User:Knight of Malta/Sandbox

Valdemar Rosenov is an Vostroyan officer of the Imperial Navy who is currently serving as the Lord Admiral of Battlefleet Tamahl.

Early life
Born on the Industrial World of Vostroya in Segmentum Obscurus, Rosenov hailed from a family of lesser nobility that held the lowest aristocratic title, Imperial Knight, and had fallen out of favor after his father lost a political struggle. His mother had been murdered by their political opponents and since then his father had turned into a broken shell of a man, spending most of his time drinking away the money they had left. The young Valdemar was forced to go to work in the factories so they could get by. However, he despised his father and spent as little time with him as possible, instead spending time with a good friend of his from the factory, Stepan Naryshkin, a commoner. The two of them worked in the same factory and met each other there. Rosenov frequently spoke of leaving the industrial hellhole they toiled away in and achieving power, secretly disgusted with what he perceived was the Emperor's oppression of people, forcing them to labor in slave-like conditions. Naryshkin did not care too much about such things but was impressed with Rosenov's work at the factory, as he managed to reach a managerial position before long and kept things running fairly efficiently.

The moment for Rosenov to act out on his beliefs came in 716.M41, in an unexpected manner. Their planet was visited by a group of Imperial Navy crewmen from the Lunar-class Cruiser Rage of the Imperium, which was passing through the system after surviving an engagement. They were looking for people in the industrial areas to press-gang into joining the crew of the ship as replacements for the recent casualties. Rosenov and Naryshkin both happened to be found by them, who were leaving the factory at the time and passing through some alleys. Five Navy men found and confronted them, and after a short verbal argument the two Vostroyans agreed to go. His friend was initially reluctant, but Rosenov convinced him by saying this was their chance to leave this hellhole of a world. At least, that was part of the reason, what he said in front of the Navy crewmen. Later in private he told Naryshkin that it was their best chance to rise to power.