*Severe SPOILER warning for the CoHH novel*

Henry Harper is a curious case, a man who should have been famous galaxy wide, but somehow avoided being so until the publication (and verification) of his best selling "The Chronicles of Henry Harper." Given that his tales have been verified as completely as possible, it is rather hotly debated whether Mr. Harper intentionally avoided recognition, or merely slipped repeatedly through the cracks of history. Whichever it is, he has been posthumously recognized and honored more widely than any human thus far, and indeed more than many widely recognized and celebrated heroes from older members of the galactic community. Even to this day, a complete accounting of his life frustrates his attempted biographers, as new events with his involvement surface on a semi-regular basis.

While many stories of his early years reveal much about the man, such as his discovery by Jack Amaril and Ernie Hart during the ESV Exploration projects, his first impact on the greater galaxy is usually considered to be his involvement with first contact between Humanity and the Aoreli. On investigation, it has been discovered that his involvement with that mission was actually understated rather than overblown in his own telling of the story. Entirely aside from the initial rescue operation, Mr. Harper proved to be the primary mind behind early integration efforts between the two technology bases, and was present for many of the early discussions between Amaril Corporation and the Aoreli. It was also he, not Jack Amaril as many had believed, that was the primary early mentor for the galaxy renown Lorana Reichen, though it is fairly obvious that she surpassed his non-engineering skills within only a year or two of their first encounter.

His involvement with the A.I. Valkyrie should not be dismissed, but as he was not one of her creators his role was of lesser impact than Jack Amaril and Rana Reichen, making his contribution there easy to miss. Less easy, and still related to A.I., are his roles in using Valkyrie Project A.I. in the ending of the the Rasine Lei - Eleti regional conflict, and the thwarting of various assassination attempts against Areina Aerablast. Both of these have had a major impact on the galactic community, and have proven to be useful notes for continued A.I. rights lobbyists. It should be noted that, while Mr. Harper claimed the A.I. in "Privateer's Paradise" to be an advanced EW/ECM package, investigations have proven that it was actually a volunteer A.I. from the Valkyrie project. Given his use of such assistance twice, it is considered highly probable that such A.I. also assisted in some of his other adventures that are now coming to light.

Several more humanitarian efforts must also be considered as major contributions to the galaxy by Mr. Harper. These primarily included his efforts on Trabella Station, at the colony of Shien, and on the planet of Klenthe. Though his efforts with the Imeric Whales on Station 7, and the anti-slavery raid during the Rasine Lei - Eleti regional conflict also qualify.

Mr. Harper's death saving a number of prominent galactic scientists should also not be dismissed in its importance. Nor should the impact his will, or the various charitable foundations he supported be ignored. In continuation of that ideology of support, the Harper fund, set up for exceptional talents in all fields by Jack Amaril and heavily funded by a number of other prominent individuals such as Areina Aerablast and Lorana Reichen, seeks to continue Mr. Harper's good influence on the galaxy for many decades to come.

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