Editing Trent Arian

{{Update Needed|[[Ideal War]]}}
{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Trent Arian.jpg
| name                = Trent Arian
| birthdate           = [[3001]]<ref name=FOTp66>''The Fall of Terra'', p. 66</ref>
| died                = 6 June [[3061]]<ref name=FMC1>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 4: "Voice of the Resistance"</ref>
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[ComStar]]<br/>[[Word of Blake]]
| rank                = [[Precentor Martial of the Word of Blake]]<ref name=FOTp66/>
| title               = 
| position            = 
| profession          = [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]
| parents             = 
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = 
}}
'''Trent Arian''' was the first [[Precentor Martial of the Word of Blake]] and helped to plan [[Operation ODYSSEUS]], the Blakists' capture of [[Terra]].

==History==
===Early Life===
Born on the [[Draconis Combine]] world of [[Otho]], Trent Arian joined [[ComStar]] shortly before the outbreak of the [[Fourth Succession War]]. After attending the [[Sandhurst Military College]] on Terra from [[3027]] to [[3030]], he entered service with the still hidden and secret Com Guards. When ComStar officially revealed the existence of their military, Arian was posted to a unit that saw action in the [[Periphery]] and by [[3040]] he had risen to commanded of a [[Level III]] in the [[83rd Division (ComStar)|83rd Division (The White Cyclones)]], successfully mediating unrest sparked by religious hatred on the [[Federated Commonwealth]] world of [[Islamabad]].<ref name=FOTp66/>

===Tukayyid and ComStar Schism===
When the Com Guards were called to battle the [[Clans]] on [[Battle of Tukayyid (3052)|Tukayyid]], Arian received a promotion to [[Precentor]] and was given command of the [[85th Division (ComStar)|85th Division (Lions of the Periphery)]].<ref name=FOTp66/> The 85th was among those forces deployed for the defense of Kozice Prime, one of the targets assigned to [[Clan Diamond Shark]]. After several days of intense fighting, the 85th was mauled with a third of the division destroyed, though the Shark force was reduced to only two survivors. The surviving units of the 85th managed to disrupt the supply lines of the Sharks' [[Gamma Galaxy (Clan Diamond Shark)|Gamma Galaxy]], but were wiped out in the process, despite the arrival of the [[2nd Army (ComStar)|2nd]] and [[5th Army (ComStar)|5th Armies]].<ref name=T>''Tukayyid'', p. 69: "Campaign: Clan Diamond Shark"</ref> Precentor Arian was shot out of his [[BattleMech]] twice during the battle and badly wounded, but steadfastly refused to retire from the field until last of Diamond Sharks withdrew from the planet. Arian won the [[Precentor's Sword]] for his actions.<ref name=FOTp66/>

Upon returning to Terra for rest and refit, he learned of the death of [[Myndo Waterly]] and the reformation and secularization of the Order. He promptly took a [[Level III]] of 'Mechs when he defected to [[Gibson]], in the [[Free Worlds League]], where he pledged his loyalty to the Word of Blake.<ref name=FOTp66/> Despite their philosophical differences, all Word of Blake factions realized that the number of refugees coming from the ranks of the Com Guards made a Precentor Martial necessary for their organization, as nominal commander of the largest single group of refugees Arian was promoted to that position.<ref name=CS>''ComStar'', p. 94: "Blake Guard/Word of Blake Militia"</ref><ref name=FMC35>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 35: "85th Division"</ref>

===Word of Blake Militia and Operation ODYSSEUS===
One of his first actions was to order the mass production of several new BattleMech designs to provide equipment for the large number of 'Mech-less warriors flocking to their banner, including the ''[[Grand Crusader]]'' which was to become his signature 'Mech.<ref name=CS/> Many in the Inner Sphere attributed the success and quick expansion of the [[Word of Blake Militia]] to Arian's direction.<ref name=FOTp66/>

