"Fail is a relative term. I’ve had to deal with pretty high standards in my life. You’re going to have to deal with much higher ones."
Commander Michael Geary was an officer in the Alliance Navy. The commander of the battle cruiser Repulse, Geary was also the grandnephew of Captain John "Black Jack" Geary. Despite this, Michael Geary actually appeared older than his granduncle, due to John Geary's extended time in survival sleep.
Biography
Born on the Alliance planet of Glenlyon, Michael Geary had grown up in his famous granduncle's shadow, causing him and his sister, Jane, to deeply resent their believed-to-be-deceased relative. When he was old enough, he was forced to join the Navy, just like his father and sister, because it was expected of a Geary. He eventually took command of the battle cruiser Repulse and, when Admiral Bloch was able to acquire and make use of a Syndicate hypernet key, Geary became a part of the Alliance Fleet launching an attack on the Syndicate home system, Prime. Along the way, the fleet stopped at Grendel, where they accidentally found Michael's granduncle, John Geary, who had been in cryo frozen since his supposed death at the Battle of Grendel. With John Geary now in tow, the Alliance Fleet continued to Prime, but the attack ultimately turned out to be a trap, resulting in high Alliance casualties and the Repulse taking heavy damage.
Following the fake death of Admiral Bloch, John Geary was forced to take command of the fleet during a temporary cease fire. During this period, John Geary discovered and contacted Michael on the Repulse. During their short conversation, Michael Geary was terse and rude, refusing to go into any detail about their family. During the withdrawal from the Syndicate home system, it became clear that the vital auxiliary ship Titan would not be able to escape unless another Alliance ship sacrificed itself to hold off the Syndicate forces. Realizing this, Michael Geary volunteered his ship, justifying the decision by pointing out that the Repulse was damaged and struggling to keep up anyway. During the time leading up to this fateful decision, Michael Geary had come to grudgingly respect his granduncle, and to sympathize with him. Michael Geary demanded that John Geary not forget about the crew of the Repulse, many of whom were sure to be captured by the Syndicate and imprisoned in a labor camp. Michael Geary's last communication to the Alliance fleet was a request to John Geary, asking him to find Michael's sister, who served aboard the Dreadnought, and to "Tell her I didn't hate you anymore."
Michael Geary was presumed lost when his ship was destroyed, though John Geary has lingering doubts and hopes his grandnephew may still be alive. According to Admiral Bloch, Michael was indeed alive in a Syndicate labor camp and he was willing to give Michael's location in exchange for John Geary's protection against the Defender Fleet. Unfortunately, Bloch most likely perished when the Defender Fleet was destroyed, leaving Michael Geary's location and status unknown.