Diana Pryde

Diana Pryde
Character Profile
Died 22nd January 3073
Affiliation Clan Jade Falcon
Profession Star Colonel
Parents Aidan Pryde (father)
Peri (mother)

Diana Pryde (born 30?? – died 22 January, 3073[1]) was the freeborn spawned of the legendary Clan Jade Falcon warrior Aidan Pryde and a former member of Aidan's sibko named Peri, of the Scientist Caste. She is best remembered for her quest for a Bloodname (although she was a freeborn), and for her defeat of the Khan of Clan Steel Viper in combat.

Personal History

Early life & Career

Aware of her father's history, Diana volunteered to become a MechWarrior as soon as she grew old enough. After she passed her training, she was assigned to her father's unit, the Falcon Guard, in the Clan invasion corridor. She participated in the taking of a few worlds by the Jade Falcons, and, with the rest of the Falcon Guard, were assigned to take Tukayyid as part of Anastasius Focht's proposal to halt the Clan Invasion.

On Tukayyid, the Jade Falcons, although they met with some initial success, were pushed back and defeated. In their general retreat, Diana was almost killed by the swarming ComGuard forces, but was saved by her father, who had just learned of her existence. As he died holding off the ComGuards, she was rescued by an Elemental named Selima, and got off Tukayyid safely.

Bloodtrial

Following years of service to the Clan, Diana put forward a proposal to her Khan, Marthe Pryde, that would allow her to compete for a Bloodname. Basing her argument off the fact that she was the freeborn child of two trueborns, and ergo not genetically weaker than trueborns, she petitioned the Khan for the right to compete. The Khan agreed, and ordered Diana's commanding officer, Ravill Pryde, to sponsor her for the Trial. Ravill reluctantly complied, and the two of them, accompanied by Star Commander Joanna, journeyed back to the capital of Ironhold for the Trial.

Coinciding with this, Khan Marthe Pryde journeyed to Strana Mechty for a council of all Khans. The assembled Khans, led by the Khan of Clan Steel Viper, Perigard Zalman, demanded a censure of the Jade Falcons for allowing a freeborn to compete for a Bloodname. The motion failed by a close margin, due to the manipulation of Khan Vlad Ward of Clan Wolf, and Diana competed for a Bloodname.

Diana, facing opposition from many aspects of Jade Falcon society, still managed to win all of her Bloodtrials with ease, and claimed her Bloodname. This was interrupted, however, by Ravill Pryde's declaration of a Trial of Grievance to find the Bloodtrial null and void.

Jade Falcon-Steel Viper War

Ravill's Trial was interrupted by the breakout of hostilities between the Jade Falcons and the Steel Vipers, who shared their invasion corridor. Using Diana's Bloodtrial as a casus belli, the Steel Vipers took several Jade Falcon worlds in their occupation zone. Khan Pryde immediately redeployed her available forces to the Inner Sphere to meet the Steel Viper threat. Diana Pryde was deployed with the Falcon Guard in the occupation zone, where they and the Khan's personal unit met the forces of the Steel Viper Khan and saKhan in an abandoned city. There, Diana defeated the Khan of the Steel Vipers in single 'Mech combat, thus forcing a retreat from the planet by the Steel Vipers. This action won her some lines in the Remembrance.

As a result of her defeat of the Khan, Ravill Pryde dropped his challenge to Diana's Bloodname, and Diana was allowed to keep it. It is unclear whether her genes were added to the gene pool at this time.

Operation Audacity

During the FedCom Civil War, the Jade Falcons launched a major offensive into the Lyran Alliance. One of the units involved was the Falcon Guards, who engaged the forces led by Archer Christifori on Twycross. During the battle Ravill Pryde was slain and command of the Guards fell to Diana Pryde, though after hard fighting the Lyran forces were eventually victorious. She was present during the Blair Atholl agreement, where it was implied that she would attempt to rebuild the Falcon Guards.

Jihad

During the Jihad, as Star Colonel Diana Pryde, she led the Falcon Guards during the Hellion Invasion in 3071. Her unit had operated initially attached to the Gamma Galaxy, but it had conducted independent actions. In that conflict, she lead her Guards to re-taking many worlds stolen by Ice Hellions. It was in March 3072, was successful in defeating Ice Hellions on Vantaa, but her unit suffered serious losses and was rendered combat ineffective in the process.[2]

Diana was sent to the Arc-Royal summit of January 3073 as part of the Jade Falcon delegation. However, she was killed along with many of the delegates that were sent to Arc-Royal in what is known as the Donner Bombing setup by the Word of Blake.[3][4]

BattleMechs

Diana Pryde's chosen 'Mech throughout the early stages of her career was a Warhawk. She later switched to a Nova.[5]

References

  1. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, pp. 36-37 "Around the Sphere - The Lyran Alliance - Bombings and Barbarism"
  2. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents pp. 28-30 - Operation: Ice Storm - Diana Pryde's Guards history during the conflict.
  3. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents p. 36 - Bombing and Barbarism - Pryde listed among the dead which occurred in 3073.
  4. Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers p. 126 - Internal Pain - Events of the Fritz Donner Bombing at Arc-Royal summit happened in Jan 3073.
  5. Falcon Rising, p.??[citation needed]

Bibliography