Alistair Marsden
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Alistair Marsden | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Born | 2361[1] |
| Died | 31 January 2408[2][3] |
| Affiliation | House Marsden |
| Profile | |
| Title(s) | Archon |
| Profession | Armor Officer Politician |
| Family | |
| Parents | Simon Marsden (father) |
| Siblings | Robert Marsden[4] |
| Spouse | Katherine Steiner |
| Children | Alistair Steiner[4] |
Alistair Marsden (b. 2361 - d. 31st January 2408) was a Lyran nobleman, armor officer, and the second Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth.
Contents
History
Early Years
Younger brother of first Archon Robert Marsden, Alistair was a junior officer in the Commonwealth's Tank Brigade at the time of his brother's death. The Lyran Military High Command convinced him that he was the only one who could fill the vacuum after his brother's demise. The Estates General confirmed him as his brother's successor.
On 10 November 2395, Alistair was sworn in as second Archon of the Commonwealth.[5] From there, he showed he had learned from his brother how to foster bonds between people. He gathered advisers who were competent in their respective fields to help foster bonds with the Lyran people and the economic growth of the state. Shortly after he made trade deals with the Terran Hegemony and helped to revamp the financial sector. In 2398, news of war between the Capellan Confederation and the Free Worlds League reached Alistair. Feeling that the conflict would spill over into his territory, he ordered a military buildup of the Lyran armed forces.[6] During a lecture of the high command on Japanese customers in 2399, Alistair met associate professor Katherine Steiner. They quickly developed a friendship that turned to romance. [7] A few years later in 2405, Alistair married the tall Nordic beauty.
Kurita Incursion of 2407
In January 2407, the Draconis Combine plunged into the borders of the Commonwealth between the Tamar and Skye regions. The Kuritan forces moved through the lightly defended regions towards the Commonwealth's capital of Arcturus. During the early fighting, Commonwealth forces infuriated Alistair as they destroyed industries on worlds the Kuritans were about to seize. Alistair dismissed his leading generals and assumed command himself. He then rallied his forces and fought the Kurita invasion force to a brutal standstill on the world of Morningside. The incursion opened many Lyran peoples' eyes to the fact the Kuritans were close to the nation's capital, so Alistair proposed to move the capital to his homeworld Tharkad, located deep in the well-protected Protectorate of Donegal region. By September, the General Estate had agreed to the plan, with the move officially completed in December. Early the next year, Alistair realized where the Draconis Combine's next invasion would take place. He assembled forces for a strike against what he suspected to be Kuritan staging base on Vega.
Shortly after assembling the strike force, Commonwealth aerospace assets struck Kurita's stockpiles of military supplies on Vega. This assault (later known as the Vega Strike)[8] devastated the Kuritan preparations for a second invasion into the Commonwealth and handed Alistair the Commonwealth's first large scale victory.[9] However, shortly after, his campaign moved to Menkent, where he learned that Kurita forces were conducting a heavy raid in a region near the Terran Hegemony Border. There he took command of a local unit, the 311th Armored Skye Cavalry Regiment where he attempted to repel the raiders. Alistair and his unit arrived on January 8th, with his tank forces relieving the planet's capital of Blackstone from Kurita siege. The 311th and other forces were deployed to the arid world's Plain of Dust where they hammered the invaders. However, the Archon was killed by Kuritan artillery fire during the third day of the fighting.[10]
His death sent shockwaves through the Commonwealth. His body was returned to Tharkad, where he was buried. Soon after his wife would assume the throne, but reclaimed her maiden name. This marked the start of Steiner line of Archons.[11]
Family and Legacy
During his brief marriage, he and his wife Katherine had one son, Alistair. He died before his son's birth.
Alistair, last of Marsden line of Archons, was principally responsible for revamping of early Lyran economy, and creation of Tharkad City.
Titles and Positions
References
- ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), backpage foldout: "Steiner Family Tree"
- ↑ Handbook: House Steiner p. 18
- ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 16, "The First Steiner"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Field Manual: Lyran Alliance, p. 8
- ↑ Handbook: House Steiner p. 17
- ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 15, "The Reluctant Archon" - Alistair is drafted in taking his brother's place and his rise to fill in shoes.
- ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth) page 16 - The First Steiner - Alstair meets Katherine Steiner and realize their mutual kinship.
- ↑ Handbook: House Steiner p. 18 - Death and Rebirth: The Steiner Dynasty - Alistair Marsden's Kurita strike against Vega.
- ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth) p. 15 - The Reluctant Archon - Alistair Marsden campaign to fight off Draconis Combine's invasion of Commonwealth in beginning of the Age of War.
- ↑ Handbook: House Steiner p. 18 - Death and Rebirth: The Steiner Dynasty - Details of Menkent campaign to repel Kuritan heavy raid and Alistair's death.
- ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth) p.16 - The First Steiner - Alstair continues his campaign in 2408 where he is killed in action.