James McKenna
Sarna News
James McKenna – (Born 2274[1] - Died 2338) – A 23rd Century Military Naval Officer, First Director-General of the Terran Hegemony.
Contents
Character History
Early Years
Born in the nation-state of Canada on Terra, grew up in the wilds of Yukon Territories. In early childhood, he was not formally school until 12 years old and had become a lumberjack as trade.
He was recruited by the Alliance Global Militia, where he was found strong aptitude for science and history. He at the time hadn’t considered joining the military, despite his family’s long history of serving the Terran Alliance and Western Alliance before that. The AGM offered him a scholarship at to Annapolis Naval Academy, in United State of America. Seeing this as a opportunity for a great education, he accepted.[2]
Military Career
McKenna’s time at Annapolis were checkered mixed reviews resulting from his unusual personality. He won prized honors to nearly being removed from the school due to his rash behavior. After graduating with honors, his early career with the Alliance Navy was equally filled with seesawing from being noted for his unsurpassed ship handling abilities to be contently demoted for bad behavior over the first 10 years service. After so much time, he finally settled down somewhat, taking years to clear his reputation, but not quite losing his trait to challenge the status quo.
In 2295, he obtained the rank of Fleet Admiral of the Alliance Navy. He then begun ambitious plan to build up the Alliance Navy into a force to be reckoned with it. The Alliance Navy by this time was only utilized as a means to transport the Alliance’s troops. McKenna felt that time of Alliance being only true interstellar nation was going to end, he wanted to give his nation means to ready when that day came. He then begun program that would produced one of the first true combat JumpShip, the WarShips.
By 2314, McKenna ambition plan to beef up the Alliance Navy had bore fruit in the form of the TAS Dreadnought and its six sister ships. Other lesser Warship had been produced from the shipyards of Mars, Venus, and Terra. During this time, he was criticized for producing costly vessels which many seen as being playthings for him, with no foreseeable threats. He was interviewed by in 2313, by holonews program ‘’Good Morning Canada’’, where gave his views of situation with the government and why he remains service despite hardships of handed to him by increasingly unstable government. He stated that he wanted to remain in service to see the ships serve people alliance when the time came.
The Zoli Affair
After the assassination of the People’s Independence Party political leader, Grant Zoli, a conflict broke out between Liberal-Expansionist parties in September 5th, 2314, month prior to the election for Prime Minister. News of the party’s leader death led to violence between the two political factions.
The Admiral soon learning the Terra was in the grips of civil war, and that other neighboring worlds would soon follow, issued recall order to all Alliance ships and troops to Mars. During the course of the fighting kept the most of the AGM forces from taking sides in the conflict.
However, he did deploy them put end some fighting during the Battles of Zurich and Bangkok.[3]
On June 2nd, of 2315, McKenna brought TAS Dreadnought into orbit of Terra where he had his ship’s gunner target and destroy two uninhabited islands using the ship’s Capital weaponry. These orbital strikes sent shock to combatants of the fighting, caused fighting to temporary stop. He then made world-wide broadcast from his Warship to people of the planet.
In his famous ultimatum: Where he takes responsibility for destruction of the islands and sends a message to Terra’s population. He tells them that political factions fighting civil war would have been brought only ruin to Terra. McKenna went on to say that have they have been lied to. They are only fighting for their own personal political gain and power. He asks people Terra for their support to form a better strong government, not one influenced by useless elections that been done in past. He demands to fighting stop, and those agree to his terms simply lay down their weapons and go home. Others would not go along with this, would be hunted down and allow the public inflict their justice on them.[4]
His message brought abrupt change in feelings of the people, with them running into the streets supporting him. All AGM units that had been participating in the fighting return to their barracks. He then carried out his warning using precision strikes from orbit against opponents his demands. In heavy urban cities, McKenna dispatched Colonial Marines to dispatch he political factions of the fighting whom refused to surrender.[5]
As Director General
After fugitives political parties were hunted down and mostly killed, McKenna while still aboard the TAS ‘’Dreadnought’’, wrote Hegemony Charter, which is the planned layout of the government. In the Charter, he wrote that all political parties for each world would be abolition and replaced with single leading person that would be known as Planetary Governors. The governors would be appointed by the chosen person to lead what was to be called the Terran Hegemony . He wrote in the charter that chosen, person would not ruled by his people.
