Melvin

Biodata

Background / History

Boulder City Bank and Alliance loans

Melvin managed Boulder City Bank during its economic partnership with the New Alliance. He negotiated an aid loan and procurement arrangement expected to create at least 50,000 jobs and sustain nearly 100,000 people; the resulting orders revived factories in Boulder City’s industrial area. 366

He and Director Duron pushed through loans to the Alliance despite opposition, later receiving much of the credit for Boulder City’s wartime prosperity. 537 Melvin viewed the Alliance’s conflict with the Legion as a possible business opportunity: ideally, Boulder City could finance the Alliance, let both sides exhaust one another, and then trade with and influence the weakened victor. The Alliance’s capture and operation of an airship disrupted that calculation. 417

Though one of the city’s wealthiest figures, Melvin lacked the authority to compel Boulder City’s City Lord to respond to the Legion’s threat. He regarded himself as a beneficiary of the existing system rather than its true ruler. 387 417

Financial crisis and Boulder City’s collapse

After the Alliance’s victory, Melvin sought repayment on the Alliance’s 510 million-chip debt, expecting the Alliance to lack the ten million chips due in principal and interest. He was stunned when Chu Guang presented the required chips. 554

As Boulder City’s chips and Black Cards lost value, Melvin failed to prevent the financial and political crisis from consuming the city. Unable to face his shareholders’ anger, he went to the Alliance Building and appealed directly to Chu Guang for help, admitting himself an incompetent manager. 562

Chu Guang placed Melvin under Lu Bei’s watch until Boulder City’s unrest ended or Melvin left Alliance territory. Lu Bei noted that Chu Guang saw some remaining sense of responsibility in Melvin because he had not fled Boulder City with his family. 565

Later life

After the collapse, Lukka assigned Melvin to compile an objective, detailed history of Boulder City for the Alliance’s libraries. Melvin accepted the task as an opportunity for atonement. 572

Years later, Melvin attended the modest funeral of his youngest son, Jishu. Meng Jie, a researcher and friend, discussed the contrasting histories of the Melvin and Sid families with him; Melvin treated his own family’s records as material that could still serve a meaningful purpose. 1116

Personality

Melvin is calculating, commercially minded, and acutely aware of the political value of debt, currency, and credit. He initially treated Boulder City’s relationship with the Alliance as a financial game in which his bank could retain leverage over both wealth and power. 417 554

His outlook toward Boulder City’s outer-city residents was paternalistic. When Eliza challenged inequality and the growing divide between rich and poor, he justified the existing order by arguing that his class had sheltered wastelanders who would otherwise have perished outside the city. 537

Despite his self-interest and failures, Melvin is devoted to his family and ultimately capable of remorse. He remained in Boulder City during its collapse, accepted supervision rather than escaping, and later committed himself to documenting the city’s history. 565 572

Relationships

• Eliza — Melvin’s youngest daughter. Her questions about inequality, respect, and Boulder City’s future repeatedly challenged his assumptions. 366 537 546
• Garnis — His wife, who remained with him during Boulder City’s collapse. 568
• Jishu — His youngest son; Melvin held a quiet funeral for him outside Boulder City. 1116
• Chu Guang — Initially a debtor and business partner through the Alliance loans; later the person Melvin desperately appealed to during Boulder City’s crisis. 546 554 562
• Duron — Political ally who supported Melvin in advancing Boulder City’s loans to the Alliance. 417 537
• Lukka — Assigned Melvin the task of recording Boulder City’s history after its collapse. 572
• Meng Jie — Researcher and friend who studied the histories of the Melvin and Sid families. 1116

Notable Quotes

“I will do this seriously.” 572