Editing Jason Karrige

{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Jason Karrige OpKlindike.jpg
| caption             = Jason Karrige
| name                = Jason Karrige
| birthdate           = 3 January [[2769]]<ref name=H:OKp111>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 111: "Jason Karrige Profile" - birth and death of Khan noted. Year after operation Klondike he is killed</ref>
| died                = 7 July [[2824]]{{cn}}
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[Clan Widowmaker]]
| profession          = [[Khan of Clan Widowmaker|Khan]]
| parents             = 
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = 
}}
'''Jason Karrige''' was the first [[Khan]] of [[Clan Widowmaker]].

==Personality==
Karrige was known to have a ruthless streak in him after the death of his father. He was known for his way of smooth talking and his keen intelligence. His strong ambitions drove him, and would be the source of his demise.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 153: Rules Annex/Khan Jason Karrige - Character's traits described</ref>

==History==
===Early Life===
Born on [[New Syrtis]] in 2769, he was raised by his House Davion born family.  Jason's father, Nigel, was a logistics officer for the SLDF.  His family was forced to travel constantly during General Kerensky's campaign to liberate [[Terra]] from the [[Rim Worlds Republic]].

In [[2784]], Jason's family answered [[Aleksandr Kerensky]]'s call for [[Operation EXODUS]] and traveled with them to what would become the [[Pentagon Worlds]]. Unfortunately, his father fell under the sway of the mutineers of the ''[[Prinz Eugen Mutiny|Prinz Eugen]]'' rebels and was executed in its aftermath.  He and his mother fell under the cloud of being one of the families related to the mutineers.  From that moment on, he swore that he would always be in command of his destiny.  Once they reached the Pentagon Worlds in [[2786]], Jason and his family settled on [[Babylon]].<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', 111-112 "Jason Karrige Profile" - His origins and early life, including his father Captain Nigel Karrige's career and death</ref>

===Military Career with SLDF===
Once he was old enough, Jason became determined to succeed, and joined the Star League-In-Exile's [[SLDF]].  He won a spot at the [[Eden Military Academy]], becoming an officer like his late father.  He rose through the ranks of the exiled SLDF until he surpassed his father's rank of Captain, becoming a [[Major]]. The SLDF officers had a long memory however, and created a glass ceiling for those families involved in the revolt aboard the ''Prinz Eugen''<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', 111-112 "Jason Karrige Profile" - His military career hits a brick wall after being blocked by the SLDF high command's views on kin of mutineers</ref>

===Khan of Clan Widowmaker===
In [[2801]], [[Major General]] [[Nicholas Kerensky]] called his fellow SLDF members to join him on the [[Second Exodus]]. Jason was among those who chose to answer the call.

On the Star League-In-Exile colony world of [[Strana Mechty]], Nicholas Kerensky began his work to reform society, starting a series of brutal Trials among the SLDF soldiers in order to retain only the strongest. After passing Kerensky's brutal trials, Kerensky would choose Jason for his drive and determination to lead one of his Clans, despite his family's past.  As Khan Karrige, he became the founder of [[Clan Widowmaker]], with his saKhan [[Mariel Sanders]].

He and saKhan Sanders would shape their Clan's principal 40-warrior Cluster into a hard-hitting combined arms force.  He would employ frontline [[Star (Clan)|Stars]] of 'Mechs, while having the bulk of the vehicles and infantry forces act as security. The Khan's forces were shaped in such a way as to stealthily loop outside of Nicholas Kerensky's 40 warrior limit.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 81: Widowmaker Cluster - Force structure formed with guidance of Khan Karrige</ref>

In preparation for the forthcoming invasion of the [[Pentagon Worlds]], Karrige's Clan successfully won the bid to send naval forces as part of the joint [[Operation: Sable Sun|reconnaissance mission]] to the Pentagon. The mission was not without peril, where his Clan lost their [[Lola III]] WarShip, ''[[Lola_III#Named_Vessels|Black Venom]]'', in the process of securing the [[Dagda (Clan System)|Dagda]] solar system.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', pp. 45–46: Return to Pentagon/Dagda - Khan Karrige's bid forces' actions during Operation Sable Sun</ref>

