Thomas Hogarth
Sarna News
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Becoming the so-called "Hero of the Alliance" during the Jihad, Thomas Hogarth (3007 - ????) is the archetype Lyran Social General.
Early Life to FedCom Civil War
Born on the Lyran world of Gallery, the Hogarth family's tenuous links to the Steiners and a wealth born of their extensive mining interests secured the young Thomas entry into the prestigious Nagelring on Tharkad in 3023. While graduating in 3027 in the lower third of his class, the Hogarth family's connections secured him a position on staff of the 22nd Skye Rangers' then commander Ivan Petroff. [1]
Transferred to the 7th Donegal Guards in 3038, Hogarth was given command of one of the Guards' assault companies. During the Seventh's War of 3039 invasion of the Draconis Combine world of Kervil, a hopelessly lost Hogarth aimlessly led his command through the the tangled streets of Iron City before unintentionally stumbling upon the Kervil Militia's Mobile HQ, destroying it and crippling the milita's defense of the city. [1]
Through a combination of this achievement and his political and financial connections, Hogarth was given command of the Furillo Tamarind March Militia in 3045. Using his position and urbane wit to enter Furillo's high society, Hogarth struck up a firm friendship with elderly Duchess of Furillo Isis Steiner, sending tongues wagging and causing consternation for her son Caesar Steiner. Unfortunately her links to the deposed Archon Alessandro Steiner, Ryan Steiner and Robert Kelswa-Steiner raised questions as to both her and Hogarth's loyalties, with the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth rating the Furillo TMM's loyalty as questionable. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Pro-Lyran and intensively dismissive of the methods and military hardware of the heavily House Davion influenced AFFC, with the collapse of the Federated Commonwealth and formation of the Lyran Alliance Hogarth remained as commander of the now renamed Furillo Bolan Province Milita, but again his relationship with pro-Skye leaning Duchess of Furillo resulted his command retaining its questionable loyalty rating. [2] [5]
After failing to prevent the pro-Victor Steiner-Davion 244th Com Guard Division's capture of the Defiance Industries factories on Furillo in the midst of the FedCom Civil War [6], with Isis Steiner's death and his rise of her son Caesar to Duke of Furillo, Hogarth's days in military service appeared doomed. Always uneasy as to Hogarth's intentions towards his mother, Caesar promoted Thomas to act as the LAAF's liaison with Defiance Industries, a prestigious if largely meaningless and ceremonial role. [1]
Jihad
While many believed Hogarth was finally "promoted" to a role best suiting his abilities, with extra time on his hands during the early stages of the Jihad a quite willing Hogarth held a number of interviews with Dongeal Broadcast Company reporter Karen Silverford, though they largely cemented his oafish image, favoring the remonince on his time 22nd Skye Rangers rather than the "minor" hiccup the loss of all Hesperus II, Tharkad and Coventry production to the Blakists represented to the Alliance's military in March 3070, [7] and in March 3071 insisting that the Jade Falcon Incursion during the FedCom Civil War actually did the LAAF a favor by weeding out supposedly inferior and underweight Davion designs and allowing them to rebuild with solid-Lyran built assault 'Mechs instead. [8]
However fate smiled on him again when the Blakist forces launched a raid against Furillo in early April 3074, with Hogarth electing himself as a "strategic reverse" at the main gate of Defiance's Furillo production lines while his former unit engaged the Blakist forces. When a group of three Word OmniMechs breached the Furillo BPM's defensive line, Hogarth engaged the attackers in his Atlas, firing his autocannon and destroying the lead Grigori's gyro with a lucky hit. Rather than fire on the factories, the accompanying Deva and Preta made a tactical error and opted to focus on Hogarth's Atlas instead, the assault 'Mechs armor holding out until Battle Armor equipped Defiance security forces arrived to swarm and defeat them. [9] [1] [10]
While but a minor battle in the overall conflict, when the media got a hold of how he modestly admitted he had served as the last line of defense and defeated the Blakists moments before disaster, Thomas Hogarth was proclaimed the "Hero of the Alliance". While the Alliance high command more than saw through Hogarth's account of the battle, the media's elevation of him resulted in the LAAF reactivating and promoting him to the rank of Leutnant-General, assigned to the LAAF element of Devlin Stone's Coalition [1] though in minor rear-guard and flank action roles. [11]
BattleMechs
Hogarth's preference in what he views as "proper" BattleMechs can be best summed up manufactured in the Lyran realm, Assault class, built by Defiance Industries and for most of his career Hogarth appears to have piloted an Atlas. While his defeat of Blakist raiders on Furillo earned him considerable fame, it also crippled his Atlas with Defiance Industries happily providing him a brand new Defiance to replace it. While Hogarth graciously accepted the gift, he secretly bemoaned being reduced to piloting an underweight heavy design rather than a proper Lyran assault 'Mech. [10]
Notes
- StarCorps dossier on Hogarth indicates that while lacking tactical or strategical abilities, he has considerable skill at navigating the LAAF's bureaucracy. It also indicates they believe he perhaps intentionally overplays the Social General persona in public to throw people off guard, though considerable evidence brings this into question. [1]
- Thomas Hogarth (correctly written as THOMAS HOGARTH!!!! in the manor of World of Warcraft Internet Meme character Leeroy Jenkins' battle-cry) has become one most popular characters to come to prominence in the Jihad. The first Social General to receive notable page space, his own words, antics and actions have endeared him to a large percentage of the BattleTech fandom.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Masters & Minions, p. 92 "House Steiner - Other Notable Personalities of 3076 - Thomas Hogarth"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Field Manual: Lyran Alliance, p. 51
- ↑ 20-Year Update, p. 27
- ↑ Objective Raids, p. 19
- ↑ Shattered Sphere, p. 51
- ↑ FedCom Civil War, p. 104 "Wave Three - Other Actions/Operation Scatter"
- ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 94 "The Awful Truth"
- ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: 3072, p. 23 "Falcon Strategy Shifts?"
- ↑ The Blake Docuements, pp. 38-39 "Hero of the Alliance"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Technical Readout: 3075, p. 86
- ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 84 "Coalition D-Day"