Occupation:   Captain of the Pride of the Skies II

Previous Occupations:   Smuggler, Pirate, and Intergalactic Commando

Equipment:

• Communicators: Herc wears two communicators, one on each lower arm. He uses these to talk to other people who have their own communicators. He can also use them to speak through the communications/intercom systems in buildings, vehicles, or ships. He usually uses the red, triangle-shaped communicator on his left arm. He only uses the grey, spike-shaped communicator on his right arm to contact Jayce in Double Agent Zorg. On occasion, he has used an additional watch-like communicator, as in Chimes of Sharpis and The Slaves of Adlebaren.

• Laser Pistol: This weapon emits a red or blue laser that burns its target. Herc carries it in his jacket. Its exact appearance differs from episode to episode.

• Laser Rifle: This weapon emits a red laser beam that is more powerful than the one discharged by the laser pistol. Herc uses it to shoot at the Monster Minds in the Dreamworld episode, and guards the Pride's entry ramp with it in Bounty Hunters.

• Longsword: A razor-sharp weapon used to hack away at Monster Mind vines inside the Pride in Future of the Future.

• Pride of the Skies II (AKA The Barge): For stats on the barge, please see the Pride of the Skies II Vehicle Profile. Details about the Pride's control center, which is actually part of Battle Base, can be found in the Battle Base Vehicle Profile.

• Work Tools: Herc keeps both his regular tools and power tools in the Cargo Bay. He uses them primarily to work on the Lightning League vehicles. The regular tools include screwdrivers and wrenches. One of the power tools is a power winch that can be used to lower and raise large objects over great heights. Herc also has a power wrench, which is shaped like a laser rifle and is used to weld metals together. Flora sometimes feeds her Zoggies on the power tools.

Appearance:

Herc Stormsailor is a human male who seems to be in his late thirties to early forties. He has dark olive-green eyes, long black hair worn in a braid down his back, and muscular arms. He wears a light tan jacket with a navy blue collar, a brown sleeveless shirt with dark gold accents, navy blue pants with a black stripe running down each side, and black boots topped with white cloth. Herc carries his laser pistol in his jacket and a sheathed dagger on his belt. He wears his red, triangle-shaped communicator on his lower left arm, and his grey, spike-shaped communicator on his lower right arm. He looks like someone who has experienced all the universe has to offer -- including its seedy side.

Strengths:

Herc can take care of himself in practically any situation. He is an expert pilot, fighter, driver, bluffer, gambler, and smuggler. He knows how to repair the Pride and the Lightning League vehicles, and is familiar with zero gravity operations. Herc has great strength and endurance. This explains how he can fall on his back from great heights and not suffer any damage (he does this with alarming regularity). His time in the criminal underworld has given him some contacts there. Herc loves the Pride with a passion and becomes furious when it is damaged. He always sticks with a contract until he gets paid. Herc is loyal to his friends and has an excellent sense of humor. He is careful, cautious, realistic, and, above all, strong. He takes nothing at face value and can be depended on to do his part as long there is something in it for him.

Weaknesses:

Herc's main weakness is his love of wealth. Herc tends to drop whatever he is doing, no matter how important, if he thinks there is a chance he might find some treasure. He sometimes resents the fact that he has not yet been paid by the Lightning League. Herc is very skeptical about all legends, magics, and myths -- unless they concern treasure, of course. He is a bit of a loner and very cynical, although these traits fade as the series progresses.

History:

Herc Stormsailor is Captain of the Pride of the Skies II, as well as a former space pirate and smuggler.

Details of his background are sketchy, but several things have been revealed. He was an Intergalactic Commando who worked up to the rank of Sergeant First Class and fought under General Ghest's leadership in the Zarkon Campaigns. He earned a gold medal for his efforts but ultimately quit because the desert planet on which he was stationed was too hot "and the pay wasn't terrific, either." Herc worked for a time as a space pirate and became rather close to Queen Morgana of the Pirate's Guild before he left for unknown reasons. He gambled with a lady named Vendetta and left without paying his debt. He served time in an unescapable "hurricane prison" on the planet Kwontrax for violating freight regulations. Herc also "scrounged for spare parts" on Zeron III, "the universe's junk planet."

In Escape from the Garden, Gillian used his magic to summon the Pride to his garden and forced it to land safely there. He negotiated with Herc for safe passage and gave Herc a ton of magically-transformed gold bars as payment. Jayce and the others loaded the Lightning League vehicles and some other materials on the Pride just before their first battle with the Monster Minds. After escaping the planet, Herc discovered that his gold bars had turned back into the lead from which they were made. Angry at being deceived, he swore that he would stay with the Lightning League until he received the payment they owed him.

Herc ran into Morgana again when the Pirate's Guild captured the Pride. After he and the Lightning League helped to free her and her people from the Monster Minds, she stated that she will always be there for him. It is likely that he has feelings for her as well. He was also attracted to Nitra of the planet Tika, but she did not reciprocate his feelings.

On the Light-Eater's planet, Herc conquered his worst fear, that of being a broke old man who is desperate for money, enough to be tempted to sell the Pride. In a card game, Herc won the map to Dreamworld -- the planet where all a person's dreams come true. The Monster Minds invaded the dreams of the Lightning League members, but they were ultimately defeated. Herc was later infected with "a rare parasite that turns good to evil," and tried to sabotage the Pride. The Lightning League stopped him and cured him with rare herbs from the planet Hippocraticus. In the fifth episode of the Liberty Stone mini-series, Herc got fed up with the whole quest. He dropped off the rest of the Lightning League (and the vehicles) on the planet of their choice and then left. He soon came back to return Brock and the Zoggies, and got caught up in the Lightning League's battles all over again. Herc has also met up with his old debtor Vendetta. She has forgiven him what he owed her because the Lightning League saved her from the Monster Minds.

In the beginning of the series, Herc is generally cynical and materialistic. These traits fade as the series progresses, and he eventually comes to regard the Lightning League members as his friends.

Herc continues to have adventures with the Lightning League.