Historians looking back have had doubts if McKenna actually wrote Hegemony Charter, due to his behavior he had in the past. However, many points out despite late education, that his passion for education shown true intelligence hidden underneath his brusque exterior.
In February 2316, He was elected by the people as the Hegemony’s Director-General and Lord Protector. The election, voted with paper ballot by the people of now former Alliance voted fully aware that they were submitting to a one-person rule and were fed up with bureaucracy of the alliance. Unknown to voters, McKenna’s charters had also created new form of nobility when Planetary Congresses were formed.
After setting up government, at the First meeting of Hegemony Congress on Terra in early 2316, McKenna begun wrangling to make sure all former Alliance worlds would join the Hegemony. Most joined willingly, with some through political incentives, McKenna did have to dispatch some military forces to bring resisted worlds such as Caph and Altair into the Hegemony. McKenna used other incentives to bring in more would be worlds into his nation so it may grown and enlarge. Some these methods works, however it became more apparent that it was going take force bring more worlds into the fold.
Campaigns of Persuasion
In March of 2316, McKenna led large fleet of WarShips and Troopships to persuade worlds to join the Hegemony. His first and most noted conquests of this first wave of his campaign were the wealthy worlds of Errai, Helen, and Quentin. These worlds had signed a defense treaty to provide some protection for them selves. These world’s planetary leaders even though they knew they could not prevent McKenna and his forces from taking their worlds, they’d planned to teach him a lesson. These world leaders prepared face the McKenna with a fleet of warships from converted cargo ships and messenger vessels. They then were able created several Divisions of militia troops. Fighting for these worlds proved to be brutal, however fighting allowed his force learn hard lessons and methods for future campaigns. His first wave of taking worlds ended in 2317, with the conquest of Towne. McKenna’s campaign brought to heel forty worlds for the Hegemony.
In the 2320, McKenna begun his 2nd wave of his Campaigns of Persuasion, which resulted with conquests included; Capella, Nanking, and Terra Firma.[6]
=New Nations & Third Campaign
However, McKenna’s military was bogged with problems with technology & equipment. He seen the rises of the powerful new nations forming around Hegemony by 2330s, which brought doubt to his mind he could bring all these worlds under his control.
He then turned to diplomacy in order reach his goals. No longer preaching all humanity should be under the Hegemony’s control. Instead, McKenna had begun speeches of Terra being humanity's repository of compassion and knowledge. After revamping his Foreign Affairs Department, in order to begun new dialogue with the Hegemony’s neighbors and establish interstellar relations with them.
Despite new relations with new powers, McKenna felt that non-affiliated world near Hegemony were still open for the taking. So in 2335, he launched what would become his last major military campaign. He aims were now eyeing the worlds bordering the Federation of Skye. He then focus on two worlds within the Federation self as its goal, Syrma and Galatea. These two water rich worlds, had a population who harbored anti-technology mentality, which would be in McKenna’s eyes easier to take. He set off with his fleet of nearly 300 ships, with his son Vice Admiral Konrad McKenna as his military second command.
The strike forces had been successful take number worlds in the initial first parts of the campaign. However, in name leading the fleet, the McKenna health had weakened. He had now turn control of the invasion to his son, Konrad, who up to now, had not seen combat.
