Minor Characters in The Seafort Saga - Tolliver, Edgar

Tolliver, Edgar

Edgar Tolliver was Cadet Corporal of Seafort's barracks during his time at the Naval Academy, and was extremely unpopular with the young cadet, who felt that Tolliver hazed him to an unnecessary degree. Tolliver on the other hand merely thought of the hazing as 'part of the drill'. He was later promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to Portia at some point after Seafort left the ship, until he was reassigned to replace Alexi Tamarov as Seafort's aide. While serving in that capacity the heli the two were travelling in was fire on by a surface to air missile, and Tolliver threw Seafort aside to seize the controls and take evasive action. Rather than court-martial and execute Tolliver for touching him, as the strict naval regulations would have demanded, Seafort instead opted to give him administrative punishment, and demoted the Lieutenant to Midshipman. Tolliver remained as Seafort's aide throughout the battle of Hope Nation that followed, and eventually an understanding grew between the two. Seafort would retain Tolliver as his aide, saving his career that had been ruined by his demotion, and Tolliver would have 'special dispensation' to criticise and talk back to Seafort at will, in private. Tolliver served in this capacity throughout Seafort's time as academy commandant, and following the battle of Home System persuaded Seafort to keep the details of how the academy's cadets had been duped into sailing to their deaths in the Fusers secret. Tolliver remained in the Navy, eventually rising to Captain, and during the transpop rebellion attempted to contact Seafort to dissuade him from his course into Earthport's laser batteries. His call was ignored by Philip Seafort. During the naval rebellion Tolliver answered his friend's call to arms, and lead academy cadets in their assault on Lunapolis' laser cannon, although he was unable to seize them in time to prevent their firing on Galactic. When Seafort accepted command of Olympiad, Tolliver turned up on the bridge, unannounced, to offer his services as first lieutenant, an officer Seafort grudgingly accepted. During the second Fish crisis at Hope Nation, Tolliver took command of Olympiad after Seafort was seriously injured by Randy Carr, and again when the Captain was captured by religious extremists. He was relived of duty and confined to quarters when Lieutenant Sarah Frand seized the ship, and only reluctantly agreed to desist from acting against her on the voyage back to Earth.