Elbar Sondeheim
Elbar was a political figure from the 26th century. He was the 7th Lord-Governor of Furnace. Beginning in 2550 he successfully terraformed Furnace, finishing in 2565 and changed the name of the planet to Tyr.
Elbar employed Gallimimus Projects on behalf of Tyr in 2550, the project projected to last 15 years and costing an estimated A$35 billion. Despite fears that the terrorist organisation Jericho would hamper this investment, the security provisions enacted by Lord Sondeheim and the Tyran Legislature proved enough of a deterrent to prevent attacks on the terraforming apparatus. Elbar committed and paid A$20 billion on behalf of House Sondeheim for the terraforming project.
In October of 2559, rain fell on Tyr for the first time in its recorded history. This incredible moment was greeted with jubilant celebrations on Tyr. Naturally growing plants, hard wearing shrubs and cacti, had began growing across Tyr too. In February 2565 there were further celebrations as the project was finished, with blue skies and rolling clouds across Tyr.
In 2565, a few months before his death, Elbar hosted a large celebration on Tyr to celebrate the completion of the terraforming, with the guest list including the likes of Beckett Solarin, Alexander Ashpool, Kallisto Valane, Cotyar Gravmont, Morse Cutbill, Solomon Brahms and many more.
Early life
Born in 2484 to Kentan Sondeheim and Arabella Grumman, Elbar lived on Earth while his father served in Admiral Casteveil's staff. He was a bright and confident young man in his early schooling years. Always admiring his father, he wished to follow the same path he did, Cydonia College, then the Imperial Navy. However, when he was 14, The Terran Empire fell and his father moved to family to Mars. Elbar dealt with the hardships of exile well and despite not attending higher education worked hard to provide himself with one.Personal life
Elbar adapted well to his new circumstances, despite his interrupted education he worked hard to gain skills and knowledge, becoming a bright and confident young man. In 2504 his father took a small army to Furnace to assist the population. At the last moment Lord Kentan decided to join them and with a Martian frigate, retook the planet. In late 2507 the then 23 year old met Agnes Daniels (aged 24), a field medic, while serving in the Militia. The two immediately hit it off and eloped in 2508. This drew some condemnation from his parents who hadn't expected him to marry so far below his "station". Elbar retorted that in the war, everyone's station is the same. His aristocratic parents relented. The couple had four children together- Isabella Sondehim (Born 2509)
- Elizabeth Sondeheim (Born 2510)
- Reid Sondeheim (Born 2510)
- Archer Sondeheim (Born 2514)
Return to Furnace
Upon their return to Furnace, father and son worked closely together, with Elbar serving in his fathers staff and working as his aide-de camp. During this time Kentan brought Furnace into the Republic, removing it from the St. Lawrence Compact. This caught the ire of the Karkouri.The Desert War
In 2507 the Karkouri invaded the planet, landing a force of Salborians which began eight years of bloody and brutal guerrilla warfare. Elbar joined the Militia in early 2508 when his father called for volunteers. He saw combat on multiple occasions and was commended for bravery twice, once at the skirmish for the Vandibelt pass and again when his squad was ambushed outside New Cario. He was promoted in 2511 to Captain and again in 2514 to Major. The Desert War ended in 2515, with Elbar taking up a staff position and becoming a key military advisor. He was promoted to Colonel in 2520.Reconstruction
Following the war his father gave the role of improving the military and training new troops. He successfully reformed the devastated military structure on Furnace, taking advice and support from his Martian counterparts. During this time he undertook extensive political training and was a military liaison between Furnace and the FWP. His father hinted that he would promote him to Lt-Governor, to ease the strain Lord Kentan was under as he dealt with broader Terran politics. In 2529 Elbar was promoted to Lt-Governor and given full military control of Furnace.Head of House
In late 2534 with the sudden death of his father, Elbar became Lord-Governor of Furnace and head of House Sondeheim. He stressed continuity with his father and continued his work as Lord.Lord of Furnace
Elbar continued with his military reforms that he had worked on as Lt-Governor, increasing the Furnace Armed Forces to 50,000 marines. Elbar continued to protect Furnace and it's citizens by increasing the defences across the planet. He also oversaw the affects of the AKI produce recall on Furnace with Legislator Goodman by providing A$4 billion of relief for the planet, with the legislature paying A$3 billion and House Sondeheim the rest.Amum-Ra Banking Incorporated
