Frederick Koloniv
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Frederick Konoliv | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Also known as | Krasny |
| Died | 2604 |
| Affiliation | Federated Suns Tortuga Dominions |
| Profile | |
| Profession | AFFS officer Pirate |
Character History[edit]
Frederick "Krasny" Konoliv was an officer in the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns during the Reunification War. He was serving in the 237th Light Cavalry Regiment, a BattleMech regiment,[1] when the 237th was badly damaged in a wasteful action against the Taurian Defense Force on Sterope.[2] Konoliv and the other surviving members of the 237th decided to desert from the AFFS, taking their dependents with them into the Periphery.[1][2]
In 2588, Konoliv and the rest of the deserters arrived at the planet they dubbed Tortuga Prime; the planet had mild seasons, a reasonable climate and a lack of infectious diseases, so they decided to settle on it. Konoliv was elected as leder of the new settlement. The colony struggled, because while Tortuga Prime had its positive characteristics, it also had extremely alkaline groundwater, making it difficult to irrigate crops or provide potable water without water purification systems. The colony was soon running short of rations and spare parts, leading Konoliv and the other officers from the 237th to settle on a new plan of action.[1]
Konoliv settled on a plan to take the demi-battalion of BattleMechs the 237th had managed to bring with them, and raid border worlds for the supplies needed to sustain Tortuga Prime. Renaming his troops as the Red Raiders, Konoliv led them on an initial raiding campaign that lasted from 2589 to 2597. Konoliv had his troops focus not just on looting food, but also on kidnapping skilled farmers and their families, herds of livestock, and whatever machines and equipment could be carried away; he also ordered his troops to torch any evidence that they had been responsible for any of the raids. As Konoliv targeted outlying settlements on worlds that weren't monitored, many of the raids went unnoticed for months.[1]
Konoliv ensured that the best of the farmers and resources went to Tortuga Prime; he had the families of those farmers dispersed across five other colony worlds in what would become the Tortuga Dominions, in an attempt to coerce the skilled workers into cooperating. He ruled the Dominions harshly, killing those who disobeyed him or his officers, and crushing dissent brutally.[1]
Konoliv's rule over Tortuga Prime and the other worlds lasted until 2604, when he led a failed raid on the Federated Suns world of Memphis. Three BattleMechs were lost in the raid - a precious resource the Red Raiders couldn't afford to lose - leading to Konoliv being challenged on the bridge of the DropShip Crossroad by one of his officers, Lieutenant Mitch Hibbert. Hibbert killed Konoliv, running him through with a shard of armor taken from a heavily-damaged BattleMech, and demanded a new election to select a replacement ruler. Hibbert was subsequently elected "Duke" of the Pirates of Tortuga, in Konoliv's place.[1]