Danai Liao-Centrella

(Redirected from Danai Centrella-Liao)
Danai Liao-Centrella BTLegends.jpg
Danai Liao-Centrella
Character Profile
Born 6 June 3108[1][2]
Affiliation House Liao-Centrella
Rank Sang-shao[3]
Title(s) Duchess of Castrovia[2][4]
Profession MechWarrior,
Arena Gladiator
Parents Daoshen Liao (father)[2]
Ilsa Centrella (mother)[2]

Danai Liao-Centrella was the daughter of Daoshen Liao and his sister Ilsa Centrella. This information was kept from her until she was in her late twenties. Until that time, she believed she was the third child of Sun-Tzu Liao and Naomi Centrella. She was named for Danai Centrella, sister of Naomi.

History[edit]

Early life[edit]

When Danai was only three years old, she met her cousin Kai Allard-Liao on the planet of St. Ives. Kai sensed a form of kinship with the young Danai which he put in his will that she would be given possession of his famous 'Mech, Yen-Lo-Wang.[5]

Danai was raised on Canopus by her aunt Erde Centrella because Danai's mother had little interest in her.[5]

Solaris VII[edit]

In 3127, when she was only nineteen, she disappeared from the Capellan Confederation to reappear following Kai's footsteps as a warrior on Solaris VII piloting the famous Yen-Lo-Wang.

One of her first fights was against Darla Westin in The Jungle. Darla did not know who was fighting, and was surprised when she was to face her own Centurion OmniMech called Shishi and with a configuration similar to the original Yen-Lo-Wang. Both 'Mechs squared off, but the crowd was clearly set against Westin from the beginning. Regardless of how well Westin fought, she could not bring herself to destroy her inspiration. Instead, she gave the audience a good show and let her 'Mech succumb to Danai's attacks.[6]

In 3132 she was one of the contenders in the Grand Tournament.[7]

She won the first round, and for the second round she was paired to fight against Yulenka Kaiser in The Jungle. The fight was a series of brutal point-blank range attacks where Kaiser's Hatchetman was unable to get past the Capellan scion's heavy shield of her Centurion and never even landed a solid blow on the Cenotaph favorite finally losing to her.[7]

For her third match, she had been paired against Reshad "Razor" Michaud in the Boreal Reach Arena, a fight she won.[8]

For her fourth match, she had been paired against "Fantastic" Phoebe Itasha under Ishiyama's Stone Mountain, a fight she won.[9]

For her fifth fight match, she was paired against Shayne "Shockwave" Kirkpatrick piloting a modified Phoenix Hawk in the Jungle. Because of the thick growth of the Jungle minimizing her range advantage, Kirkpatrick was forced into contact range with Danai several times, close enough even for a few good swipes from the Centurion's hatchet. But maneuverability soon saved the day as Kirkpatrick's gift for jumping fire ate away the Centurion's shield and tore away its right leg. Disabled, Centrella-Liao lit off her surrender flare, ending the match.[10]

Though she did not have the skills to become a champion in the arena, she was still devastated when her father, Daoshen Liao, recalled her to Sian to join the CCAF. She joined the 2nd McCarron's Armored Cavalry and soon rose to command the third battalion.[5]

On Terra[edit]

In 3135, she joined her brother on Terra for the funeral of Victor Steiner-Davion. On the journey there, she unexpectedly met with Caleb Davion. They were traveling on the same JumpShip and initially chose to hide their identities from each other. They flirted off and on during the journey to Terra. They kept their distance from each other once they discovered the real identity of the other.

During a ball held by the Republic of the Sphere government, she became very good friends with Oriente Protectorate noblewoman Nikol Marik when she rescued Marik from the unwanted attention of Frederick Marik.