Taking his father designs, Elbar Incorporated Amum-Ra Banking Incorporated (ARBI) in 2535. ARBI was focused on small businesses on small worlds and was an investment bank. This bank received a lot of investment and grew very quickly. It was worth approximately A$20 billion in 2540. As of 2550 ARBI was estimated to be worth A$30 billion and had branches on a few small planets. At at the time of his death it was worth A$42 billion and was the largest Financial company on the NASDEQMediator
In 2535 Elbar became the Mediator for the Federation. He oversaw the increase in membership alongside Kirkfell Brahms and Nova Valane. In 2538 the controversial Tazzyn treaty was signed between the Federation and the Tazzyn Empire under his watch. His time as Mediator was marred by the Vanheim issue, which saw Major Fife play the Federation and The Republic off each other to get as much aid as possible, to the annoyance of many of those involved. Ultimately after much back and forth, the Republic offered better terms and the Federation did not increase the offer. During 2537, the Gannid Commonwealth agreed a treaty with the Republic and the Federation that will release all the former Dragonfish worlds. A future referendum or election would decide which alliance they would join. As a part of the treaty, the Gannid gained a base on Avalon. Lord Sondeheim along with Malik Grumman and TASC spoke together at a press conference stressing Terran unity and the need for peace. During the escalating crisis named the "Intelligence affair" between the Federation and Republic in 2540-2544, Lord Elbar argued against hostile action against the Republic, assuming that all of the information wasn't there and in the knowledge that a war would plunge the Terran people into a new dark age.Dissolution of the Antares Federation
When the news of the Mars treaty became public knowledge this strained the Federation and ultimately lead to its dissolution. It appears Lord Sondeheim did not do much to resist this for reasons only known to him. During this time because of the economic downturn an emergency position was created in the Federation known as the Steward. Lord Sondeheim divided the Tazzyn fund in 2546 that the Federation had been holding onto since the treaty was signed. This was targeted at the smaller Federation planets in order to help them build infrastructure projects to facilitate economic growth. Lord Elbar himself spent Furnace's portion on terraforming. Following the dissolution of the Federation in 2548, Lord Sondeheim applied to join the Republic as a protectorate. The Republic state that they do not recognize that Furnace ever left so Furnace can simply resume its place in the Republic. Faced with no choice, Furnace became a full member of the Republic.Lord Of Tyr
In early 2550, Elbar made a public address to the people of Furnace, announcing the following. Televised Address to the people of Furnace from Lord Elbar SondeheimGood afternoon,
Our history as citizens of Furnace is that of a strong people struggling through difficulty again
and again. We have managed to scrape out a living and then thrive, in spite of adversity and
emerge stronger than ever. Today I announce the next chapter in our history. Our hard work and
determination has paid off.
Last night I presented Speaker Unven with a proposal. This proposal was the last thing my
father worked on, looking to bring Furnace into the future and it has taken a lot of planning and
patience to finally begin. The legislature voted to approve it this morning. The process will begin
in earnest at the turn of the decade. Our planet will become stronger through this transformation
and we will take our rightful place among the Terran people. Our planet will begin the process of
terraforming in the new year.
Our deserts will be transformed into green plains, snow will cover our mountain peaks and we
shall have oceans and rivers crossing our planet.
The constraints placed on us by our planet, the same ones that we have thrived under, are now
coming off. We shall rise as one people, united in our goal.
House Sondeheim is committed to funding over half of this A$35 billion endeavour over the 15
year time span, your taxes on Furnace shall not be raised to cover any shortfalls in the project.
You have everything to gain by this great transformation of our planet.
Because of the scale of this project and the mistakes of the Republic that have roosted on our
planet that need addressing, I shall be creating the office of Secretary of Terraforming and
appointing Legislator Issac Goodman who will be confirmed by the legislature in the coming
days.
