Helen Thrall
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Helen Thrall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal | |
| Born | 3000[1] |
| Died | 24 December 3067[2][3] |
| Affiliation | Free Worlds League |
| Profile | |
| Rank | General |
| Position(s) | Primus of the Sirian Concordance |
| Profession | MechWarrior |
Helen Thrall was a Free Worlds League military officer. Thrall attained the rank of General and commanded the Sirian Lancers through much of the 3050s and '60s. Thrall's assassination was one of the events that triggered a war between the Lyran Alliance and Free Worlds League at the beginning of the Jihad.
Contents
History
Early Career
During the 3040s, then-Colonel Helen Thrall, commander of the Third Sirian Lancers, agitated for action against the Federated Commonwealth. Her petitions fell on deaf ears.[4]
General
Helen was promoted in 3053 to take command of the Sirian Lancers, replacing the retiring Jefferson Konopka.[5][6]
Like the other members of the Lancers, Thrall looked forward to liberating the worlds of the Sirian Concordance from the Federated Commonwealth. They believed the time had come when Captain-General Thomas Marik initiated Operation GUERRERO in 3057. The League retook Graham IV and Pollux, but stopped short of invading Sirius and Procyon. Thrall and the Lancers were incensed at the perceived insult, but could do little.[7]
When news began to spread of atrocities being committed in the Sirian Holds, Thrall decided the time to act had come, with or without the Free Worlds League Military. She sent a brief message to the LCCC telling them that she intended to lead the Sirian Lancers to Sirius and Procyon with or without reinforcements. The Captain-General sent the Fourth Free Worlds Legionnaires to accompany the three regiments of Lancers. In September 3058 the task force liberated Sirius and Procyon, only to discover that a former ComStar Adept Alisendar Gyrn had killed tens of thousands seizing power.[7][1]
Primus
General Thrall created a military junta to run the Sirian Concordance with herself at its head. This made her the de facto ruler of the four-world province. Thrall joined those who blamed the atrocities on the Captain-General's inaction. She publicly opposed the Marik and announced that she would not allow the Lancers to be placed under his command, in direct contravention of the Addendum to the Incorporation. Talk of secession began swiftly, but the Concordance benefited too much from M-Bills being used for reconstruction.[1][5][7]
Though Thrall took over the leadership of the Concordance, she chose not to take the title of Primus, instead continuing to call herself "General".[8]
While she focused on running the Concordance, Thrall allowed Colonel Ginny Ebaugh to oversee the Lancers. Thrall and Ebaugh continued to threaten both secession and actual federal representatives in the Concordance. They even refused supply from the FWLM, instead turning to backchannels for war matériel. Despite her desire to secede, Thrall had no actual ability to do so. The Concordance was not capable of maintaining its own independence and she rebuffed offers to join the Blake Protectorate because it was too similar to the Sirian Holds for her taste.[9]
Death and afterwards
On 24 December 3067, Christmas Eve, General Thrall was visiting the Ministry of Trade in Pollux City on Pollux when she was shot to death while getting out of her car. Multiple assailants fired from multiple locations and cut down Thrall's bodyguards as well. Initial reports pinned the blame on agents from the Lyran Alliance, though there was scant proof. In actuality, Thrall's assassination was ordered by Word of Blake to foment tension that ultimately led to war between the Free Worlds League and Lyran border provinces. Soon after that conflict began, the Concordance seceded from the League and joined the Blake Protectorate. By contrast, Thrall came to be viewed as a moderate.[2][10][11][12][13][14][15]
Philosophical and/or political views
Helen Thrall chose to run the Sirian Concordance as a military junta rather than allow a democratic election, as was traditional in the province. Though she distanced herself from Atreus, Thrall also distrusted the Word of Blake because they reminded her uncomfortably of the insane Alisendar Gyrn.[9][16]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Shattered Sphere, p. 82, "General Helen Thrall"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 13 & Blake Ascending, p. 173, "Timeline of the Jihad"
- ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 44: "The Jihad in Review"
- ↑ Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 87
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 84, "Commanding Officer"
- ↑ Objective Raids, p. 38, "Sirian Lancers"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 84
- ↑ Handbook: House Marik, p. 89, "League Nobility"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Field Manual: Updates, p. 154: "Sirian Lancers: The Fury"
- ↑ Dawn of the Jihad & Blake Ascending, p. 75, "Assassins Gun Down Head of Sirian Concordance"
- ↑ Dawn of the Jihad & Blake Ascending, p. 72
- ↑ Dawn of the Jihad & Blake Ascending, pp. 76-77, "War!"
- ↑ Dawn of the Jihad & Blake Ascending, p. 128, "Aftershocks"
- ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 89 & Blake Ascending, p. 249, "Traitors!"
- ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 21, "Flashpoint"
- ↑ Handbook: House Marik, pp. 71-72, "Sirius"