Editing Tormano Liao

{{Cleanup|reason=review needed|date=September 2023}}
{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Tormano_Liao_3052.jpg
| caption             = Age 56 in 3050
| name                = Tormano Liao
| birthdate           = [[2996]]<ref>''Era Report: 3052'', p. 78</ref>
| died                = May [[3062]]<ref>''Field Manual: Updates'', pp. 9–10: "Service Timeline 3062" - Tormano dies in 2nd Black May attack</ref>
| othernames          = Ironheart
| affiliation         = [[House Liao]]<br/>[[Free Capella]]
| rank                = 
| title               = [[Mandrinn of Capella|''Mandrinn'' of Capella]];<br>Leader of Free Capella
| position            = 
| profession          = [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]],<br>Politician
| parents             = [[Maximilian Liao]] (father)
| siblings            = [[Candace Liao]]<br/>[[Romano Liao]]
| spouse              = [[Hanya No Cha]]
| children            = [[Treyhang Liao]]<ref name=FMCCp113>''Field Manual: Capellan Confederation'', p. 113: "Free Capella Profile"</ref><br>Unnamed daughter
}}
'''Tormano Liao''', also sometimes spelled as '''Tormana Liao''', was the only son of [[Maximilian Liao]], [[Chancellor]] of the [[Capellan Confederation]], and youngest of his three children.

He had a strained relationship with his father, and following the [[Fourth Succession War]] was best known for his role as a political advisor and the leader of the [[Free Capella]] movement, which united many disparate anti-Confederation groups into one cohesive organization. Free Capella would later fund the [[Blackwind Lancers]] and [[Jie Fang Legion]].

While early sources<ref name=HBHLT>''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'', p. 126: Tormano Liao profile</ref> unflatteringly describe him as oily, ingratiating, conniving, unscrupulous and tending towards personal cowardice, he was in fact a capable [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]<ref name=TLL>''Think Like a Liao''</ref> and became a shrewd politician and inspirational leader.<ref>''Era Report: 3052'', p. 165: expressly describes Tormano Liao as an "inspirational" leader, and assigns him a +7 skill roll modifier to Leadership, Negotiation, and Protocol under ''[[A Time of War]]'' rules which represents a rather good skill</ref>

==History==
===Early life===
Tormano Liao was born on [[Sian]] in 2996.<ref>''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'', p. 126: "Character Biography"</ref> His godmother was [[Chandra Ling]], the Director of the [[Maskirovka]].<ref name=TLL/>

He had a strained relationship with his family; as of ca. [[3025]] it was noted that only his sister [[Candace Liao]] seemed to speak in his defense, and there was speculation at the time that their relationship might be more than just a brother-sister relationship.<ref>''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'', p. 124: Candace Liao profile</ref>

At some point prior to [[3021]]<ref>Based on the assertion that he had not seen his wife in five years as of [[3026]], as per ''Think Like a Liao''</ref> he secretly married [[Hanya No Cha]], a botanist from [[Brazen Heart]],<ref name=NAISv2p18>''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2'', p. 18</ref><ref name=HBHLT/> the Capellan Confederation's secret prison world. His stepmother [[Elizabeth Jordan-Liao]] reportedly demanded his banishment for not having consulted with her before marrying "beneath his station",<ref>''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'', p. 126: Elizabeth Jordan Liao profile</ref> but it is uncertain if or to which extent this played a role in Maximilian Liao's strong disapproval of the action. When Tormano refused to divorce his wife, the Chancellor annulled the marriage by decree<ref name=HBHLT/> and named his oldest daughter Candace the heir to the [[Celestial Throne]], removing Tormano and his children from the Capellan ruling line. Tormano placed himself in exile to [[Hsien]] as part of the [[First Ariana Fusiliers]] in ca. [[3023]].<ref name=HBHLT/>

