Cassius O'Reilly
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Cassius O'Reilly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal | |
| Born | 24 February 3056[1] |
| Died | 3106[2][3] |
| Affiliation | House O'Reilly |
| Career | |
| Title(s) | Caesar |
| Profession | Noble |
| Family | |
| Parents | Julius O'Reilly (father)[1] Marcy Tucker (mother)[1] |
| Children | Lucian O'Reilly[4] |
Cassius O'Reilly was the sixth ruler of the Marian Hegemony, taking the throne at the age of 16.
History[edit]
Cassius O'Reilly was born to the young, unmarried Marcy Tucker and an unknown, wealthy father: a mysterious benefactor who paid for his acceptance to the Pompey School of Rhetoric from the age of seven. When Caesar Julius O'Reilly was killed on Alphard in 3071, the Marian Hegemony was left without a leader for over a year until Prefect Michael Alexander found the hidden payments Julius had been making, verified Cassius's patronage, and became regent to the young ruler.[1]
Caesar[edit]
Originally seen as a puppet of Prefect Alexander, O'Reilly ordered the expulsion of Circinus Federation troops on his own accord without the knowledge or support of the leader of Marian Hegemony Armed Forces, General Ivy Ward, or a particular thorn in his side, Quintus Pullo, the only senator to survive the nuclear bombing that had killed his father. Former Lothian League and Illyrian Palatinate worlds were to be used as the battlefield, weakening those who would stand against him, including Senator Pullo.[1][5][6] The damage was expected to be contained to those worlds that had continued to resist his rule and teach them the might of the military forces he commanded.[7] The choice to order his troops to fight so carelessly among those he ruled was potentially seen as a mistake, only encouraging more insurrection amongst his nominal subjects.[8]
As Caesar, he would choose to keep the mercenary unit Winfield's Regiment under contract. Instead of monetary payment, he allowed the Regiment to recruit citizens from the Hegemony and supplied enough equipment to form a strong battalion of vehicles with the support of the unit's remaining small number of BattleMechs and aerospace fighters.[9]
The 3074 reintroduction of RetroTech was a major piece of military production throughout the Hegemony. Though the destruction unleashed on Alphard had spared the Hegemony's limited manufacturing capabilities, Cassius had feared the loss of Marian output centered on one site.[10] By 3076, Ceasar O'Reilly wished for his great aunt, Livia O'Reilly of Alphard Trading Corporation, to expand ATC's portfolio to include BattleMechs. She resisted, fearing the loss of liquid capital in the expansion,[11] but did finally relent by 3077, culminating in the Marian Arms production of the "primitive" CN9-H Centurion.[12] His desires for expansion continued unabated, sparking rumors about 3081 of new lines at Hadrian Mechanized Industries on Pompey.[10]
Throughout the Jihad, Cassius was forced to rely on state "academies" set up by his grandfather, Sean O'Reilly. With the Collegium Bellorum Imperium and Alphard Air Academy lost, these academies did not have time to mature and became little more than conscription camps. Field officers were used as instructors to condense the training of underqualified soldiers who were quickly sent to the front, actions that reduced the MHAF's overall effectiveness.[13]
Following the end of Circinus Federation and mercenary strikes that had continued throughout the Jihad, Word of Blake sponsorship for Lothian and Illyrian insurrections ended with the Blakist's destruction. Still, the Lothian worlds continued to be a source of conflict for Cassius.[14] In 3081, the V Legio rebelled in response to the mercenary Dragonslayers actions against Valerius, joining the reborn Lothian League. Prefect Gaius Dillford was executed after a four-year imprisonment in Marian hands, cementing the turn of the Fifth Legion to the Punic Legion and Lothian loyalty.[4]
Hoping to turn outward and cease operations against his people, the Ceasar ordered IV Legio and VI Legio against ex-Free Worlds League worlds, including San Nicolas,[15] Kendall, Lahti, and Landfall.[16] These activities were able to further cement his control over the military, with little chance for rebellion to spring up from the ranks.[7] Eventually, nuclear weapons were used to force the bloodied Marian forces back to the Hegemony.[17]
Death[edit]
With the turbulent incorporation of Lothian League worlds under his father, decades of conflict enveloped the Lothian District under Cassius's rule, beginning again in earnest in 3087 following Republic of the Sphere recognition. A battle on Logan Prime in 3106 included the death of Ceasar Cassius against the Punic Legion, with the office falling to his son Lucian O'Reilly.[2][4]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, pp. 196–197
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Field Manual: 3145, p. 184: "Marian Hegemony"
- ↑ Field Manual: 3145, pp. 112–113: "Ignatius O'Reilly"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Era Report: 3145, p. 78: "Punic Legion"
- ↑ Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 198: "Quitus Pullo"
- ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, pp. 54-55: "The Boy Who Would Be Ceasar"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Field Report: Periphery, p. 15: "Marian Hegemony: Morale"
- ↑ Field Report: Periphery, p. 3: "Periphery Overview: Strategic Update"
- ↑ Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 203
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 115: "The industrial State of the Periphery-Marian Hegemony"
- ↑ Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 199: "Alphard Trading Corporation"
- ↑ Experimental Technical Readout: RetroTech, p. 5
- ↑ Field Report: Periphery, p. 7: "Logistical Status: Academies and Command Centers"
- ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 115: "The Military State of the Periphery-Marian Hegemony"
- ↑ Field Report: Periphery, p. 15: "Marian Hegemony: Condition"
- ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 58: "The Jihad in Review"
- ↑ Field Report: Periphery, p. 5: "Periphery Overview: Goals of the States"