# Commander Gross — Short Fiction character guide

> Commander Gross in Short Fiction by Philip K. Dick.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Gross, Commander Gross of Security

**First appearance:** 0010-the-variable-man

## Snapshot

A security commander whose authority shadows the Ural labs, the kind of official Sherikov and his staff would rather never see at the door.

## Who they are

Gross belongs to the security apparatus that surrounds Terra's military research, the force that makes Sherikov's independence a negotiated privilege rather than a right. His world is the one Reinhart moves through — reports filed in the usual way, coercion held in reserve, work permitted only so long as it stays productive. He matters because the labs' freedom, and Icarus's future, depend on how far men like him are willing to let a stubborn scientist run.

## Relationships

### [Phil Kramer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_43_se/characters/phil_kramer)

_professional_

Commander Gross and Phil Kramer have a strict military superior-subordinate relationship, with Gross issuing orders and Kramer executing them.

### [Phil Kramer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_43_se/characters/phil_kramer)

_professional_

Commander Gross and Phil Kramer have a strict military superior-subordinate relationship, with Gross issuing orders and Kramer executing them.

### [Phil Kramer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_43_se/characters/phil_kramer)

_professional_

Commander Gross and Phil Kramer have a strict military superior-subordinate relationship, with Gross issuing orders and Kramer executing them.

## In the story

### [Mr. Spaceship](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_43_se/chapters/mr-spaceship)

Security commander involved in the project; discusses the problem of living mines and the brain transfer idea.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_43_se/characters/commander_gross
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_43_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_43_se/characters