===Doppelgänger===
Tormano Liao had yet another falling-out with his father during a reception on Sian. On 21 January [[3026]], just after he had returned to his posting with elements of the 1st Ariana Fusiliers at Warex Base on Kali in the [[Algol]] system, a message from Brazen Heart called him to a place on the airless surface. Moving out in his ''[[Vindicator]]'', he found that Maximilian Liao had ordered a doppelgänger to assassinate Tormano and take his place; the message had been a trap. Tormano was saved by pure luck when a [[Federated Suns]] strike force hidden on the world moved against Warex Base just then. Since the destruction of Warex Base would leave both Tormano and his would-be assassin to die on the hostile world, they temporarily joined forces to fend off the attack. Tormano managed to kill the assassin in the process.<ref name=TLL/>

===Fourth Succession War===
In the first wave of the [[Fourth Succession War]] that broke out on 20 August [[3028]], the First Ariana Fusiliers on Algol were attacked by the [[Eridani Light Horse]] and [[3rd Davion Guards]] RCT. The [[AFFS]] forces found Major Tormano Liao's headless ''[[Centurion (BattleMech)|Centurion]]'' after the fighting, and assumed that Tormano had been killed in action. Similarly, House Liao assumed he had been killed when he was not among the soldiers that retreated off-world.<ref name=NAISv2p18>''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2'', p. 18</ref> When he was apprehended by AFFS forces after he ejected and headed into the wilderness, Tormano Liao was reportedly "half alive", with an infection that almost cost him a leg and a "broken ankle that will never heal quite right;" [[Hanse Davion]] ordered him brought to [[New Avalon]] in secret upon receiving the report on 25 September 3028.<ref>''Warrior: Riposte'', p. 248</ref> (Notably, Tormano must have been on the world of Algol in the eponymous system, and not on the hostile world of Kali anymore; he also had a different 'Mech from the ''Vindicator'' that he had used on Kali.)

A [[NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2|treatise about the war for the NAIS]] by Dr. [[B. Banzai]] tells a slightly different story, claiming that guerrilla operations on Algol a month after the battle showed someone with proper training was running the resistance movement. This reportedly led to a manhunt which resulted in the capture of Tormano Liao after two more months of ambushes and guerrilla strikes.<ref name=NAISv2p18/> This version is demonstrably false. The book was published shortly after the war already; from the context it could be assumed that the [[New Avalon Institute of Science]] deliberately obfuscated the truth for some reason.

In exchange for Tormano's surrender, the [[MIIO]] reportedly agreed to smuggle Tormano's wife out of the Capellan Confederation.<ref name=NAISv2p18/>

[[Hanse Davion]] extended an invitation to Tormano Liao and his wife. They arrived on [[New Avalon]] on 19 April 3028. While there Tormano (using "The Black Ram" as his alias) used access to military simulators to challenge cadets at the NAIS and Albion military academies. At the same time, Hanya No Cha used her access to the [[NAIS Information Network]] to learn about the new trends in botany. Hanse Davion also used Tormano's presence to gain a greater insight into the upper levels of the Capellan Confederation's political structure. These insights would serve him well when [[Pavel Ridzik]] formed the [[Tikonov Free Republic]] and [[Candace Liao]] contacted the First Prince about the secession of her [[St. Ives Compact|St. Ives Commonality from the Confederation]].<ref name=NAISv2p18/>

Tormano was quick to build a new power base in the Federated Suns, with the long-term goal of putting himself on the Confederation's throne, and, with clandestine funds from the MIIO, started his Free Capella movement which he made into a powerful force over the next two decades.<ref name=ER52>''Era Report: 3052'', p. 79</ref>

