Editing Candace Liao

{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Candace Liao 3.jpg
| caption             = Duchess Candace Liao in 3067
| name                = Candace Liao
| birthdate           = [[2988]]<ref name=HL(TCC)p124>''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'', p. 124: "Candace Liao profile"</ref>
| died                = 7 October [[3068]]
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[House Liao]]
| rank                = 
| title               = [[Duchess of St. Ives]]
| position            = [[CEO of Capellan Commonality Bank]]
| profession          = Noble
| parents             = [[Maximilian Liao]] (father)
| siblings            = [[Romano Liao]]<br/>[[Tormano Liao]]
| spouse              = [[Justin Allard]]
| children            = [[Kai Allard-Liao]]<br/>[[Cassandra Allard-Liao]]<br/>[[Kuan-Yin Allard-Liao]]<br/>[[Quintus Allard-Liao]]
}}
'''Candace Liao''' was the oldest daughter of Chancellor [[Maximilian Liao]] of the [[Capellan Confederation]]. She was an accomplished [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]] before injuries forced her into less active roles. She presided over the rise and fall of the [[St. Ives Compact]], and was known as a peacemaker and a moderating force on the [[Star League]] Council.

==History==
===Early Life===
Born on [[Genoa]] as the eldest child of the Chancellor, and his heir apparent after her brother [[Tormano Liao]] fell out of favor, Candace became the [[Duchess of St. Ives]]. She did not want to become married as she preferred the life of a single woman and loved diamonds, fur, and leather. Intelligent and beautiful, she was able to remain heir even though she disagreed with, and barely even liked, her father.<ref>''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'', p. 126</ref> Maximilian Liao for his part saw in the strong-willed Candace the perfect means to dominate [[Anton Marik]] when, as part of encouraging Anton's [[Marik Civil War (31st c.)|failed rebellion]] against his brother [[Janos Marik]], he promised then-adolescent Candace as a future bride for Anton.<ref>''Handbook: House Liao'', p. 36</ref>

===Third Succession War===
In [[3013]], Candace Liao was a beautiful and intelligent woman who was chaffing under the prospect at being married to [[Anton Marik]].  To keep the headstrong [[Duchess]] occupied and from getting into mischief, [[Chancellor]] [[Maximilian Liao]] kept her busy with governmental and ceremonial duties.  When he assigned her to inspect [[Wolf's Dragoons]], the trouble she helped create was quite unexpected.

Candace arrived on [[Carver]] in May 3013. There she presented [[Jaime Wolf]] a prized [[Turin Stallion]] as a gift from the Chancellor. Then she spent the next few weeks inspecting the Dragoons' operations, participating in maneuvers and generally being a pest.  In fact, she saw the Dragoons as a chance for greater political power so tried to seduce Jaime Wolf. When Jaime Wolf declined her advances, she moved on [[Colonel]] [[Harold Jones]] in command of [[Epsilon Regiment (Wolf's Dragoons)|Epsilon Regiment]]. Her plan appeared to be to create a group of rebellious officers who would potentially kill Jaime Wolf and bind the Dragoons to her as a personal bodyguard in the [[Capellan Confederation Armed Forces]]. While Colonel Jones was receptive to her romantic advances, he was not going to turn against Jaime Wolf. After playing along with the Duchess for a few weeks, he told her that she should return home to her father and that he was not interested in her political ploys. Enraged and humiliated, Candace returned to [[Sian]] swearing vengeance on the Dragoons.

Later that year, there were two attempts made on Jaime Wolf's life. The first was in October when the Jaime Wolf's [[Archer]] mysteriously malfunctioned causing the ammunition to detonate prematurely. Jaime Wolf was only able to escape by ejecting from the [[BattleMech]] at the last minute. Then in December, [[Seventh Kommando]], protecting Wolf's villa shot and killed a lone assassin.  While there was no identifying information, the individual was using weapons and equipment favored by the [[Death Commando]]s, an elite unit commanded by [[Warren Po]] who was another lover of Candace Liao.

When the Dragoons were reassigned to assist Anton Marik's revolt, many may have considered this an improvement in their fortunes.<ref name=WDsp16>''Wolf's Dragoons'', p. 16: "Nest of Vipers"</ref>

Candace was also a talented MechWarrior. Her military career was cut short in [[3017]], when she was forced to eject from her 'Mech during a battle on [[Spica]]. She suffered serious injuries due to a malfunction which caused the canopy to remain partly in place when she was ejected. Ironically, the pilot who defeated her was Justin Xiang Allard.<ref>''Warrior: Riposte'', pp. 80–82</ref>

===Fourth Succession War===
On 20 August [[3028]], Candace attended the wedding of [[Hanse Davion]] and [[Melissa Steiner]] on [[Terra]]. When Davion made his now-infamous speech to his new bride ending with: "I give you the Capellan Confederation!", thus beginning the [[Fourth Succession War]], [[Maximilian Liao]], who was sitting to Candace's right, jumped out of his seat, gathered up his dishes in his arms and began screaming insults at Davion. Candace, momentarily stunned by this shocking revelation and Maximilian's most undignified response, attempted to calm the Chancellor. Justin Allard, who was sitting to her left, calmly raised his wine glass in a silent toast to Davion, who returned the gesture with the same calm.<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 9</ref>

