I realized that his history never got posted, so updated the few items in the thread above that were missing details (such as his Contact (3)) and am posting this here.
Anders Wolfram Kelswa – Lyran Noble Bastard – Duke without a Duchy
Affiliation: Lyran Commonwealth (Tamar Region)
Gisela Wolfram was the daughter of a prominent Lyran Trader who caught the eye of the ruling Duke of Anywhere, Duke Anton Kelswa. Anton was an entitled, privileged, misogynistic asshole, though a very handsome and charming one. Aware that he got her pregnant, he paid off the Wolfram family to keep it private so as not to offend his wife or family.
Anders was raised aboard jumpships and dropships with the children of other traders and ship staff. He traveled the breath of the Commonwealth worlds, never putting down roots in any given place, but developing a deep connection to the realm of his birth with the exception of Skye. The Wolfram family had a reputation for being able to deliver large quantities of rare minerals and metals to the various industries of Skye at rates notably below their competitors. Rumors had it that they had ties to the Yamaguchi underworld family on Skondia who were interested in the luxury goods produced on Skye with the family serving as smugglers and go-betweens for the two interests. Anders was integrated into the process, serving as lookout and distraction at times or as courier for messages and deliveries. Young enough to be overlooked, smart enough to get it done though as he got older he began to appreciate that it wasn’t right. By that point he and especially his family were in too deep. Only ever smuggling, and never anything military related beyond the raw materials going into the Lyran Commonwealth, still enough to ruin his family should it ever come to light.
Anders grew up with the knowledge of who his father was, though forbidden to speak of it. It didn’t help that he knew his father had been told of him and… nothing. His mother would not force the issue with Anton. His stepfather cared enough, though he was treated differently than his half-siblings. It was subtle, but it was there. One sibling became four with him as the oldest and though the family was generally well off, the treatment by his two fathers left him with issues of inadequacy. He picked up smoking to relieve the stress with mixed success.
At sixteen he went to Tamar, and though he stared up at the gates to the War College of Tamar, felt unworthy to walk through. On his own, away from his family he enlisted and opted for paramilitary service for the extra experience and income. Seeking to turn a page he didn’t sign up to be a marine, though he would have been quite comfortable with it. The lure of being grounded somewhere in more ways than one pulled at him. At a bit of a loss for which path the recruiter put him down for Infantry and then moved on from the kid who couldn’t decide. He went to work for the 26th Lyran Guards RCT and while the transition in was a bit rough he was glad for it. Basic and a particularly astute sergeant beat him down to nothing then starting building back, leaving the dross behind.
The hesitant, quiet young man certain of his unworthiness was built back into a young man clear on his strengths and foibles, and confident in his ability to grow, adapt and overcome. Those he enlisted with moved much quicker than he, taking 3 to 5 years to complete their training, where he took 7. That 7 though included special forces training, something that many aspired to, though few were accepted. Infantry in the 26th was primarily jump infantry which worked well with the special forces training. Once all Anders training was complete, it was a smooth transition to a full time assignment to the 26th. He’d barely been stationed there 6 months before saKahn Natasha Kerensky of Clan Wolf offered her batchall. The fighting under Marshal Joy Corelli was intense and the 26th gave ground until outside of the walls of Tamar city itself. It was during this fighting that Anders was hit with shrapnel in the leg. He fought on, but pulled back, finally getting medical attention. The intensity of the fighting didn’t allow him to sit it out and after being patched up he deployed back to the lines. He didn’t let it hamper him much during the battle, but the injury after healing fully left him with a slight permanent limp, one that might have been avoided. Running was still possible, but it wasn’t as smooth as it should be and his speed and endurance both suffered because of it. The reason he couldn’t be placed behind the lines was because the Duke – his uncle, refused them entry. Gone insane Duke Kelswa refused to leave though sent his daughter with them as Marshal Corelli ordered the orderly withdrawal from Tamar. He didn’t seize the opportunity to meet her as who would believe that they were related? It was a missed opportunity and one not made up for. Late in his studies he heard the news that the planet of Anywhere, the place where his father was ruling Duke, had fallen to Clan Jade Falcon. Now two worlds important to his family were in the hands of the Clans. Truthfully, he felt closer to Tamar than Anywhere as it was the first place he had spent any length of time, but both losses were a bitter draught.
He had little time to dwell on it. Fighting would continue across worlds. From Tamar to Kobe, where the Marshal was injured so badly as to be put into a coma. Leftenant General Jinders Green-Davion assuming command. From Kobe to Thun Finally, after further assault from Clan Wolf forces, from Thun to safety. Mauled but not destroyed, the 26th would be a longtime rebuilding. It was during this period of recovery that Anders was contacted by his real father. He told Anders that he had lost two sons in the fighting and regretted not getting to know him. He summoned him to Tharkad where he was met with pomp and circumstance far greater than he’d ever encountered. Anton publicly acknowledged him. Further, he went so far as to name him heir despite having a daughter by his current wife. While on Tharkad his father introduced him to the Borge-Steiner family having some distant ties there and particularly to Adam and Adam’s father. Anders story resonated with Adam as did Anders genuineness. Adam knew Ander’s CO, Jinders Green-Davion and appreciated what they had done. He sympathized with Anders not being able to go to the War College of Tamar and shared his own losses on Sommerset. Adam asked if Anders had an interest still in going to an Academy and while Anders expressed an interest, he also shared reservations about being significantly older than the other cadets should he attend. Unbeknownst to him, his father overheard the conversation.