=== Clan Invasion Era ===
====Murder and Kidnapping on Solaris====
By late 3055, Tormano had been running his [[Free Capella]] organization in the [[Sarna March]] to restore and preserve the Capellan people who lived there. In truth, his organization was meant to topple the regime of his sister, [[Romano Liao|Romano]], and later her son, [[Sun-Tzu Liao]], in the Capellan Confederation and restore him to power.  However, his nephew Kai was becoming more popular with the people, sensing opportunity he tried but failed to pass on control of the organization to him.  Tormano saw him as a person who could lead to "freeing" the Confederation from Romano's heir however Kai showed a complete lack of political ambition and politely deflected Tormano's attempts to subvert him to his cause.<ref>''Assumption of Risk'', pp. 175–181: "Tormano fails to cow Kai into joining his secret plans to take Confederation"</ref>

During [[3056]], his operation HQ for Free Capellan was based on [[Solaris VII]] at his residence in the [[Cathay]] District of [[Solaris City]].  During the period of Kai's championship for 3056, Tormano's operatives discovered a secret that he then tried to black mail his nephew with. They discovered that he unknowingly fathered a son, [[David Lear]], with Dr. [[Deirdre Lear]] during his time on [[Alyina]].  Once again sensing opportunity he has his men bring Dierdre and her son to Solaris to use as hostages to manipulate Kai into furthering the Free Capellan agenda.

During this time, [[Peter Steiner-Davion]] is assigned to him as a liaison officer, in order to supervise his activities by his brother [[Victor Steiner-Davion]].  Tormano, always looking for a new angle to exploit, attempts to use Peter to trigger a war against the Capellan Confederation so that he may assume power there. He manipulates the young man into conducting a military raid after the hotel bombing that "kills" [[Galen Cox]].<ref>''Assumption of Risk'', pp. 278–281: "Tormano tricks the hotheaded Peter Davion into deadly raid"</ref> Kai learns of Peter's disappearance from Solaris and goes to confront Tormano about what he has done. When Kai confronts him Tormano reveals that he has his son and that he is holding the boy and his mother hostage. Tormano tells his nephew that he is to do absolutely nothing for the next 10 days or he will never see them again.<ref>''Assumption of Risk'', pp. 278–289: "Tormano commands Kai to not do anything for a week, or he will never see his son or boy's mother again"</ref>

However, Tormano's plan fails, as Kai was able to secretly intercept Peter and the [[Khorsakhov’s Cossacks]] and prevents them from assaulting the Free Worlds League world of [[Shiloh]] to destroy the [[Harloc Raiders]] an event that would have triggered a war with them. Also, a [[Maskirovka]] agent, [[Nancy Bao Lee]], prevented him from learning of leaked info on Kai's plans.  Tormano is forced into exile once the Archon-Prince hears of what he attempted to do.  When Nancy comes to him, she attempts to assassinate him, but Tormano disarms her breaking her arm in the process. Tormano reveals to her that he knows that that she is Mask spy, and tells her to send a message to Sun-Tzu Liao.  He tells her he is no longer threat to him (sun-Tzu), because [[Kai Allard-Liao]] is an even bigger threat than he.<ref>''Assumption of Risk'', pp. 350–352: "Tormano confronts the Mask assassin and disables her. She passes a message to his nephew in exchange for her life"</ref>

===Operation GUERRERO===
However, Tormano didn't ceased his machinations: Kai neglected the Free Capella operatives, and when Sun-Tzu Liao and Thomas Marik launched [[Operation Guerrero]], and the Sarna March dissolved into the [[Chaos March]], Tormano managed to activate two of the operatives in the region.
One of them killed [[Roland Carpenter]], the pro-Capellan new leader of planet [[Keid]], claimed by the [[Lyran Commonwealth]],<ref>''Chaos March'', p. 43</ref> and the other, on planet [[Zurich]], another mysterious man (or woman) calling themselves [[Jacko Diamond]], fought against the oppressive regime of [[Xu Ning]].

