Editing Jessica Halas

{{Update Needed|[[Historical: Wars of the Republic Era]]|[[Technical Readout: 3150]]|[[Shattered Fortress]]|[[Hunting Season]]}}
{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Jessica-Marik.png
| caption             = Jessica Sophia Halas
| name                = Jessica Sophia Halas
| birthdate           = [[3063]]<ref name=HHM-53>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 53: "History - The Coming of the Clans and the Eagle's Rise"</ref>
| died                = 2 March [[3148]]<ref name=SFp100>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 100</ref>
| othernames          = Jessica Marik
| affiliation         = [[House Halas]]
| rank                = [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]]
| title               = 
| position            = 
| profession          = Noble
| parents             = [[Thomas Marik (False)|"Thomas Marik"]] (father)<br/>[[Sherryl Halas]] (mother)
| siblings            = [[Joshua Marik|Joshua]] (half-brother)<br/>[[Janos Halas|Janos III]]<br/>[[Christopher Marik (31st c.)|Christopher]]
| spouse              = [[Philip Hughes]]<br/>[[Thaddeus Marik (32nd c.)|Thaddeus Marik]]
| children            = [[Janos Halas-Hughes|Janos IV]]<br/>[[Julietta Halas-Hughes|Julietta]]<br/>[[Elis Halas-Hughes|Elis]]<br/>[[Christopher Halas-Hughes|Christopher]]<br/>[[Nikol Halas-Hughes|Nikol]]
}}
'''Jessica Sophia Halas''' was the daughter of the impostor [[Thomas Marik (False)|Thomas Marik]] and Lady [[Sherryl Halas]].<ref name="J:FRp61">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 61: "The Jihad in Review"</ref>

==History==
=== Early Years ===
At six years old, she and her mother survived an assassination attempt and escaped the Marik Palace on [[Atreus (FWL)|Atreus]] when [[Paul Marik (31st c.)|Paul Marik]] launched his coup in [[3070]]. The coup claimed the lives of her older brothers Janos and Christopher.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', pp. 4–6: "The Shrouded Blade"</ref>

===Marriage to Philip Hughes===
The engagement between Jessica and [[Philip Hughes]] was announced from Oriente on 15 July [[3081]].<ref name="J:FRp61"/><ref name="J:FRp26">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 26: "Halas Heir Engaged to Irian Scion"</ref> At the time, Jessica was a seventeen-year-old student at Oriente University and Philip was a cadet scion of the [[House Hughes|IrTech family]]. Jessica and Philip had met at a university fundraiser held in Amur the spring of [[3080]] to support victims of the [[Word of Blake]]. While there was much media speculation at the time that the two had begun a relationship, it wouldn't be confirmed to the media until October 3080. There was much speculation at the time in both celebrity and political circles that the engagement was a matter of political expediency to create close ties between the industrial base on [[Irian]] and Oriente in the wake of Irian joining the [[Republic of the Sphere]]. Despite these rumors, Duke Halas was quick to comment on the marriage as a parent:<ref name="J:FRp26"/>

{{Quote|''While as Duchess and Duke we recognize the tremendous diplomatic and dynastic import of this union, Sherryl and I would like to say that we are far more proud of our daughter and her husband-to-be simply as parents who wish their children all the happiness in the world.''|Duke [[Thomas Halas]], 15 January [[3081]]}}

Jessica later married Philip Hughes<ref name="J:FRp61"/> and had five children: [[Janos Marik IV|Janos]], [[Julietta Marik|Julietta]], decades later [[Elis Marik|Elis]], [[Christopher Marik (32nd c.)|Christopher]] and [[Nikol Marik|Nikol]].

===Oriente Protectorate===
When her father passed away, she was able to assume the position of [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] of the [[Oriente Protectorate]] in [[3097]].  It was an easy transition since she had been trained in the art of statecraft since she was a child.  As she took the reins of the nation, she dropped the surname of Halas and retook her old surname of Marik.<ref name=ER3145>''Era Report: 3145'', p. 95: "Jessica Marik profile"</ref>

Her love for her father was sincere and deep; she believed that he was the finest leader that the League had ever known.  She wished to emulate him, and in doing so she dreamed of recreating the Free Worlds League.

She had two bitter rivals standing against her reunification efforts. Captains-General [[Lester Cameron-Jones]] of [[Regulan Fiefs]] and [[Anson Marik]] of [[Marik-Stewart Commonwealth]].

====Dark Age====
When the [[HPG]] network collapsed, better known as [[Gray Monday]], she sent her armies to take worlds from the collapsing [[Republic of the Sphere]]. She sent her elite [[Eagle's Talons]] battalion to the world of [[Wyatt]] which just had its HPG station repaired.

In [[3134]], she received an invitation to attend the funeral of [[Victor Steiner-Davion]]. She dispatched her children on missions to strengthen the Oriente, while secretly setting into motion [[Operation STORMDRAIN]] to strengthen Oriente efforts for the reunification of the League.

Jessica and her daughter Nikol traveled to Terra.  During the course of events, she arranged for her daughter to meet rivals Lester and Anson to witness their hatred for her.  Then met with Chancellor [[Daoshen Liao]] to broker an agreement for the further invasion of Republic [[Prefecture V|Prefectures V]] and [[Prefecture VI]].

===Rebuilding the Free Worlds League===
By 3137, her operations had been successful, but two of her children were attacked with one killed. After receiving verbal conditions from Duke [[Fontaine Marik]], she needed Marik blood to cement her claim for the League and his support.  She decided to annul her five-decade marriage to Hughes to marry [[Thaddeus Marik (32nd c.)|Thaddeus Marik]] in order to gain the support that she needed. However, when Marik died, she re-wed Philip Hughes.<ref name=ER3145 />

In January [[3138]], she sent the Eagle Talons to destroy a 'Mech assembly plant on [[Kwamashu]]. A month later, she learned that her Talons had been destroyed by a 'Mech plant explosion which had poisoned the planet and triggered a war between the Orientes and Anduriens.

In August, she married Thaddeus Marik.

In April of [[3139]], she called Oriente's allies to fight off Regulan forces occupying Atreus, calling it [[Operation HOMECOMING]].

On July 3rd, she was installed as Captain-General of the newly reborn Free Worlds League.

===Death===
On 2 March [[3148]], an explosion in the Halas family palace on [[Oriente]] killed Jessica Marik.<ref name=SFortress>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 52</ref> The assassin responsible for the explosion named [[House Selaj]] during his interrogation, and taking this as proof of Regulan complicity in the assassination, [[Nikol Marik]] pushed Parliament to vote for an invasion of the [[Regulan Fiefs]], which they did.<ref name=SFortress>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 52</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Jessica_Marik_HWotRE.jpg|At age 40 in 3103
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Era Report: 3145]]''
* ''[[Jihad: Final Reckoning]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3070]]''
* ''[[Pandora's Gambit]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Principles of Desolation]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Shattered Fortress]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3150]]''
* ''[[To Ride the Chimera]]'' (novel)

[[Category:Free Worlds League Characters|Halas, Jessica]]
[[Category:Oriente Protectorate Characters|Halas, Jessica]]
[[Category:Captains-General|Halas, Jessica]]