Rebecca Simons
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Rebecca Simons (Born ???? - Died ????) was an officer within the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces/Lyran Alliance Armed Forces, and would rise to the rank of General of the Armies during the course of her career.[1]
Character History
Unlike many who would become senior officers within the LCAF or LAAF Simons was not a member of the Lyran nobility. Hailing instead from common origins, by 3062 Simons had risen to the rank of Hauptmann-General in command of the Donegal Province Militia,[2] and by 3067 Simons was the commanding officer of the Donegal Province.[3]
Following Adam Steiner's appointment as Archon of the Lyran Alliance, Simons was appointed General of the Armies, a position she would continue to hold in the post-Jihad era. Despite the changes forced on the LAAF by the chaos of the Jihad, the bulk of the Lyran High Command were still largely members of the nobility, a distinct contrast with Simons.[4] Ultimately the Archon favored her over other appointees for the high level of support she had shown for him, but also her strength of will to openly speak out about some of his poorer decisions. [5]
The damage inflicted on the LAAF due to the meddling of Social Generals who constantly diverted supplies and materiel to politically-favoured units rather than those with the greatest military need had badly hampered the LAAF in the first half of the Jihad.[6] This attitude had been partially replaced with a more practical, egalitarian approach during later years, but in the wake of the Jihad the old attitudes had begun to reappear.[4]
The clash between new practicality and old values became typified in the early 3080s in the clashes between Simons and Adam Steiner. Simons held staunch and outspoken views about the "spoiled elite" of the LAAF, an attitude that offended the bulk of the Royal Court and lead to frequent confrontations between Simons and Steiner; prior to the Jihad, Steiner's views on the military had been similar to those held by Simons, but as the Lyran government attempted to rebuild and unify the realm again in the face of independently-minded Archonettes, Steiner had wisely chosen to favor a more inclusive path.[4]
Despite the strong difference of opinion between Simons and Steiner over the shape of the Lyran military, Simons determination to improve both the level of competence and the quality of the officers within the LAAF was considered a worthy goal.[4] While some questioned whether Simons' dedication to reforms would continue under pressure from the established old guard within the political structure of the Alliance, [7] by the renaming of the Alliance back to the Lyran Commonwealth in 3084 Simons continued to tread a moderate line with the Archon's support, reshaping the renamed LCAF as she wished, with the Social Generals with the lowest military ability assigned where they could do the least harm. [5] By 3085 Simons was also Margrave of the Coventry Province's Melissia Theater.
Notes
References
- ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 84, "Clashing Values"
- ↑ Field Manual: Lyran Alliance, p. 108, "Regional Militias"
- ↑ Field Manual: Updates, 178, "Donegal Province"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 83-84, "Clashing Values"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Field Manual: 3085, p. 95 "The Lyran Commonwealth - Revitalizing the Military"
- ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 83, "The Supply Chain"
- ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 86, "The Political Landscape Of The Lyran Alliance"