His skill and determination bore fruit in [[3058]], when the Word of Blake was strong enough to launch Operation ODYSSEUS: the invasion and conquest of Terra. Through deception and military skill, the Blakists' successful assault on the cradle of humanity took a mere nine days, with Arian himself participating in the final stages of battle at Sandhurst Military Academy. Trent Arian was named governor of Terra and proceeded to reverse the many changes instituted by the secular ComStar as the Word of Blake moved increasing numbers of troops and personnel to the planet.<ref name=TFOT1>''The Fall of Terra'', pp. 7–11</ref>

===Death and Legacy===
While the successful occupation of Terra won Trent Arian much praise, it also earned him a great deal of internal and external enemies. A number of Com Guard survivors had begun guerrilla actions against the occupiers and as governor, Arian was a prime target, surviving a number of assassination attempts.  He also expressed a disdain for the political maneuverings that infected the Word of Blake's inner councils and tried to keep himself out of the infighting. Increasingly seen as too "soft" by the Blakist sects who desired a more proactive and militant Precentor Martial, he began to grow wary of [[Cameron St. Jamais]], the leader of the radical [[Word of Blake#Politics|Toyama Sect]] faction.<ref name=FMC1/>

On 6th June [[3061]] while on his way to a memorial service to commemorate the anniversary of Primus Myndo Waterly's death, Arian and his aide, [[Suzanne Mulvanery]], were killed instantly by an assassin's bomb.<ref name=FMC1/> While Word of Blake investigators tracked the explosive device to a Com Guard insurgent, members of the [[Sixth of June]] performed the assassination to allow Arian's rival and their fellow Sixth of June member Cameron St. Jamais to be appointed Precentor Martial in his place.<ref name=FMC2>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 46: "Word of Blake Militia - Recent Events"</ref><ref name=ISP>''Interstellar Players'', p. 16: "Sixth of June"</ref>

==Titles and Positions==
{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=none}}
{{s-title|title=[[Precentor Martial of the Word of Blake|Precentor Martial]] of the [[Word of Blake Militia]]|years=around [[3052]]-[[3061]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Cameron St. Jamais]]}}
{{s-end}}

==Philosophical and political views==
While a quiet man, appearing at times indifferent or even bored, his demeanor masked a sharp and attentive intellect. Despite spending most of his adult life as a soldier, Trent was acutely aware of the dehumanizing effect of battle on warriors and feared that in particular his troops would allow their hatred for their ComStar brethren to overcome the more noble aspects of their profession when they finally met in combat.<ref name=FOTp66/>

Similarly, Arian greatly desired to minimize civilian casualties during battle, he disliked putting civilians in harm's way and tried to avoid such situations whenever possible. Many times, when uncomfortably reminded of the horrors of war, he would gently touch his right shoulder, which had been injured during the fight on [[Tukayyid]] and served as a constant reminder of the price that war extracted from its victims.<ref name=FOTp66/>

While seeking to avoid the political infighting that beset the Word of Blake, Arian's beliefs were closest to those of the moderate [[Word of Blake#Politics|True Believers]]. His moderate leaning and high position earned him the ire of the more militant factions and resulted in his assassination.<ref name=ISP/>

==BattleMech==
Trent Arian piloted a ''[[Grand Crusader]]'' during Operation ODYSSEUS.<ref name=FOTp66/>

==Notes==
* The year of Trent's birth has been determined from ''[[The Fall of Terra]]'' noting that he was fifty-seven years old in [[3058]].<ref name=FOTp66/>

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
* ''[[ComStar (sourcebook)|ComStar]]''
* ''[[The Fall of Terra]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: ComStar]]''
* ''[[Interstellar Players]]''
* ''[[Tukayyid (scenario pack)|Tukayyid]]'' (scenario pack)

[[Category: Draconis Combine Characters|Arian, Trent]]
[[Category: ComStar Characters|Arian, Trent]]
[[Category: Word of Blake Characters|Arian, Trent]]