Legislator Goodman has been an exemplary member of our legislature for many years now,
working alongside my father during the Karkouri siege and working diligently ever since, most
recently advising and efficiently distributing the aid given after the famine caused by the
negligence and greed of AKI. Legislator Goodman's objective will be ensuring the terraforming
of the planet and the efficiency of the project, working alongside myself and the legislature.
With embarking on this new chapter, while we shall not forget the past and those who have
bravely brought us to this point, our current name will not reflect us going forward. Therefore I
have decided to change the name of our planet to Tyr. The Old Germanic god of warriors and
heroes and in honour of our past, the 1st Furnace Regiment shall not be renamed.
To preserve our interests in the senate and the Republic at large, I have decided to create a
political party for Tyr. Tyr First will represent us on a national stage, putting our interests first and
foremost. A right centrist party which will help us preserve our voice amongst the corrupt and
dishonest folk that inhabit the senate and the cabinet. Ensuring that the blatant government
overreach of the Republic is held back and the villains are held accountable.
I look forward to leading you into this new future for us, our planet and people. We will become
stronger than ever before and Tyr will become a shining example of Terran grit and
determination.
Jericho
In late 2548, following (then named) Furnace's membership to The Terran Republic, the capital Luxor was rocked by a series of explosions. These attacks were concentrated on the down-port and several government buildings. Hundreds of people were injured or killed. Jericho has claimed responsibility for this attack, and in their statement they abhorred "Furnace's surrender to the traitors in the Republic". Elbar immediately began operations to remove Jericho from Tyr, increasing security around the terraforming project and scouring the desert ahead of the terraforming machines to try and find their hideout. As Tyr is mostly empty of settlements, searches frequently came up short even with external assistance. In 2556 20 police officers in Luxor City were killed by a bomb planted by Jericho, Lord Elbar went to visit the families and made a speech condemning Jericho and their archaic methods of political change. He vowed that Jericho would be brought to justice and that the Tyr Legislature and House Sondeheim would not stop until Jericho was eradicated on Tyr. In late 2556 the Lord-Governor announced that a successful raid had been carried out on a Jericho encampment, killing 20 militants and capturing some prisoners, conducted the Tyrian marine corps. Following this raid, Jericho did not conduct any operations on Tyr for the remainder of Elbar's life.Later years and death
In 2563 Lord Elbar's health took a turn for the worse, with the 79 year old being rushed to Luxor General Hospital. It appeared that he made a full recovery, and was fulfilling his role as Lord-Governor after a few weeks. However during the military parade in 2565, Elizabeth conducted the proceedings and announced her title as "Lady-Regent". This prompted much speculation about the Lord-Governors whereabouts and his declining health. Attendees at the terraforming celebrations later that year noted that the Lord did not look well but had mustered enough strength to attend. He appeared at the beginning of the party for a short while and departed, leaving Elizabeth to host. Lord Elbar ultimately passed in early 2566, a few months following the celebrations following a long period of illness. Sources speculate that it was an aggressive and unusual form of cancer, Lord Elbar being diagnosed in 2563 when he was rushed to hospital. A short statement was put out by the Lady-Governor's office "Lord Elbar passed peacefully in the night, his family having gathered a week prior. He was glad to have seen the terraforming come to a close."Legacy
Lord Elbar's enduring legacy on Tyr will be the terraforming efforts. It was his hard work and perseverance that granted House Sondeheim and Tyr the opportunity to terraform, greatly building on his Lord fathers work."Lord Elbar is seen as the father of modern Tyr, his death marks a clear divide between Tyr and Furnace. He is seen as the giant whose shoulders, House Sondeheim and Tyr now stand on." according to Tyran historian Memmon Verander.Following his death Tyr observed a week of mourning, with flags flown at half mast around the planet. A statue commemorating him was erected in the main plaza in Luxor, standing opposite his father's statue. Outside of Tyr Lord Elbar was seen as pragmatist, willing to aid those in need and rendering help where he could. He was also known for his ressilence, turning a previously inhospitable Furnace into a strong independent Tyr.
Relationships
Elbar, aged 68, looking out over the Vandebilt desert
Species
Life
2484
2566
82 years old
Birthplace
Luxor, Furnace
Place of Death
Luxor, Tyr
Family
Spouses
Siblings
Catherine Sondeheim
(Sister)
Children
Gender
Male
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
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