| abstract | - Straha was shiplord of the 206th Emperor Yower of the Race's Conquest Fleet. In the Fleet's chain of command, he was subordinate only to Fleetlord Atvar and Shiplord Kirel, and was a bitter rival of both. He was extraordinarily flexible by the Race's standards and was frequently frustrated by the slowness with which his colleagues, and especially Atvar, adapted to the Fleet's unexpected circumstances. He insisted that he would make a better commander for the Conquest Fleet, following a much more aggressive strategy of using the Fleet's most powerful weapons against the Tosevites before they could design countermeasures. When the Soviet Union detonated an atomic bomb against the Race, Straha called for a vote of no confidence in Atvar, a very rare legal maneuver for the Race which occurred only when an appointed officer of the Emperor was accused of gross malfeasance or incompetence and there was no higher imperial authority available to whom his or her subordinates could appeal. Straha's measure was supported by an overwhelming 68% of his colleagues, but not by the 75% super-majority needed to take effect. After his failed attempt to overthrow Atvar, Straha defected to the United States near St. Louis, Missouri. There he made propaganda recordings encouraging the Race's soldiers to desert and defect which were broadcast all over the world.
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