Editing Galen Cox

{{Update Needed|[[Bred for War]]|[[Jihad Hot Spots: Terra]]|[[Vengeance (novella)]]|[[Shadows of Faith]]|[[Era Report: 3052]]|[[Lethal Heritage]]|[[Blood Legacy]]|[[Lost Destiny]]|[[Natural Selection]]|[[Assumption of Risk]]| [[Malicious Intent]]|[[Grave Covenant]]|[[Prince of Havoc]]|[[Patriots and Tyrants]]|[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 17]]|[[Field Manual: 3085]]|[[Endgame]]}}
{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Galen Cox BTLegends.jpg
| caption             = Galen Cox
| name                = Galen Cox
| birthdate           = [[3020]]<ref name="MM">''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', pp. 208–209</ref>
| died                = [[3102]]<ref name="RG17">''Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 17'', p. 6</ref>
| othernames          = Erwin Bräuer,<br/>Jerrard Cranston
| affiliation         = [[Federated Commonwealth]]
| rank                = [[Prince's Champion]]
| position            = 
| profession          = [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]
| parents             = [[Anderson Cox]] (father)<ref name=GCc23>''Grave Covenant'', ch. 23</ref>
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = 
}}
'''Galen Cox''', also known as ''' Jerrard Cranston''', spent most of his military career serving as aide and friend to [[Victor Steiner-Davion]]. 

==History==
===Early years===
Born into a [[Quillar]] farming family on the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] border world of [[Alexandria (LC)|Alexandria]], the death of Galen's parents during a [[Draconis Combine]] attack in [[3039]] drove the young man to enlist in the newly created [[Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth]] to avenge them. His natural aptitude for piloting [[BattleMech]]s secured him a [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] training position at the [[War College of Tamar]], graduating in [[3042]].<ref name="MM"/>

===Military service===
Assigned to the [[Twelfth Donegal Guards]] stationed on [[Ryde]], Galen was soon promoted to [[company]] command for his actions at the controls of his ''[[Crusader]]'' against raids by the [[DCMS]]. In [[3050]] when the unseasoned heir to the [[Federated Commonwealth]] Victor Steiner-Davion was assigned to command an entire [[battalion]] in the Twelfth directly after graduating from the [[Nagelring]], Galen volunteered to "nursemaid" him through his first assignment.<ref name="MM"/>

At first Victor resisted the approaches of his ill-defined aide, but came to recognize that Galen was attempting to be the exact opposite of the spine-less "Yes-Man" he had come to expect. When [[Clan Jade Falcon]] virtually overran their unit on [[Trellwan]] during the opening shots of the [[Clan Invasion]], Galen's role was put to the ultimate test when he was forced to knock the prince out to ensure Victor could be safely evacuated off-world.

Continuing to serve as Victor's Adjutant upon the Prince's transfer to command of the [[Tenth Lyran Guards]], Galen saw action on [[Twycross]], [[Alyina]], and [[Teniente]] as a genuine friendship developed between both men. Upon [[Hanse Davion]]'s death shortly after the [[Battle of Tukayyid (3052)|Battle of Tukayyid]] and Victor's elevation to rule of the [[Federated Commonwealth]], Galen was appointed to the position of [[Prince's Champion]] as he began a relationship with Victor's younger sister [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]], the pair becoming engaged in early [[3056]].

However in April [[3056]] during a visit to [[Solaris VII]], he was believed killed in a bomb assassination ordered by [[Ryan Steiner]]. In actuality, he had been spared when [[MIIO]] agents had linked his fiancée to the bomb assassination of [[Melissa Steiner-Davion]], and in turn discovered the warning passed on to her by a mole she had placed in Ryan Steiner's staff.

===Jerrard Cranston===
Several months later, having undergone plastic surgery and wearing a thick beard to help differentiate himself from his previously clean-shaven look, Galen Cox emerged as Jerrard Cranston, a personal aide to Prince Victor.

