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"In the centuries since the supercarriers crashed, the Old Families have been taking everything by force, guile, and corruption. Soon there won't be anything left they don't control."

- Senator Angus Mengsk(src)

The Old Families, the descendants of the commanders of Nagglfar,[1] were the dynastic ruling families of Tarsonis.

Famous Old Families included the Calabas and Kusinis families, along with the Dukes (of which General Edmund Duke was a member),[2] Terras[3] and Tygores.[4] The Mengsk family were former members as well.[5][6] They were distinguished by their accent (a drawl).[1]

Overview[]

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Mengsk Dynasty insignia

The Old Families maintained businesses and had representation on multiple worlds. They were largely immune to all but the most important laws and knew the secrets of the Confederate Council. Many members of the Old Families married members of other families in order to forge a stronger genetic and financial union. As these weren't love matches, both parents generally had mistresses and "jigs" and offspring were produced through artificial insemination. Gender roles were strictly split; for instance, the wife would be the "head of the household" while the husband would be in charge of security[4] and were referred to even in political matters as "fathers."[2]

The Old Families had the "right" to "advise" the democratically elected government of the Confederacy on a variety of issues, which the government could accept or reject.[7]

Through a combination of force, guile and corruption, the Old Families maintained their position through control of the media and the economy. A common business tactic among the Old Families was forming "loss-leading" companies on fringe worlds, driving their competitors out of business, then increasing prices on necessities.[6] The Old Families both competed and cooperated economically, in order to maintain their influence over the Confederate government and its citizens.[7]

Every year, the Old Families held a "Reunion," an interplanetary summit of Old Family representatives, after a week of ceremony and celebration. They would discuss the economy and governance with the Confederate government. In 2488 the Reunion was held in Tarsonis City in the Hall of Reason.[7]

Old Family members, especially young children, were potential targets for kidnapping, but the residents of Tarsonis City were well aware of the risks that such an act would involve.[4][7] In this regard, Old Family interaction with the public varied, some families "giving face" to paparazzi, while others remaining low-key. In regards to transportation, Old Families could either clear their way through traffic in a heavily armored convoy with sirens blazing, or use modified, yet average looking vehicles that could blend in with the traffic around them.[7]

History[]

The Old Families were descendants of the original commanders of Nagglfar[4] and have run things from the year "naught."[1] Upon settling on Tarsonis, the Families made law and order a priority, establishing a police force and creating headquarters for them out of the remains of Nagglfar.[4]

When Moria and Umoja refused to join in a conglomerated government, the Old Families responded by expanding their military and colonizing more aggressively. They formed the Terran Confederacy.[8]

Economic Dominance[]

In the decades leading up to the Guild Wars, the Confederate Armed Forces were frequently used to steal mining claims away from miners affiliated with the Kel-Morian Combine. The claims would then be transferred to an Old Family-controlled company.[6]

Many Old Families became even more wealthy as their companies supplied the Confederate military during the Guild Wars. An added bonus was that since UNN was more occupied with covering the events of the war, there were fewer investigations into their economic dealings.[7]

The Old Families became more avaricious and corrupt as they built their personal fortunes and vied for more power. When discontent and outright insurgency built up across the Confederacy, they responded with increasingly violent measures to keep the colonies in line, culminating in the nuclear decimation of Korhal when it attempted to secede from the Confederacy.[8]

The Great War[]

"Pretty easy gig for you, guarding these teens."
"These are not your average teens."

- A servant and security guard discussing their wards.(src)

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The Old Family heirs at the resort

After the fall of the Sara System, the Old Families, under a plan developed by Arturro Calabas, began sending their scions to a resort on Tyrador IX on the yacht Padraig. To the public, this would be under the pretense of giving their children a vacation, but in reality it was to protect them from rebel and alien attacks. Their departure reduced the number of casualties when the Families were attacked by Cliff Nadaner's terrorists. The exception was the Terra Family where a spy was working in the household. The Terra heads and son were killed alongside several servants, but the terrorists were in turn wiped out by a psionic outburst from the youngest daughter, November.[4]

The Last Stand[]

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Arturro Calabas during the Fall of Tarsonis

The Old Families were largely wiped out during the Fall of Tarsonis. Sons of Korhal forces impeded the protoss from attacking the zerg, who in turn destroyed the Families' power base.[1]

The Old Family scions at Tyrador IX, along with their security contingent, were contacted by Arturro Calabas. He ordered them to activate "Plan Razor," which would send the scions to Shi, the fourth planet of the "The Baker's Dozen", a series of mining worlds owned by Calabas.

