Arjun Nostra: A biography
30 December 3142Information retrieved from Nova Cat wiki repository by Arjun Nostra Guardbaum Jr. on 3142-12-30
Arjun Nostra is one of the most famous mechwarriors in the history of Clan Nova Cat, despite the fact that he spent most of his life and achieved his most noteworthy victories outside the cockpit of a battlemech.
Arjun was decanted from a steel womb in 3026, twenty-three years before the beginning of the clan invasion. He performed particularly well in his sibko and completed his Trial of Position with the rank of Star Commander. He also developed a deeply mystical outlook on life in which he relied so heavily on vision quests as a guide to life that even many of his Nova Cat peers found it somewhat off-putting.
Once he earned a place in the Touman with the 44th Nova Cat Cavaliers, Arjun also proved to be an ardent member of the small Crusader faction within the clan. His own unit performed well in the trials to determine the invader Clans and he was able to successfully challenge for a position as a Star Captain. Arjun was disappointed that the Nova Cats failed to earn a space in the invasion, but held a firm faith that the Nova Cats’ time would come. In the meantime, he kept himself busy by competing for and winning a bloodname.
Ilkhan Kerensky’s decision in 3052 to allow the Nova Cats and other clans to join the invasion had a profound effect on Arjun. Base on a powerful vision quest, he came to believe that he would be the first clansman to set foot on Terra. He began to preach his vision and insist that through him, the Nova Cats would become the ilClan. He attracted a considerable following and generated a great deal of antagonism from more Warden members of the Clan. Arjun successfully trialed the warden Star Colonel of his cluster, and after his ascension to command, the 44th Nova Cat Cavaliers became concentrated with warriors who believed in his visions. With the resumption of the invasion, the 44th performed extremely well, only adding to Arjun’s mystique and the faith of his followers.
This faith would be fatally fractured on Tukayyid. Early in the battle, Arjun’s cluster was devastated by a Comstar ambush as they attempted to assault the city of Tost. Arjun was grievously wounded and captured. He woke up two months later in a Comstar hospital, his dreams of conquest dashed. Arjun was despondent, his faith in himself and his visions shattered. His fierce passion had been extinguished and was replaced by uncertainty, fear, and self-loathing. Arjun grew familiar with several Comstar staff members, some of whom were intelligence officers who appreciated his frank discussion of Clan life. Once his recovery was complete, he was given an offer to join Comstar’s staff at the Sandhurst Military Academy as a lecturer on Clan behavior and tactics. He was initially resistant to provide such a role, but came to believe that it was his duty as a bondsman. When his dropship landed on Terra, Arjun broke down as he stepped onto the tarmac, realizing that his vision had finally come true, but that his own interpretation of it had been dramatically incorrect. It was a turning point in Arjun’s life. He vowed to never be fooled by faith again. He turned his back on the Crusader cause and became an ardent Warden, determined to teach the Inner Sphere to protect itself.
Arjun committed himself to his work at Sandhurst and became a valued faculty member. He also developed a romantic relationship with fellow lecturer, Sharon Gardbaum. His new life would be torn apart again in 3058 with the Word of Blake invasion of Terra. After the command staff at Sandhurst were killed by Blakist commandoes, Arjun and Gardbaum organized the cadets into a fighting force that held off the Blakists and tried to flee into the wilds. Despite some successful initial encounters, the ad-hoc force was finally stopped in Wales. Gardbaum was captured and Arjun was forced to flee on foot after ejecting from his crippled mech.
Arjun became a de-facto leader in the emerging underground resistance. He traveled the globe organizing cells, all the time on the lookout for Gardbaum. In 3062, he succeeded in pinpointing Sharon’s location in a Cairo prison and was able to organize a night raid that freed her. Less than a year after this rescue, Sharon bore their first of three children.
Arjun and Sharon became two of the most important leaders in the resistance, organizing raids, covert operations, gathering intelligence, and building morale. Their first child would be 18 and an active member of the resistance himself before Terra would be liberated by Devlin Stone’s coalition. Nova Cat warriors with the liberating forces were astounded to find Arjun still alive and he became an instant legend, welcomed back into the Clan. He chose, however, to remain on his adopted homeworld of Terra. He helped to integrate Nova Cat warriors into the new Republic Armed Forces and eventually served as a Senator before retiring from that position to serve once again as a faculty member at Sandhurst. With age and experience, he had developed from a hot-headed Crusader fanatic into a thoughtful and reflective war hero, statesman, and scholar. He passed away peacefully on Terra in 3107.