Editing Thomas Marik

{{Update Needed|[[Bred for War]]|[[Era Report: 3052]]|[[Era Report: 3062]]|[[Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers]]}}
{{Cleanup|reason=review needed|date=September 2023}}
{{refimprove}}
:''This article is about the "real" Thomas Marik, who became "The Master" who masterminded the Word of Blake Jihad, not the [[Thomas Marik (False)|body double]] who ruled over the Free Worlds League as "Thomas Marik." There was also [[Thomas Marik (29th c.)|another]] with the same name who lived 200 years earlier.''


{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Thomas Marik (2).jpg
| caption             = Thomas Marik
| name                = Thomas Marik
| birthdate           = 10 March [[2990]]<ref name=HM:FWLft>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', foldout (p. 171 in PDF): "The Captains-General Line of Succession and Partial Marik Family Tree"</ref>
| died                = 2 April [[3081]]<ref name=J:FRp7>''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 7</ref>
| othernames          = The Master
| affiliation         = [[House Marik]]<br/>[[Word of Blake]]
| rank                = 
| title               =
| position            = 
| profession          = Noble
| parents             = [[Janos Marik]] (father)<ref name=HM:FWLft/><br> [[Hilda Lauber]] (mother)<ref name=HM:FWLft/>
| siblings            = [[Martin Marik|Martin]]<ref name=HM:FWLft/><br/>[[Gerald Marik (31st c.)|Gerald III]]<ref name=HM:FWLft/><br/>[[Therese Marik|Therese]]<ref name=HM:FWLft/><br/>[[Duggan Marik|Duggan]]<ref name=HM:FWLft/><br/>[[Cartwright Marik|Cartwright]]<ref name=HM:FWLft/><br/>[[Faith Marik|Faith]]<ref name=HM:FWLft/><br/> [[Paul Marik (31st c.)|Paul]]<ref name=HM:FWLft/><br/>[[Kristen Marik|Kristen]]<ref name=HM:FWLft/><br/>[[Janos Marik (31st c.)|Janos]]<ref name=HM:FWLft/>
| spouse              = 
| children            = [[Isis Marik]]
}}
'''Thomas Marik''' was scarred during a bomb blast in [[3035]] that killed his father and afterward was replaced with a body double by [[ComStar]].<ref name=bio>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 141</ref> Through his double he claimed the [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-Generalcy]] of the [[Free Worlds League]] from [[3036]] until it hopelessly fractured during the 3070s. The double (who later became known as [[Thomas Halas]]) led the FWL to greater unity, economic prosperity, and centralization than it had ever experienced, while the real Thomas Marik became a fanatical follower of [[Conrad Toyama]] and joined the [[Word of Blake]] when they separated from ComStar. In time he became the shadowy figure known as '''"The Master,"''' the true mastermind of the [[Jihad]].<ref name=Pardoe>''Principles of Desolation'', p. ??{{cn}}</ref>

==History==
===Early life===
Thomas Marik was born in Jaspin on the planet [[Marik]], the seventh son of [[Janos Marik]] from his first wife, [[Hilda Lauber]]. He was described as soft-spoken, with an aptitude for science and technology. Since Thomas was the seventh in line to the throne, he never conceived of the notion that he would someday become Captain-General, nor did he seem to desire the position. Instead, he threw himself into his love of technology. In [[3006]], at the age of sixteen, he joined ComStar with his father's blessings, where he demonstrated a real knack with technical pursuits.<ref name=bio/>

He joined the [[Explorer Corps (ComStar)|Explorer Corps]], where he served for seven years. He then spent many more years as a deputy chief of maintenance at various [[HPG]] stations. In the 3020s, he was allowed to pursue research in medicine and astrophysics. The 3020s also saw [[Janos Marik]] negotiate for Thomas' release to be named as Janos' heir. With four of his older siblings dead, one all but disinherited, and the last found wanting, Janos decided to make his seventh child his heir. ComStar allowed this, hoping that Thomas would be more amicable to them than previous Marik rulers. The proper documents were signed on [[Procyon]] in [[3021]].<ref name=bio/>

While serving at the ComStar relay station on the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] world of [[Teukros]] in [[3025]], Thomas already began to prepare himself for the task of leading the Free Worlds League one day, studying [[ROM]] reports to learn about politics on top of his regular scientific workload.

