Joseph Michael Barber is the CEO of Orion Bellicus.
Courtesy of an extensive description given us by the author, we know that company is a "personally-owned security firm [whose name] loosely translated means 'fierce hunter'. The firm provides services to a global client base that includes multinational companies, global banks, global securities firms, and numerous national and state and local governments. Services include the personal protection of high-net worth individuals, business executives, governmental officials and other "high value targets", along with industrial intelligence and cyber security. Barber and the Orion Bellicus team also do some "off the books" contract work for the C.I.A., but we can't talk about that here! His firm hires the brightest, best educated, and best trained persons in their respective fields and pays them extraordinarily well. Employees are recruited from the ranks of former tier-one operators, the Secret Service, FBI, CIA, NSA, and distinguished scientists in the fields of computer science, mathematics and physics.
"Joe Barber has extensive experience in the SEAL Teams and the CIA Special Activities Division as a younger man. He is now middle-aged, and finds his "Ninja skills", as his friends call them, are on the decline. He often finds himself in circumstances where "his ego is writing checks his body can no longer cash", but remains extraordinarily resourceful in finding his way out of tough spots by occasionally summoning his intelligence and creativity if not his waning physical prowess. These things are important because, even though he is the CEO, he loves working in the field and always finds an excuse for being in the middle of the action. One of his biggest fears is the constant reminder that his time as an operator, like for all such men and women, has an expiration date.
"Barber's best friend and alter-ego is his COO, or Chief Operation Officer, Marcus Day. Day is a six foot seven inch African American who weighs over 250 pounds with the build of a ripped NFL linebacker. Although close to Joe's age, nobody seems to question whether his skills are on the decline. He is often described as having such an imposing presence that he almost projects his own gravity field. Day served in the Teams with Barber in their younger days and is responsible for most of the day to day operations of the personal-protection side of the business. The two men practically grew up together, as their fathers also were best friends in a life-long relationship that was given birth during their time as a Navy sniper team during the Vietnam War, as described in the prologue to The Orion Affair. Day has an off-the-charts IQ and is fluent in French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. He is working on his Mandarin.
"Barber is married to an attorney, Diana, and has no children."