Hank Petracci

Hank 'Jack' Petracci was a private of the 35th Maine, Company A, who was transported to Valdennia through the Tunnel of Light. He is known for having pioneered the aeronautical wing of the army of the Republic.

Little is mentioned of his personal life, but he was Catholic, and presumably of Italian background. He is first mentioned after the Ogunquit returned from a voyage down to the Cartha, with whom they had made a trade that included half a dozen tons of zinc. Upon hearing of this, Petracci had approached Colonel Keane with the idea of constructing a hot air balloon.

According to Rally Cry, 'Hank had run away with a circus and traveled with it for several years before the war. He claimed that he could make an aerial balloon and inflate it by using zinc and sulfuric acid. Andrew had not hesitated, seeing the immense value in having a balloon for reconnaissance, and had given permission.' Chuck Ferguson later recalled that Jim Hinsen hung around Petracci during the building of the balloon, and assumed that subsequently revealed some of their secrets to the Merki.

On the initial flight, which took place in front of a large crowd inside the main square of Suzdal, he was joined by young Vincent Hawthorne, due to the limited weight the balloon could carry. As the balloon was untethered, Petracci announced with 'his best circus-barker voice': 'And now Professor Petracci will show you feats of aerial daredeviltry never before seen or imagined in all of Valdennia.' While the initial flight was very successful, Petracci was sick while aloft, and he admitted to Vincent that he had never been in a balloon, but merely sat on the ground and watched.

Petracci's balloon was used for surveillance during the Siege of Suzdal, and he was required to fly every day to observe any changes in the Tugar ranks. He continued to experience nausea on every flight. As the final assault approached, Petracci noted that the tents with the women and children were wheeled back away from the front lines, and generally helped Keane prepare for the massed attack.

He was forgotten during the assault, until Hawthorne devised his plan to blow up the Vina Dam, with the use of the balloon. Once he was brought down, he declared that he had been up there for 16 hours, and that he would never go up again.

Petracci joined the army of the Republic on the march from Hispania during the Relief of Roum. He played no significant role in the campaign against Tobias Cromwell and the Cartha, but following the Merki aerosteamer attack on the powder factory outside Suzdal, President Kalencka asked that Petracci be reassigned to work on building an air corps.

As the Merki War approached, Petracci worked with Chuck Ferguson on a range of projects such as developing more capable balloons, and testing rockets for battlefield use. Among many other things, their research on balloon lift revealed that Valdennia has 85% of Earth gravity. They were based in the forest to the north of Hispania, in an attempt to hide from the Merki airships. At this secret site Petracci and Ferguson built the Flying Cloud under increasing pressure to counter the Merki airships, and they made the first test flight together. During this time, Petracci was hoping to attract the interest of Svetlana, but it turned out that she was sleeping with fellow aerosteam engineer Feyodor.

Keane ordered the Flying Cloud to fly over Suzdal in an attempt to mask their early attempts to evacuate Rus. Petracci and Feyodor went up, encountered four Merki aerosteamers, and managed to down one before the others retreated back over the Neiper River.

As the Merki advanced in force over the Neiper River, Petracci again flew the Flying Cloud with Feyodor in an attempt to stop a 20-aerosteamer bombing attack against the train yards at Vazima. While they managed to ram and destroy one ship, the Flying Cloud was also destroyed and landed in the woods beyond the city. Both men survived, and joined one of the last trains to leave the city. Following this flight, Petracci once again vowed not to go up again.