Aurelius Venport (140 BG- dissappeared 79 BG) was an Ixian scientist and explorer and became the foster father of the Spacing Guild.
Venport was a descendant of the scientist-refugees from Richese who fled to Komos during the Butlerian Jihad. During his early career he gained notoriety for his progress in the field of interstellar spacecraft.
He had a relation with Norma Cenva with whom they shared similar views.
In 110 BG Venport built three ships and left the planet with people from Ix. After ten years of wandering they reached an inhabited planet whom historians call Tupile.
The Tupilians welcomed the exiles who presented themselves as the Society of Mystic Mariners, "saviors" that would restore the planet's science. Venport displayed the charisma needed for his "role" who actually planned to develop hyperspace vessels that would function without computer-assisted navigation. In little more than a decade, combining resources, people and knowledge, the planet's technology was restored.
Eventually the prototype The Golden Advent was constructed with Cevna as a captain-navigator, who collapsed because of the stress, and Venport navigated the last short leg. The ship traveled several light years in only 5 days. The glory however was credited to Cevna.
Venport plunged into ship constructoin and spicetrance education and by 80 BG 12 new ships were constructed with spice assisted Ixians at the bridge. The following year Venport began a test of coordinated ship movement through The Void. Venport was captain-navigator to his flagship, Norma Cenva.
When they dropped out of The Void near Kovenek, only 11 ships emerged, and Venport with Norma Cenva were missing. Searches had no result.