Marialle Radick


Marialle Radick
Marialle Radick
Character Profile
Died 28 December 3070[1]
Affiliation Clan Wolf
Rank saKhan
Profession MechWarrior


Marialle Radick was a warrior and officer of Clan Wolf and committed Crusader who rose to the rank of saKhan during the Wolves' rebirth under Vlad Ward.[2]

History[edit]

Early Life and Career[edit]

Little detail is known regarding Marialle Radick's early life and career. It is known that she became a proponent of the Crusader philosophy, probably early in her career. By 3052, she had earned the Radick Bloodname, and was a Star Commander in the 16th Battle Cluster, commanding the Bravo Command Nova.[3]

Battle of Tukayyid[edit]

On Tukayyid in May 3052, the Invading Clans and the Com Guards of ComStar fought a battle to determine the fate of Terra and the Inner Sphere. Radick fought brilliantly, destroying seven Com Guard 'Mechs before she was seriously wounded and her own machine was destroyed.[3][4] After the battle, Radick was given a field promotion to Star Captain.[4] Although she rose no further in rank at this point, Radick's achievements and political views gave her the standing of ristar within the Wolf Crusader movement, while her performance in battle had earned her the nickname "Death's Vixen".[5]

The Trial of Ulric[edit]

In 3057, Radick, along with Star Captain Vlad of the 11th Wolf Guards, another prominent young Wolf Crusader, were selected by Loremaster Dalk Carns to investigate ilKhan Ulric Kerensky for treason. The entire affair was a mere pretense to discredit Ulric and the Wardens in an effort to repudiate the Truce of Tukayyid. On 4 July, the charges were presented before the Clan Council of Clan Wolf on Tamar with Radick serving as the prosecutor. Ulric, under his authority as ilKhan acting in a time of war, summarily dismissed the charges of colluding with ComStar and for promoting an "agent of the Inner Sphere" — in the person of Phelan Ward — to the rank of Khan. Radick objected to Ulric's actions, to which the ilKhan asked her if she was challenging him to a Trial of Refusal. Radick then respectfully backed down. Carns, however, then revealed a third charge against Ulric, one intentionally kept secret up until then — the destruction of a Clan's genetic heritage. Radick, who had been unaware of Carns' plans, was as shocked as the rest of the council at this tactic.[6][7][8][9] She was likewise baffled though pleased when Ulric referred the charge to the Clans' Grand Council, effectively granting the Crusaders the victory in the matter.[10]

The Refusal War[edit]

Although Radick's exact accomplishments during the War of Refusal against Clan Jade Falcon have not been well documented, she was transferred to the Eleventh Wolf Guards[11] as part of the newly created Tau Galaxy under Ulric Kerensky's direct command. Ulric formed Tau in an effort to concentrate the most ardent young Crusaders in a single command which he would use to carve up the Falcons, thus weakening the overall Crusader cause regardless of the ultimate outcome.[12]

Radick took part in the fighting on Wotan on 10 December, where Ulric Kerensky was murdered by saKhan Vandervahn Chistu in an ambush that violated Clan laws. She survived the fighting, but did not join with the warriors of Alpha Galaxy, who withdrew to join Phelan Ward's Wardens in the Inner Sphere. Instead she remained behind with the other Crusader survivors of Tau Galaxy, and was therefore Absorbed by Chistu into the Jade Falcons. Those Wolves of the Warden cause who had withdrawn to the Inner Sphere were then Abjured. Radick was disturbed by these events at first, but ultimately decided that given the staggering losses to both sides, the joining of both Clans gave them the best chance to continue the Clan Invasion. Three days later, Radick was part of a salvage detail who located the remnants of Star Captain Vlad's 'Mech. Rescuing her fellow Crusader, Radick informed him of all that had transpired.[13][14] The following day, Vlad won a Trial of Refusal against Chistu to nullify the absorption. Falcon Khan Elias Crichell mitigated this somewhat, formally renouncing the absorption and naming the formerly absorbed Wolves the founders of Clan Jade Wolf. After Vlad won the Ward Bloodname in a Trial of Bloodright where each of his opponents relented, Radick quickly organized a Clan Council which promptly named Vladimir Ward Khan of Clan Jade Wolf.[15]

saKhan of the Wolves[edit]

Radick, in recognition of her combat record, her prosecution of Ulric Kerensky, and with the support of Khan Vladimir, was quickly elected saKhan of the new Jade Wolves Clan.[16] She attended the Grand Council meeting on Wotan on 2 January 3058 where Elias Crichell was elected ilKhan, with Radick herself casting the deciding vote.[17] She then bore witness as Khan Vlad slew Crichell in a Trial of Refusal, challenging the Falcon's credentials as a warrior. At that time, Ward announced that the Jade Wolves were giving way to a new Clan Wolf, one free of the Warden leanings of their predecessors.[18]