A secretive transport dropped a zerg drone on Shi, infesting the planet. Eventually the zerg wiped out the Old Family security forces and Padraig fled, leaving just the scions. They attempted to use mining lasers to fight back, but were nearly all killed. Only four scions survived: Morgan Calabas, Antonia Tygore, and Bess and Rockham Kusinis.[9] In 2501, on approximately the anniversary of the Fall of Tarsonis and the ascension of Arcturus Mengsk as emperor of the Terran Dominion, a ghost training team, including Nova Terra and Gabriel Tosh, was dispatched to The Baker's Dozen. Intercepting the distress call, the ghosts defeated the zerg and rescued the heirs. However, Arcturus Mengsk personally ordered the ghosts to be memory wiped of the incident and the heirs handed over to the marines and secretly executed. Only an injured Tosh escaped the wipe procedure. The deaths of the heirs were then "confirmed" to have occurred on Tarsonis.[10]

Membership[]

Main article: Old Family members

Known Old Family members and families include:

Bennet Family[]

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Ark Bennet after leaving the family

The Bennet Family owned Bennet Industries, which was involved in shipping. They avoided drawing attention to themselves and resided in a massive mansion[7]

Brubaker Family[]

The Brubaker family owned Brubaker Holdings, which manufactured rifles during the Guild Wars.[7]

Calabas Family[]

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Morgan Calabas

d'Arbanville Family[]

No known members

Duke Family[]

"If he had been mentally reprogrammed into a zombie, nobody would know the difference. Then again, recalling Garth's antics at the party, she thought that perhaps that whole family had gone mad."

- Bella Terra on the Duke Family(src)

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Edmund Duke

Falco Family[]

The Falco Family owned one of the smaller shipping lanes of Confederate space and was a less prominent family than others. In 2488, there was talk of an arranged marriage between Hailey Falco and Ark Bennet. Such a merger would allow them to keep their independence, and also grant them a larger voice in Old Family affairs.[7]

Holt Family[]

The Holt Family owned Holt Enterprises.[7]

Kusinis Family[]

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The Kusinis Twins

The Kusinis family owned the Kusinis Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Tarsonis City. Known members include:

Mengsk Dynasty[]

Main article: Mengsk Dynasty
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Mengsk Dynasty heraldry

The Mengsk Dynasty turned against the Terran Confederacy. Valerian Mengsk was never recognized as a member of the Old Families.

Terra Family[]

Members[]

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Nova Terra

Servants and Associates[]

  • Eleftheria (Constantino's mistress, executed by Gustavo McBain)
  • Edward Peters (Bella's jig, killed by Nova's psychic attack)
  • Lia Emmanuel (business associate)
  • Mr. Sim (kitchen staff supervisor)
  • Boris (waiter)
  • Bryan (lobby guard, killed by Cliff Nadaner's rebels)
  • Rebeka (hair dresser, killed by Nova's psychic attack)
    • Pip (a Siamese cat)
  • Derek (killed by Nova's psychic attack)
  • Dorris (killed by Nova's psychic attack)
  • Maia (killed by Nova's psychic attack)
  • Marco (killed by Nova's psychic attack)
  • Natale (killed by Nova's psychic attack)
  • Walter (killed by Nova's psychic attack)
  • Yvonne (killed by Nova's psychic attack)

Tygore Family[]

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Antonia Tygore

Other[]

It appears that Charlie Quinn and Thérèse were Old Family members, as they were at least certainly associated with them. If this is the case however, it is unknown which Old Families they belong to.[4] Senator Westyn MacMasters was either a member or an associate of the Old Families.[11] Dhupal, Keys, and Roderick were known Old Family scions sent to Tyrador IX. They were slain by invading zerg at the Baker's Dozen's fourth world of Shi.[9] General Carolina Davis appeared to have had some ties to the Old Families, stating that she had known the Terra Family.[12]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Grubb, Jeff (February 27, 2001). StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0671-04148-9.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Neilson, Micky (December 18, 2000). StarCraft: Uprising. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0743-41898-0 (eBook).
  3. Blizzard Entertainment. 2013-03-21. Cast of Characters: Nova. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-12-16.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 DeCandido, Keith R. A. (November 28, 2006). StarCraft: Ghost: Nova. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0743-47134-3.
  5. Blizzard Entertainment. 2010-07-24. Cast of Characters: Arcturus Mengsk. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2010-07-24.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 McNeill, Graham (December 30, 2008). StarCraft: I, Mengsk. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 1416-55083-6.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 Dietz, William C. (April 6, 2010). StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1416-55084-6.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Blizzard Entertainment. 2010-07-24. Koprulu Sector Systems: Tarsonis. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2010-07-24.
  9. 9.0 9.1 Gerrold, David (w), Fernando Heinz Furukawa (p, i). StarCraft: Ghost Academy: Volume 2 (paperback binding). Tokyopop, August 10, 2010. ISBN 978-1427-81613-9.
  10. Gerrold, David (w), Fernando Heinz Furukawa (p, i). StarCraft: Ghost Academy: Volume 3 (paperback binding). Tokyopop, March 8, 2011. ISBN 978-1427-81614-6.
  11. Golden, Christie (April 12, 2011). StarCraft II: Devils' Due. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1416-55085-3.
  12. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: End Game (in English). 2016-11-22.
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