Thrakhath nar Kiranka

Thrakhath nar Kiranka
- 2669.267
Place of birth	Kilrah
Place of death	Kilrah, Orbit, Kilrah System
Allegiance	Empire of Kilrah
Years of service	- 2669.267
Rank	Crown Prince, Heir to the Kilrathi Throne
Battles/wars	Operation Crusade, Enigma Sector Campaign, Battle of Earth, Operation: Unseen Death
Relations	Kilrathi Emperor (Grandfather), Gilkarg nar Kiranka (Father), Ratha nar Kiranka (Elder Brother), Khasra Fireclaw (Cousin)

Thrakhath nar Kiranka was the Crown Prince of the Empire of Kilrah and as of 2654 was the immediate heir to the Kilrathi throne. He was the grandson of the Kilrathi Emperor and the son of the late Crown Prince Gilkarg nar Kiranka.

History

Thrakhath was born into the Royal Family of Kilrah and was the grandson of the last Kilrathi Emperor. He was the younger son of Crown Prince Gilkarg, and brother of Ratha nar Kiranka. Just like every Kilrathi before him, Thrakhath was groomed for a life of conflict and had a strong lust for blood and warfare. He took an active role in the Terran-Kilrathi War from its earlier years, and through the years established himself as a lethal Kilrathi pilot and eventually as a major leader of the Kilrathi armada. He became Gilkarg's immediate heir to the throne after his elder brother Ratha was killed in action at the Battle of McAuliffe in 2634.

In 2655, Thrakhath's father was executed by the Emperor as punishment for the loss of the KIS Sivar and its entire strike force as the result of a prolonged operation led by the TCS Tiger's Claw. As a result, Thrakhath was elevated to Crown Prince and became the immediate heir to the Kilrathi throne.

Later that year, the Kilrathi invaded the Firekka System to host their annual Sivar-Eshrad Ceremony, with Crown Prince Thrakhath being one of the major overseers of the invasion. However, the Confederation launched Operation Crusade in an effort to liberate the system, headed by the TCS Tiger's Claw. Incensed by the Terrans' attempts to resist the invasion, the Crown Prince sent his first message to the humans, ordering the Terrans to depart Firekka immediately or risk total annihilation for disrupting the 'Way of Lord Sivar'. After the ceremony was successfully disrupted by the Terran Confederation Marines and their Firekkan allies, Thrakhath sent a second message to the Terrans, ordering them to depart and declaring that the stranded Marines would be exterminated on the planet's surface. Ultimately, the Confederation and the Firekkans prevailed and the Kilrathi were forced to abandon Firekka altogether.

In 2656, Thrakhath was stationed at K'tithrak Mang, the Kilrathi Sector Command for the entire Enigma Sector. That same year, the Tiger's Claw was sent to destroy K'tithrak Mang in an effort the cripple the Kilrathi presence in the sector. Thrakhath learned of this attack after a Terran traitor leaked the Claw's co-ordinates to the Crown Prince, and in response sent stealth fighters to thwart the attack. Subsequently, the Tiger's Claw was completely destroyed and Tiger's Claw pilot Christopher Blair was court-martialled as a result. Thrakhath then moved quickly to assume control of the Enigma Sector.

Thrakhath's plans stalled after learning from his cousin Khasra Fireclaw that the Kilrathi separatist movement on Ghorah Khar had overthrown the Kilrathi Imperial government on the planet and were attempting to align with the Confederation. Fearing the loss of his valuable stealth fighter technology to the rebellion, Thrakhath ordered a massive strike that destroyed the Ghorah Khar shipyards, preserving the secrecy of the technology but also crippling Thrakhath's plans to conquer the Enigma Sector.

In the eleven years of warfare that followed, Thrakhath's forces slowly advanced across the sector, aided by the Society of Mandarins. However, he found himself at increasing odds with his cousins, most notably Khasra, whose lust for glory ultimately hindered the Kilrathi's conquest of humanity. Incensed that he himself was not able to directly command the armada, Thrakhath appealed to his grandfather to let him take command. The Emperor granted his wish, warning him that if he failed to deliver results in the war, one of his fifteen cousins would instead inherit the throne.

