Simone Marik
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Simone Marik | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Born | 2440 |
| Died | 2475 |
| Affiliation | House Marik |
| Profile | |
| Profession | Captain-General of the Free Worlds League |
| Family | |
| Parents | Geralk Marik (father) |
| Siblings | Carlos Marik Brion Marik |
Simone Marik (b. 2440 - d. 2475)[1] was a House Marik noblewoman, politician, and the fourteenth Captain-General of the Free Worlds League.
Contents
Biography
Simone was noted for being blunt and for her intelligence. Simone was never a soldier and was a reluctant leader. She also had a passion for horseback riding.[1]
Captain-General
Simone was the daughter of the bloodthirsty Captain-General Geralk Marik. She was appointed Captain-General at the age of nineteen by the Free World League Parliament after her father's death on Loric in 2459.[1] She was the youngest Captain-General to that point.[2]When taking office, she stated, "My first ambition is to avoid making history."[3][4]
She began her tenure by instituting reforms of the League's economy and pushed for technological expansion. Her foresight concerning the needs of the League led her to order NIA agents to gain access to Lyran secrets. Her agents convinced disgruntled technicians to defect with complete plans for the Commonwealth's new BattleMech designs in 2462.[2][4][5]
Her efforts led to a limited production run of the League's first indigenous BattleMech design, considered primitive even by Succession Wars standards, the Icarus. In one of her only notable military actions, she ordered the prototypes into battle against the Lyran Commonwealth. The Lyrans' incursion of League space, which started in 2468, had retaken Cavanaugh II and Bella I with their new BattleMech-enhanced forces. However, League military forces had been stalling their invasion on Alula Australis. In the midst of an ongoing battle to take the planet, the Icarus prototypes slipped onto Alula Australis. The League 'Mechs, combined with conventional forces, were able to turn the tide of battle and forced the Lyrans off the planet. Alula Australians were so thrilled with the victory that they conducted independence celebrations that went on for five weeks.[2][5][6]
Simone knew the state could not build BattleMechs efficiently, so she gifted BattleMech schematics to several League corporations in exchange for greatly reduced bulk purchases of their designs, setting the stage for mass-production.[6]
The wealth of the Free World League grew, as did the rivalry between the League and the Terran Hegemony. Simone reshaped her military and economy.[2][4]
In 2475, Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation Jasmine Liao contacted Simone in a bid to strengthen their nations through marriage. These efforts ended in failure because Simone refused to marry then-twelve-year-old Raxal Liao, reasoning that her tenure as Captain-General would be over by the time they could consummate the marriage. In a bid to resolve the problem, Simone suggested one of her brothers should marry Jasmine's niece. This suggestion was put down by the Jasmine, as was Simone's more ambitious offer. Simone offered several worlds of the Duchy of Andurien in exchange for assistance in an invasion of the Terra Hegemony. The League's Parliament developed a displeasure with Simone's actions as Captain-General and took notice of Simone's failures. With the diplomatic failure with Liao, the Parliament decided to no longer support Simone. So when her tenure came up for renewal as Captain-General in 2475, the Parliament allow it to lapse. They then appoint a new Captain-General, her brother Carlos.[2][4]
Death and afterward
Simone Marik stepped down from office and returned to private life. Within seven weeks of her retirement she was killed in a horseback riding accident. She was only thirty-five years old. She served the League's as its Captain-General for 16 years. Having no children of her own, she was survived by her brothers Carlos and Brion.[1]
Titles and Positions
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Handbook: House Marik, pp. 84-85, "Captain-Generals in History"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Handbook: House Marik, p. 21
- ↑ House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 16, "Tribute"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Handbook: House Marik, p. 21, "The Successful Failure"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 16, "Tenure of Geralk Marik"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Handbook: House Marik, p. 19, "Proliferation: The Rise of the Free Worlds League BattleMechs"