In Heart of Stone, apart from being the King of Hearts, Nomad is also Rachel Stone’s mentor. Nomad is played by Sophie Okonedo.
The Charter comprises four teams — Hearts, Spades, Diamonds, and Clubs — and each team is led by a King. Rachel Stone’s team, the Hearts, is led by Nomad, a no-nonsense woman who changed Stone’s life.
When Stone was younger, she was kicked out of several schools for rebelling and being violent. She was considered a problem until Nomad found her. Nomad rescued her and trained her to become a Charter superspy.
Stone does not care if Nomad took her in because she was broken. All she cares about is the fact that Nomad gave her a chance at a better life by showing her what is possible when someone has her back. Thanks to her, Stone became a reliable spy.
A leader who erred
Nomad and Stone’s relationship is almost playful. While Stone is open with her, even sarcastic at times, Nomad always acts like her mentor. When Rachel starts growing close to her MI6 team, Nomad, who keeps an eye on Stone’s activities, does not fail to remind her what she has signed up for and that she is her asset at the end of the day.
Like the other Charter spies, Nomad trusts the Heart more than her own instincts. When the Heart determines Keya’s next location, Rachel has a feeling that something is wrong, but Nomad does not pay heed to her warning and asks her to follow the Heart’s instructions.
Nomad does not take feelings into account because she likes to believe in concrete evidence and objective calculations rather than one’s instincts. She holds Stone accountable for ignoring the Heart and choosing to save her team. In fact, she blames Stone for her teammates’ deaths.
Nomad values her work at the Charter and believes that their purpose is to maximize the number of lives saved, even if that means ignoring one’s conscience. She knows that it is not easy to do that, yet she expects her spies to do just that because, for her, the ends justify the means.
As Stone compromised herself, the other Kings do not trust her anymore. Nomad then stands Stone down, even though it is difficult for her. Nomad chooses not to stand up for Stone. She claims that she just wants to protect the Charter, so she lets Stone go for the greater good.
However, she never stops caring about Stone, who refuses to give up. Stone continues pursuing Parker and Keya, and by doing that, she proves her loyalty to the Charter. Nomad then rectifies her mistake of letting Stone go and sends spies to find and aid Stone.
She later asks Stone to go to Iceland to stop Parker and Keya before it is too late. When Parker locks the Hearts team in a bunker and cuts off their oxygen supply, it is Stone who saves their lives.
Nomad had faith that Stone will be able to save her and the other Hearts, and her mentee does not disappoint her. At the end of the ordeal, the two women are glad to find each other alive. Stone then goes back to working for the Charter.
The chance that Nomad gave Stone left a huge impact on her, so when Keya helps Stone take Parker down, Stone decides to give her the same chance and makes her a part of her team.
Also Read: Parker: Heart of Stone character explained