Hayden Barca

Hayden Barca is a player character with a current arc. In all universes, he is the son of Hamill Barca and Alexander Barca, and the fraternal twin brother of Cassidy Barca. He and his sister possess DNA from both of their parents, and were born through uterine incubator technology.

He was born in 2128, and graduated from Star Navy Academy in 2150.

Personality
Hayden is emotionally reserved and dedicated to his career, but has spent his youth committed to having a good time along the way, sowing more wild oats than is typical, even among male commissioned officers. He is proud of his family's military history and cannot easily envisage a career or life outside naval service, and has thrived in times of warfare. He is athletic, externally gregarious, energetic, vain, but essentially good-natured and kind, even if he is not always sure how to express himself maturely to others. He has often simulated closeness with others through superficial intimacy, and has therefore had a long string of shallow relationships, which have given him a reputation as a playboy. He often turns to physical rather than emotional intimacy, choosing to fight, exercise, have sex, or play sports instead of talk.

Relationships
Hayden's closest relationship has been with his twin sister, Cassidy, to whom he will tell most anything. He has often turned to his sister to translate his emotions for him, making it possible for him to avoid expressing himself to others. He is unused to Cassidy being in a crisis and unaccustomed to going very long periods without seeing her at least once or twice a year; on their most recent deployments, they have spent more and more time apart, which has forced Hayden to be more emotionally independent.

Cassidy and Hayden's best friend (other than each other) is Søra Kuromoto, who attended all the same schools with them. Though their relationship began with Søra bullying Hayden, and Cassidy subsequently pushing her, the three of them became fast and lifelong friends. It could be argued that Hayden and Søra are very similar, making Cassidy equally adept at dealing with them, and that both of them need her in similar ways. It is highly likely that Hayden and Søra would have been friends (and bad influences on one another) even if Cassidy wasn't present, but that they may have presented a danger to one another's grades and careers if Cassidy didn't temper them. In return, Søra and Hayden made sure Cassidy always had more fun than was good for her, and consistently helped to bolster her into popularity. Hayden has recently voiced wonder as to why he and Søra have never been physically intimate--the answer being that Cassidy has always made it possible for them to communicate with one another through other means, making Søra essentially a sister by proxy. Søra and Hayden have long acted as wingmen for one another when looking for one-night stands, and looked out for one another at parties and bars, comparing sexual conquests, daring one another, trying to drink each other under the table, and overall being terrible influences. Søra will be the first to admit that she learned how to flirt and banter by starting on Hayden.

Hayden dated Viper pilot Peregrine Cruz of the ERS Hydra for a longer period than he had previously dated other girls, and eventually came to have more serious feelings for her. When the ERS Fenris was deployed to help the ERS Odyssey in Skelow Space, Perry released Hayden of any obligation to wait for her or be exclusive, which made Hayden feel as though she had been jerking him around some. Hayden and Perry had been in one another's social orbit for some time; Perry is the high school best friend of Søra's younger sister, Teli Kuromoto, and the two of them often came to cheer Hayden on at his lacrosse games. The girls had a penchant for following Hayden around, as Teli had a long-standing crush on him and Perry found him handsome, though Hayden showed little sign of noticing them.

December Universe
In the December Universe, Hayden died at the Battle of Earth as third officer of the ERS Hydra, under the command of Captain Christian Brown. The Hydra was destroyed by the Praezorians while battling in the last fight to protect Earth, going down with all hands. He would have seen his sister's ship, the ERS Medusa, destroyed before him, but would have died before Søra on the Omacatl. Like his sister and best friend, he died a hero and largely unremembered by an almost-extinct race at its final stand.