Editing Corinne Marik

{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Corinne Marik MM.jpg
| caption             = At age of 53 in 3076
| name                = Corinne Marik
| birthdate           = [[3023]]<ref name=MM>''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', pp. 68–69: "Corinne Marik"</ref>
| died                = 
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[House Marik-Stewart]]
| rank                = [[Captain-General of the Marik-Stewart Commonwealth|Captain-General]]
| title               = 
| position            = 
| profession          = 
| parents             = [[Paul Marik (31st c.)|Paul Marik]] (father)<ref name=HM(FWL)p140>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 140</ref>
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = Dominic<ref name=Fam>''Families''</ref>
| children            = [[Giselle Marik]]<ref name=Fam/>
}}
'''Corinne Marik''' was a [[House Marik]] noblewoman, [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]], military commander, and politician. She was the daughter of [[Paul Marik (31st c.)|Paul Marik]].<ref name=HM(FWL)p140/> During the [[Jihad]], Corinne became [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] of the [[Free Worlds League]]. When that nation was sundered, she continued to lead the [[Marik-Stewart Commonwealth]].

==History==
===Military Career===
Corinne attended the [[Allison MechWarrior Institute]] and graduated in [[3045]]<ref>''20 Year Update'', p. 95</ref>  Upon graduation, Corinne entered service as a captain in the [[2nd Free Worlds Legionnaires]] and was put in command of a company of BattleMechs. The Legionnaires were transferred to [[Sadurni]] in [[3047]] and Corinne grew to love the planet and its inhabitants.<ref>''Inner Sphere'', pp. 60, 62</ref> Corinne remained in the 2nd Legionnaires and achieved the ranks of [[Force Commander]] and was named executive officer of the Legionnaires by [[3058]].<ref name=FM>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', p. 37: "Officers"</ref>

In the later years of the 3060s she was promoted to the rank of colonel and was given command the 2nd Legionnaires 'Mech regiment.<ref name=FMU /> Though Corinne had long been loyal to Captain-General [[Thomas Marik]], she lent a small amount of support to her cousin [[Alys Rousset-Marik]] in Alys's attempt to repeal [[Resolution 288]]. Because of that, in 3067, her relationship with her father was shaky, and she was seen arguing with him in public during a Halloween Masque on [[Atreus (FWL)|Atreus]].<ref name=HbHM91>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 91: "Colonel Corinne Marik"</ref>

===Coup, Captain-Generalcy, and the Jihad===
Things began to change for Corinne in October [[3068]]. The [[Word of Blake]] announced that the man sitting of the throne of the [[Free Worlds League]] was not, in fact, [[Thomas Marik]], but an impostor planted by [[ComStar]].<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', p. 18, and ''Blake Ascending'', p. 178: "Time of Revelations"</ref> With this revelation, Corinne leaned on her father and gave him her support.<ref name=MM />

In August [[3069]] [[Paul Marik (31st c.)|Paul Marik]], using his position as League Minister of Intelligence and his hidden [[Word of Blake]] connections, mounted a coup against the fake Thomas Marik. Using Blakist resources he attacked the palace in an attempt to capture Thomas and his family. Paul was acting on the orders of his true brother, whom he referred to as "[[The Master]]". Corinne had learned what was to happen and intercepted the kidnapping forces, killing them.<ref name=TSB>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', pp. 6–8, and ''Blake Ascending'', pp. 166–168: "The Shrouded Blade"</ref> She convinced Thomas to flee with his family to safety off-world and made the arrangements for transportation. Upon arriving at transport a firefight broke out. Though the defending Blakist and Marik forces were killed or driven away, Thomas' two sons were killed and his wife Sherryl was severely injured. Corinne convinced Thomas to flee with his daughter [[Jessica Marik|Jessica]], swearing to obtain medical aid for Sherryl and to protect her until they could be reunited.<ref name=TSB />

With Thomas gone and Sherryl taken care of, Corrine succumbed to the pressure from her father and accepted the Captain-Generalcy. She was sworn in as the fifty-first Captain-General on 10 August 3069, though [[Kirc Cameron-Jones]] of [[Regulus]] also claimed the title.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', p. 73, and ''Blake Ascending'', p. 233: "New Marik Captain-General Installed"</ref><ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3072'', p. 19: "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref> Though she was placed there through the machinations of her father and Word of Blake, she did not support their agenda.<ref name=MM /><ref name=TSB /> Corinne transferred the 2nd Legionnaires to Atreus, where her former unit became her honor guard in addition to its garrison duties.<ref>''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', p. 81: "Free Worlds Legionnaires"</ref>

In February [[3071]], Parliament on Atreus reduced tariffs for world governments that remained loyal to Corinne. On the other hand, the government-in-exile Parliament on [[Oriente]] under "Thomas Marik" raised tariffs at the same time, causing confusion among the world governments, resulting in many paying no tariffs at all due to the conflicting messages. This served to highlight the divide between the regions of the League.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3072'', p. 25: "Parliament Raises, Lowers Tariffs"</ref> That divide was widened in November of the same year, when [[Therese Marik]] declared the [[Duchy of Tamarind]] independent of the League following the Blakist assassination of her husband, Marshal [[Jeremy Brett]].<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3072'', pp. 60–61: "Photon to Command Tamarind's Forces"</ref>

On 9 October [[3073]], Corinne attempted to bring the [[Principality of Regulus]] to heel by ordering them to obey the dictates of Atreus.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3076'', p. 34: "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref> On 9 September [[3076]], Regulan forces executed a commando raid on the [[SelaSys Incorporated|SelaSys Shipyards]] in the [[Loyalty]] system. The following day, Corinne issued a statement decrying the attack and again ordered Regulus to submit to Atreus.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3076'', pp. 86–87: "SelaSys Yards Attacked" & "Captain-General Corinne Marik Decries League Treachery"</ref><ref name=MM /> By [[3076]], it was evident that many distinct power blocs had developed in the Free Worlds League, and, while Corinne did command many core system near Atreus and [[Marik]], the League provinces had gone their own way.<ref>''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', p. 68</ref>

