden, effectively ending his political career. His life thereafter is unknown. (LOGH: 'Sudden Change', 'Long Live the Emperor!')

Appendices

Appearances

Name variations

• Walter Islands (LD/DVD subtitles)
• ウォルター・アイランズ (LD/DVD subtitles — Japanese)