As McKenna return to Terra in his flagship, the Battlecruiser, THS Black Lion, his son Konrad begun to show problems with judgments in combat situations while invading Galatea. Then July of 2338, McKenna’s son, made fatal mistake of underestimating people of Syrma. His son turns and the blames to others than take responsibility for his bad judgment. Konrad inability became apparent when he deliberately sent HAF Army Jumpships in to the system ahead of the WarShips escorts. Unknown to all, that people of Syrma had cut deal with the Federation by having them give them space mines and “sleeper” missiles, which would wait for the enemy to appear at the Jump Points. The fleet’s Troops ships nearly thirty ships were lost in first wave of jump into the system. The invasion’s force entire ground forces were destroyed resulting in Konrad’s bad call, making impossible to invade the planet.
News of his son’s bad judgment and behavior reach McKenna, where took his flagship to Syrma. Three weeks after the disastrous invasion, among the wrecks of the invasion, McKenna’s son was conducting farce trial against Admiral in command of the Troopships. With reluctance, he stripped his son of his ranks and privileges, taking command of the fleet. He apologized to the survivors of the invasion force for his son and orders all to return to Terra.[7]
Retirement & Death
After returning to Terra, the truths of what had happened in the final portions of the campaign were revealed to the public. The old-die hard supporters of the Alliance and other critics of the government begun demonstrations in street.
McKenna blocked all moves to prosecute his son for incompetence, which increased tensions among ever growing unrest within the Hegemony.
Thing increasingly got worse as opponents prepared to fight civil war when it when opponents begun to called for the McKenna to be impeached. When this came to pass, McKenna made a realm-wide broadcast explaining he was torn to in service to the Hegemony and trying to protect his son. So announced he would retire from the position of Director-General. His announcement had shocked and surprised people of the Hegemony, which were moved by his humility and honest of message to them. This won support of all the people, however McKenna died of cancer ten days later.[8]
Personality & Appearance
James McKenna had a rambunctious personality & keen intelligence, noted for questioning & challenging authority and other things that would not question. He was in prior to prior to coup taking over the Terran Alliance, a tall muscular man, with blond unkempt hair.[9]
Family & Legacy
James McKenna had father only one child, Konrad McKenna, whom which rose from the ranks of HAF Navy to the rank of Vice Admiral before his disgrace 2338.
After his death, the Hegemony High Council decided to see if any of McKenna's relatives would be suitable for the job. McKenna's sister Katherine his sister and nephew Uston were surpassed in search of a successor. They then turn to distant relatives as canidates to take the position as Director-General; Terran Congressman Graham Nellas and a third cousin, Michael Cameron.
Late McKenna had layed down the rules of restrict political campaign to run for the position of Director General. In end, feeling Nellas was not man for the job, the general public voted for Michael to be next Director-General.[10]
References
- ↑ Star League sourcebook p. 19 - Age 64 when he died in 2338.
- ↑ ’’Star League Sourcebook’’ p. 12 – James McKenna – Early years growing up in Terra Alliance.
- ↑ Star League sourcebook p. 13 – The Zoli Affair – Early actions taken by McKenna during the Terran Alliance Civil War of 2314.
- ↑ Star League sourcebook p. 13 – Time for a Change.
- ↑ Star League sourcebook p.14 – Time for a Change – History of McKenna leading AGM forces to end fighting and usher in of the Hegemony.
- ↑ Terra's Errant Flock p. 17 – Outlines of McKenna’s early campaigns to reclaims worlds of the Terran Alliance and beyond.
- ↑ ’’Star League sourcebook’’ pp. 18-19 - The Syrma Ambush – Last campaign of James McKenna and his son fall from grace.
- ↑ ’’Star League sourcebook’’ p. 19 – The Death of James McKenna. – Public scrutiny rises to point of civil war, aligning McKenna announces his retirement and passes way.
- ↑ Star League sourcebook p. 12 – Interview with the Admiral – Description of Fleet Admiral James McKenna.
- ↑ Star League sourcebook p. 20 Rises of the Camerons & Michael Victorious - Late James McKenna rules lead the pathway for the people of the Hegemony to vote two of his relatives into office to replace him.