Not long after first meeting the Borge-Steiner family, Anton told his son he had a surprise for him – he had Anders enrolled at the Nagelring academy for training as a Mechwarrior, his application supported by a letter of recommendation from Adam Steiner. Anders was stunned. On the one hand enrollment into Nagelring, really any academy to train as a mechwarrior was what he had dreamed of. On the other, at 25 he would be almost a decade older than most of the other cadets. His father waved those concerns away and made sure Anders understood in no uncertain terms that graduation from Nagelring would position him well for the future. He was to be Duke, and the connections he made there might make the difference between retaking their homeworld and living in Exile. The Commonwealth ran on politics and connections. Anders had the natural charisma. His age and experience would make him a natural leader and the influence he would gather could be put to good use. Frustrated but not wanting to destroy the new relationship with a father he’d never known, he agreed.
The next five years would be some of the most enjoyable he would have. His half-sister enrolled in Nagelring the year after he did. Rather than resent him for becoming heir, she seemed far happier to have a sibling still alive. The relationship with his step mother was cordial, though cool. Meek, always proper in public, she never treated him badly, though in private moments when she didn’t think he was watching, he saw the anger in her eyes. If his father ever noticed, he didn’t mention it.
Through those years he made connections with the others at the Nagelring. He spent more time with his father and provided introductions to various other nobles through the sons and daughters he met at school. All was well until the winter before his graduation. His father provided him with an early graduation gift – one of the new Sunder (replaces Avatar) OmniMechs captured (purchased) from the DC and then left on a trip. What he failed to share was that he had falsified orders, stolen a Star Lord jumpship and was in the process of looting enough materials to outfit an RCT when he and his co-conspirators were caught by Lohengrin agents. Planning to use the material to liberate Anywhere from Clan occupation they did not go quietly.
Anton had earned many political enemies over the years as well as friends, and his enemies were all too eager to bring him down. Marshal Richard Steiner II blamed the Kelswa family in general and Anton in particular for the abyssal showing of the Tamar region’s defense during the Clan invasion. Anton’s managing to escape Anywhere when so many fought and died galled him. Anton’s brother at least had the decency to die in defense of Tamar, but Anton had eluded that fate. Somehow. This wasn’t the first unsavory thing Anton was involved in, but it was the first in which he was caught. Deemed to be a traitor and branded as such for the audacity to do what was needed to liberate his people, he committed suicide rather than subject himself to trial and execution. He was not the only noble implicated and the plot clearly wove through the Nagelring with connections made to families through Anders. Investigated and eventually cleared, the scandal was far too recent and raw to allow any “proper” Lyran noble to blithely accept the son of a traitor to the state especially one piloting a brand new mech from a former enemy. Even Leftenant General Green-Davion sent his regrets, for despite Anders having served under him before, the General’s distant connection to the Davion family already had him in a strained political position. His half-sister married, bringing her under the protection of her husband’s noble family while his step-mother disappeared back to her own family and the protection and shelter they could provide.
As much as possible, Richard worked to get Anders blacklisted on Outreach and while the MRBC wouldn’t go that far, his clear disfavor for Anders including rumors of being a dishonorable, untrustworthy snake gave most reputable commands reason to avoid taking on a problem child. He was able to talk to Dan Allard of the Kell Hounds shortly after his arrival and provided his side of the story. He wasn’t recruited, though his story was sincere enough to have at least planted a seed of doubt about the rumors and stories that Richard was propagating. Anders spent months having doors slammed in his face, ghosted by recruiters with the only opportunities offered from such disreputable units that taking a berth would certainly cement the false rumors and opinions of those that had heard them. Occasionally he encountered a sympathetic ear, but those were few and far between. He saw Dan on rare occasions, his standoffish attitude shifting to something more congenial after a number of meetings. After 6 months and dwindling funds his dogged determination paid off. Dan passed along word that the Numenorean Rangers were recruiting, and he’d put in a word that would get him an interview.
Anders did his homework in the limited time he had and was both optimistic and concerned. From what he gathered the Colonel had a long history with nobles of the Federated Commonwealth, little if any of it good. He shared similar ill luck with interactions with Lyran nobility, though so far the intelligence services hadn’t tried to assassinate him. Yet. That said, he was still a member of a prominent Lyran noble house. The two saving graces were that the Colonel had a reputation for being an honorable man, and had agreed to give him a shot. Anders would have to make the most of it.
Colonel Atayde was crisp and professional when they met. Guarded. His first question asked about Ander’s father’s treason and his role in it, and they were off. It was good that he’d planned to be transparent because the Colonel’s questions were quick and pointed. Family, history, service, Richard, the betrayal, his unorthodox return to Nagelring, the rumors all of it in rapid succession. Atayde even floated the possibility of Anders working for Loki and seeking to infiltrate another command. Anders answered as truthfully as he could. After a couple hours of grilling, the focus shifted. Gone were the questions related to family and circumstances. They talked tactics and strategy, fighting against the Clans, the ins and outs of managing a lance, a company, larger, shifting when it was clear he felt out Anders’ limits and moved on.
By the end there was satisfaction and a hint of warmth in the Colonel’s voice, but he was still deeply serious. “There’s an upcoming opening for a lance commander in one of my lances in the 2nd Regiment. I’ll recommend you for the position and will ensure you’re given a fair shake. Fail and I expect you’ll cool your heels for more than just 6 months looking for another reputable berth. Your dropship lifts off at 0500. I expect you and your mech to be on it. Dismissed.”
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Topic: Ehreschuld Lance Creation (Read 1196 times)