Hartford Zalman

Personal
Also known as	Hartford Steel Viper
Born	3104
Affiliation	Clan Steel Viper Alpha Galaxy Wolverine Union
Career
Rank	Khan Galaxy Commander
Profession	MechWarrior

The first Khan of the Steel Viper born in exile from the Clan Homeworlds, Hartford Zalman is less of an hardliner than his predecessor. This doesn’t mean he is not fully focused on righting the wrongs of the past, especially showing that the Vipers are not incompetent. His understanding of the realities of the Union compared to the Inner Sphere or the Clans makes him a valuable ally to the likes of the Wolverines’ Foxtrot Whitfield.

Early career

Hartford Steel Viper was a skilled warrior in his promotion, but not seen as one of the top of the group. When time came for this Trial of Position, he surprised many by using a Union BattleMech rather than one built by the Steel Viper. Using this machine, he crushed all his competitors, securing a position as a Star Colonel right away. Leveraging his position, he kept pushing for more integration with the Union military structure.

Ascending to Galaxy Commander rapidly, Khan Sunny Moffat saw the massive potential in this new officer. She proposed her saKhan retire to be replaced by the hungry young warrior. As saKhan, Zalman learned more about Union politics from Khan Moffat and met with other influential members of the Union, including Foxtrot Whitfield. The two men formed a quick friendship after meeting

Taking up the Khan Mantle

Khan Sunny Moffat suffered an unfortunate accident while touring the shipyards around Noon, leaving her paralyzed with no hope of recovery. Hartford Zalman took up the role of Khan in 3131, making him one of the youngest Khan in Steel Viper history. Khan Zalman quickly began splitting the touman between traditionalist warriors and more modernist one which accepted the use of bioroids. While not devaluing either sides, Khan Zalman gave preferential treatment in terms of equipment to the modernists, while giving more combat assignments to the traditionalists.

With the quasar shifting spectrum causing losses in food production, Hartford Zalman was one of the leaders of the Union which advocated for more aggressive actions to be taken against the Clans and Inner Sphere. The Steel Viper military build-up leading to their participation in the first strikes against their old enemy was massive. Zalman won the right to assault the Marian Hegemony on his own rather than sharing the glory (and spoils) with others. These strikes were regarded as well as some of the most successful of the lot.