As saKhan, Radick took command of Beta Galaxy, who were rebranded as the "Shadow Wolves". Radick rebuilt the command with a mixture of trueborn front-line warriors, Harvest Trials isorla and garrison troops who tested out.[19] Most notably, Radick rebuilt the Silver Keshik with elite MechWarriors from the former Eleventh Wolf Guards, composed entirely of OmniMechs.[20] By 25 December, 3059, Beta Galaxy included four front-line Clusters, though two of them were somewhat understrength. Radick and the Silver Keshik were on Strana Mechty while the rest of the Galaxy garrisoned the Clan Wolf Occupation Zone.[19][21]

On 19 November, 3058, Radick nominated Khan Lincoln Osis of Clan Smoke Jaguar as the next ilKhan in a meeting of the Grand Council, highlighting his achievements both as an Elemental and as a leader of the Clan Invasion. With Severen Leroux of Clan Nova Cat seconding the nomination, Osis was elected by a vote of 22-12.[22]

The Great Refusal[edit]

On 10 April, 3060, in the aftermath of the Star League Defense Force invasion of Huntress, Radick joined Vlad in taking the opportunity to mock ilKhan Osis by taking the places of the Smoke Jaguar Khans in a Grand Council meeting on Strana Mechty.[23]

A week later when the SLDF arrived and the Great Refusal was proposed, Marialle Radick was alarmed when Khan Vladimir abstained from the Grand Council vote in order to cause dissent.[24] During the Refusal itself, the Clan Wolf contingent, a Binary of ten OmniMechs from the Golden Keshik that included both Wolf Khans, faced off against a company from the First St. Ives Lancers. Kai Allard-Liao, piloting a Stormcrow, defeated Khan Vlad, knocking his 'Mech out of the fight. Radick, meanwhile, piloting a Gargoyle of the A variant, was exchanging shots with an opposing Pillager, and had taken serious damage. Catching her by surprise, Allard-Liao used his autocannon to blow a leg off Radick's 'Mech, effectively knocking her out of the fight. In an impressive display of shooting, Radick released a final shot as she fell, with her Extended Range Particle Projector Cannon catching the Pillager in the head, killing her opponent instantly. After extricating herself from her cockpit, Radick made her way over to Khan Vladimir, only to find that he had accepted a draw offered by the Lancers.[25][26] The Clans would ultimately lose the Great Refusal.

Later Career[edit]

In October 3062, in the aftermath of the Alshain Avengers' failed attack on the Clan Ghost Bear capital world of Alshain, Radick and Khan Vladimir discussed the implications of the coming Combine-Ghost Bear War. Radick proposed a massive Clan Wolf attack on the suddenly underdefended Ghost Bear border, Ward expressed disappointment in her predictable strategy. Instead, he proposed encouraging Clan Hell's Horses to strike at the Ghost Bears, potentially weakening the Inner Sphere by prolonging conflicts.[27]

In 3065, taking advantage of the Jade Falcon Incursion into the Lyran Alliance, the Wolves launched a series of attacks against the Falcons. Radick led the Silver Keshik and the Thirteenth Wolf Battle Cluster to Quarell where they faced the Fifth Falcon Regulars. The Wolves agreed to engage the Falcons in a series of one-on-one duels during the fighting, with the Thirteenth Battle ultimately claiming a new Trinary of troops as isorla. Quarell fell to the Wolves.[28]

In the aftermath of the FedCom Civil War, Beta Galaxy was assigned at the forefront of the Wolf Clan Occupation Zone, bordering the remnants of the Free Rasalhague Republic and representing the tip of the spear in any new advance on Terra. To that end, Radick drilled her troops in hard-hitting, fast-moving tactics designed for a rapid advance when the Tukayyid truce expired.[2][29]

Jihad and Death[edit]

Radick participated in a meeting of the Grand Council on 17 August, 3069, though it is presumed she participated via HPG transmission. During this session, Radick was among those proclaiming the superiority of those Clans in the Inner Sphere, highlighting the differences between the Home Clans and the so-called Spheroid Clans. Radick ultimately nominated Stanislov N'Buta of Clan Star Adder as ilKhan, largely to oppose the nomination of Garret Sainze of Clan Fire Mandrill.[30] The entire session resulted in a failure to elect a new ilKhan.

