Diana Pryde

Diana Pryde
Character Profile
Died 22 January 3073[1]
Affiliation Clan Jade Falcon
Rank Star Colonel
Profession MechWarrior
Parents Aidan Pryde (father)
Peri (mother)

Diana Pryde was the freeborn daughter of the legendary Clan Jade Falcon warrior Aidan Pryde and a former member of Aidan's sibko named Peri, of the Scientist Caste. She is best remembered for her quest for a Bloodname (although she was a freeborn), and for her defeat of the Khan of Clan Steel Viper in combat.

History[edit]

Early life and career[edit]

Aware of her father's history, Diana volunteered to become a MechWarrior as soon as she grew old enough. After she passed her training, she was assigned to her father's unit, the Falcon Guard, in the Clan invasion corridor. She participated in the taking of a few worlds by the Jade Falcons, and, with the rest of the Falcon Guard, were assigned to take Tukayyid as part of Anastasius Focht's proposal to halt the Clan Invasion.

On Tukayyid, the Jade Falcons, although they met with some initial success, were pushed back and defeated. In their general retreat, Diana was almost killed by the swarming Com Guard forces, but was saved by her father, who had just learned of her existence. As he died holding off the Com Guards, she was rescued by an Elemental named Selima, and got off Tukayyid safely.

Bloodtrial[edit]

Following years of service to the Clan, Diana put forward a proposal to her Khan, Marthe Pryde, that would allow her to compete for a Bloodname. Basing her argument off the fact that she was the freeborn child of two trueborns, and ergo not genetically weaker than trueborns, she petitioned the Khan for the right to compete. The Khan agreed, and ordered Diana's commanding officer, Ravill Pryde, to sponsor her for the Trial. Ravill reluctantly complied, and the two of them, accompanied by Star Commander Joanna, journeyed back to the capital of Ironhold for the Trial.

Coinciding with this, Khan Marthe Pryde journeyed to Strana Mechty for a council of all Khans. The assembled Khans, led by the Khan of Clan Steel Viper, Perigard Zalman, demanded censure of the Jade Falcons for allowing a freeborn to compete for a Bloodname. The motion failed by a close margin, due to the manipulation of Khan Vlad Ward of Clan Wolf, and Diana competed for a Bloodname.

Diana, facing opposition from many aspects of Jade Falcon society, still managed to win all of her Bloodtrials with ease, and claimed her Bloodname. This was interrupted, however, by Ravill Pryde's declaration of a Trial of Refusal to find the Bloodtrial null and void.

Jade Falcon-Steel Viper War[edit]

Ravill's Trial was interrupted by the outbreak of hostilities between the Jade Falcons and the Steel Vipers, who shared their invasion corridor. Using Diana's Bloodtrial as a casus belli, the Steel Vipers took several Jade Falcon worlds in their occupation zone. Khan Pryde immediately redeployed her available forces to the Inner Sphere to meet the Steel Viper threat. Diana Pryde was deployed with the Falcon Guard in the occupation zone, where she and the Khan's personal unit met the forces of the Steel Viper Khan and saKhan in an abandoned city. There, Diana defeated Khan Perigard Zalman of the Steel Vipers in single 'Mech combat, thus forcing a retreat from the planet by the Steel Vipers. This action won her some lines in the Remembrance.

As a result of her defeat of Khan Perigard Zalman, Ravill Pryde dropped his challenge to Diana's Bloodname, and Diana was allowed to keep it. It is unclear whether her genes were added to the gene pool at this time. Shortly after her defeat of Khan Perigard Zalman, Diana won the rank of Star Commander.

Operation Audacity[edit]

During the FedCom Civil War, the Jade Falcons launched a major offensive into the Lyran Alliance. One of the units involved was the Falcon Guards, who engaged the forces led by Archer Christifori on Twycross. During the battle Ravill Pryde was slain and command of the Guards fell to Star Captain Diana Pryde, though after hard fighting the Lyran forces were eventually victorious. She was briefly taken as a bondswoman by General Christifori, who used tubing from her cooling vest as a bondcord. Major General Christifori immediately released her (and by extension the surviving troops under her command) to allow her and he troops to return to their clan with their honor intact. She was present during the Blair Atholl agreement, where Khan Marthe Pryde stated was that she would compete in a Trial of Position for the rank of Star Colonel, and if Diana succeeded, she would be tasked with rebuilding the Falcon Guards.[2]

Jihad[edit]

During the Jihad, as Star Colonel Diana Pryde, she led the Falcon Guards during the Hellion Invasion in 3071. Her unit was initially attached to Gamma Galaxy, but it conducted independent actions. In that conflict, she led her Guards in retaking many worlds stolen by the Ice Hellions. In March 3072, she succeeded in defeating the Ice Hellions on Vantaa, but her unit suffered serious losses and was rendered combat ineffective in the process.[3]

Diana was sent to the Arc-Royal summit of January 3073 as part of the Jade Falcon delegation. However, she, along with many of the delegates that were sent to Arc-Royal, became a victim in what is known as the Donner Bombing set up by the Word of Blake. Diana survived the explosion but was severely wounded, and the paramedics were unable to save her life.[4][5][6]

BattleMechs[edit]

Diana Pryde's chosen 'Mech throughout the early stages of her career was a Warhawk. She later switched to a Nova.[7]

References[edit]

  1. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, pp. 36-37 "Around the Sphere - The Lyran Alliance - Bombings and Barbarism"
  2. Operation Audacity, ch. 21, 29
  3. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents p. 28-30 - Operation: Ice Storm - Diana Pryde's Guards history during the conflict.
  4. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents p. 36 - Bombing and Barbarism - Pryde listed among the dead which occurred in 3073.
  5. Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers p. 126 - Internal Pain - Events of the Fritz Donner Bombing at Arc-Royal summit happened in Jan 3073
  6. Jihad Hot Spots: 3072 p. 117
  7. Falcon Rising, p. ??[citation needed]

Bibliography[edit]