With his cover identity background intended to be roughly similar to his true one to avoid question while explaining his background and military experience, Cranston supposedly hailed from [[Callison]] in the [[Isle of Skye]], being first posted to the [[Eleventh Lyran Guards]] before being transferred to the [[First Lyran Guards]] [[RCT]], seeing action against the [[Clans]] on [[Maestu]] in [[3051]].<ref name="SS">''Shattered Sphere'', pp. 26, 35</ref> Reportedly retiring from military service shortly after the Battle of Tukayyid, Cranston official records abruptly ceased until he mysteriously appeared at Victor's side. 

While Cranston publicly served as an minor aide to the Archon-Prince to cloak his responsibilities, in actual fact Galen served as primary Intelligence adviser for Victor. Upon Victor's return from [[Clan]]-space and following Katherine's coup against Regent [[Yvonne Steiner-Davion]] in [[3061]], Galen accompanied him into exile, shattering his humble façade when he was formally appointed Director of Intelligence for the [[Star League Defense Force]] later that same year.

Even while serving in this position, Galen continued to funnel info and maintain connections in both the [[Lyran Alliance]] and Davion Federated Commonwealth to assist Victor in the approaching conflict. After the [[Federated Commonwealth Civil War]] official started, Galen once again returned to the position of formal personal aide for his friend. At the conclusion of the Civil War with Katherine deposed, Galen abandoned the Cranston persona.<ref name="MM"/>

===Galen Cox once more===
After the fall of the [[Second Star League]], the once again clean-shaven Cox formally joined ComStar and resumed his old role as Adjutant to Victor.<ref name="MM"/>

===Jihad===
Galen Cox led ComStar's [[2nd Army (ComStar)|Second Army]] during [[Operation SCOUR]], the allied coalition campaign to liberate the worlds of the [[Word of Blake Protectorate]]. With the Second Army operating as a part of Group II of the [[Federated Suns]] front of SCOUR, Galen Cox would lead the assault on [[Fletcher (CC)|Fletcher]] alongside [[Connor Sortek]] and the [[First Davion Guards]] in what would prove to be a short campaign; the two coalition units easily crushed the defending Blakist forces, something the Federated Suns media considered a foregone conclusion at the time due to the units and personalities involved.<ref name="JHS:Tp39+">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', pp. 39–40: "Ingress, Fletcher Fall"</ref>

It was confirmed by [[General]] [[Belle Lee]] that during the campaign against [[Terra]] itself, Cox would be leading the ground assault near Texas in North America, while his former Group II compatriot Connor Sortek led the campaign against Unity City on the same continent.<ref name="JHS:Tp93">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 93: "Force Breakdown"</ref>

==BattleMechs==
Cox made extensive use of a ''[[Crusader]]'' BattleMech, most notably during the Clan Invasion. By the FedCom Civil War, he was piloting a ''[[Devastator]]''.<ref>''Storms of Fate'', p.{{cn}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Jerrard Cranston ShSphere.jpg|Jerrard Cranston at age 41 from ''[[Shattered Sphere]]''
Galen Cox BTLegends.jpg|Galen Cox from ''[[BattleTech: Legends|BT:Legends]]''
Galen Cox BTTCG.jpg|Cox from ''[[BattleTech Trading Card Game|BTTCG]]''
Crusader (Stormcloud) BTLegends.jpg|Cox's ''Crusader'', "''Stormcloud''", from ''BT:Legends''
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Grave Covenant]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers]]''
* ''[[Natural Selection]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 17]]''
* ''[[Shattered Sphere]]''
* ''[[Storms of Fate]]'' (novel)

[[Category:ComStar Characters|Cox, Galen]]
[[Category:Lyran Commonwealth Characters|Cox, Galen]]
[[Category:Star League Characters|Cox, Galen]]
[[Category:Federated Suns Characters|Cox, Galen]]
[[Category:Notable Crusader Pilots|Cox, Galen]]