===Regent===
Thomas was eventually promoted to [[Precentor]] of the HPG station on [[Son Hoa]], where he was when circumstances found him. The [[Duchy of Andurien]] seceded from the [[Free Worlds League]] in [[3030]]. Roughly a month later, Captain-General Janos Marik suffered a debilitating stroke. When his son [[Duggan Marik|Duggan]] and nephew [[Duncan Marik|Duncan]] struggled for control, Grand Duke [[Christopher Halas (30th c.)|Christopher Halas]] of [[Oriente]] contacted Thomas. Thomas appeared before Parliament in [[3031]] with documents that showed that he was Janos' designated heir. Thomas then ruled ably in his father's name, much to the dismay of ComStar and Halas, who had both believed that he would be easy to control. In [[3035]], Janos had recovered, so he resumed the position of ruling Captain-General.

On 1 June 3035, Janos called a meeting to discuss ways to bring the [[Duchy of Andurien]] back into the League. Duncan was called away only moments before a bomb exploded. Although he was never officially indicted, Duncan Marik himself is generally held to be the perpetrator of the bomb attack. It was initially believed that all inside had perished, so [[Duncan Marik]] assumed the title of Captain-General, which went unopposed by Janos' three remaining children, and declared war on Andurien. Unfortunately for Duncan, his attempts to reconquer the wayward Duchy were bogged down in a protracted war and his popularity plummeted.

===Introducing the body double===
Janos' legitimate heir, Thomas, was narrowly rescued from [[Duncan Marik]]'s bomb attack by [[ComStar]]. Two men came to Thomas' rescue: [[Li Mann]], a childhood friend, and a ROM agent posing as a palace guard.<ref>''Twenty Year Update'', p. 53</ref>
{{ApocryphalContentStart}}
The palace guard/ROM Agent was identified as [[Alexander Haleck]].<ref>''BattleTechnology'', Issue #10, p. 10</ref>
{{ApocryphalContentEnd}}
The three were thought to have been completely obliterated in the blast as no remains were found. Thomas' extensive injuries required the use of bionics to save him. It was then decided that a body double should take his place as Captain-General of the Free Worlds League, ostensibly because the people of the Free Worlds League carry strong sentiments against "cyborgs", including prosthetics as well as cybernetic enhancements.

It ultimately remains uncertain to what extent the real Thomas Marik, who always pulled the strings from behind the scenes henceforth, had or even desired control over the rule that his double subsequently exerted over the Free Worlds League in his stead, while Thomas himself became a religious zealot, embracing the teachings of [[Conrad Toyama]].

With the popular "Thomas Marik" back after more than a year, an enthusiastic Parliament acceded to [[Internal Emergency Act|his many demands]] in order to be rid of Duncan. Most of these requests were laws that [[Addendum to the Incorporation|concentrated more power in the Captain-General's hands]] than there had ever been before, including veto power. Duncan made one last-ditch effort to remain in power by forcing a victory over the Andurien troops in the field, but he died in his failed [[3037]] attack.<ref name=20YU>''20 Year Update'', p. ??{{cn}}</ref>

===Jihad===
The Fourth [[Whitting Conference]] in [[3067]] saw the dissolution of the [[Star League]]. When the [[Capellan Confederation]], [[Federated Suns]], and host [[Lyran Alliance]] announced their intentions to pull out of the League, outgoing First Lord [[Christian Mansdottir]] called for a vote of no-confidence in the League with the intention of forcing them back in. Even with the admission of the provisional members, the vote failed and the Star League dissolved. The [[Word of Blake]], especially Thomas Marik's Sixth of June, were incensed and attempted to force the Alliance and Suns back into the League through intimidating force aimed at their respective capitals. When that failed, the Blakists engulfed the [[Inner Sphere]] and near [[Periphery]] in their [[Jihad]].

"Thomas" finally attempted to break his dependency on the Blakists, to which they responded by using a chemical attack to kill the members of Parliament and the [[1st Knights of the Inner Sphere|First]] [[Knights of the Inner Sphere]]. They also revealed the knowledge that the Captain-General was an impostor placed on the throne by [[ComStar]]. Despite that, the false Thomas attempted to stay on, but was deposed by Thomas' brother, [[Paul Marik (31st c.)|Paul]] in [[3069]]. Paul put his daughter [[Corinne Marik|Corinne]] on the throne, though she did not prove to be as malleable as the Word had hoped.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', p. ??{{cn}}: "The Shrouded Blade"</ref> Others attempted to claim the Captain-Generalcy, namely [[Therese Marik]] and [[Kirc Cameron-Jones]], leading to four different Captains-General and effectively shattering the Free Worlds League as a political entity (a situation that persisted until [[3139]]).

