Vance Barlen is a Garmillas war veteran stranded alongside other Garmillas personnel within an anomalous dimensional space mimicking an Earth hotel. Barlen shares this confinement with Colonel Neredia Ricke, Major Fomt Berger, and Klim Melhe after their respective groups are transported to the location. During the tense coexistence between the Garmillas survivors and the human Yamato crew, Barlen provides historical context concerning Major Berger's past. He recounts Berger's metamorphosis from an honorable officer into an embittered individual, detailing the personal losses that fueled this change—including the death of Meria Ricke and the demise of comrades during battles against the Yamato.