Lord Captain Erich Ulysses von Reichert, Rogue Trader by the grace of the God-Emperor of Mankind.
Lord Captain Erich von Reichert is the newest head of the von Reichert dynasty. Originally a minor noble from a minor imperial world, he was suddenly elevated to his position following the growing attention of the previous von Reichert Rogue Trader seeking a compromise candidate as his successor.
Erich was previously a bastard son of a planetary governor, raised, but not granted legitimacy by his father’s family to act as diplomat for the family amoung the sector’s various noble families. His status as a bastard meant that he could both speak with the authority of his biological father, but that if things went wrong, this would grant the governor denyability. This would ultimately be his fate as Erich ended up in the middle of a political dispute between his father’s house and another noble family. Erich was called upon to negotiate a treaty that the governor sought to deliberately violate, leaving Erich holding the bag. In the end, the governor got what he wanted and Erich was left disgraced. However, in the aftermath, he would have a new opportunity.
Viktoria von Reichert was already old and very much not a fan of her various heirs. So, to cut through the problem, she called in all potential heir, which included Erich to her flagship to serve her, with the chance to succeed her. Erich’s father, the governor saw this as a chance to ditch a problem and to gain favor with a Rogue Trader and accepted.
Ironically, given Erich’s background as a diplomat, not as a warrior or dilettante gave him an edge and presented him with a chance to make valuable allies when Viktoria inevitably died. In the ensuring power struggle, he was able to get various valuable houses onto his side and convince other claimants to drop out and support him instead. By the time the smoke cleared. He held the Warrant of Trade
