Julius O'Reilly

Julius O'Reilly
Julius O'Reilly
Personal
Born3041[1]
Died3071[2]
AffiliationHouse O'Reilly
Career
RankGeneral
Title(s)Caesar
ProfessionNoble
Family
ParentsSean O'Reilly (father)[1]
SiblingsMarcus O'Reilly (half-brother)
Trajan O'Reilly (half-brother)
ChildrenCassius O'Reilly (illegitimate)[2]

Julius O'Reilly was the fifth ruler of the Marian Hegemony.

History[edit]

Early Life[edit]

Julius O'Reilly was born to one of the many mistresses of Caesar Sean O'Reilly. He and his half-brothers, along with their mothers, lived in a wing of the Imperial residence on Alphard[3]

About 3055 or 3056, Julius had a private relationship with a chambermaid, Marcy Tucker, resulting in a son, Cassius Tucker. Years later, keeping his identity secret, Julius enrolled Cassius in the prestigious Pompey School of Rhetoric and provided Marcy with an annual stipend of 25,000 talents.[4]

Rise to Power[edit]

While studying at the Collegium Bellorum Imperium, a feud erupted between Julius and his father regarding the loyalty of General Ambrose Kelly. General Kelly had been a confidante of Julius's grandfather, Imperator Marius O'Reilly, and during the lesson, a discussion broke out of the dangers of imbalances in civilian and military authority in government. During his tenure, Caesar Sean had expanded the powers of his position and been ruthless in putting down dissent. Though Kelly turned out to be a ComStar plant, and the feud reportedly planned to sour the O'Reilly's relationship,[5] Sean did give in to the wishes of his young son and spared the General, though exiled him. The incident was the first of many between the two.[6]

Julius soon graduated cum laude from the Imperial War College and was assigned to the I Legio. This gave him access to the capital and members of the Marian Senate, including forces opposed to the rule of his father. Caesar Sean learned of these contacts and moved him to II Legio on Lordinax. Instead of ending Julius's break with his father, it instead spread it to new worlds and the Second Legion was a hotbed of rebellion after facing repeated Lothian attacks. Legatus Julius was expected to either grow into a leader or be killed. Instead, he grew to question the wisdom of the conflict with the Lothians. Julius took a different approach to the ongoing Lothian resistance. Rather than executing resistance leader Elena Logan after capturing her, he negotiated with her, ending the uprising and integrating her into his staff. Following this success, Julius led the Second Legion as General,[7] alongside the Fourth Legion and the Third Legion's First and Third Cohorts to conquer the Illyrian Palatinate.[8][4]

Palatinate Falls[edit]

In January 3063, the mercenary groups Arms of Thor and Cavanaugh's Cavalry were the only garrison forces of the Palatinate. The six months of conquest were less bloody than expected, especially as the Calvary took Julius's offer of ransom and a place in the MHAF. The Arms of Thor, however, inflicted heavy losses on Trasjkis and especially Illyria, where Julius led an attack against the mercenaries.[7][8] Julius's command of III Legio during this campaign earned the Legion's loyalty which continued even after his death.[9]

For the Crown[edit]

With momentum on his side, he turned against his father and his heavy-handed repression of the Lothians. Leading the Second and Third Legions and an auxiliary legion to Alphard in July 3063, Julius entered the Senate chambers with politicians and Second Legion members. Broadcasting throughout the Hegemony, and the Caesar nowhere to be found, Julius listed the many failings of his father including the embezzling of state funds before his accession, while the Senate gave Julius the highest of honors, the Corona Graminea.[4] Inside the palace, the Caesar declared his son a traitor and ordered his First Legion to put down the rebellion. Less than half complied. Those who followed their lord's orders were quickly defeated as they were already surrounded as they stepped out of the palace. Julius marched to the throne room at the palace with a half-century of his most loyal bodyguards and the Senate to offer his father the chance to step aside. Confronted with his misdeeds, Caesar Sean leaped at his son. Julius impaled his father with his sword and became Caesar the next day, 9 August 3063.[10]

Reforms and Leadership[edit]

As Caesar, Julius implemented significant reforms. He granted citizenship, Senate representation, and a three-year exemption from conscription to the Lothian and Illyrian worlds. He also established the Plebeian Tribunate, giving commoners a voice in governance, and expelled the Word of Blake from the Hegemony.[4][10]

In January 3066, Julius ordered the invasion of the Circinus Federation, suspected of collaborating with the Word of Blake. While early victories were swift, the Federation resisted fiercely, launching counterattacks on Marian worlds, including Alphard. Despite a ceasefire that allowed the Hegemony to retain two Circinus worlds, tensions remained high.[4]

In February 3069, rebellions erupted in the Lothian and Illyrian regions, suspected to be orchestrated by the Word of Blake or Free Worlds League. Though unable to confirm these suspicions, Julius retaliated with attacks on the Free Worlds League, which failed to quell the uprisings. By March 3071, Marian forces began massing in the rebellious areas, ostensibly to suppress the uprisings but secretly preparing for a second invasion of the Circinus Federation. The Word of Blake uncovered the plan and launched a preemptive strike.[4]

Death and Aftermath[edit]

On 6 June 3071, the Word of Blake detonated neutron bombs throughout Nova Roma, the capital of Alphard, killing Julius O'Reilly and most of the Marian Senate.[11]

The resulting power vacuum left the Hegemony in chaos. Mercenary forces from the Circinus Federation invaded Marian space. For over a year, leadership was divided between the last surviving senator, Quintus Pullo, and the military. However, Prefect Michael Alexander uncovered Julius' illegitimate son, Cassius Tucker, and declared him the new Caesar.[4]

BattleMechs[edit]

During the invasion of the Illyrian Palatinate, General Julius O'Reilly piloted a SD1-O Sunder.[7]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Era Report: 3062, p. 91: "Julius O'Reilly Profile"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, pp. 196–197
  3. The Periphery, Second Edition, p. 56: "Sean's Accession"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, pp. 194–197
  5. Field Manual: Periphery, p. 69
  6. The Periphery, Second Edition, p. 58: The Caesar and His Heir"
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Tactical Operations, Advanced Rules, p. 12-15: "The Efficiency of Rome"
  8. 8.0 8.1 Field Manual: Periphery, pp. 70-71: "Empire Building"
  9. Field Report: Periphery, p. 15:"Marian Hegemony: Condition"
  10. 10.0 10.1 Field Manual: Periphery, p. 72: "Crowning Achievement"
  11. Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 16: "Timeline of the Jihad"

Bibliography[edit]