Gerald Marik (27th c.)
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- This article is about one of several characters named Gerald Marik. For the others, see Gerald Marik.
Gerald Marik | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Also known as | The Avenger[1] |
| Born | 2632[1] |
| Died | January 2703[2] |
| Affiliation | House Marik |
| Career | |
| Rank | Captain-General |
| Family | |
| Parents | Liam Marik (father)[1] |
| Children | Andrew Marik[1] John Marik[1] Elise Marik[2] Oliver Marik[2] |
Gerald Marik I was a military commander, politician, and the twenty-eighth Captain-General of the Free Worlds League.[3]
Contents
History[edit]
Early Life[edit]
Gerald Marik was the son of Captain-General Liam Marik, but was not a politician like his father. He was married and had four children: Andrew, John, Elise, and Oliver Marik.[1]
During his early career, Gerald joined the Free Worlds League Military and rose up through the ranks to become a general. When his father died, he was not chosen to take control of House Marik, with this responsibility instead being given to his cousin Terrence Marik. His last military command was with the Third Marik Militia, where he served until 2678.[1][4]
Captain-Generalship[edit]
The pursuit of the Scourge of Death[edit]
On 19 October 2678 on Marik, Gerald was among the attendees at a gathering of the entire Marik clan at Terrence Marik's estate. During this gathering, a bomb planted in the estate's library detonated, outright killing thirty-nine members of the Marik family—including Captain-General Terrence Marik and the majority of Gerald's immediate family. Gerald's own injuries were so severe that his family's priest provided him with last rites, although a combination of Star League and Free Worlds League medical science ultimately enabled him to survive and recover within a month of the bombing. As a result of his injuries, Gerald would be extensively fitted with bionic enhancements.[5][6]
Investigations conducted during Gerald's recovery process discovered a cache of supplies and survival gear on Terrance's estate, clearly intended for surveillance purposes. Investigators also discovered a tree house hidden among the many trees bordering the estate, from where the unknown terrorist observed the Marik family gathering and triggered the explosive's detonation.[7]
Upon his recovery, Gerald was supported by the Free Worlds League's general population, Parliamentarian members, and even rival nations such as the Lyran Commonwealth and Capellan Confederation. He would use every bit of this goodwill to seek out his family's murderers, with one of his first acts as Captain-General being to task the SAFE intelligence agency with finding the terrorists responsible. In the course of this pursuit, the civil liberties of the League's citizens were often set aside and speculations regarding Gerald's motivations began to build as the Captain-General seemed to be using the hunt as an excuse to eliminate his political rivals and to hit foreign targets under the guise of "police actions." These latter border crossings often involved military strikes against suspected terrorists in an effort to uncover further terrorist cells. Eventually, computer files on Westover belonging to the Scourge of Death terrorist group were found that listed the Principality of Regulus' House Selaj as a key backer of the Marik bombing.[8]
War with Principality of Regulus and House Selaj[edit]
This discovery on Westover turned the pursuit of terrorists into an armed conflict between political rivals, with Gerald quickly declaring the rulers of Regulus guilty of treason before ordering their deaths on 1 October 2679. As the odds of conflict increased, the Star League Defense Force moved to deploy more troops to the region. In response, Gerald traveled to the Star League naval base on Oriente, where his emotional appeal to Admiral Millard Crichton convinced the SLDF commander that this was an internal matter for the League to handle on its own. [9] Battle between the Marik and Regulan forces began on Hellos Minor, where Gerald's troops engaged Prince D'mir Selaj's men in a four week battle for control of the planet. The battle for Hellos Minor ultimately ended with the routing of the Regulans and the death by suicide of Prince D'mir, who took his own life just as Gerald's men were about to arrive at his estate.[10]
The Marik fleet continued to advance further into the Principality, successfully capturing Harmony two weeks after the conclusion of the fighting on Hellos Minor. As Gerald's forces grew ever close to Regulus, an increasing number of House Selaj's soldiers defected from the Regulan military and the Principality's capital world was under direct threat by late December. Believing that the war was lost, Princes Puraj and Rajneesh Selaj gathered their families, their fortunes, and their personal guards before fleeing to the Magistracy of Canopus in January 2680. Having missed the opportunity to execute the last two of Regulus' rulers, Gerald turned his anger towards the absent Princes' associates, many of whom were imprisoned and executed in their stead.[8][10]