Proving herself[edit]

She was later recalled to fight on New Hessen, fighting for control of the planet in a three way battle between the Federated Suns and the Republic of the Sphere. In one fight, she lost her 'Mech in an encounter with Caleb Davion's M1 Marksman tank and a Republican BattleMech. She was able to rescue Caleb from the battlefield, and both were on the run for a couple weeks. During this time, Caleb turned on her and raped her. She managed to escape him and recover her precious Yen-Lo-Wang. She was mentally haunted by the experience with Caleb's betrayal. She never shared the knowledge of this experience with anyone but her aunt and, later, her best friend Nikol. Since then, she suffered a mild case of post-traumatic stress disorder, which manifests often in outburst of emotion, hypervigilance and an obsessive need to control the details of her personal space.[11]

Once she arrived on Liao to report in, she was promoted to Sao-shao, and given the command of Second McCarron's Third Battalion in 3136. She traveled to Sian, where she received her new mission to conquer the worlds of Aldebaran and Zurich, and secure a treaty with Oriente Protectorate. She succeed in the three tasks.[12]

Danai fought at the battle of Marlette against Julian Davion in 3146, and when victory became impossible, he brokered a truce with him, that Daoshen, reluctantly, signed, making an armistice.[13] That peace only lasted two years. When he broke it, launching Operation CERBERUS that succeed in retaking New Syrtis, Danai lead three Capellan regiments to the world. She led a headhunting attack, targeting the Prince, crippling his 'Mech, but at the end, she failed to kill him thanks to the sacrifice of Malerie Faulkner, and Danai broke an arm. The invasion failed to either retake New Syrtis too. After the fight ended, Julian and Danai brokered another truce, and she returned to Sian.[14][15]

Duchess[edit]

After New Syrtis' campaighn, during her trip back to Sian, she made rehabilitation, and before arriving there, her father informed her about their cousin Ki-linn Liao's suicide. Once on the capital, Danai defended her decision, and had the support of other key officers, but Daoshen didn't approve her peace treaty, and informed her than he will assign her a tutor.[16]

On 4 November, Danai met her tutor, Lady Wilhemina Liao, her cousin of Capella Liaos, which had volunteered to teach her the duties of being a member of the Sheng nobility and also informed Danai she had been named Duchess of Castrovia, a position usually reserved to the Chancellor's heir.[17]

When Fortress Wall fell, Danai led her regiment and others to the Republic world of Hall, accompanied by her cousin. There, the defending battalion of the Fourteenth Principes Guards killed the Capellan's administrators, so she and Wilhemina had to take the task to establish a nascent Capellan government.[18]

As part of their efforts, both convinced the former Knight Themba Olatunde to join their efforts to integrate Hall into the Confederation. The 6 June, when both Wilhemina and Olatunde where killed into a RAF attack, she was devastated and, when the guerrillas resurfaced, Danai ignored all advices of caution and led personally the hunt of the culprits, falling into and ambush. After receiving orders to depart offplanet, Danai used her authority to ensure the new governor followed her instructions to integrate Hall.[19]

Later, Danai participated in the reclaiming of Liberty, fighting Stone's Fury, before being recalled to Confederation space. There, after a meeting with Xavier McCarron, she had a meeting with her father, advising him to exercise caution before attacking blindly Terra.[20][21]

BattleMech[edit]

Danai's traditional 'Mech was Kai Allard-Liao's Centurion, Yen-Lo-Wang, which she fought with almost all her career, both as gladiator and Capellan officer. However, at the urges of her officers, after Liberty's campaign, she replaced it with a heavier one. Despite expectatives for her to pilot a typically capellan one, she choose a BL-18-KNT Black Knight which she named Julian.[22]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. MechWarrior: Dark Age Dossier
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 BattleTech: Legends, p. 158
  3. Shattered Fortress, p. 57
  4. Blood Will Tell, ch. 7
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Era Report: 3145, p. 87: "Danai Profile"
  6. Technical Readout: 3145, p. 116: "CN11-O Centurion"
  7. 7.0 7.1 Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 283: "3132 Solaris VII Championships Season Review (Part 2)"
  8. Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 287: "3132 Solaris VII Championships Season Review (Part 3)"
  9. Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 288: "3132 Solaris VII Championships Season Review (Part 4)"
  10. Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 293: "3132 Solaris VII Championships Season Review (Part 6)"
  11. Battletech: Legends, p. 158
  12. Principles of Desolation, pp. 99–278
  13. Shattered Fortress, p. 23
  14. A Splinter of Hope, p. 69
  15. Shattered Fortress, p. 57
  16. Blood Will Tell, ch 1-5
  17. Blood Will Tell, ch 7
  18. Blood Will Tell, ch 11-16
  19. Blood Will Tell, ch 21-26
  20. Blood Will Tell, ch 29-32
  21. Battletech: Legends, p. 158
  22. Battletech: Legends, p. 158-159

Bibliography[edit]