Colonel Kai Allard-Liao

Kai Allard-Liao is heir-apparent to the St. Ives Compact, and through it, the Capellan Free State. He is also an officer in the AFFC and a former Solaris VII champion, making him a highly decorated individual despite is relatively young age. His reputation as one of the greatest MechWarrior ever has spread to all the Successor States and even the Clans.

Early Life

Early Military Career

Solaris Champion

After the affair on Alyina, Kai Allard-Liao went to Solaris VII to prove his worth. Whie he first wanted to use Yen-Lo-Wan, he was offered a brand-new Penetrator by the people at Kallon Weapon Industries to test out. He rose through the ranks of the arena quickly and challenged then champion Jason Bloch in 3054. Even though Bloch had a massive weight advantage in his Atlas, Kai defeated him through careful use of terrain and incredible marksmanship.

Kai remained champion for 3055 and 3056, with multiple rising stars attempting to dethrone him. Kai managed to build up a bit of self-confidence during these fights and period, with the bookies at Solaris expecting him to be able to keep his title for as long as (or even longer) than the legendary Gray Noton. If not for being recalled to New Avalon for a political marriage, this likely would not have happened after the start of the Fifth Succession War, which recalled all active duty fighters from Solaris to their respective homeland.

Later Military Career

Kai was married to Katherine Steiner-Davion and sent to the Capellan March, where he joined the First Kathil Ulhans as a Major, currently stationed on Spica. This made him closer to his homeland in the St.Ives Compact, where he met with his mother and siblings a few times before things started degenerating. Kai’s natural defeatist tendencies had been alleviated as he proved himself on Solaris, while his new wife also drove him to excel in more things. With his recent promotion, Kai started developing his potential not just as a MechWarrior but as an officer.

Operation GUAN XING on Kittery

The Kathil Ulhans were redeployed to Kittery as the Fifth Succession War broke out to prevent insurrections and raids from the Capellan Confederation. While Katherine was kept away from population center and anything political, Kai was put front and center in front of the population. As heir to St.Ives, his uncle Tormano Liao had been pushing his face as a symbol of “Free Capella” in the region. Capellan loyalists hated him, but the local Federated Commonwealth and more open minded Capellans truly appreciated his presence. During that period, Kai mainly served as garrison and patrol in city centers with his company. After the Kittery hotel bombing, he was appointed to hunt down the remaining Death Commando units on the planet, capturing a few enemy officers as they attempted to flee the planet.

Retaking what is lost

The next operation mounted by the First Kathil Ulhans was to retake lost worlds from the first phase of Operation GUAN XING. Kai’s battalion, along with support units, landed on Uravan and he orchestrated the defeat of the guarding Capellan units while Andrew Redburn’s forces were retaking Ziliang.

Personal Life

Kai Allard-Liao had massive ego issues since his youth, leading him to be quite indecisive. These tendencies were “beaten out of him” by his wife, Katherine Steiner-Davion, who often told him to stand up for himself. His uncle Tormano also keeps trying to make him more confident by giving him “little assignments” which exist solely for that purpose. Kai unfortunately had to spend most of his time away from his children, which he regrets but understands.

Kai and his wife both enjoy soap operas and “dramas”, but Kai has a terrible memory for character names. Another popular hobby Kai enjoys is modelling, generally making model BattleMechs and old Terran airplanes.

Kai Allard-Liao’s BattleMech

Kai Allard-Liao started his career piloting his father’s Centurion, “Yen-Lo-Wan”. During his time on Solaris, he piloted a variety of ‘Mech but was gifted a Penetrator by Kallon to show off the merchandise, which he took a liking to. After taking command of the First St.Ives Lancers, he piloted a customized Helios.

Clan Watch Report

“While he is an amazing MechWarrior, Kai Allard-Liao is far from a military genius or political mastermind. It is quite possible he would climb quickly in the Clan structure due to his skills, but in the Inner Sphere where one is limited by other talents, he is more isolated. His current position as Colonel of a premiere BattleMech regiment does make him somewhat influential, same with his marriage with Katherine Steiner-Daivon. It is unsure, however, what will happen with the state of Free Capella and the Capellan Confederation.”