With the successful breakthrough in creating Iron-womb-born children, Khan Karrige and his Clan no longer feared death. In March [[2820]], their time to reclaim the Pentagon worlds had come at last.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 33: Building a New Society/Preparing for the Return - Khan Karrige's speech to his Clan of readiness to return to Pentagon had come</ref>

====Operation KLONDIKE====
In July 22nd, [[2821]] Khan Karrige and his Widowmakers were finally deployed to their assigned target for [[Operation KLONDIKE]], Dagda. From a moon in the system, the Khan dispatched elements of his forces to a recon mission with the other assigned Clans.  After discovering that Dagda had fallen into a string of proto-states, Khan Karrige and the rest moved their forces into position to await their final order to attack. The message was given in August, ilKhan Kerensky had given the go-ahead to land.

Once on the ground, Khan Karrige had his forces work with Clan Burrock to conduct a Commando raid into their first target, the continent of Dratha.  The joint commando raid struck the port city of Folke, capital of the [[Hailes Commonwealth]]. Shortly after the crippling of the Commonwealth's fleet, Karrige's forces successfully secured the city after ten brutal days of house to house fighting.  They went on to move against the passive and brutalized Imbros Collective.  The Imbros were used to brutality from their neighboring proto-states and were stunned by their occupiers' kindness.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 82: Investing Dratha - Khan Karrige's Clans early successes in fighting for Dagda</ref>

In the later stages of Dratha operations in September, Khan Karrige's forces alongside Clan Burrock sliced through the Oriente Dominion and Ryan’s Roughnecks with ease, despite their foes outnumbering them. The Widowmakers concentrated their efforts against the Oriente Dominion, moving ahead quickly and taking their headquarters.

In 22nd October, as the Widowmakers made their way around Dratha's coastline. SaKhan [[Mariel Sanders]] was shot by an assassin in the mining village of Sunflower. SaKhan Sanders succumbed to her wounds after being medevaced. Khan Karrige called his active Bloodnamed warriors to select who would replace the saKhan using the provisions laid down by Kerensky.  Combat operations halted for two days, while he and his Clan would choose the fiery [[Cal Jorgensson]] as saKhan.

After the voting-in of the new saKhan, Karrige held all opposing troops as guilty as the assassin who had murdered Sanders. This marked the beginning of Clan Widowmaker's tendency to brutality.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', pp. 84–85: Dratha Redux - Oriente Dominion and assassination of saKhan Sanders</ref>

Later, Clan Widowmaker would be assigned to secure the outer reaches around the [[Black Brian]], the fortress held by the Brotherhood of Donegal. They formed the security force with their fellow Clans while the ilKhan and the Clans Wolf and Jade Falcon fought the siege of the Fortress for 54 days.<ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', pp. 86–87: The Siege of the Black Brian - Khan Karrige's Clan activities during</ref>

===Clan Wolverine and his demise===
With the conquest of the Pentagon Worlds complete, Jason Karrige's ambitions grew.  He began to weave political strings to gather more power for himself. Within a year of the end of KLONDIKE he was caught up with [[Clan Wolverine]], with official records stating he was killed by them.  However, many records of the time linked with the Not-Named Clan were intentionally lost.

After his death, his genetic legacy was lost, removing any trace of his name from the Bloodhouses.<ref name=HOK_111_112>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', 111-112: "Jason Karrige"</ref> Official Clan records from this chaotic time were modified to claim that his bloodline was "lost" in a lab accident.<ref name=HOK_111_112/><ref>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 101: "Death and Rebirth"</ref> Though in reality, his genetic legacy was unofficially "reaved" for his duplicity in escalating Nicholas' planned Trial of Absorption of Clan Wolverine into an Annihilation.

