A memorable attendee of the later Conferences was Jonas “Both Barrels” Salt. While certainly not a 'hero' of the Fleet as such, many of those present at the Conferences remember his colourful personality - along with his scheme to steal everyone's valuables by pretending he was yet another scientist working on an 'anti-Apparition' device. Others mention his insistence that he had a personal chauffeur ferrying him around the fleet, his 'pal Stevie.' Later identified as Stephen Andrews, a pilot on the Hephaestus's overworked sublight shuttle service, this man disclaimed any particular friendship with Salt, saying only “well he was clinging onto the outside of my ship like a nutter, weren't he? Had to play nice, thought he might be there to cause trouble. Never would have helped him again, of course, not once that video got out.”
Sadly, 'that video' (now at over 5,000 views on The Spacebook, implying every human alive has watched it more than four times) will probably remain Jonas Salt's enduring legacy, overshadowing his many nearly-successful schemes and his eventual uninvestigated disappearance aboard the Renown.
- an excerpt from Unsung Heroes of the Exodus: They Shall Be Remembered, 2115