Who is Tarkhan Zora?
Editor IRRK
August 19 29479
IRRK - Tarkhan Zora. A few weeks ago anyone on Rubi-Ka would have been hard pressed to know who he was, but for a select few, he is not so much an unknown.
As a reporter on Rubi-Ka for some forty years I have heard his name in passing, and the announcement from Omni-Tek of his appointment had me searching through my old notes for names and places.
We do know that Zora has been in the Unicorn Company for at least two decades (although it's possibly longer, given the nature of the Unicorns not all their campaigns are recorded.) and it is a fairly safe assumption that he was originally a counter-intelligence agent.
It is recorded that he became an officer after receiving several commendations during the successful campaign against the Sol banking corporation in the Metaplast mining rings around Averais II
Additional commendations are noted throughout his career in various military databases and certainly whilst not a prominent figure politically, he clearly became well respected amongst the Omni-Tek military elite. Several officers stationed on Rubi-Ka down the years have off the record spoken of his clear thinking and tactical acumen. Whatever the fine details of his service record, he was appointed to the Unicorn central command in 29469.
He also served on Rubi-Ka, twice before. In 29466, in the aftermath of the 'Black October' Dust Brigade attacks, he was an intelligence liaison assigned to Philip Ross' command staff. He was responsible for collecting large amounts of intelligence information on the Dust Brigade and possible links to either the clans or other corporations. Those that remember him from this time recall him having a firm and in-depth knowledge of the political set-up on Rubi-Ka.
His presence at that time is sure to engender distrust from the clans. It is well known that Philip Ross' response to the Black October attacks, destruction of the old subway network and many civilian casualties, was considered an over reaction. If Zora's counsel was part of that decision…well…that's best left to the clans to comment on.
He also returned to Rubi-ka in 29470 as a military advisor to the diplomatic team that signed the addendum to the Tir Accord. From speaking to various clan officials that took part in those negotiations, I get the impression he was an influential figure when it came to convincing the Omni-Prime board that abandoning the northern facilities once and for all was an acceptable loss….if it meant strengthening their southern assets. A man of compromise? Only time will tell!
He has of course most recently been assigned as the Unicorn advisor to the Omni-prime board of directors, a position in which he again worked around the fringes of Rubi-Ka politics, and undoubtedly has the ear of the board of directors…or at least some of them.
What does all this tell us? Draw your own conclusions but it is apparent to this neutral that as ever with Rubi-Ka politics, this situation is not black and white. Zora is a strong figure and certainly not a Unicorn lackey or a figurehead put in place to facilitate the escalation of hostilities of Rubi-Ka. A military man through and through no doubt, but one who has shown some skill in the diplomatic sphere as well, and certainly a man the Omni board seem to trust to secure their future on Rubi-Ka.