Hechtor Dravere
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Lord High General Militant Hechtor Dravere was one of the Imperial commanders during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.
Biography
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This page contains spoilers for: | First and Only (Novel) |
For a time the most commended and decorated officer in the Segmentum Pacificus Imperial Guard forces, Dravere had a long military career. He was noted for his self-promoting ambition, his stiffness of tactical approach, particularly where infantry formations were concerned, his sponsorship of the Jantine Patricians regiment and for his claim that he would choke the Eye of Terror if given enough men to march into it.
Commissar-General Delane Oktar, under whom Dravere served as a colonel, loathed him for his willingness to sacrifice his men en masse if doing so would mean victory.
In the run-up to the Sabbat Worlds Crusade he fought several successful actions against Orks, heretics and even Tyranids. He was the commanding officer of Imperial forces during the Balance Wars of 740 - 743.M41 and fully expected to rise to the rank of Warmaster. He was frustrated in this when the appointment he wanted went instead to his rival, Lord Militant Slaydo.
Dravere was employed on the senior staff of the Sabbat Worlds undertaking, and drew up a proposed plan of attack for the beginning of the campaign based upon the 'Mid-Line Theory' of troop advancement. His plan was rejected by Slaydo and Dravere was instead assigned military objectives that were thought easily achievable, such as the liberation of Long Halent, during the opening movements of the campaign.1
Dravere continued to buck under Slaydo's command until the Warmaster's death in 765.M41, whereupon he aggressively positioned himself as a possible successor. He was again unsuccessful, the promotion to Warmaster instead going to Marshal Macaroth. Becoming embittered at this turn of events, there is some evidence to suggest that Lord General Militant Dravere entered into a traitorous pact with Inquisitor Golesh Heldane, that would allow him to supplant Macaroth and finally become Warmaster.
However, eight months after Slaydo's death, Hechtor Dravere was killed in action on Menazoid Epsilon2 when his command Leviathan exploded due to the psychic energy released by Heldane's death.
