Editing Kai Allard-Liao

{{Update Needed|[[Era Report: 3052]]|[[Handbook: House Liao]]|[[The Longest Road]]|[[Era Report: 3145]]|[[Technical Readout: 3145 Capellan Confederation]]|[[Historical: Wars of the Republic Era]]|[[Operational Turning Points: Capellan Crusades]]}}
{{Cleanup|reason=review needed|date=September 2023}}
{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Kai Allard-Liao BTL.jpg
| caption             = Kai Allard-Liao
| name                = Kai Allard-Liao
| birthdate           = 1 June [[3030]]<ref name=FM:CCp26>''Field Manual: Capellan Confederation'', p. 26, "Kai Allard-Liao profile"</ref><ref>''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', p. 51 - "House Liao Key Personalities"</ref>
| died                = [[3113]]<ref name=ER3145>''Era Report: 3145'', p. 87, "Danai Profile"</ref>
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[House Allard-Liao]]
| rank                = 
| title               = [[Duke of St. Ives]]
| position            = 
| profession          = [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]<br>[[Arena Gladiator]]
| parents             = [[Justin Allard]] (father)<br/>[[Candace Liao]] (mother)
| siblings            = [[Cassandra Allard-Liao|Cassandra]]<br/>[[Kuan-Yin Allard-Liao|Kuan-Yin]]<br/>[[Quintus Allard-Liao|Quintus]]
| spouse              = [[Deirdre Lear]]
| children            = [[David Lear]]<br/>[[Melissa Allard-Liao]]
}}
'''Kai Allard-Liao''' was the eldest child of [[Justin Allard]] and [[Candace Liao]]. As such, he stood to become the ruler of the [[St. Ives Compact]], but his accession never came to pass because the Compact was forcibly reintegrated into the [[Capellan Confederation]] in [[3063]]. He was the [[Class Six Champions|Solaris Grand Champion]] for two years during the middle 3050s, prompting many observers to declare him the best [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] of his generation.<ref name=SS>''Shattered Sphere'', p. 73</ref><ref name=FTC>''MechWarrior's Guide to Solaris VII'', p. 62 - "Fast Track Champion''</ref>

==History==
===Early life===
Born on [[New Avalon]],<ref name=FM:CCp26/> Kai grew up in a fiercely competitive family, his father having once been Solaris Champion himself and his mother was also an accomplished MechWarrior. He attended the [[Armed Forces of the Federated Suns#New Avalon Institute of Science: College of Military Sciences|New Avalon Military Academy]], where he met [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] during an exchange program. The two there formed the basis of a firm friendship, rare among nobility from neighboring nations. Before graduating from NAMA in [[3049]]<ref name=SS />, Kai became the first cadet to score a draw against the incredibly difficult "La Mancha" simulator program. His tactics served as the basis that Victor used to become the first cadet to defeat the scenario while he was at the [[Nagelring|Nagelring]]. During his time at the academy, Kai's lack of self-confidence first made itself evident.

===AFFC===
Upon graduation, he joined service with the [[Federated Commonwealth]]'s [[Tenth Lyran Guards]] as a [[Lieutenant]], a position he held when Victor joined the unit as Kai's [[battalion]] commander.<ref name=SS /> They were both on the team that came up with a strategy to strike back at the [[Clans]] during the [[Clan invasion]]. It was during that battle in [[3050]] that Kai engineered the destruction of the [[Falcon Guards]] at the Great Gash on [[Twycross]] single-handed.<ref name=SS /> He traveled with the other leaders and heirs of the [[Inner Sphere]] in [[3051]] to [[Outreach]] at the request of [[Jaime Wolf]] to learn about the Clans. On Outreach, Kai fought in a Clan-style [[Clans#Trial of Position|Trial of Position]] and defeated an unprecedented five of his six opponents, including Prince [[Hanse Davion]] before falling to Jaime himself. He turned down Jaime's offer of the ''[[Dire Wolf (Daishi)|Daishi]]'' he had piloted to keep ''[[Yen-Lo-Wang]]'', the CN-9AH ''[[Centurion (BattleMech)|Centurion]]'' that had been his father's 'Mech. Hanse Davion insisted on rewarding his performance, and upgraded ''Yen-Lo-Wang'' with newly rediscovered [[Star League]] technology derived from the [[Helm Memory Core]].