In 2667, the TCS Concordia launched a second strike on K'tithrak Mang, during which Thrakhath's disgraced rival Captain Blair launched a personal strike on the Kilrathi Sector HQ. Thrakhath dueled the Captain in his prized Bloodfang, but was ultimately shot down after a heated battle, and K'tithrak Mang was subsequently destroyed. However, Thrakhath had managed to eject and was rescued by a nearby warship, vowing to avenge his defeat.

Thrakhath maintained command of his forces despite his defeat, but his enmity with Khasra came to a boiling point as Khasra accused the Crown Prince of incompetence. Thrakhath silenced his cousin, reminding him that he was still favored by the Emperor for not having attempted to have him assassinated. In 2667, he renewed his campaign to retake Ghorah Khar. However, during one such engagement he came under attack by a wing of Kilrathi pilots loyal to Khasra, who hoped to assassinate the Prince and secure the Kilrathi throne for himself. Thrakhath killed most of his assailants but was eventually forced to eject, and was subsequently captured by Confederation pilots from the Bonnie Heather. He was imprisoned and interrogated by his captors, among them Colonel Blair. Khasra demanded that the humans release Thrakhath to him, but the Confederation forces thwarted Khasra's assault. Unfortunately, Thrakhath was able to escape after a power outage on the vessel allowed him to escape imprisonment, and he subsequently fled on a stolen Confederation Crossbow. He managed to evade Colonel Blair and swore vengeance against his treacherous cousin.

Thrakhath successfully tracked down and killed Khasra after his escape, and informed the Emperor that he had died in combat with Colonel Blair to mask his own involvement. He then turned his attention towards Kilrathi interests in the Deneb Quadrant.

After Ayer's Rock, the headquarters of the Mandarins, had been destroyed by Confederation Special Operations in the area, Thrakhath's fleet destroyed the Confederation's 6th Battle Fleet and forced the TCS Concordia out of the Deneb Quadrant, effectively conquering the region. The campaign was declared a major victory by the Kilrathi and they proceeded to further encroach on Terran systems.

However, the tide of the war turned against the Kilrathi from 2667 to 2668, during which the Confederation won major victories at Vukar Tag and Kilrah itself. The Kilrathi were losing ships and soldiers at an alarming rate due to Confederation raids, forcing the Crown Prince to pursue new means by which to halt the Terrans' campaign. In 2668, the Crown Prince attended a war meeting with the Emperor, at which Baron Jukaga nar Ki'ra was also present. During the meeting, Baron Jukaga made clear his intent to sue the battle-weary Confederation for peace as a means to allow the Empire to rebuild its armada. Thrakhath also revealed the full extent of the top-secret Hari Project to the Emperor, taking place in the remote and lifeless Hari Sector. He had commissioned an enormous portion of the Kilrathi supply fleets to undertake the project in which Thrakhath intended to supply the fleet with the new Hakaga-Class Carriers, a warship whose size and power would be unmatched by any Terran vessel. Once this fleet was completed, it would assault the Terran homeworld of Earth in full force. The Emperor authorized this daring plan, allowing Baron Jukaga to forge the False Armistice while Thrakhath oversaw the completion of their new fleet.

Through 2668, Thrakhath slowly built up his massive fleet in preparation for the assault on Earth, while the Confederation's civilian government failed to recognize the Kilrathi ruse. Thrakhath's fleet was eventually discovered by a group of covert operatives led by James Taggart, forcing Thrakhath to launch the fleet early before all of the Hakagas had been completed. Despite this, Thrakhath was already in the position to crush the Confederation opposition.

While the Confederation scrambled its remaining forces to stave off the invasion, Thrakhath arrived at Sirius and launched an assault on the Confederation fleet stationed there. In the battle that unfolded, Thrakhath's fleet suffered only modest losses while the TCS Concordia was forced to retreat following the loss of its fleet, allowing Thrakhath to exterminate the population of Sirius in a thermonuclear strike. Thrakhath proceeded to Sol where the Battle of Earth would take place.

