Lamar

May 31, 2025

  • Species: Human

  • Affiliation: Liberty settlement

  • Occupation: Sheriff of Liberty

  • Status: In custody (Compact)

Lamar is the sheriff of Liberty, the only major settlement on the planet of the same name. In a society structured around individual autonomy and minimal governance, his role places him as the de facto head of state. Charismatic and authoritative, Lamar initially presents himself as a stabilizing force—keeping order, protecting the settlement’s mine, and managing the fragile balance between Liberty’s competing factions. However, beneath his practical exterior lies a deeply compromised man with a sadistic streak and a long-standing entanglement with Juno agent Jez Salamacis.

Role in Breaking Liberty

When Ellie Nardino and Tishla Austin arrive on Liberty with the amnesiac Baker ibn-Aziz, Lamar first appears to be a neutral administrator trying to keep his world afloat. In reality, he is in the pocket of Jez Salamacis and helps enforce her will—including attempting to detain and interrogate Ellie and Tishla.

Lamar’s darker tendencies surface during his interactions with Ellie. Under Jez’s direction, and with his own evident pleasure, he subjects her to physical torture, revealing a cruel and sadistic side that belies his calm leadership persona. His willingness to use pain and intimidation is not merely coercion—it’s personal gratification cloaked in political necessity.

Fall and Arrest

Lamar’s regime ends with the arrival of the CNV Hadrian, carrying Admiral Eileen Burke and Compact. The landing marks a coordinated operation by the Compact and Foundation to uproot Juno operations on Liberty. Lamar is arrested along with the rest of Liberty’s law enforcement apparatus.

Following the arrests, prisoners are divided between the Compact and the Foundation, based on which side holds the most charges against each individual. Due to his direct abuse of a Compact Navy reservist (Ellie), along with his collaboration with Jez Salamacis and Juno, Lamar is transferred into Compact custody to face trial for war crimes and crimes against a reservist officer.

Personality

Initially composed and pragmatic, Lamar’s true nature emerges as the story unfolds. While he masks his complicity with reason and order, his sadistic pleasure in exerting power—particularly through violence—is unmistakable. His allegiance to Jez Salamacis is transactional and motivated by survival, but it also enables his cruelty.

He is ultimately portrayed as a cautionary figure—what happens when authority is allowed to operate without oversight in the name of “order.”

Relationships

  • Jez Salamacis: Lamar is her enforcer and lover, though Jez clearly dominates the relationship. He obeys her commands, even when they conflict with Liberty’s interests or basic ethics.Breaking Liberty

  • Ellie Nardino: Initially polite toward her, Lamar later tortures Ellie while she is in captivity, exposing his cruelty and further cementing his downfall.

  • Tishla: Views her with suspicion but recognizes her political significance. He defers to Jez’s plans regarding Tishla, though it’s clear he would have preferred to eliminate her.

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