Thomas Marik (Real)

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This article is about the "real" Thomas Marik, who became "The Master" who masterminded the Word of Blake Jihad, not the body double who ruled over the Free Worlds League as "Thomas Marik"
Thomas Marik
Also known as The Master
Born 10 March 2990
Died 2 April 3081
Affiliation House Marik
Word of Blake
Parents Janos Marik (father)
Hilda Lauber (mother)
Siblings Martin
Children Isis Marik

Thomas Marik (March 10, 2990 – April 2, 3081, aged 91 years) was born in Jaspin, on the planet Marik, the seventh son of Janos Marik from his first wife, Hilda Lauber. He was described as soft-spoken, with an aptitude for science and technology. In 3021 his father secretly designated Thomas as his heir.

After he was scarred during a bomb blast in 3035 that killed his father, Thomas Marik was replaced with a body double by ComStar.[1] Through his double he claimed the Captain-Generalcy of the Free Worlds League from 3036 until it hopelessly fractured during the 3070s. The double (who later became known as Thomas Halas) led the Free Worlds League to greater unity, economic prosperity, and centralization than it had ever experienced, while the real Thomas Marik became a fanatical follower of Conrad Toyama and joined the Word of Blake when they separated from ComStar. In time he became the shadowy figure known as "The Master", the true mastermind of the Jihad.[2]


Early life[edit]

Since Thomas was the seventh in line to the throne, he never conceived of the notion that he would someday become Captain-General, nor did he seem to desire the position. Instead, he threw himself into his love of technology. In 3006, at the age of sixteen, he joined ComStar with his father's blessings, where he demonstrated a real knack with technical pursuits.[1]

He joined the Explorer Corps, where he served for seven years. He then spent many more years as a deputy chief of maintenance at various HPG stations. In the 3020s, he was allowed to pursue research in medicine and astrophysics. The 3020s also saw Janos Marik negotiate for Thomas' release to be named as Janos' heir. With four of his older siblings dead, one all but disinherited, and the last found wanting, Janos decided to make his seventh child his heir. ComStar allowed this, hoping that Thomas would be more amicable to them than previous Marik rulers. The proper documents were signed on Procyon in 3021.[1]

While serving at the ComStar relay station on the Lyran Commonwealth world of Teukros in 3025, Thomas already began to prepare himself for the task of leading the Free Worlds League one day, studying ROM reports to learn about politics on top of his regular scientific workload.


Thomas was eventually promoted to Precentor of the HPG station on Son Hoa, where he was when circumstances found him. The Duchy of Andurien seceded from the Free Worlds League in 3030. Roughly a month later, Captain-General Janos Marik suffered a debilitating stroke. When his son Duggan and nephew Duncan struggled for control, Grand Duke Christopher Halas of Oriente contacted Thomas. Thomas appeared before Parliament in 3031 with documents that showed that he was Janos' designated heir. Thomas then ruled ably in his father's name, much to the dismay of ComStar and Halas, who had both believed that he would be easy to control. In 3035, Janos had recovered, so he resumed the position of ruling Captain-General.

In the same year, Janos called a meeting to discuss ways to bring the Duchy of Andurien back into the League. Duncan was called away only moments before a bomb exploded. Although he was never officially indicted, Duncan Marik himself is generally held to be the perpetrator of the bomb attack. It was initially believed that all inside had perished, so Duncan Marik assumed the title of Captain-General, which went unopposed by Janos' three remaining children, and declared war on Andurien. Unfortunately for Duncan, his attempts to reconquer the wayward Duchy were bogged down in a protracted war and his popularity plummeted.

Introducing the body double[edit]

Janos' legitimate heir, Thomas, was narrowly rescued from Duncan Marik's bomb attack by ComStar, but his extensive injuries required the use of bionics to save him. It was then decided that a body double should take his place as Captain-General of the Free Worlds League, ostensibly because the people of the Free Worlds League carry strong sentiments against "cyborgs", including prosthetics as well as cybernetic enhancements.

It ultimately remains uncertain to what extent the real Thomas Marik, who always pulled the strings from behind the scenes henceforth, had or even desired control over the rule that his double subsequently exerted over the Free Worlds League in his stead, while Thomas himself became a religious zealot, embracing the teachings of Conrad Toyama.

