Character Study of the Week: Danai Liao-Centrella
Who: Danai Liao-Centrella
What: Sao-shao, 2nd MacCarron’s Armoured Cavalry, 3rd Battalion
When: 6 June 3108 – Alive as of 3145
Weapon of Choice: Modified Centurion Yen-Lo-Wang
Probably the most balanced person of Liao descent in prominence in the fiction since the original Star League, Danai Liao-Centrella, ironically, has more reason than most to be utterly deranged, starting with the second most twisted birth in the BattleTech setting to date.
Notionally the third child of Sun-Tzu Liao and Naomi Centrella our first knowledge of Danai was through Clicky-tech, that painted her as an up and coming MechWarrior, scion of House Liao and all in all a very serious contender.
A couple of novels changed that, not by upending this but by deepening the character. For one thing she proved to be a potent MechWarrior and commander, she was very much a Liao, but it turns out that her parents were the people she thought of as her siblings. Yeah, things got Lannister.
Considering it took Clan breeding techniques to outdo this I’d suggest that no one try to top it.
What does this parentage mean for the character? Well, and I’m not trying to trivialise anything here, much the same as her rape by Caleb Davion.
Since she had no knowledge of her heritage Danai was left feeling violated by its revelation in much the same way the rape did, though I’d expect the latter to be far more traumatic.
Showing considerable strength she manages to deal with both and does not buckle under to either.
From a reader perspective this is commendable, however since she is the product of incest she is tainted as a result. This isn’t a pleasant background and invites speculation, mostly because the majority of incest in fiction occurs between villains and has few positive outcomes. This is our baggage as readers.
And before you try to reassess Danai because our baggage should have no bearing on a person’s character keep in mind that writers know this baggage exists and are using it to create conflict around the character and her future.
Why? Because no one can be entirely good or bad in this setting and this is a major way of creating permanent doubt in the reader’s mind regarding Danai regardless of her positive or level headed actions. The idea is that in a bloodline known for crazy what’s a child born of siblings going to be like?
In all likelihood Caleb’s rape of Danai will have long term effects too, potentially quite dire for the Federated Suns, even given their current condition. However that is a consequence of his action, and until those consequences come to fruition the action characterises Caleb more than Danai.
As a descendant of Sun-Tzu much is expected of her, he was a genius, whichever side of him you were on. She is also the descendant of several generations of Chancellors so insane the rest of their reputations are forgotten. Both of these are things she has to deal with, and live down or up to, in the setting and out.
Despite this parentage it changes nothing about her place in the line of succession. Publicly as the only remaining offspring of two previous rulers Danai stands to inherit the thrones of both the Capellan Confederation and the Magistry of Canopus. Privately as the only offspring of the only two offspring of two previous rulers Danai stands to inherit the thrones of both the Capellan Confederation and the Magistry of Canopus.
In either case she has the virtue of being the only available option in either case.
She is the literal Gordian Knot of Liao-Centrella succession, short of turning to cousins on both sides (where there is no lack but little information or involvement) she is the next/first Magestrix-Chancellor, Chancellor-Magestrix . . . Mancellor, Chastrix . . . It’s late, I’ll stop there.
Throw in the marriage between Ilsa and Ari Humphries and there’s a third nation in the mix with no obvious (from a fiction point of view) successor and that’s the hat trick Danai stands to gain.
I have mentioned elsewhere that this appears to be Ilsa’s grand gambit, potentially doing something even Sun-Tzu was hesitant to do (and after seeing the FedCom Civil War who can blame him) and bring two or three nations together under one ruler, in this case her daughter Danai.
Is this possible? As closely allied as the Magistry and Confederation are their cultures are still wildly different, and most importantly the Magistry has never brought into any sort of cult of personality the way the Confederation has. The potential for conflict is enormous, but unlike the FedCom Danai, as I mentioned, is pretty much the sole contender for the leadership position and thus has fewer direct challenges to face. It’s an interesting prospect that hasn’t yet been played up.
What of Danai as a person? As much as she appears to be a setting scale plot twist in waiting the fiction to date has dealt with her as an individual.
Her ‘Mech of choice was the first bit of characterisation of Danai as Yen-Lo-Wang is the most storied, legacy drenched ‘Mechs in the entire BattleTech setting, and the means through which we first learn of her.
By turns Yen-Lo-Wang has been the ride of a Capellan Solaris Champion, a great Capellan hero, the greatest Capellan traitor ever, a hero of the Federated Commonwealth, a St Ives Solaris Champion, a great St Ives hero and leader, the greatest MechWarrior ever, a great Capellan leader and hero, a great Republic of the Sphere leader and hero, and the single most demonic opponent of the Capellan Confederation, or anyone, ever. And that’s just the two guys preceding Danai.
The importance of that little screed is that it shows just how much baggage Yen-Lo-Wang comes with, emotional and historical, both within the setting and as a part of the game. Players and readers can no more ignore this than a soldier facing Yen-Lo-Wang on a far off world.
Two brilliant MechWarriors, both of whom heroes for all their nations at one point or another, both hero protagonists of major novels, Danai is the 32nd Century inheritor of all this, long before we are truly introduced to her. Yen-Lo-Wang carries the legacy of both Allard-Liaos forward and awkwardly pastes it upon Danai.
And of course, as both Justin and Kai did before her, she modifies the machine, swapping everything out for a heavy large laser, Clan LRM 20, both in the torso so it can carry a hatchet and shield. All in all balanced towards close quarters, physical combat with a potent ranged weapon to keep it in the game at all brackets. This isn’t the ride of a Solaris fighter, we’re meant to think so with the laser and physical weapons, but it isn’t focused enough, the LRMs betray it as something that needs a little versatility and won’t be used in specific situations only.
And so it is in the field that we get to know her. She’s not a bad commander, or a bad MechWarrior, but she really does fail to live up to the same legacy of previous Yen-Lo-Wang pilots.
In all fairness outside of some sort of gene melded clone of Natasha Kerensky and Kai with a birthmark in the shape of Stackpole’s hands on its lower spine no one was going to outdo that legacy, let alone meet it.
No, the aspect that Danai carries forward is that she is a warrior trying to find herself, much as Kai was during his featured novels and Justin before him.
In all likelihood this is what Kai saw in her in their one, brief, very unexplained meeting, and the reason for gifting her Yen-Lo-Wang. Even as a scion of House Liao personal possession of this BattleMech permitted Danai the freedom to travel few other things would.
Besides which Danai is a part of the movement of BattleTech novels away from being pulp sci-fi and more into military sci-fi, which means no more uber-warrior types like Kai, Natasha or any one of a host of others, most of whom get killed off in the Jihad.
Don’t get me wrong, what we have seen of her so far is that she is a better than average MechWarrior, a competent commander in the field, and a fairly decent diplomat, what errors she makes are more from a lack of experience or over eagerness than any genuine flaws. It is simply that she will likely never achieve the same sort of legendary status.
What this does reveal though is a great deal of potential as her skills and talents increase with experience, ultimately making her something of a character in waiting.
So, however relatively mediocre she is, if she should become Chancellor/Magestrix/Other Yet to be Revealed, that could be another story.
And next week, by request, Caleb Davion.