Matt Horner

Matthew "Matt" Horner is Jim Raynor's second-in-command and captain of the Raynor's Raiders' flagship Hyperion.

Horner has strong moral principles. He has a desire to make the universe a better place and thus is opposed to the murder and torture of innocents. He is not only a fair combatant but is also an excellent ship pilot and a decent starship tactician.

The Sons of Korhal
Matt Horner, the second son of a minor Tyrador IX merchant, lived a boring and safe life, all the while yearning for something more. Horner found that something in the tales of a trader working for the Sons of Korhal, actively recruiting new members. He spoke of the "evil empire" that was the Terran Confederacy and gave praise to those who plotted its downfall. Intelligent, but bored, youthful and idealistic, Horner was the perfect target and he found himself supporting the SOK's cause, wanting "to make a difference."

Following the rebel group's advice, Horner enlisted in the Confederate Navy, where he excelled as a pilot. After graduating with honors, he deserted the Confederacy and joined the Sons of Korhal full time. He was posted on the Cormorant, a merchantman converted for blockade running. The vessel enjoyed a great deal of success in its evasion of Confederate patrols and its transport of men and material between star systems, earning Horner a reputation of being clever and dependable.

A New Calling
By the time Mar Sara entered its dying days as the Great War raged, Horner had become the Cormorant's first officer. The vessel was called to the Fringe World to assist in the evacuation carried out by the Sons of Korhal, rescuing citizens the Confederacy had left to die. Horner was assigned to work with Arcturus Mengsk's newest recruit, Captain Jim Raynor. Horner quickly grew to admire the former marshal's bravery and loyalty. However, with Mengsk's use of psi emitters to lure the zerg en masse to Tarsonis, resulting in the deaths of many innocents, Horner was disgusted – it seemed to him that one tyrannical regime had merely been replaced by another, one with Arcturus Mengsk at its head. Jim Raynor, also disgusted at Mengsk's genocidal actions and his betrayal of Sarah Kerrigan, broke away from the SOK, many of his men following him. Of those who followed, Horner was among the first.

Raynor's new armed force, Raynor's Raiders, seized Mengsk's flagship, the Hyperion at the Dylarian Shipyards. Horner was assigned to run the ship and eventually become the captain.

Char
"Matt, I need a planet. Sir? Yessir! A new base of operations! A launching point for the revolution! A rallying ground for the-... No, just a planet."

- Jim Raynor and Matt Horner

Two months after the Fall of Tarsonis, Horner found himself over the planet of Char, following Raynor's command. Horner stayed behind on the Hyperion while the bulk of the Raiders descended to the surface. However, Horner was unable to wait for them to return, as zerg under a now Infested Kerrigan's direction had hijacked a number of shuttles in order to board the terran ships in orbit, the Hyperion included. Unable to prevent the shuttle from docking, Horner, as per Raynor's orders, was ordered to perform an emergency warp jump, despite the dangers such a reckless action entailed. However, Horner was able to make the jump with minimal damage to the ship. After several months of repairs, Horner managed to return to Char, providing transport for the remaining Raiders.

Dark Times
Over the years, Horner took control of the Raiders' small fleet and many military aspects of Raynor's campaigns. Horner became hardened by his experiences, but his ideals and resolve remained undimmed, even in the face of Dominion propaganda. Despite Raynor's doubts spreading to his crew, Horner kept faith in his commander and his belief that Raynor's innate heroism would resurface and lead the rebels to victory. To that end, he tried to act as Raynor's conscience while keeping him focused and "firing up" the Raiders.

During this period, Horner made a stop at Deadman's Port, taking part in a card game. What he didn't know was that the "prize"was actually a wife&mdash;Mira Han. Horner had no interest in being a married man and didn't pursue the relationship and made little effort to stay in touch.

Wings of Liberty
By 2504, Horner still served as Raynor's XO. Now in his early twenties and his demeanor far more formal than it was previously, events repeated itself at Mar Sara, with the zerg returning to the Koprulu Sector. Horner brought the Hyperion down to the planet, rescuing Raynor and his men from the Swarm and making a successful escape. He subsequently briefed his superior on the greater zerg invasion of the sector.

Horner was distrustful of new arrival Tychus Findlay, a convict and an old friend of Raynor. Raynor assured Horner there was nothing to worry about, but Horner's suspiscions remained, such as when he found Findlay accessing the Hyperion's archive without permission.

Spectre of Unease
After a mission on Bel'shir, Horner received an anonymous transmission explaining terrazine was used to enhance ghosts into spectres. It also claimed Gabriel Tosh, a crew member and seemingly a ghost, was a threat to Raynor. Tosh admitted to being a spectre, but claimed the transmission came from Mengsk in an attempt to divide them. Raynor agreed to let the matter pass, but wasn't sure if he could trust Tosh.

Later, Horner received a transmission from a highly crypted source which was revealed to be a Dominion assassin. Nova told them that spectres were mentally unstable, and Raynor was forced to choose between trusting Tosh or her.

After New Folsom Prison was broken out, Horner and Tosh disagreed on motivations. He believed the Raider's cause was one of freedom, not wanton destruction or revenge. In this he contrasted with Tosh whose goal was simply to "kill Mengsk and burn his Dominion to the ground."

The Revolution
During a train robbery on Tarsonis, the Raiders acquired an old Confederate Adjutant, but could not access its files. Horner suggested that Colonel Orlan at Deadman's Port could help at the decryption.

Discovering that it held Mengsk's war crimes, Orlan decided to sell it to the Dominion. Mira Han warned the Raiders about his betrayal, and offered her services, wishing to aid the Raiders and "Matthew". She also asked why Horner never called, Matt responding to this awkwardly and abstained from speaking to her.

Also discovering its contents, the Raiders decides to broadcast them. Horner suggested to steal the Odin from the Valhalla installation, and use it to seize the UNN Studios on Korhal. Both missions were a success, the Dominion citizens bursting into outrage as a result of the released information. The media turned against Mengsk, the revolution finally beginning.

Raynor's depression
Even with a revolution on the rise and taking jobs for the Moebius Foundation, Horner was very concerned about Raynor's guilt regarding Kerrigan's conversion to the zerg. After having encountered Kerrigan on Tyrador VIII, Horner found Raynor in the Hyperion's cantina, drinking his woes away. He tried to remind his commander that it wasn't his fault for what happened to Kerrigan, but Raynor didn't believe a word of it. To remind Raynor of the commander he followed from the start, Horner slipped Raynor his colonial marshal badge.

Trivia
When designing Horner, Blizzard Entertainment wanted him to be "very military". To represent this, inspiration for his attire was taken from historical fascist uniforms. This would help distinguish him from the game's other major characters. In terms of personality, he is the opposite of Gabriel Tosh.