After using a ComStar acolyte as a messenger, Tormano managed to have an interview with the new Lyran leader, [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]], informing her of their "present" of the planet Keid to her. Impressed, she agreed to employ him as an advisor.<ref>''Bred for War'', p. 330</ref>

===Service to Katherine===
Tormano, despite his bad relationship with [[Nondi Steiner]], aunt of Katherine and her military leader, stayed beside her during four years. The Archon even left him in command of all of the Alliance, when she embarked on a secret trip to seek an alliance with the Clans.<ref>''Malicious Intent'', p. 95</ref>
During her absence, Tormano was forced to face a very serious crisis: a [[Clan Jade Falcon]] invasion. Working together with Nondi, Tormano ordered a communications blackout, hiding the crisis while gathering together troops to counter the Falcons' invasion, culminating in the [[Jade Falcon Incursion (3058)|Battle of Coventry]].<ref>''Malicious Intent'', p. 126</ref>
He hired the [[Eridani Light Horse]] and [[Wolf's Dragoons]] to keep the Falcons fighting on Coventry, and the [[Waco Rangers]], a unit personally loyal to him, to hold Tharkad. Katherine, upon her return, modified that order, sending the Rangers to Coventry too, ensuring conflict between them and the Dragoons.<ref>''Malicious Intent'', p. 181</ref>
After Katherine deposed Victor Steiner-Davion and took absolute command of the Federated Commonwealth, she was unable to stop Sun-Tzu invasion of the St. Ives Compact; Tormano renounced his post to take command of defending forces of the Free Capella Movement.<ref>''Prince of Havoc'', p. 212</ref>

=== Capellan-St. Ives Civil War ===
Tormano assumed a leading role in the war. He recruited his son, Treyhang Liao, to his side. His ambitions were to obtain a kingdom - either St. Ives or in the Confederation - for himself.  He never realized his own ambitions: in [[3062]], on Indicass, as Tormano Liao made a speech in a pavilion, a hovercar attacked the meeting. It was destroyed by the ''[[Helios (BattleMech)|Helios]]'' BattleMech standing guard (piloted by Treyhang), but it was too late. The nerve gas it carried killed most of the people present, including Tormano and the planetary governor. Treyhang, however, survived in safe confines of his 'Mech. The attack was orchestrated by his niece [[Kali Liao]] and carried out as part of the [[Black May]] strikes across the St. Ives Compact.

===Legacy===
Tormano's legacy could best be described as Machiavellian. His self-interested behavior and habit of gathering as much power as he could can also be seen reflected in Katherine's policies.

On the other hand, Tormano was fiercely loyal to those who supported him. The Free Capella Movement, an independence organization focused on the Capellan Confederation, would never have been able to field two 'Mech regiments without his support. After Tormano's death, his son would take control of the Free Capella Movement.  He would change it into a loyal opposition movement verses an attempt to usurp control from Chancellor.

==Philosophical and/or political views==
Though often cloaked in grandiose language, Tormano's politics basically existed to make his life easier.<ref>''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'', p. 126: "Character Biography", - "Manner"</ref> Tormano frequently held grudges against those that he felt had wronged him; this was one reason why he gave information to Hanse Davion in the Fourth Succession War (though it should be noted that Hanse's willingness to flatter Tormano made the process much easier).

==Notes==
In early publications such as ''[[Warrior: Riposte]]'', the ''[[Blood of Kerensky]]'' trilogy, and ''[[House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)]]'' Tormano was named as Torman'''a''' (except for a few isolated occasions which may have been typos). The 1993 ''[[Assumption of Risk]]'' used Tormano, as have more modern works.

==Portrait Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Tormano Liao (CCG).jpg|Tormano Liao
Image:Tormana-liao-54.jpg|Tormano at age 54
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Assumption of Risk]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Era Report: 3052]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
* ''[[House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)]]''
* ''[[NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2]]''
* ''[[Shrapnel (anthology)|Shrapnel]]''
* ''[[Think Like a Liao]]'' (in: ''Shrapnel'')
* ''[[Warrior: Riposte]]'' (novel)

[[Category:Capellan Confederation Characters|Liao, Tormano]]