===Alyina===
In [[3052]], while on [[Alyina]], Clan Jade Falcon forces crushed Victor Davion's unit and tried to capture him. Kai led a counterattack which saved Victor and let him escape. He ordered his lance to protect the Prince while he broke out of Clan Jade Falcon's trap. In the process his 'Mech was crippled while fighting a Star of jump pack–equipped OmniMechs. Kai found himself trapped behind enemy lines. Avoiding capture for some time and even killing one Elemental in the process, he was nearly killed by [[Taman Malthus]]. Narrowly escaping death, he returned to Comstar's compound in the middle of [[ComStar]]'s [[Operation SCORPION]]. With the help of [[Clan Jade Falcon]] forces who had initially tried to capture him, Kai struck back at the Comstar unit that had captured the Clan forces. After helping the Falcon troops to liberate themselves, he was allowed to return home with the company of those [[AFFC]] soldiers captured by Clan Jade Falcon on Alyina. When he returned to Inner Sphere lines, he was informed that his father had been assassinated by an agent sent by Chancellor [[Romano Liao]].<ref>''Lost Destiny''</ref>

===Champion===
Kai traveled to [[Solaris VII]] in [[3053]].<ref name=FTC /> In [[3054]] he challenged and defeated then-champion [[Jason Bloch]], but refused to duel him again for the title, letting it lie vacant instead. Like his father, Kai became the Solaris Champion, a title he held from [[3055]] to [[3056]]. Solarans widely speculated that Kai would go on to surpass [[Gray Noton]]'s legendary seven-year reign as Solaris Champion, but Kai retired after only two years on top. It was during this time that Kai mostly overcame his chronic self-doubt and married Dr. [[Deirdre Lear]].<ref name=KAL>''MechWarrior's Guide to Solaris VII'', p. 64 - "Kai Allard-Liao"</ref>

He also took control of his uncle [[Tormano Liao]]'s [[Free Capella]] organization.<ref name=KAL /> Under Kai's aegis, Free Capella transformed from a revolutionary organization into an aid agency. Tormano was incensed at what his nephew had done, so he took back control of the organization he had founded to oppose tyranny in the [[Capellan Confederation]].

===Operation BULLDOG===
In [[3059]], he led the [[First St. Ives Lancers]] during [[Operation BULLDOG]]. He was in command for the liberation of [[Tarazed]] and took part in the battles for [[Caripare]] and [[Schuyler]]. After the end of the Operation, he joined [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] in the mop-up action on [[Huntress]] and for the [[Great Refusal]] on [[Strana Mechty]] in [[3060]], wherein piloting a ''Stormcrow'' he defeated Khan [[Vlad Ward]] of [[Clan Wolf]] and achieved a draw against the Wolf [[Binary]].<ref name=SS />

===Capellan Civil War===
While away from the Inner Sphere, rogue units of the St. Ives military under the command of a Capellan spy attempted to capture or assassinate then-First Lord and Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao on the planet [[Hustaing]]. This prompted the deployment of Star League Peacekeepers to several Compact worlds to ensure that no further provocations took place. Unfortunately, their presence only escalated the violence and on 20 February 3061, [[Capellan-St. Ives War|war was formally declared]] between the Capellan Confederation and the St. Ives Compact. 

Upon returning to the Inner Sphere in April 3061, Kai became an active participant in the defense of his homeland against the Capellan Confederation. He accompanied his mother, Duchess Candace, to the [[Second Whitting Conference]] where the St. Ives Compact successfully petitioned for [[Star League Defense Force]] assistance against what was by then a full-fledged war. At least three regiments of the elite [[Eridani Light Horse]] were confirmed being sent to aid the St. Ives Compact.

Kai Allard-Liao's military contributions began in a raiding campaign against CCAF supply lines deep behind enemy lines. He led his [[1st St. Ives Lancers]] to significant victories in Sarna and Necromo before being ambushed in Capella. Too badly damaged to continue, the 1st St. Ives Lancers returned for refit in time to participate in the defense of St. Ives. Outnumbered 3-1, the defenders of the realm's capital were steadily beaten down until the planet fell with the evacuation of Duchess Candace Liao. Kai and his regiment spent the remainder of the war along the Teng Front until peace was declared.

