A man of few words and remarkable size, Big Henry is a Terran starfarer who regularly stops by the Ox & Carriage for a hot meal and a room when he is passing through Titan. Broad as a canyon and tall as the clouds, Big Henry cuts an imposing figure as one of the few Terrans to stand eye-to-eye with the toughest Callistans, but his striking frame and unmistakable presence hide a gentle heart and a kind spirit. He wishes no ill will upon any of his fellow starfarers, but when his quiet nature is taken for an easy mark, Big Henry will demonstrate that his bar-darkening frame is not just for show.
- Big Henry can be hired as a survival guide on voyages to uncharted or uninhabited worlds.
- Big Henry does not seek assistance from hirelings, but if your path and his should cross he will recognize the stitchwork of fate.
Big Henry is a frontiersman. He knows well the upper boundaries of physical power and finds it lacking- he seeks out a greater understanding of strength, a comprehension of something that reaches beyond the mere imposition of force or control over one's surroundings. He finds such expressions of strength to be hollow, the pursuit of brittle men. This journey of his has led Big Henry to the many corners of the Sol system, from the sun-scorched surface of Mercury to Sol's wayward son Pluto, in pursuit of an elusive truth. He's made camp on the volcanic world of Io and seen the seas beneath Enceladus's icy plains, he's seen the mineral mines of the Asteroid Belt- birthplace of Androids- and the graveyards of lost colonies, tombstones of failed attempts to tame worlds who prefer to stay hidden. Big Henry knows the Sol system well, and yet this unknowable truth of strength, of real strength, eludes him so. He wears this feeling in the knit of his brow.
A companion on Big Henry's journeys, Mousemoth is a child of Terra; a sprightly creature with a curious nature and a big appetite. Mousemoth has a remarkable ability to change their colors with the seasons or their environment, a feat Big Henry takes great comfort in witnessing. They seem carefree, unburdened by the strain of thought or worry, and speak in a curious language of beeps which Big Henry seems to divine meaning from beyond anyone else's ability to understand. Big Henry first encountered the fae creature in the thick forests of Terra, and for reasons unknown Mousemoth chose this titanic Terran as their companion, joining him on his journey beyond the stars. Mousemoth seems to make their own fun at all times; Big Henry protects Mousemoth at all costs.
Big Henry is not generous with his friendships, but when he shares that bond it is forged in powerful embers. He is an old friend of Red Raven's Amy, having met her in her younger years on his earliest journey to Mercury. It's rare to find off-worlders on such an inhospitably hot world, and the younger Henry appeared a bit out of his depth in managing the tiny world's inescapable heat. While she had originally taken him for an easy mark, the young Mercurian thought better of it and extended an offer of help to Henry- she had a small apartment in the planet's ice caps where she let the starfarer crash, cooking him a plate of Mercurian extra-spicy beef. "Heat on the inside evens out the heat on the outside". It didn't make sense but it inexplicably worked, and Amy's kind gesture secured a lifelong friendship with Big Henry. The young man parted ways to seek his truth in other worlds, and Amy would soon leave Mercury herself to take on work with Grizzly John- it would be a while before the two would cross paths again but each would not forget the other.
As fate would have it an older, wiser and bigger Henry would reunite with his old friend several years later. Adrift with an engine coolant failure, Big Henry was reluctant to call for help, but after pressing several colorful buttons his companion Mousemoth had accidentally sent out a distress beep to Titan Garden, and Carol dispatched the Jackrabbit II to tow Big Henry's ship to safety. Now one arm shorn and captain of her own crew, Amy was surprised to meet Big Henry again, greeting him warmly. She introduced him to the band of misfits she'd brought together into a salvage company, he introduced her to Mousemoth. It was a long ride back to Titan and Haley had the bridge under control, so Amy relieved Bell of cooking duties for the day to prepare the night's meal herself: extra-spicy Mercurian beef! She shared the plate with Big Henry and although they have not seen each other in some time the two inquired about each other's journeys, of the places they've been and the things they've seen. There's something about growing older, about experiencing the gift of life and reflecting on the path you've taken, the crooked and interesting seam you've stitched into the quilt of the universe, joining together many fabric panels into your own narrative of self- to share this unique gift with an old friend, your bond tempered by time, it is an inimitable feeling. Big Henry ponders... is there true strength in such old stitchwork? Mousemoth beeps.