On 28 December, 3070, Radick was on the Wolf capital of Tamar when the Word of Blake launched a massive nuclear attack from orbiting WarShips. The Scouring of Tamar proved to be a devastating blow against Clan Wolf, as 17 separate nuclear explosions killed over 2.5 million people, with Marialle Radick representing the most prominent fatality. The First Wolf Assault Cluster and the Golden Keshik were effectively destroyed, with the rest of Alpha Galaxy taking severe losses with two-thirds of their defending ground forces wiped out. Multiple factories were annihilated, severely crippling the Clan's military industrial complex. Perhaps worst of all was the destruction of the Clan's genetic repository, leaving 90 percent of their Bloodrights destroyed or unusable.[31][32][33][34][35][36]

In the aftermath of her death, Ivan Kerensky was elected to replace Radick as saKhan of Clan Wolf.[32]

Personality and Traits[edit]

Radick was first and foremost a warrior who fully embraced the Crusader agenda.[4][37] Though alarmed by Chistu's attempted absorption of the Wolves into the Jade Falcons, she initially accepted it as representing her best chance to participate in the drive on Terra.[13] After his victory over Chistu and the rebirthing of Clan Wolf, she became devoted to Vlad Ward,[15][37] and by the aftermath of the Great Refusal, she regarded the senior Khan as her oldest friend.[27] Like most Wolf Clan officers during the Clan Invasion, Radick was ranked an Elite MechWarrior,[3][4] and was known for possessing a brilliant "Sixth Sense" in sniffing out an ambush.[38] Further, she was noted for her preference for MechWarriors over her other warriors, despite the traditional Wolf philosophy favoring combined-arms tactics.[20] As a Khan, she was considered a charismatic figure,[36] though she was often overshadowed by her senior associate, lacking Vladimir Ward's political acumen or long-term vision. Physically, Radick was described as an attractive woman by Phelan Kell, though she was short by MechWarrior standards. She was further described as having curly, honey-blonde hair and a slight build. Her injuries on Tukayyid had left permanent web-like scars on her throat area.[5][22]

Quotations[edit]

For a moment there, I thought you were on track, Marialle. But you persist in thinking like a warrior first and a Khan second.
  — Khan Vladimir Ward, regarding Marialle Radick[27]

BattleMechs[edit]

During the Clan Invasion and up to the Battle of Tukayyid and Refusal War, Radick piloted an Ice Ferret OmniMech, favoring the primary configuration.[3][4] During the Great Refusal in 3060, Radick piloted a Gargoyle A.[26]

Notes[edit]

  • According to The Falcon and the Wolf, Radick was given a field promotion after Tukayyid, temporarily placed in command of the Sixth Assault Cluster.[4] No such Cluster has ever appeared on the rolls of Clan Wolf, however, and the developers have yet to clarify this discrepancy.[39] This article assumes that it was either a provisional unit, or the source was in error.
  • A number of works, particularly The Falcon and the Wolf, marginalize Radick's contributions in the prosecution of Ulric, explicitly giving Vlad sole credit for instigating the charges.[40] This assertion completely neglects the fact that as Vlad was not Bloodnamed at the time of Ulric's trial before the Clan Council, he had no standing there. Hence, Radick led the council's case against Ulric.[7]
  • In another possible error in The Falcon and the Wolf, Radick was listed as the Galaxy Commander of Tau Galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Refusal War.[41] This contradicts other material that states Tau Galaxy was disbanded after the fighting on Wotan.
  • The Wars of Reaving sourcebook incorrectly names Marialle Radick as Marialle Raddick.[35][36]

Game Notes[edit]

Under MechWarrior: The BattleTech Role Playing Game, Second Edition rules, Radick possessed the Sixth Sense advantage, able to automatically detect the presence of hidden units. Radick was an exceptional MechWarrior, with skills of 6 in both Piloting and Gunnery.[4][38] According to the Twilight of the Clans scenario pack, Radick's BattleTech statistics gave her a Piloting score of 3 and a Gunnery score of 2.[26] These numbers are somewhat less impressive than one would expect of Radick based on her reputation and the information provided in other sources.[3][4] According to the Wolf Clan Sourcebook, Radick was rated an Elite MechWarrior at the Battle of Tukayyid.[3]

References[edit]

