Sergei Meranov

Appearance
Sergei is approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall and in his younger days weighed approximately 155 lbs. When younger he was considered to be exceptionally handsome and was noted for having a regular cadre of women (never the same girl twice) on his arm when he first became Talus's representative to the Galactic Senate. He was lean, but relatively well-muscled and had a general enthusiasm for athletic activities that showed in his physique and the pride and care he took in presenting a well put together image.

As he aged, Sergei's hair faded from black to grey and his former athletic physique began to show signs of aging as well. He lost much of his musculature, but still appeared to be relatively fit and handsome for a man of his age.

Personality
"Perhaps your life is nothing but a constant parade of parties and jokes, but some of us, on occasion, have a galaxy to run." ~Senator Meranov on being chided for his dour nature.

In his youth, like most men, Sergei was unbridled and carefree. He was known by his family members to be playful and easy to laughter. As he reached the age to attend school, Sergei's personality seemed to mature rapidly. He was no longer carefree, constantly playing, or talkative. He became serious and focused on his studies. In the off hours, he was still the first to crack a joke or suggest some sort of boisterous activity, but as time wore on these occasions became fewer and far between.

By the time he graduated from boarding school and joined the military, he had either lost or purged himself of the mirthful child that once played on the fields of Talus into the serious, calculating Senator he is today. No one would describe Sergei as cold or unfeeling, but his presence and demeanor exude a professional, focused, calculating mind operating behind his almost always passionless facade. He is frequently chided about his attitude by friends, acquaintances, and colleagues, but takes it generally in stride.

Early Years
Sergei Vasilovich Meranov was born to Vasili Meranov 55 years ago. He was born into a newly upper-class family of civil servants and military men. From a young age, Sergei was groomed to be the ideal civil servant by receiving one of the best educations available on Talus. At the age of 18, Sergei decided he wished to experience life outside of civil service before throwing himself into that work for the rest of his life. To that end he joined the Talusian Army and served honorably for the next 2 years.



During his stint with the army, Sergei made several close friends that would help him later in life. He was also able to develop a working familiarity with several different weapon types, most notably blaster pistols and blaster rifles, with which he was certified as an advanced marksman. After serving in the military for 2 years, Sergei once again decided to join the civil service by joining the Queen's political bureau.

Service in the Political Bureau
The political bureau was charged with dealing with senatorial matters, namely making sure that Talus's senatorial delegation knew the wishes of the Queen and to make sure they had anything they needed. It was during his time working here that the friendships he'd made in the military paid off for Sergei. One of his close friends, Alexander Vorozhbit, was now working as the first aide to Talus's representative in the Galactic Senate. Sergei was able to use this contact to his advantage and ingratiate himself to the senator eventually becoming the senator's chief of staff at the age of 29.

Sergei served as the Chief of Staff for the senator for another 5 years until his retirement, upon which, the senator gave a glowing recommendation concerning Sergei's fitness to serve as the next representative. After a few months of deliberation and interviews, Sergei was selected as the next representative of Talus to the Galactic Senate at the age of 35.

Service as Senator
Having served as senator for the past 20 years, Sergei shows no signs of waning or tending towards retirement. His accomplishments in the senate haven't been extremely notable, but he is seen as a fervent advocate, notably securing funds to improve the agrarian infrastructure on Talus. For that achievement, the Queen dedicated a street in the capital city after him which is lined with some of the agriculture storehouses that he helped secure for Talus.

In more recent years, Sergei has been a fierce supporter of the war against the Sith Empire and a notable critic of the Treaty of Coruscant. Sergei continues to serve in the senate to this day, arguing in favor of vast defense spending increases in an attempt to bolster the Republic's weak military position. He also introduced an extremely unfavorable bill that would have instituted a galaxy-wide draft of all persons and species able to give service in the Republic's military. Currently, the bill has few supporters and many, many opponents. It remains to be seen what, if any, impact Senator Meranov will have on the future of the Republic.

Personal
Sergei is currently seeking to advance his position and influence within the Senate. He feels very passionately about the current state of galactic affairs and would like a larger say in the administration of policy, particularly with how to deal with the ever present Sith Empire. He is also always seeking to make the planet of Talus a more important place in the galaxy, as he constantly lobbies the Senate for more ship production contracts, touting his own ship, The Intrepid, as a perfect example of Talusian Design.

Professional
Professionally, Sergei has become involved with a secret society of ultra-nationalist persons, most of whom move within the upper echelons of political circles or are powerful in their own particular industry or profession. This society known only as "The Fillorean Society", was formed to aggressively defend and expand the power and influence of the Galactic Republic while defending it from enemies abroad and at home. Most recently any mention of the Society anywhere has ceased. The Society's current status, and Sergei's role in it, are unknown.

Duties as a Senator
Like any other elected official it is Sergei's duty to represent his particular planet to the best of his ability, and to make sure their interests are heard. With regard to this, Senator Meranov is seen as a relatively good performer by the citizens of Talus and its government. In addition to serving as Talus's representative, Senator Meranov also serves on two of the Senate's subcommittees. The first being the Senate Committee on New World Discovery and Exploration, which deals primarily with organizing funding and supplying ventures to explore new areas and colonize them if appropriate. Secondly, he serves on the Senate Military Oversight Committee, which deals primarily with military spending. It is believed that one of the reasons he was chosen to join the Fillorean Society was his seat on the Senate Military Oversight Committee.

Family
Senator Meranov is part of the distinguished and storied Meranov family based on Talus. He remains in close contact with his family, and spends much of his free time on Talus within the lands owned by the Meranovs. Sergei has never been married and has voiced his intention to remain single for the rest of his life. As a result of this, he has remained close with his two brothers Fyodor (now deceased) and Leonid and their sons Vazili and Pyotr. Additionally, while Sergei has never been married and thus has no legitimate children, he has fathered at least two bastard children. Andrey Marov, whose surname is a derivation of "Meranov", remains close with Senator Meranov and has been seen working with him on numerous occasions. Ippolit Marov joined the Republic Army at 18 and trained with them for at least two years before disappearing entirely. Recently, as Sergei's age has advanced and his attention has been required more on Coruscant, Andrey has been entrusted with carrying out many of the Senator's responsibilities.