Later Years and Paranoia[edit]
Gerald was not satisfied with the outcome of the Regulan conflict, instead choosing to expand SAFE's mandate in order to definitively eliminate the lingering threat of House Selaj. The Captain-General's concerns quickly veered into paranoia as he began to see threats from House Selaj at every turn, with his continued expansion of SAFE's policing powers eventually turning the League into a de facto police state. [11] Despite these significant changes, the League's general population remained largely unaffected by SAFE's activities, with the greatest disruption occurring for the members of the League's Parliament and its other ruling factions.[10]
One notable event during Gerald's late rule was when, in 2695, trade unions in the Principality of Regulus undertook a series of work stoppages. The disruption this caused to the League's economy lead Gerald to suspect Selaj involvement and he proceeded to beseech Parliament for the authority to suppress the strikes as he saw fit. After being granted this authority, Gerald went on to crush the strikers with bloody results, although no evidence of Selaj influence or backing for the strikers was ever found.[10]
The final notable event of Gerald's rule occurred when a professor named Thomas Menke, of the Western Merak Medical College, stated that the Captain-General's bionics classified him as a nonliving individual and that he should resign his office. Professor Menke's fame did not last long, with SAFE investigation leading to allegations that much of the professor's financial grants originated with corporations in Canopian space. However, the subject of Gerald's bionics and their effects on his leadership of the League would continue to be a matter of concern far past his rule as Captain-General.[12]
Death and Legacy[edit]
Captain-General Gerald Marik died in January of 2703, leaving his daughter Elisa Marik as heir to the throne of the Free Worlds League. Elisa's devotion and love for her father would heavily influence her reign, leading to her becoming even more paranoid than Gerald himself had been. Even after medical examiners ruled that Gerald's death was due to his injuries from the 2678 Marik bombing, Elisa publicly declared that her father's death was suspicious enough to be considered murder.[13][14] The Marik Civil War that resulted from Gerald's legacy of paranoia would lead to a gradual increase in anti-bionics sentiment within the Free Worlds League. His heavy use of bionic enhancements in order to recover from the Marik bombing would be blamed for many of the League's hardships and public sentiment for such practices remained negative for centuries to come.[15]
Centuries later, documents on Gerald's rule discussed how some of his heavy-handed purges were not just paranoia, but rational moves intended to eliminate future political problems. These documents further stated that he used the leverage he gained while seeking vengeance for his slain family to achieve these goals.[16]
Notes[edit]
- Gerald was also known as "the Avenger" on House Marik's family tree for ruling the Free Worlds League. His moniker differentiated him from his descendants, who would be named for him with "II" and "III", respectively. He was also originally noted for being the XXVI (26th) Captain-General of the Free Worlds League,[1] but later sourcebooks would list him as the 28th.[16]
- It should be noted, that the term "bionics" is not often used in BattleTech. The word is largely supplanted by the term cybernetics.[17]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 House Marik (The Free Worlds League), foldout (p. 171 in PDF): "The Captains-General Line of Succession and Partial Marik Family Tree"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 23: "Like Father, Like Daughter"
- ↑ Handbook: House Marik, p. 88: "Captains-General in History - Gerald Marik"
- ↑ Handbook: House Marik, pp. 26, 87–88: "The Scourge of Death & Captains-General in History"
- ↑ Handbook: House Marik, pp. 23, 26–27: "Backlash & the Scourge of Death"
- ↑ Handbook: House Marik, pp. 87–88: "Kernath Marik & Terrence Marik"
- ↑ House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 21: "The Heat of the Moment"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Handbook: House Marik, pp. 26–27: "The Scourge of Death"
- ↑ House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 22 (PDF edition): "On the Trail of the Scourge and A Father's Plea"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 House Marik (The Free Worlds League), pp. 22–23: "On the Trail of Scourge"
- ↑ Handbook: House Marik, p. 27: "The Scourge of Death & Descent"
- ↑ Handbook: House Marik, p. 27: "Descent & Anti-Bionics Sentiments"
- ↑ House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 23: "Like Father, Like Daughter"
- ↑ Handbook: House Marik, p. 27: "Descent"
- ↑ Handbook: House Marik, p. 27: "Anti-Bionics Sentiments"
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Handbook: House Marik, p. 88: "Captains-General in History - Gerald Marik"
- ↑ A Time of War, p. 28: Universe Terms - Cybernetics term described