Candace spent the war on [[Sian]] engaged in subtle power struggles with her sister [[Romano Liao|Romano]], while her relationship with Justin Allard grew stronger. In an effort to preserve something of her nation's people and culture, which Candace believed was facing doom, she also composed a message to Hanse Davion requesting terms for surrender. Candace confided this to Justin, about to depart for a raid on [[Bethel]], who agreed to leave the message where it would be found and delivered to Davion.<ref>''Warrior: Coupé'', ch. 5</ref> Candace also denuded the St. Ives Commonality of [[JumpShip|JumpShips]], signaling to Davion that St. Ives would not be used as a staging area for attacks on the Federated Suns; the First Prince reciprocated the gesture and shifted his forces elsewhere.<ref>''Warrior: Coupé'', ch. 25</ref>

===Marriage and Children===
She met [[Justin Allard|Justin Xiang]] on [[Sian]] in [[3027]], who she did not realize was a Davion spy. In [[3029]], at the end of the [[Fourth Succession War]], she escaped with the rescue mission sent for 'Xiang' (Allard), broke the St. Ives Commonality away from the battered Confederation, renamed it the [[St. Ives Compact]], and married Allard.

Together the couple had four children.
* [[Kai Allard-Liao]] (3030–3123) was a close friend of [[Victor Steiner-Davion]]. He almost single-handedly destroyed the [[Falcon Guard]] on [[Twycross]], was a two-time Solaris champion, defeated Khan [[Vlad Ward]] during the [[Great Refusal]], and died fighting the Capellans for the [[Republic of the Sphere]].
* [[Cassandra Allard-Liao]] is at least partially responsible for escalating the violence that led to the [[Capellan-St. Ives War]], after which she joined [[Rubinsky's Light Horse]].
* [[Kuan-Yin Allard-Liao]] helped run relief shipments from the [[Capellan March]] into the Compact during the Capellan-St. Ives War, then negotiated the treaty that ended that war on behalf of her mother.
* [[Quintus Allard-Liao]] followed in his father and older brother's footsteps by attending the [[NAIS College of Military Science|New Avalon Military Academy]].

Around [[3045]], she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Successful treatments at the [[New Avalon Institute of Science]] sent the cancer into remission.<ref>''Blood Legacy'', p. 222</ref>

===Ruler of St. Ives===
In a bid to rescue her St. Ives holdings from the disintegrating Confederation and her father's growing madness, Candace declared her realm's independence at the end of the Fourth Succession War. With her husband's aid, and building upon the unspoken detente established during the war, support and an offer of mutual peace between St. Ives and the Steiner-Davion alliance was negotiated.<ref>''Field Manual: Capellan Confederation'', p. 19</ref>

Candace spent the first two years of her reign struggling with threats internal and external. Confederation loyalists opposed to the secession mounted armed resistance on several Compact worlds, even briefly seizing control of St. Ives' capital Tian-tan, while Romano Liao ordered numerous raids against the new nation that inflicted damage to half a dozen worlds. Despite her soldiers' valiant efforts, they were unable to stop the raiding, and Candace was forced to appeal to the Federated Suns for aid. With military and intelligence-related assistance from the Suns, the rebels were crushed and the Confederation raids curtailed. Fortunately the majority of the Compact's people were firmly supportive of their new ruler and nation, and the threat of internal rebellion never arose again.<ref>''Field Manual: Capellan Confederation'', pp. 19–20</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Liao'', pp. 45–46: "St. Ives Compact"</ref>

Ironically, Candace's next challenge came from the very ally that had just cemented her rule over St. Ives. When the Confederation was invaded by a joint [[Magistracy of Canopus|Canopian]]-[[Duchy of Andurien|Andurien]] alliance in early [[3031]], Hanse Davion intended to take full advantage and finish off the Confederation for good. Believing that Candace would support the final liberation of the Capellan people from Maximilian's tyranny, Davion was unprepared for her curt refusal to aid him. Instead she expelled the AFFS forces in her realm and declared that the Confederation would receive the full support of the Compact if it were attacked by the Federated Suns. The threat of war between Candace's tiny realm and the vast Steiner-Davion state was averted, partly thanks to the efforts of Justin Allard and [[Melissa Steiner-Davion]], and Hanse Davion ceased both his invasion plans and his covert attempts to assimilate the Compact into the nascent [[Federated Commonwealth]].<ref>''Field Manual: Capellan Confederation'', pp. 20–21: "Love thy neighbor"</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Liao'', p. 46: "Apart, but Still Akin"</ref>