  1. Jihad Hot Spots: 3072, pp. 25–26: "Timeline of the Jihad", date given for the scouring of Tamar when Radick was killed
  2. 2.0 2.1 Field Manual: Updates, p. 74: "Crusader Clans TO&E", as of 3067 Radick continues to serve as saKhan of the Wolves, commander of Beta Galaxy and commander of the Silver Keshik
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Wolf Clan Sourcebook, p. 91: "16th Battle Cluster", Marialle Radick's rank and position in 3052, injured at Tukayyid
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 The Falcon and the Wolf, p. 61: "Marialle Radick Star Captain, Clan Jade Wolf", Radick records seven kills before her 'Mech was destroyed on Tukayyid
  5. 5.0 5.1 Bred for War, p. 93: Marialle Radick's description and reputation at the time of Ulric's trial
  6. The Falcon and the Wolf, p. 61: "Marialle Radick Star Captain, Clan Jade Wolf", Radick takes part in Ulric's prosecution
  7. 7.0 7.1 Bred for War, pp. 92–97: Radick participates in Ulric's prosecution
  8. Grave Covenant, pp. 124-125: Marialle Radick and Vlad take advantage of discontent among the young Wolf warriors to put Ulric on trial
  9. Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 141: "saKhan Marialle Radick", Radick helps bring about Ulric Kerensky's fall
  10. Bred for War, pp. 105–108: Ulric refers the final charge to the Grand Council
  11. Malicious Intent, p. 27: Marialle Radick is transferred to the Eleventh Wolf Guards for the Refusal War
  12. The Falcon and the Wolf, p. 21: "Situation: Zoetermeer", Ulric forms Tau Galaxy out of Clan Wolf's young Crusaders
  13. 13.0 13.1 Malicious Intent, pp. 26–30: Marialle Radick is absorbed in the Jade Falcons, rescues Star Captain Vlad
  14. Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 141: "saKhan Marialle Radick", Radick rescues Vlad from the wreckage of his 'Mech
  15. 15.0 15.1 Malicious Intent, pp. 65–67: Marialle Radick calls for a Clan Council to name Vlad Ward Khan of the Jade Wolves
  16. Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 141: "saKhan Marialle Radick", Khan Ward supports Radick's nomination as saKhan
  17. Malicious Intent, p. 73: Marialle Radick votes for Elias Crichell as ilKhan
  18. Malicious Intent, p. 78: Radick is present at Crichell's death at Vlad Ward's hands
  19. 19.0 19.1 Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 143: "Beta Galaxy: The Shadow Wolves", the composition of the new Beta Galaxy
  20. 20.0 20.1 Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 143: "Beta Galaxy Command Trinary: The Silver Keshik", Radick rebuilds the Silver Keshik, preference for MechWarriors noted
  21. Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 157: "Beta Galaxy (The Shadow Wolves)", the disposition of Beta Galaxy in late 3059
  22. 22.0 22.1 Grave Covenant, pp. 161–162: Radick nominates Osis as ilKhan
  23. Prince of Havoc, p. 27: Radick takes the seat of the Smoke Jaguar saKhan
  24. Prince of Havoc, p. 49: Radick reacts when Vlad abstains the Great Refusal vote
  25. Prince of Havoc, pp. 114–116: Radick is defeated by Allard-Liao in the Great Refusal
  26. 26.0 26.1 26.2 Twilight of the Clans, p. 39: "Scenario 10: The Great Refusal": "Defender", Radick's participation in the Great Refusal, her 'Mech and her statistics
  27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 Test of Vengeance, Ch. 3: Radick discusses the Combine-Ghost Bear War with Khan Vladimir
  28. Field Manual: Updates, pp. 52–53: "Beta Galaxy: The Shadow Wolves", Radick and her troops take Quarell
  29. Field Manual: Updates, p. 53: "Beta Galaxy: The Shadow Wolves", Radick drills Beta Galaxy
  30. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 68: "Looming Apocalypse", Radick nominates N'Buta as ilKhan
  31. Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 116: "Clan Wolf in the Time of the Jihad", Tamar is subjected to nuclear attack
  32. 32.0 32.1 Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 117: "Ivan Kerensky", Radick is killed on Tamar, Ivan Kerensky takes her place as saKhan
  33. Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 118: "Dirk Radick", the nuclear strike against Tamar
  34. Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 121: "Tamar", the scouring of Tamar
  35. 35.0 35.1 The Wars of Reaving, p. 57: "Hellion Folly, Horse's Gains", Khan Vladimir reports on the losses from Tamar, including Radick's death
  36. 36.0 36.1 36.2 The Wars of Reaving, p. 60: "The Wolf's Preparations", a recounting of the losses on Tamar, including Radick's death
  37. 37.0 37.1 Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 141: "saKhan Marialle Radick", Radick is a staunch conservative, well matched with Khan Vladimir Ward
  38. 38.0 38.1 Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 181: "Beta Galaxy (The Shadow Wolves)", Radick possesses the Sixth Sense Advantage
  39. The Sixth Assault Cluster
  40. The Falcon and the Wolf, p. 12: "The Enemy Within", Star Captain Vlad instigates the charges against Ulric
  41. The Falcon and the Wolf, p. 45: "Tau Galaxy (The Shadow Wolves)", Radick is listed as Galaxy Commander of Tau Galaxy

Bibliography[edit]