====True History====
Khan Karrige placed spies within Clan Wolverine, and informed ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky of what he had learned of Clan Wolverine's liberal treatment of its lower castes. The ilKhan rebuked him for such actions, as he felt that only the ilKhan had the right of surveillance of the other Clans.<ref name=BoIc2>''Betrayal of Ideals'', ch. 2</ref> Undeterred, Karrige began encouraging other Clans to engage the Wolverines in repeated Trials, implying that such had the ilKhan's tacit sanction.<ref name=BoIc4>''Betrayal of Ideals'', ch. 4</ref>

Eventually, [[Star Colonel]] [[Franklin Hallis]] found a Widowmaker spy, a [[Technician]] named Karl, who had been taken from the Widowmakers as a bondsman.  Karl had worked his way up to a position of trust within the Wolverine logistics operations, while still loyal to Clan Widowmaker.  Hallis ordered [[Trish Ebon]] to question Karl, authorizing the use of torture.  Through Karl, Clan Wolverine learned that the other Clans and the ilKhan were spying on them.<ref name=BoIc4/>

Karrige continued his attempt to covertly rally the other Clans against the Wolverines, including now Khan [[Hans Jorgensson]], who was less receptive than the others.<ref name=BoIc5>''Betrayal of Ideals'', ch. 5</ref>

Finally Karrige got the opening he was looking for: a border clash between the Wolverines and [[Clan Jade Falcon]] over the possession of a previously unknown [[Brian Cache]] came to the Grand Council.  Of particular concern were tactical nuclear weapons found in that cache. Karrige planted a barb, questioning if the Wolverines would give an accurate inventory of the contents of the cache.<ref name=BoIc9>''Betrayal of Ideals'', ch. 9</ref> When the ilKhan ruled that the contents of the cache had to be shared--via Trials--among the other Clans, Khan Sarah McEvedy and saKhan [[Dwight Robertson]] invoked a Trial of Refusal. Karrige sent two of his Star Colonels against them. Even as this happened, two agents of the Widowmaker Khan were stealing one of the nuclear weapons from the disputed cache.<ref name=BoIc10>''Betrayal of Ideals'', ch. 10</ref>

The Widowmakers sent two ''[[King Crab]]''s against McEvedy's ''[[Guillotine]]'' and Robertson's ''[[Black Knight]]''.  Robertson's cockpit was destroyed, killing him, and one of the ''King Crab''s was prepared to end Khan McEvedy as well when the ilKhan called an end to the trial, though Karrige did briefly object.<ref name=BoIc11>''Betrayal of Ideals'', ch. 11</ref>

Events thereafter quickly spiraled out of control, until finally the Wolverines declared their secession from the Clans, which led to a Trial of Absorption against them. During one part of that Trial, Jason Karrige led an attack against the city of [[Great Hope]], into which two of his people, disguised as member of the Wolverine infantry, had infiltrated with a tactical nuclear weapon.  The control for that weapon was in his cockpit.  With Nicholas Kerensky urging him to begin his attack, Karrige detonated the device.  Believing that the Wolverines had used such a device upon their own city, Nicholas called for a withdrawal to consider a new objective: Annihilation.<ref name=BoIc23>''Betrayal of Ideals'', ch. 23</ref>

The Trial of Annihilation's many battles led ultimately to the planet [[Barbados]], where the Khans bid among themselves for the right to destroy the Wolverines there.  Bidding came down to Clan Widowmaker and [[Clan Wolf]], with Wolf submitting the lowest bid.  There, Franklin Hallis, leading the last of the Wolverines, faced Nicholas Kerensky, who was outside his 'Mech.  Kerensky offered Hallis justice, naming Jason Karrige as the true destroyer of Great Hope.  The other Khans openly repudiated Karrige and his deeds, stepping away from him.  Alone, outside his BattleMech, he was incinerated by Hallis's ''[[Pulverizer]]''.  Afterward, the ilKhan decreed that Karrige had died facing the Wolverines in battle, but that his genetic legacy would not continue.<ref name=BoIc34>''Betrayal of Ideals'', ch. 34</ref>

==Notes==
Year of birth is incorrectly listed as 2669 in character's profile in the PDF version of ''[[Historical: Operation Klondike]]''; this has been fixed in print version.

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Historical: Operation Klondike]]''


[[Category:Clan Widowmaker Characters|Karrige, Jason]]
[[Category:Khans|Karrige, Jason]]