Thrakhath laid siege to Earth with his entire fleet, led by the Hakaga carriers. As the Confederation and the Kilrathi fought for control of Earth, a contingent of Terran Confederation Marines led by General Duke Grecko launched a direct assault on the Hakagas, boarding the vessels in a suicidal attempt to destroy them. The boarding action resulted in the loss of four of the five Hakagas, so the Crown Prince instead assaulted Earth with anti-matter warheads. However, this strike also failed when Baron Jukaga launched a coup de'tat against the Crown Prince, and was subsequently killed in this attempt. When reinforcements from the Free Republic of the Landreich arrived to help defend Earth, the Crown Prince was forced to retreat with his confused task force. However, untold millions of Terrans died in the course of the battle as Kilrathi nuclear strikes laid waste to several of Earth's major cities, and billions more lay dead on Sirius.

Despite this loss, Thrakhath's fleet had broken the back of the Confederation fleet, and the Kilrathi Empire was nearing total victory as the greatly weakened Confederation Navy struggled to maintain control over its territories. Thrakhath launched his new fleets across the frontier and slowly eroded Confederation lines, conquering colony after colony as the humans were continually forced to retreat.

In 2669, the Kilrathi captured a small team of covert operatives on Kilrah led by Colonel Jeannette Devereaux. Thrakhath personally oversaw the disintegration of Devereaux's team in the Kilrathi Royal Palace, and mocked Colonel Devereaux's efforts to defeat the Empire. Thrakhath then executed Devereaux by personally disemboweling her in the Kilrathi throne room.

By this point in the war, Thrakhath and the Kilrathi had bestowed Colonel Blair with the name "Heart of the Tiger", referencing the pilot's lethal combat skills. Thrakhath remained eager to personally kill the Colonel in order to secure the Kilrathi's final victory over humanity.

During the final months of the war, Thrakhath personally oversaw the execution of Operation Unseen Death, the Kilrathi offensive to exterminate the Terran population in the contested Locanda System. Despite resistance from the TCS Victory and its new Wing Commander, Colonel Blair, Thrakhath's fleet successfully wiped Locanda clean of life in a massive biological attack. This was followed up by successful attacks on Delius, Trafalgar, and Blackmane, which proved disastrous for the Confederation in the Vega Sector.

However, the "Heart of the Tiger" continued to be a thorn in Thrakhath's side, as the Colonel led a successful counter-attack against the Kilrathi in Ariel, smashing its garrison there. Recognizing the grave threat, Thrakhath sent a message directly to the TCS Victory, swearing vengeance against the Confederation. However, the true purpose of the message was to awake Thrakhath's sleeper cell within the Confederation ranks: Colonel Ralgha nar Hhallas, who many years before was subjected to a personality overlay experiment ordered by the Crown Prince. By mentioning Blair's Kilrathi title, Ralgha was awakened and subsequently conducted espionage against his former comrades.

Through Ralgha, Thrakhath learned of the TCS Behemoth, a massive capital ship with the power to destroy Kilrah. Having learned the ship's weaknesses, Thrakhath attacked the Behemoth with an overwhelming bomber force, destroying the war machine and thwarting Kilrah's destruction. He then personally engaged Blair in combat in his new Bloodfang, attempting to coax the Colonel into a suicidal duel by showing him a recording of Devereaux's execution, and proceeded to mock and berate Blair for his failure to defend her. Blair was forced to ignore the Crown Prince's challenge and reached the Victory just as it fled the system.

With the Confederation on the brink of defeat and with few real options of defeating the Empire, Thrakhath was confident a Kilrathi victory was inevitable. He commissioned a vast armada to assemble in Kilrah orbit, which would then venture to Sol and finally destroy Earth. As the fleet assembled, Thrakhath expressed his hope for a final engagement with the the Heart of the Tiger, intent on silencing his enemy and truly securing victory over humanity.

Less than 48 hours before the Kilrathi assault on Earth, Colonel Blair led a small strike force into the Kilrah system as part of the Confederation's last desperate attempt to attack the Kilrathi homeworld. Thrakhath and Ralgha nar Hhallas, who had returned to the Empire, engaged Blair over Kilrah. The two pilots assaulted the Colonel in an intense battle, but both of them were ultimately shot down and killed by Blair before he destroyed Kilrah with the Y22A-1 Temblor Bomb, signaling the defeat of the Kilrathi Empire and the end of the Crown Prince.

The death of Crown Prince Thrakhath continued to affect the fractured Empire in the clans' fight for control. With the Emperor dead and no living heirs, distant relatives of the Emperor and several warlords fought for title to the throne in the years immediately following the loss of Kilrah.