Welkens Nordd

Welkens Nordd
Character Profile
Born 22nd October 2529
Died 9th April 2610
Affiliation Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery
Outworlds Alliance


Welkens Nordd was a former member of the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery who emigrated to the Outworlds Alliance, and who is most famous for his part in the Reunification War, where he served as Senior Chairman of the Outworlds Alliance Militia and led the combined armed forces of the Alliance against the Star League invasion.[1]

History

Welkens Nordd was born on the world of Predlitz on the 22nd of October 2529. Little is known of his life before he enlisted in the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery during the reign of Coordinator Siriwan McAllister-Kurita. It was his time serving in the DCMS that led to Nordd choosing to emigrate to the Outworlds Alliance. Despite McAllister-Kurita allegedly being a Rasalhague-native, the Coordinator seemed to tolerate the active discrimination towards Rasalhague natives within the DCMS, something that Nordd experienced firsthand during his tour with the Proserpina Hussars. Disillusioned with the treatment meted out to himself and other Rasalhague natives, Nordd left the Combine for the Alliance despite the Alliance having no formal military.[1]

Taking advantage of the work available for former military personnel within the Alliance as bodyguards and private security, Nordd made a name for himself quickly as a skilled bodyguard; this reputation brought him more opportunities, opportunities that he happily shared with other former soldiers from the DCMS. When Grigori Avellar, firstborn son of Outworlds Alliance President Catherine Avellar, was in his twenties, Nordd attracted the attention of Elena de Riel, Catherine Avellar's security chief. De Riel recruited Nordd to serve on Grigori Avellar's personal security detail, asking Nordd specifically to keep the young wastrel "out of trouble."[1][2]

Initially, Nordd detested his assignment; Grigori Avellar focused his time and energy on satisfying his own whims and vices, rebelling against his familial responsibilities and generally acting every part the proverbial wild child, relying on his mother to clean up his messes. From the outset, the younger Avellar attempted to co-opt Nordd and the other members of his bodyguard detail into covering up his excessive lifestyle, where Nordd instead took pleasure in blocking every opportunity he could for Grigori to "have fun." In the first year of his tenure on the bodyguard detail, Nordd requested to be reassigned numerous times with no success; slowly, Grigori and Welkens developed a mutual respect for each other, but it was the impending death of Grigori's youngest sister that triggered a change in behavior in Grigori and which led to a true friendship between the two men. Grigori turned his life around and dedicated himself to serving his nation, and after events led to Grigori becoming President of the Outworlds Alliance, Nordd used his experience and contacts to begin building what would become the Outworlds Alliance Militia.[1][2]

Nordd's extensive contacts within the Draconis Combine were the source of the first BattleMechs purchased by Grigori Avellar's administration, and Nordd personally recruited the Alliance's first MechWarriors. As the fledgling Alliance military grew, Nordd recruited many former soldiers from both the DCMS and the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns, focusing on noncommissioned officers, building up the core leadership of the Militia to which he was appointed Chairman.[1]

Nordd led the OAM throughout the Reunification War, with the absolute trust of Grigori Avellar; although Nordd had never been trained as a military strategist, he was a decisive and strong-willed leader who recruited skilled subordinates and who trusted in their abilities, while holding them responsible for failings on their part.[1] Some of the Planetary Chairmen within the Alliance resisted the buildup of militia forces on their worlds, but those Planetary Chairmen and Planetary Defense Chairmen who supported Nordd and demonstrated military ability received extra support from Nordd; examples of this are Chairman Kerron Raty, the Planetary Defense Chairman of the Medron militia, a former ten-year veteran of the DCMS armor regiments who built up and trained the Medron militia into a fast-moving, experienced force that bloodied the Star League forces extensively during the annexation of Medron.[3]

Nordd's strong personality was a bone of contention for the Outworlds Alliance Parliament, who frequently called for his resignation or replacement on the grounds of insubordination; Nordd regularly butted heads with others, up to and including Colonel Elias Pitcairn, commander of the Pitcairn Legion, and the President himself, but where Parliament viewed him as insubordinate, Nordd's friends and subordinates simply accepted that it was a part of Nordd's personality.[1]

Nordd served as Chairman of the Outworlds Alliance Militia until 2588; by this point, his old friend Grigori Avellar had been dead a year, and his son, Barton Avellar, was serving as the Outworlds Alliance President. Nordd stood down as Defense Chairman and spent the remainder of his life out of any limelight until his death in 2610.[1]

Philosophical and/or political views

Welkens Nordd is acknowledged as having been an exceedingly principled man, which was the ultimate reason for his leaving the Draconis Combine, unable to tolerate the inequities within the Combine. He was also acknowledged as being unswervingly loyal to his friends and comrades.[4]

Trivia

Although the position of Senior Chairman of the Outworlds Alliance Militia was subordinate to that of the President of the Outworlds Alliance, Welkens Nordd served less as an advisor to President Grigori Avellar and more as a military commander, something that no Senior Chairman of the OAM after Nordd would manage to achieve.[5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Historical: Reunification War, p. 60, "Welkens Nordd"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 59, "Grigori Avellar"
  3. Historical: Reunification War, p. 116, "Medron"
  4. Historical: Reunification War, p. 187, "Chairman Welkens Nordd"
  5. Historical: Reunification War, p. 42, "Outworlds Alliance Militia"

Bibliography