===FedCom Civil War===
Kai was released on his honor by his cousin Chancellor [[Sun-Tzu Liao]] to help Victor regain his throne from his sister [[Katherine Steiner-Davion|Katherine]]. Kai led a portion of the 1st St. Ives Lancers to Victor's aid, meeting up with him on [[Tikonov]] in the fall of [[3066]].<ref>''Endgame'', p. 147-148</ref> He participated with Victor's campaign on [[New Avalon]] between [[3066]]-[[3067]].<ref>''Endgame''</ref><ref>''The FedCom Civil War''</ref>

===Jihad===
On 25 June [[3068]], on St.Ives, he allowed himself to be abducted at [[St. Ives]] by the [[Bounty Hunter]], which had captured his daughter Melissa Allard. In exchange for her liberation, Kai surrended without any fight.<ref name=Timeline />  Who had contracted the Hunter and why became evident later, when Kai was sighted in the company of Duke [[George Hasek II|George Hasek]] of the [[Federated Suns]] just prior to the Duke's [[Operation SOVEREIGN JUSTICE|assault]] against the [[Capellan Confederation]]. Duke Hasek claimed to be launching the assault in the name of the fallen St. Ives Compact and Kai, though it was not clear Kai participated willingly. By removing Kai from the Confederation, Hasek also removed a potential enemy.<ref name=Timeline>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', pp. 16-17 & ''Blake Ascending'', pp. 176-177, "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref><ref>''Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents'', p. 17, "Precursor"</ref> On 15 June [[3069]], he was "rescued" by [[Death Commandos]] during the [[Operation THUNDERSTRIKE|Capellan counterattack]].<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3072'', p. 16, "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref>

===Republic Era===
In the aftermath of the [[Jihad]] Kai found himself to be in a very different position to the leadership of the various Capellan Commonalities - including the remaining senior figures within the St. Ives Commonality. Kai believed that regardless of exactly how the [[Republic of the Sphere]] had subsumed control of a number of former Capellan worlds, contesting control of those worlds would not be worth the cost in lives that would ultimately ensue. With the Chancellor staunchly opposed to the Republic and strongly nationalistic feelings sweeping the Confederation, Kai's position was increasingly isolated; his son David speculated that the reason Kai spent so much time in the field with the [[1st St. Ives Lancers]] in the early [[3080]]s was to avoid the political atmosphere in the St. Ives court.<ref name="J:FRp102">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 102, "The Political Landscape Of The Capellan Confederation"</ref>

In mid-[[3081]] Kai was facing many calls to retire from those even inside his personal command; while Kai's calls for peace differed from the desires of those within the [[St. Ives Armored Cavalry]], those who criticised him cited the idea that Kai had become emotionally exhausted after more than twenty years of continual warfare, rather than questioning his loyalty to the Confederation.<ref name="J:FRp99">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 99, "The St. Ives Armored Cavalry"</ref>

Despite the questions as to his loyalties, later that year the [[Strategios]] ordered the 1st Lancers from their garrison on [[Liao]] to retake the historically Capellan world of [[Genoa]] from the Republic, taking Kai by surprise. While the Lancers succeeded in pushing the [[Dragonfang Cluster]] off-world, the operation was primarily coordinated by the Lancers' XO due to increasing friction between Kai and his junior officers. When the Strategios then ordered the Lancers to attack [[Terra Firma]], a historically [[Terran Hegemony]] world that only fell under Capellan control after the collapse of the Star League, Kai had had enough. <ref name=FM3085-25>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 25 "The Capellan Confederation - St. Ives Armored Cavalry"</ref>

Invoking his authority as Duke of St. Ives, Kai refused the order stating he would not be a party to starting the next war. The majority of the 1st St. Ives Lancers then mutinied against him and his XO accused him of treason. Kai only escaped thanks to the assistance of a handful of Lancers that remained loyal to him, most of whom died allowing him to ultimately defect to the Republic of the Sphere. Kai's actions were seen in the Confederation as a shocking betrayal, shattering the morale of the St. Ives Armored Cavalry and eliciting a very public rebuke from his sister Kuan-Yin for betraying "their people". <ref name=FM3085-25/><ref name=FM3085-20>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 20 "The Capellan Confederation - General Review - A Broken Home"</ref>

By [[3085]], Kai had been selected as the [[Lord Governor]] of the Republic's [[Prefecture V]], which served to lessen internal tensions within this region. <ref name=FM3085-180>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 20 "The Republic of the Sphere - The RAF - Hastati Sentinels"</ref>