===Marriage and children===
Thomas Marik (the "Real" Thomas Marik) was survived by one illegitimate child, [[Isis Marik|Isis]]. His only legitimate child, Joshua (actually the son of [[Thomas Halas]]), died in [[3057]] while being treated for his leukemia on [[New Avalon]]. (Thomas Halas later had three other children, but by this time he was revealed to have been an impostor.)

===Death and afterward===
Thomas Marik perished along with his [[Jihad]]. On 2 April [[3081]], the Master and his protégé, [[Calvin McIntyre]], were killed by [[Regulan Fiefs|Regulan]] [[WarShips]] as they bombarded the city of Zachariah on the Blakist-held world of [[Circinus]].<ref name=J:FRp7/> His ashes were interred in secret on [[Kwamashu]] in the [[Duchy of Andurien]]. Following the fall of the HPG grid in [[3132]], [[Republic of the Sphere]] [[Ghost Knight]]s stole them as part of a plot to distract Andurien and other former [[Free Worlds League]] states from the Republic as it restructured during [[Fortress Republic]].<ref>''Surrender your Dreams'', p. 9</ref>

But the "ashes," supposedly preserved in a place of honor in a monastery, weren't real: in the box are only fragments of wood with words written on them. The fate of the real Thomas' remains is unknown.<ref>''Surrender your Dreams'', p. 287</ref>

==Philosophical and/or political views==
At least for the duration of his interim rule from [[3030]] to [[3035]] he proved an able ruler with a genuine interest in leading the Free Worlds League and the welfare of its people, as shown in his extensive preparation for the position. Although initially described as soft-spoken, intelligent, learned and reserved, Thomas Marik became a fanatical devotee of the radical teachings of Primus [[Conrad Toyama]] at some point, presumably after suffering heavy injury in the bomb blast of 3035. The [[Jihad]] was launched after his interpretation of one of Toyama's prophecies did not come to fruition.

It remains unknown to which extent Thomas Marik later controlled his double who ruled the Free Worlds League in Thomas' stead with genuine care for its people, to the point of ultimately opposing Word of Blake and the real Thomas Marik. Thomas Marik's impostor did his best to concentrate political power in the Captain-General. He stripped the provinces of many of their rights and powers, created military brigades that were personally loyal to him and the Free Worlds League as a whole, cemented ties with the [[Duchy of Oriente]] and secured their military units for his own use, and stripped other provincial military units of their provincial loyalties.

==Quotes==
{{quote|Have you met this '[[The Master|Master]]'? In the flesh? Spoken to him face to face? I thought not. If you had, you wouldn't be questioning my motives. Believe me, he doesn't care about the Free Worlds. At first, perhaps, but the last time we communicated it was clear he thought even [[Myndo Waterly]] was a bleeding-heart liberal. You know what this is in ''his'' eyes? This is [[Operation Scorpion|Scorpion]], writ large. His attempt to outdo the [[Primus of ComStar|Primus]] ''he'' pretty much regards as a god, [[Conrad Toyama|Toyama]]. He's using you.|"[[Thomas Marik (False)|Thomas Marik]]" criticizes The Master, when confronted by his "brother", [[Paul Marik (31st c.)|Paul Marik]], August 9, [[3069]]<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', p. 5</ref>}}

{{quote|We did our best, my young friend. Now it's up to them..."|Thomas Marik/The Master's last words, addressed to a dying [[Calvin McIntyre]].<ref name=J:FRp7/>}}

==Portrait Gallery==
<gallery>
The Master.jpg|The Master in [[3076]]
Marik master 1.jpg|The death of Thomas Marik, 3081
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* ''[[20 Year Update]]''
* [[BattleTechnology#Issue 10|''BattleTechnology'', Issue #10]]
* ''[[Dawn of the Jihad]]''
* [[Herbert A. Beas II|Beas, Herbert A. II]], [http://www.wizkidsgames.com/mechwarrior/courier/pda.asp?a=38504 Epitaph for a Realm], [[WizKids]] Games. Accessed 2 December 2007
* ''[[Grave Covenant]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Handbook: House Marik]]''
* ''[[House Marik (The Free Worlds League)]]''
* ''[[Ideal War]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Jihad: Final Reckoning]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3070]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3072]]''
* ''[[Patriots and Tyrants]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Prince of Havoc]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Principles of Desolation]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Storms of Fate]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Surrender Your Dreams]]'' (novel)
{{div col end}}

[[Category:Free Worlds League Characters|Marik, Thomas]]
[[Category: Word of Blake Characters|Marik, Thomas]]
[[Category: ComStar Characters|Marik, Thomas]]