Sergio Ortega

Sergio Ortega
Personal
Affiliation	House Ortega
Profile
Title(s)	Baron
Position(s)	Planetary Governor of Mirach
Profession	Noble MechWarrior
Family
Children	Dale Ortega Austin Ortega

Sergio Ortega was a distinguished MechWarrior in service to the Republic of the Sphere, and later the Governor of Mirach.

History

Sergio piloted a Centurion BattleMech with Devlin Stone and the forces of The Republic. With his loyalty and tactical prowess that he showed, he was granted nobility and offered the post of governor of Mirach sometime prior to 3130. There, he had two sons, Dale and Austin, before his wife died in an air transport crash. Alongside nobility and governorship, Sergio was granted his own personal militia separate from the planetary legate's forces: the elite First Cossack Lancers. He also had some political influence within The Republic, sufficient to accelerate Austin's grant of citizenship.

As governor of Mirach, Sergio was noted for his pacifistic leanings. For much of his reign, he only allowed a single BattleMech on the planet, his old Centurion as a museum piece. He was a critic of Prefecture IV Prefect Kal Radick and military build ups before the Blackout.

In early 3133, in the wake of the Blackout, Mirach faced a crisis. Minister of Information Elora Rimonova, in close association with Legate Calvilena Tortorelli, plotted and agitated against the government. On 16 April, per the recommendations of Rimonova and Tortorelli, Governor Ortega placed the First Cossack Lancers under the legate's command, merging them into the legate's Mirach Home Guard. After one final training exercise, in which Sergio's heir Dale was assassinated on Elora's command, the Lancers were scattered throughout the Home Guard. Sergio was not without a plan, however. In secret, the scattered Lancers served as agents of the governor. FCL CO Manfred Leclerc in particular served as a spy within the Home Guard, as well as a liaison with the Mirach Business Association, an armed faction on the planet. He trained pilots for the Business Association's fleet of militarized IndustrialMechs while observing its activities. Other FCL soldiers advocated for Governor Ortega within their new unit. In the meantime, Sergio built ties with the head of the Business Association, All World Comm's Marta Kinsolving, funding her effort to overhaul Mirach's ruined planetary communications system.

When Elora and Calvilena finally launched a military coup on 3 May, Sergio's efforts came to fruition. The coup collapsed by 12 May, the Home Guard's weak loyalty to Tortorelli undermined by Ortega-loyal Lancers scattered throughout and their force met with a strong defense. The loyal Mirach Business Association and the scattered Lancers held the Home Guard off until the attackers' morale collapsed. In the aftermath, Sergio exiled Elora to Mirach's moon Kuton and, while allowing Tortorelli to remain as legate on paper, assigned loyalist Manfred Leclerc to oversee the legate and take over his work.

Personal Appearance

As of 3133, Sergio was balding, faint gray hair around a bald spot.

BattleMech

Sergio Ortega, when he was a soldier fighting for Devlin Stone, piloted a Centurion. The 'Mech, with its distinct paint scheme featuring red hash marks on the arms and yellow stripes on the legs, was kept in the Museum of Modern Mirach during his governorship.

Notes

• Ortega is noted as Legate rather than Governor in one source, swapped with the individual otherwise named as Legate by other sources. As the Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130) listing of Republican planetary Governors and Legates is generally relied upon by other canon sources such as Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, over the one in Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere, its information has similarly been preferred as correct for the purposes of this article.

Bibliography

• Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN
• Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere
• Dark Age: Republic Worlds (3130)
• The Ruins of Power (novel)