===Death and afterward===
His subsequent actions currently remain unknown, however he was killed in [[3113]] on [[Sakhalin (CC)|Sakhalin]] during the [[Capellan Crusades]] while fighting for the [[Republic of the Sphere]].<ref>''Wars of the Republic Era'', p. 4 "Righteous Vengeance"</ref> Kai left his legendary 'Mech, ''Yen-Lo-Wang'', to his great-niece, [[Danai Liao-Centrella]], who also went on to become a Solaris combatant.<ref>''Principles of Desolation''</ref>

==Quotes==
{{Quote|''There are few words that would do justice to [[Solaris City]]. There are less which could do it injustice. Solaris City is... an experience. Though not one I'd invite many people to know for themselves. Read about it. Catch the fights on [[holovid|holovid broadcasts]]. Leave the rest to mystery and never worry about the fact you missed it. Because in the end, Solaris City is just what one would expect. Only more so.''|An interview with Kai Allard-Liao, [[Tharkan Media Associates]], 23 November [[3058]]<ref name=MWGtoS7-68>''MechWarrior's Guide to Solaris VII'', p. 68 "A Brief History of Solaris VII - Solaris City"</ref>}}

==BattleMechs==
Allard-Liao most famously used ''Yen-Lo-Wang'', a modified ''[[Centurion (BattleMech)|Centurion]]'', for much of his career, he occasionally used other 'Mechs for specific purposes. He piloted a ''[[Penetrator]]'' in an important duel on Solaris in [[3056]] and during [[Operation BULLDOG]], with great success.

He used a ''[[Stormcrow (Ryoken)|Stormcrow]]'' in the B configuration during the [[Great Refusal]]. During the final test of his training on Outreach, he piloted a ''[[Dire Wolf]]'', eliminating five elite opponents. <ref>''Blood Legacy'', p. ??{{cn}}</ref> He was piloting a ''[[Hatchetman]]'' when he destroyed the [[Falcon Guard]] during the [[Battle of Twycross]].

==Portrait Gallery==
<gallery>
Kai Allard-Liao ER3052.jpg|Kai Allard-Liao at age 20 from ''[[Era Report: 3052|ER:3052]]''
Kai Allard-Liao TDR.jpg|Kai at age 29 from ''[[The Dragon Roars]]''
Kai Allard-Liao ShSphere.jpg‎|Kai at age 31 from ''[[Shattered Sphere]]''
Kai Allard-Liao MM.jpg|Kai at age 46 from ''[[Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers|Masters and Minions]]''
Kai_Allard-Liao_HWotRE.jpg|Kai at approximate age of 82 from ''[[Historical: Wars of the Republic Era]]''
Kai Allard-Liao BTL.jpg|Kai from ''[[BattleTech: Legends|BT:Legends]]''
Kai Allard-Liao MWAoD.jpg|Kai during the mid-3050s from ''[[MechWarrior:_Dark_Age_Collectable_Miniatures_Game#MechWarrior:_Age_of_Destruction|MW:AoD]]''

</gallery>

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
<div class="desktop-3-col">
* ''[[Assumption of Risk]]'' (novel)
* ''[[The Battle for Twycross]]''
* ''[[Blake Ascending]]''
* ''[[Blood Legacy]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Dawn of the Jihad]]''
* ''[[Endgame]]'' (novel)
* ''[[The FedCom Civil War]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Capellan Confederation]]''
* ''[[Ghost War]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Grave Covenant]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Jihad: Final Reckoning]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3070]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3072]]''
* ''[[Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents]]''
* ''[[The Killing Fields]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Lethal Heritage]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Lost Destiny]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers]]''
* ''[[MechWarrior's Guide to Solaris VII]]''
* ''[[Prince of Havoc]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Principles of Desolation]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Shattered Sphere]]''
* ''[[Storms of Fate]]'' (novel)
</div>


[[Category:Federated Suns Characters|Allard-Liao, Kai]]
[[Category:Capellan Confederation Characters|Allard-Liao, Kai]]
[[Category:St. Ives Compact Characters|Allard-Liao, Kai]]
[[Category:Solaris Games Characters|Allard-Liao, Kai]]
[[Category:Solaris Games MechWarriors‎|Allard-Liao, Kai]]
[[Category:Notable Centurion Pilots|Allard-Liao, Kai]]
[[Category:New Avalon Military Academy Alumni|Allard-Liao, Kai]]