The remainder of the 3030s and 3040s passed with little turmoil, as the Compact's economy boomed with the increase in trade with the Federated Commonwealth. Candace did not pursue overt hostilities with the Confederation but did constantly and publicly advocate the removal of her tyrannical sister from power.<ref>''Handbook: House Liao'', p. 48</ref>

===The Clan Invasion===
Though she was not personally affected by the [[Clans]], she journeyed with the other leaders of the [[Inner Sphere]] to [[Outreach]] in [[3051]] to take part in the summit led by [[Jaime Wolf]]. She did little there except earn the renewed ire of her sister [[Romano Liao|Romano]]. Romano sent an assassin to dispatch Candace and her husband, but the myomers that replaced her real muscle after the removal of the breast cancer absorbed the assassin's blow. Justin did not fare so well, however, though he managed to kill the intruder before he succumbed to his wounds.<ref>''Blood Legacy''</ref>

Candace secretly traveled to [[Sian]] while she was believed dead to exact revenge upon her sister. With the help of [[Warrior House Imarra|Warrior House Imarra's]] Master [[Ion Rush]], she gained admittance to the Celestial Palace and killed both Romano and her longtime lover, [[Tsen Shang]]. In a subsequent meeting with Romano's son [[Sun-Tzu Liao]], she explained to him her reasoning for the killings and why she would allow him to take the throne - Candace saw in Sun-Tzu a ruler the Confederation would need - as well as a warning that she could at any time arrange for his downfall.<ref>''Lost Destiny'', ch. 36</ref>

===The Second Star League===

===The Capellan-St. Ives War===
This decision returned to haunt her when Sun-Tzu manipulated a war between his Confederation and her Compact in [[3060]]. The [[Capellan-St. Ives War]] slowly but surely saw her Compact fall to the [[Capellan Confederation]]. The capital of [[St. Ives]] fell in [[3062]] after Candace made the decision to abandon it so she could concentrate her nation's resources on holding the bulk of its worlds. Realizing that this was only delaying the inevitable, Candace sent Kuan-Yin to [[Sian]] to negotiate a ceasefire. Together with the efforts of former Precentor Martial [[Anastasius Focht]], an agreement was reached in which the Compact would become the St. Ives Commonality once more, but Candace and her scions were confirmed as its hereditary rulers.<ref>''Field Manual: Capellan Confederation'', p. 16</ref>

Despite expectations to the contrary Sun-Tzu did not insist that Candace stay on Sian as a hostage, and so aside from Prefectorate meetings there she remained on St. Ives for the next four years overseeing the integration of her Commonality with the rest of the Capellan state.<ref>''Handbook: House Liao'', p. 81</ref>

===Death and Afterward===
In early [[3068]], Duke [[George Hasek II|George Hasek]] launched an offensive that was aimed at securing a buffer between the St. Ives Commonality and the rest of the Confederation so that the Compact could be resurrected. It is unclear whether or not this invasion was made with the approval of Candace or any other member of her family. She was killed when the [[Word of Blake]] took advantage of the situation and used a [[WarShip]] to bombard the Capellan capital of [[Sian]] in late [[3068]] as part of their [[Jihad]].<ref>''Dawn of the Jihad''</ref><ref>''Blake Ascending''</ref>

==BattleMechs==
During her battle with [[Justin Allard]] on [[Spica]], she piloted a ''[[Vindicator]]''.

==Quotes==
{{Quote|''Oh, yes, we are a brake on the wishes of the Chancellor. My father sits at the head of our council, determines who can and cannot hold the nobility required to sit, and controls the military that protects us. Quite a brake we are.''|Remark made by Duchess Candace Liao, 3026<ref name="HB:HLp91">''Handbook: House Liao'', p. 91: "The Prefectorate"</ref>}}

{{quote|''[[Romano Liao|Romano's]] paranoia makes her dangerous. Giving her something to focus it on makes her decidedly less so.''|Prime Minister [[Candace Liao]], [[Outreach]], 13 Jan [[3051]]}}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Candace Liao - Liz Danforth.jpg|Illustration of Candace Liao
File:Candace Liao.jpg|Candace at age 62
Candace Liao ShSphere.jpg|Candace at age 73 from ''[[Shattered Sphere]]''
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* ''[[Blake Ascending]]''
* ''[[Blood Legacy]]''
* ''[[Dawn of the Jihad]]''
* ''[[FedCom Civil War (sourcebook)|FedCom Civil War]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Capellan Confederation]]''
* ''[[Grave Covenant]]''
* ''[[Handbook: House Liao]]''
* ''[[House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)]]''
* ''[[The Killing Fields]]''
* ''[[Lost Destiny]]''
* ''[[Prince of Havoc]]''
* ''[[Threads of Ambition]]''
* ''[[Warrior: Coupé]]''
* ''[[Warrior: En Garde]]''
* ''[[Warrior: Riposte]]''
* ''[[Wolf's Dragoons (sourcebook)|Wolf's Dragoons]]''
{{div col end}}

[[Category:Capellan Confederation Characters|Liao, Candace]]
[[Category:St. Ives Compact Characters|Liao, Candace]]