Yancy Halloway is the current High Speaker of the Obsidian Council and the wealthiest individual in the Xylos system. Born into a mining family, Halloway rose to prominence as a brilliant engineer who helped commercialize Flux-Capacitive Mining.
He was formerly the research partner of Dr. Aris Thorne. The two co-authored the seminal paper on the Thorne-Yancy Paradox. However, their relationship fractured over ethical disagreements. Halloway believed that the risk of mining was acceptable for the sake of human progress, while Thorne urged caution. History seemingly vindicated Thorne after The Great Dissonance, but Halloway spun the narrative to blame the disaster on operational error rather than systemic flaws.
As High Speaker, Halloway has enforced the "Safety Through Order" doctrine, which strictly regulates scientific research. Critics accuse him of using the Council's power to silence dissent and cover up the failures of Project Static.
Halloway is rarely seen in person, preferring to address the populace via holographic projection from the secure penthouse of the Obsidian Spire.