By late [[3077]], it became clear that [[Word of Blake]] was losing their [[Jihad]]. Corinne, never a Blakist supporter, wanted to be rid of them, so she met with a representative from Alys's resistance.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 49: "A Traitor Within?"</ref> Less than a month later, Alys led the Free Worlds League resistance to Atreus and Corinne struck at the Blakists.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 49: "Atreus Darkened"</ref> The fierce battle that ensued used nuclear weapons, but resulted in the Blakists being ousted from the League capital. Friction developed between the two formerly close cousins, however. As part of the agreement between them, Corinne was to turn over her father to be tried for war crimes and resign as Captain-General. Instead, Corinne did not turn Paul over and refused to resign unless Alys took over as Captain-General, refusing to accept Parliament as arbiter. Alys left Atreus, while a spokesperson for Corinne claimed that she would not accept having terms dictated to her.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', pp. 49–50: "Heir to No Throne"</ref>

===Still Captain-General===
The Free Worlds League was sundered for good in [[3078]].<ref>''Dark Age: Touring the Stars (3130)'', Volume XXXV: Epitaph for a Realm</ref> The [[Marik-Stewart Commonwealth]] emerged out of the League's ashes and tried to attract Alys Rousset-Marik as its leader. She refused after seeing the infighting present in the realm and took the worlds under her control with her to the [[Republic of the Sphere]]. Without Alys as a choice, Corinne Marik became the Captain-General in [[3082]].<ref>''Dark Age: Touring the Stars (3130)'': "Volume XXXVI: Legacies of the League—Marik-Stewart and Regulus"</ref> Corinne had evidently agreed with Alys at some point that the former Free Worlds League planets incorporated into the [[Word of Blake Protectorate]] would be allowed to choose who would govern them in the future, but Corinne was evidently unwilling or unable to enforce that agreement, at least initially. In defiance of whatever had been agreed the [[Home Guard (Free Worlds League)|Home Guard]] were still in place on [[Stewart]] and the [[Gryphons]] on [[Kalidasa]] in August [[3079]]. Alys contacted Corinne on the 10th of August 3079 and indicated in relatively blunt terms that the occupation of both worlds by the two regiments wouldn't be tolerated, even though Alys and her resistance forces had fought alongside the Home Guard and the Home Guard continued to regard Stewart as their homeworld. Declaring that the Free Worlds League had forfeited the right to govern the worlds since allowing them to be occupied by the Blakists and that their fate shouldn't be dictated by whichever local force had the largest army, Alys served Corinne with an ultimatum to remove both regiments.<ref name="O:FWLp36">''Objectives: Free Worlds League'', p. 36: "No More Niceties"</ref>

{{Quote|You agreed to this before; now I am holding you to that agreement. With force, if I must. Know that this will haunt me and my soldiers to the end of our days, but also know that I believe that this is the right thing to do. And trust me: I will win.|[[Duchess]] Alys Rousset-Marik to Captain-General Corinne Marik, 10 August 3079.<ref name="O:FWLp36"/>}}

==Philosophical and/or political views==
Corinne was not initially interested in politics and had, in fact, avoided all of House Marik's political machinations and legacies. Her personality was the exact opposite of her father's bookish nature. She took steps to distance herself from the political infighting and refused to be named second in line for the [[Free Worlds League]] throne.<ref>''20 Year Update'', p. 95</ref> Though Corinne was known to be pro-Thomas, following the betrothal of [[Isis Marik]] to [[Sun-Tzu Liao]], Corinne was a popular successor among Leaguers who could not stand to see a Liao Captain-General. When the betrothal was called off, Corinne became less popular as a successor, especially since Thomas had other heirs by that point. Most political attention left Corinne in favor of her cousin [[Alys Rousset-Marik]] when she dropped out of the spotlight after giving birth to her daughter Giselle.<ref name=FM /><ref name=SS>''Shattered Sphere'', pp. 81–82: "Force Commander Corinne Marik"</ref><ref name=FMU>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 145: "2nd Free Worlds Legionnaires"</ref>

In regards to her military record, she was noted for her easygoing and relaxed attitude, winning her the support of the men under her command. Corinne was never seen to exercise power beyond that of her earned rank, nor did she ever abuse her familial connections in pursuit of her personal and professional ambitions.{{cn}}

==Notes==
* Corinne's name is frequently spelled as "Corrine" in some sources.

==Portrait Gallery==
<gallery>
Corinne Marik 20YU.jpg|Corinne Marik at age 27 from ''[[20 Year Update]]''
Corinne Marik ShSphere.jpg|Corinne at age 38 from ''[[Shattered Sphere]]''
Corinne Marik MM.jpg|Corinne at age 53 from ''[[Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers|Masters and Minions]]''
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* ''[[20 Year Update]]''
* ''[[Blake Ascending]]''
* ''[[Dark Age: Touring the Stars (3130)]]''
* ''[[Families]]'' (short story)
* ''[[Field Manual: Free Worlds League]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
* ''[[Handbook: House Marik]]''
* ''[[House Marik (The Free Worlds League)]]''
* ''[[Inner Sphere (sourcebook)|Inner Sphere]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3070]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3072]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3076]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: Terra]]''
* ''[[Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers]]''
* ''[[Objectives: Free Worlds League]]''
* ''[[Shattered Sphere]]''
{{div col end}}

[[Category:Free Worlds League Characters|Marik, Corinne]]
[[Category:Captains-General|Marik, Corinne]]