Mildred Humphreys
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Mildred Humphreys | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Born | 2986[1] |
| Died | 8/9 March 3031[2] |
| Affiliation | House Humphreys |
| Profile | |
| Profession | General |
| Family | |
| Parents | Catherine Humphreys (mother) |
| Siblings | Michael Humphreys James Humphreys Conrad Humphreys Laurence Humphreys Richard Humphreys Louise Humphreys |
Mildred Humphreys was the third child and eldest daughter of Dame Catherine Humphreys of the Duchy of Andurien.[1]
Like her two elder brothers, she had carved out a career for herself in the military. Described as driven and skilled, she rose to command the Sixth Defenders of Andurien battle group, which prompted an intense rivalry with her siblings.[1]
History
Marik Civil War
Mildred was the commanding officer of the Sixth Defenders of Andurien from at least 3015. The Duchy of Andurien offered lukewarm support to Captain-General Janos Marik in the Marik civil war, and the Sixth Defenders of Andurien under Mildred Humphreys wound up in the fighting on Calloway VI near the end of the conflict. Reportedly, Mildred Humphreys offered only token resistance to rebel forces after "being thrown to the wolves".[3]
Andurien Secession
The Andurien Secession of 3030 was at the same time a joint attack on the Capellan Confederation together with the Magistracy of Canopus. The Sixth Defenders of Andurien, still commanded by Mildred Humphreys, were sent to capture Grand Base–a highly symbolic as well as militarily important assignment. However, dogged Capellan resistance at the jump points, with the battle at the zenith jump point recharge station lasting nineteen hours, meant the planet had ample warning time.[4]
On the ground, the defenders (including Warrior House Fujita) chose asymmetrical warfare over open field battles. Humphreys decided to crush the Warrior House first, expecting the militia would then fold and cease resistance. This led to a cat-and-mouse game that would often be studied in Free Worlds League academies fortwith.[5]
It was only near the end of 3030 that Humphreys decided to send two of her 'Mech battalions against the Earthwerks factories on Grand Base. They encountered stiff resistance, upsetting their timetable. Meanwhile, terror attacks against the third battalion and inexplicable disappearances of entire patrols and even a sentry on guard in the HQ building undermined their morale. By late January it was found that Death Commandos among the defenders were responsible. By this time Mildred Humphreys is referred to as General Humphreys (and not Lieutenant General, like during the fighting on Calloway VI in 3015). General Humphreys admitted to her mother that she felt the attack on Grand Base had been stalemated.[2]
On 9 March 3031, General Humphreys was found dead in her quarters, shot in the head at close range.[2]
According to the (apocryphal) novel Zorn, Mildred Humphreys was killed in her sleep by Death Commando trainee Jen Xiao.
Notes
- While it is implied that Mildred Humphreys was a MechWarrior, there is no proof or even evidence of this in the source material beyond the fact that she commanded the Sixth Defenders of Andurien, which were described as a "battle group" centered on a BattleMech regiment.
- The portions for the Inner Sphere in Flames ruleset in the Historical: Brush Wars sourcebook offers a "Sample Leaders and Factions" table for the Andurien Wars period on p. 136. All leaders therein have a populartity rating of either 50 or 100, and Mildred Humphreys is given a rating of 50. Her stated LD rating is 6, tied for second-highest with Tsen Shang and surpassed only by Thomas Marik (LD 7). Most others, including Catherine Humphreys, have a LD rating of 4.