Makvala Arziani
Makvala Arziani | |
|---|---|
 Arziani in 2012 | |
| Nickname(s) | Cannon Queen |
| Born | 14 December 1960 Sopron, Zemplen |
| Allegiance |  Syara |
| Service/ | Syaran National Army |
| Years of service | 1988 - 2013 |
| Rank | Colonel General |
| Unit | 4th Army |
| Battles/wars | Imerti Conflict Zemplen War |
| Awards | see below |
Makvala Arziani is a Syaran former general who served in the Syaran National Army from 1988-2013.
Arziani was born in Sopron in 1960. She is of Karvelebi ethnicity; her father was killed in the Seven Day War, after which her mother moved the family to Myzova. Arziani's uncle became involved with the Wardens in the years prior to the Refusal War, and upon the outbreak of fighting she followed him into service with the Wardens. Arziani became the first woman to be commissioned into the Syaran National Army upon its foundation in 1988. Arziani rose through the ranks of the SNA in the 1990s, and was promoted to Brigadier General in 2000. Arziani was subsequently promoted to command the 3rd Mechanized Division in 2003 and then promoted once more to Lt. General in 2007. Upon the outbreak of the Zemplen War she was promoted to Colonel General, become the only Syaran woman to achieve the rank of four-star general in the history of Syara.
Arziani was given command of 4th Army as part of Army Group Beta in central Ruvelka. Arziani's 4th Army took part in Operation Aspis and later Operation Kontos, and was later targeted during the Ruvelkan Winter Counter-Offensive. During the Syaran Spring Offensives 4th Army fought extensively, and later engaged in heavy fighting during the Ruvelkan Autumn Counter-Offensive. 4th Army's heavy losses forced the unit to go on the defensive and it was later a major target during Operation Homefront, during which the 4th Army was forced to retreat due to the collapse of 9th Army further south. It was reconstituted south of Zemplen when the war ended. Arziani retired from active service in 2013 after turning down a promotion to Field Marshal.
A first in many categories for women in the Syaran military, Arziani's Karvelebi identity and Syaran loyalty led her to be targeted by the SDM during much of her career, including two assassination attempts. Her vocal calls that Zemplen be recognized as rightfully Syaran territory led her to be blacklisted by the Zemplen Regional Government, and she has not returned to her home since the conclusion of the war. As a field commander, Arziani was often known for her unorthodox methodology and deviance from Syaran doctrine. Her usage of infiltration tactics and extensive field work led her counter-part Zlaten Danielov Velikov to joke she was "fighting for the wrong army", likening her style of operations more similar to Ruvelkan than Syaran. Arziani developed a reputation as a strict disciplinarian during her service, leading her to be dubbed "Vedran Kučina's brother" by some of her soldiers. Her frequent on-the-spot corrections led to the relieving of three of her sub-commanders during the war, while her tendency to lead from the front enamored her to many enlisted troops. An incident in the Winter of 2008 where she ordered an artillery battery to direct fire into an group of infiltrating Ruvelkan Imperial Fusiliers led to her being dubbed the "Cannon Queen" by Syaran troops.