Austin Ortega
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Austin Ortega | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Affiliation | House Ortega |
| Profile | |
| Rank | Lieutenant, Junior Grade[1] |
| Profession | Noble |
| Family | |
| Parents | Sergio Ortega (father)[1] |
| Siblings | Dale Ortega[1] |
Austin Ortega was the second born son of Mirach's governor Sergio Ortega and, as of May 3133, heir to the governorship.
History[edit]
Austin grew up on Mirach, governed by his father Sergio. His mother died in his youth, killed in an air transport crash.[2]
Like his brother Dale, Austin served in Mirach's First Cossack Lancers, their father's elite personal guards. Having enlisted two years later than Dale, on 3 April 3133, Austin at last earned his Republic citizenship for his service. By that point, he had earned one medal as a Lancer, just a unit commendation.[2]
In early 3133, Mirach faced a crisis. Minister of Information Elora Rimonova, in close association with Legate Calvilena Tortorelli, plotted and agitated against the government. At the same time, they arranged the merger of the First Cossack Lancers into Calvilena's Mirach Home Guard, seemingly clearing their potential military opponents out.[3] After Dale's girlfriend Hanna Leong probed Elora's past and activities, finding evidence that she was planning to overthrow Governor Ortega and offer the planet to the Steel Wolves, [4] Elora summarily fired her and ordered her assassination. On 15 April, shortly after her firing, Hanna was struck down, killed in an apparent car accident right in front of her boyfriend Dale.[5] Dale too was assassinated two days later, killed in what appeared to be a training accident, driving Austin to investigate.[6]
Before Austin could achieve much, on 3 May 3133, Elora and Calvilena finally launched their military coup. For a short few days, the Home Guard fought loyal remnants of the scattered Lancers, the Mirach Business Association's militarized IndustrialMechs, and its own defectors.[7] Austin personally reactivated and piloted his father's old Centurion, engaging Calvilena's Home Guard to protect his father. His 'Mech was quickly disarmed, but Austin found another way to contribute: a speech over Home Guard communication channels calling for them to stand down. It was effective. The coup collapsed by 12 May, the Home Guard's weak loyalty to Tortorelli having already undermined by Ortega-loyal Lancers scattered throughout.[8]
In the aftermath of the failed coup, Austin became his father's chief of staff.[9]
Physical Description[edit]
As of 3133, Austin stood at 180 centimeters tall. He had closely cropped black hair and, compared to his brother, a bulky physique.[1][2]
BattleMech[edit]
During the 3133 coup attempt, for the first time, Austin piloted his father's museum-kept Centurion.[10] He nicknamed it Sergeant Death for its color scheme, featuring red hash marks on the arms and yellow stripes on the legs.[1]
Prior to that, Austin had never piloted a BattleMech, but for a short period on 30 April 3133, he was able to pilot an Industrial Giants Manufacturers MiningMech.[11]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The Ruins of Power, ch. 1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Ruins of Power, ch. 2
- ↑ The Ruins of Power
- ↑ The Ruins of Power, ch. 4
- ↑ The Ruins of Power, ch. 6-9
- ↑ The Ruins of Power, ch. 9-14
- ↑ The Ruins of Power, ch. 22-39
- ↑ The Ruins of Power, ch. 34-39
- ↑ The Ruins of Power, ch. 39
- ↑ The Ruins of Power, ch. 34
- ↑ The Ruins of Power, ch. 16
Bibliography[edit]
- The Ruins of Power (novel)