With the popular "Thomas Marik" back after more than a year, an enthusiastic Parliament acceded to his many demands in order to be rid of Duncan. Most of these requests were laws that concentrated more power in the Captain-General's hands than there had ever been before, including veto power. Duncan made one last-ditch effort to remain in power by forcing a victory over the Andurien troops in the field, but he died in his failed 3037 attack.[3]


The Fourth Whitting Conference in 3067 saw the dissolution of the Star League. When the Capellan Confederation, Federated Suns, and host Lyran Alliance announced their intentions to pull out of the League, outgoing First Lord Christian Månsdottir called for a vote of no-confidence in the League with the intention of forcing them back in. Even with the admission of the provisional members, the vote failed and the Star League dissolved. The Word of Blake, especially Thomas Marik's Sixth of June, were incensed and attempted to force the Alliance and Suns back into the League through intimidating force aimed at their respective capitals. When that failed, the Blakists engulfed the Inner Sphere and near Periphery in their Jihad.

"Thomas" finally attempted to break his dependency on the Blakists, to which they responded by using a chemical attack to kill the members of Parliament and the 1st Knights of the Inner Sphere. They also revealed the knowledge that the Captain-General was an impostor placed on the throne by ComStar. Despite that, the false Thomas attempted to stay on, but was deposed by Thomas' brother, Paul in 3069. Paul put his daughter Corinne on the throne, though she did not prove to be as malleable as the Word had hoped.[4] Others attempted to claim the Captain-Generalcy, namely Therese Marik and Kirc Cameron-Jones, leading to four different Captain-Generals and effectively shattering the Free Worlds League as a political entity (a situation that persisted until 3139).

Marriage and children[edit]

Thomas Marik (the "Real" Thomas Marik) was survived by one illegitimate child, Isis. His only legitimate child, Joshua (actually the son of Thomas Halas), died in 3057 while being treated for his leukemia on New Avalon. (Thomas Halas later had three other children, but by this time he was revealed to have been an impostor.)

Death and afterward[edit]

Thomas Marik perished along with his Jihad. On April 2, 3081, the Master and his protégé, Calvin McIntyre, were killed by Regulan WarShips as they bombarded the city of Zachariah on the Blakist-held world of Circinus.[5] His ashes were interred in secret on Kwamashu in the Duchy of Andurien. Following the fall of the HPG grid in 3132, Republic of the Sphere Ghost Knights stole them as part of a plot to distract Andurien and other former Free Worlds League states from the Republic as it restructured during Fortress Republic.[6] But the "ashes", in theory inside a wood box preserved in the honor place of a monastery, weren't real: in the box only are fragments of wood with words written. The final destiny of the real Thomas remains remains unknown.[7]

Philosophical and/or political views[edit]

At least for the duration of his interim rule from 3030 to 3035 he proved an able ruler with a genuine interest in leading the Free Worlds League and the welfare of its people, as shown in his extensive preparation for the position. Although initially described as soft-spoken, intelligent, learned and reserved, Thomas Marik became a fanatical devotee of the radical teachings of Primus Conrad Toyama at some point, presumably after suffering heavy injury in the bomb blast of 3035. The Jihad was launched after his interpretation of one of Toyama's prophecies did not come to fruition.

It remains unknown to which extent Thomas Marik later controlled his double who ruled the Free Worlds League in Thomas' stead with genuine care for its people, to the point of ultimately opposing Word of Blake and the real Thomas Marik. Thomas Marik's impostor did his best to concentrate political power in the Captain-General. He stripped the provinces of many of their rights and powers, created military brigades that were personally loyal to him and the Free Worlds League as a whole, cemented ties with the Duchy of Oriente and secured their military units for his own use, and stripped other provincial military units of their provincial loyalties.


Have you met this 'Master'? In the flesh? Spoken to him face to face? I thought not. If you had, you wouldn't be questioning my motives. Believe me, he doesn't care about the Free Worlds. At first, perhaps, but the last time we communicated it was clear he thought even Myndo Waterly was a bleeding-heart liberal. You know what this is in his eyes? This is Scorpion, writ large. His attempt to outdo the Primus he pretty much regards as a god, Toyama. He's using you.
  — "Thomas Marik" criticizes The Master, when confronted by his "brother", Paul Marik, August 9, 3069[8]

We did our best, my young friend. Now it's up to them..."
  — Thomas Marik/The Master's last words, addressed to a dying Calvin McIntyre.[5]

Portrait Gallery[edit]


  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 House Marik Sourcebook, p. 141
  2. Principles of Desolation, p.??[citation needed]
  3. 20-Year Update
  4. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p.??[citation needed], "The Shrouded Blade"
  5. 5.0 5.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 7
  6. Surrender your Dreams' p. 9
  7. Surrender your Dreams' p. 287
  8. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 5