Blister with 1 miniature: William Wallace (Combi Rifle + Light FT)
“Pro Libertate” (For the Freedom) Clan Wallace’s motto.
Sir William Wallace (1272?-1305) Scottish national hero, proclaimed as “Guardian of Scotland in the name of the king”. He was distinguished as the organizer of Scots resistance against the tyrannical English King Edward I, making his deeds a favorite theme for Scottish epic poems. Wallace took advantage of his knowledge of local terrain and the abilities of his light troops to engage in swift offensives. His actions caused the English to withdraw and saw some brilliant victories, like the one at Stirling (1297) and his devastation of the North of England. He died in 1305, executed in England after having been betrayed and then captured.
The idea of Project “Chieftain” was to recreate a figure characterizing the nationalistic Scottish spirit, introducing him to Ariadna and so inflame the desire for Caledonian independence. As an element of discord, he would try to divide the different Ariadnan communities, pushing the Caledonians into a series of campaigns to annex and conquer their neighbors. In this way, internal conflicts and civil war would weaken Ariadna and discredit it in front of O-12, allowing free entrance of PanOceania and Yu Jing to exploit this rich planet.
Wallace was sent to Ariadna in a personal, clandestine and unrecoverable dropship. While engaging in atmospheric entry from polar orbit, the most complicated but unprotected means of access to a planet, he ran into an electric storm. Losing control of the ship, he crashed in the sub-arctic zone of the Ariadnan continent, around five hundred kilometers away from the planned landing point.
Right in the middle of Antipode territory.
A normal man would have died with the force of impact’s, but Wallace is not a normal man. He survived, but he suffered an atrocious wound to the head, damaging part of his wetware and destroying his ability to communicate with ALEPH. Suffering a severe concussion and partial amnesia, Wallace wandered lost and completely disoriented. His travels took him across the entire region, killing every Antipode he found on his way.
When Wallace was at the limit of his endurance, he was found by a group of Caledonian hunters who took him in, believing him to be a rogue Cateran. The semi-comatose Wallace was taken to the nearest Caledonian town, where he quickly recovered from his wounds, but not from his amnesia, remaining unable to remember his mission or origin.
However, before he could worry about his situation, Antipode attacks on the town began. These were a series of reprisal raids for the slaughter caused by the Recreation, breaking an already fragile truce. In the heat of the battle, the legendary William Wallace re-emerged. The tenacity, resolution and bravery Wallace showed during the battle deeply impressed the Caledonians. Weapons in hand, he defended all sections of the town, taking charge through skill and the strength of his authority. He repelled the numerous Antipode assaults and organized hunting parties to run down the survivors before they could regroup.
Wallace had saved the settlement. He was the colony’s hero, but he was also responsible for the attacks, and for that he had to answer to the House of Clans and clarify his identity. His superhuman qualities made the members of the House suspicious of his possible extra-planetary origins, so they enlisted the advice of the Nomad Commercial Mission’s “cultural attaché”. A cover identity for the local Black Hand operator, the Nomad attaché quickly identified Wallace as ALEPH’s agent.
However, Wallace had spent too much time disconnected from the AI and its constant updates. During his stay amongst the Caledonians, he had returned to his true origins and therefore had no interest in recovering his lost memory or in being ALEPH’s puppet once more.
The Recreation underwent very delicate surgery performed by Nomad technicians, in which all his ALEPH-dependent systems were mutilated, applying the knowledge obtained in the “Avicenna Operation”. Once the independent thought abilities of Wallace were secure, the Nomads, with a black sense of humor, pressed the Ariadnan authorities to make the most of the Recreation’s skills against its maker. There would be no better revenge against ALEPH, and nothing that better fitted Wallace’s nature, than turning him into a symbol for the freedom and autonomy of Ariadna.
After a difficult beginning, Wallace perfectly integrated into Caledonian society. In his first days, because of his origins, he was seen by many as an upstart and someone overshadowed by the possibility of treason. Because of this, he engaged in more honor duels than any other officer of the Caledonian army. He was challenged to single combat by champions from most of the major Caledonian Clans; none of them managed to defeat him. Wallace knew how to win people over, first by the strength of his arm and then with diplomacy, cunning and courage, earning the confidence of the leaders of the House of Clans.
Wallace has been recreated with tactical knowledge updated for modern combat, making him an expert in all contemporary forms of warfare. His leadership skills are innate, but his greatest virtue is that he has the heart of a warrior. He can imagine the most risky battle plans but can also carry out them personally. His quick intelligence and incredible dynamism are extraordinary, as is the animalistic energy he radiates. His primal strength sees him always advancing, ignoring enemy projectiles and proving his predilection for hand to hand combat.
Wallace’s military history is as long as the blade of his Claymore, with highlights in the Fourth Antipode Offensive and in the Commercial Conflicts across the Ariadna system. He has earned his rank and position through determination, bravery and typical Caledonian tenacity. Now, after several years of constant service, he is recognized as a brilliant commander, and a terrible troublemaker. He is capable of extracting the last ounce of spirit and courage from his hardened Highlanders, of whom he feels extraordinarily proud and leads from the front line of any battle.
