Though Hanse Davion of the Federated Commonwealth is known as The Fox, Janos Marik could well have been known as The Spider. He was capable of plots that took decades to unfold. In the jockeying for position that took place between the Free Worlds League and the Capellan Confederation in the first years of this century, he showed an ability to keep Maxmilian Liao at a psychological disadvantage; to force the Capellan Chancellor to attack where and when the Free Worlds League was ready for him; to seem to have a weak garrison just where Liao agents couldn't get reliable information.
It shows an unappreciated strength in the Free Worlds League that after 3018 Maxmilian chose to concentrate his efforts on the Federated Suns, ignoring the Free Worlds League in his eff orts at conquest. It took Takashi Kurita acting in concert with Maxmilian Liao to get Janos at a disadvantage in the formation of the Concord of Kapteyn.
Our readers will remember this Concord as the response of Houses Kurita, Marik, and Liao to the joining of Houses Steiner and Davion to form the Federated Commonwealth. Both of these took place just before the Fourth Succession War. Janos had thought himself to be negotiating with Coordinator Takashi only; Takashi had covertly opened negotiations with House Liao. Janos went to a secret Heads-of-Houses-only meeting with the Coordinator on Kapteyn, only to find two men waiting for him rather than one. Coordinator Kurita is said to have put it bluntly, "You make a pact with both of us or with neither.
The two of us will make a pact regardless of what you do. I have no interest in attacking the Free Worlds League. Yet. Only the signers of this pact will be pledged to mutual aid. Consider well before you stalk out of this room."
Before the rebellion led by Janos'brother Anton in 3014, the heir-apparent was oldest son Gerald. Gerald was induced by the charismatic Anton to join the rebellion. Duke Anton had the fortune to hire Wolf's Dragoons - and the idiocy to betray them. End of rebellion. End of Anton and Gerald (End also of Joshua Wolf, brother to Jaime and cofounder of the unit, killed by Anton's men as part of that betrayal). Janos, aging even in 3014, had the leadership of House Marik returned to him. He had five potential heirs, each of whom had a problem. Of his four children, Kristin only wanted to be a MechWarrior. The height of her ambitions was to have her own freelance unit.
Kristin's Krushers was formed in 3037, with help from Janos' will, and its executor Uncle Thomas. The unit has seen service with ComStar and the Free Worlds League. Paul had no interest in becoming Captain-General. He is not interested in politics orwarfare. His daughter, Captain Christine Marik of the Second Legionaires, is third in line as Thomas' heir. When Thomas assumed the Captain-Generalcy, he named Paul's only child as his heir by default, failing any heirs of his body. Thomas' natural daughter Isis was at that time a well-kept secret. These three candidates seem to have been bargained out of their rights of succession.
Then there was brother Duggan, the popular military leader. He and politically-astute cousin Duncan were the two obvious successors, each with a large and well-armed following. To choose either would initiate a civil war. Having just survived one fratricidal conflict, Janos had no desire to subject the Free Worlds League to another. Neither man had the abilities Janos prized, of subtlety and patience.
So much is observable history. I cannot prove that Janos planned as early as 3020, to make Thomas his heir. Thomas was young at the time, and seen as a colorless and scholarly individual. What he needed to be a viable heir was a powerful alliance. In another time and place, Janos would have found him a marriage alliance. In fact, what he wooed for his son was ComStar. Remember that ComStar under Primus Julian Tiepolo was preserving its centuries-old image of benign neutrality. It was shrewd of Janos to see under the surface, to the party waiting in the wings which would unveil ComStar as a crushing military power.
There is no evidence that Thomas' desire to enter ComStar and to forego allegiance to his House of birth was anything but sincere. How difficult would it have been to persuade an impressionable and sensitive young man that his duty and an interesting lifework lay in the service of Jerome Blake's order? Especially for the father that he loved?
Thomas had a quietly favorable career in ComStar, culminating with his appointment to Precentor of Son Hoa (Lyran Commonwealth) in 3029.
Thomas was released from ComStar in 3031, at the urgent request of his father. Janos had had a stroke which disabled him in 3030. In the interim both Duggan and Duncan claimed to be regent forthe ailing leader. Once Thomas had shown Janos' carefully prepared documents naming him as heir-designate, the two adopted awaiting position. For four years Thomas ruled wisely and consolidated his position. (It seems that he received secret tutoring in strategy and tactics from his ComStar allies during these years.)
In 3035 Janos recovered enough to resume his rule. Andurien foresaw a period of weak central leadership and chose that time to rebel. During a meeting of the House Marik leadership to formulate a strategy, the bombing occurred. Thomas was thought to have died. Duncan took the Captain-Generalcy. For eighteen months Thomas recovered ... somewhere. The odds are nearly 100% that it was a ComStar somewhere. It is certain that, when he reappeared before a stunned parliament while Duncan was in the field in Andurien, Thomas was exceedingly well informed on every aspect of the current political situation and well able to take advantage of it.
It was a lucky break when Duncan was killed by the rebels. That was the only 'luck' that Thomas needed. He consolidated power brilliantly, finishing off the rebellion in 3040 with the other Free Worlds League provinces solidly behind him. It was clear to students of political theory that Thomas was acting on a long-held and well-thought-out plan.
The question is: whose plan?
If you must look behind Thomas Marik for a powerful mind directing his actions, you need look no further than the father who selected him. Janos Marik charted a course toward power for his son that took decades to accomplish.
Thomas is now making his own plans. He has assumed direct control over the chaotic formerly-free states of the Free Worlds League, a task at which no Captain-General before him was able to succeed. He has played 'who is my ally?' with the Federated Commonwealth, the Capellan Confederation, the Magistracy of Canopus and the Taurian Concordat for a decade. He will be a major factor in the possible Inner Sphere-wide alliance against the Clans Invaders.
But he stands on the shoulders of an unacknowledged great statesman.
Janos Marik, his own father.
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