"The Leonan are weak. In Sanos, our men were simple folk who valued hard work and humility. Our women were taught respect and modesty. But in other places, the men are proud of their laziness, and the women are rude and immoral in their ways and dress. An oft-mentioned joke in Sanos is that our women would make better soldiers than the average Leonan man. After a decade and a half in the Leonan military, I can confirm this to be true.

The whole of Leon was once like Sanos. The weak would be weeded out, and the strong would be made stronger. But those damned Pilotmarians and their socialism contaminated the minds of the strong. Their socialism only makes the strong folk weak, and our leaders wanted this. But no more! We will rise above the weak, drive them from our lands! And maybe--maybe--we may crush their weak people and show them real power!"

Sex: Female
Age: 37
Relations: Ca'im Ra'at (deceased)
Allegiance: Leonan Army
Ethnicity: Sanoan
Nationality: Leonan Confederacy
Rank: Colonel

Ma'ar Ma'al was born in 133 on the Principality of Sanos. Like many Sanoans, she was sent to one of three camps in Sanos when she was eight for "conditioning" like all Sanoans. There, she received military training and while her constant muscular cramps made combat drills difficult, she was considered valuable in her unit due to her determination and encouragements to others. This allowed her to take leadership training, where she further honed her skills as a leader. When she graduated in 151, she was a member of the last graduating class of the Conditioning Camp, shut down due to a push to standardize education throughout the region. She applied for the Leonan Military Officer School, where she proved her competence in combat. She became a Colonel in short order.

She was in command the defenses at the island of Gautama against the Pilotmarian 9th Fleet and the 4th and 5th Marine Expeditionary Divisions during the Renovan War. At her disposal were two complete fighter wings, an attack wing, three infantry divisions, and two armored regiments. The Leonan forces outnumbered the Marines, and possessed superior weaponry and equipment. Air power was particularly lopsided, the Leonan fighter wings both equipped with Model 1 Fury fighters equipped with air-air missiles, while the outnumbered Marines made do with a few Hawk Mk IIIAN fighters which were at least 400 miles per hour slower, as well as prop-driven Pummeler Mk II attack aircraft.

However, her troop's morale was poor. Among Sanoan commanders, she was considered very understanding and forgiving. However, most of the troops were conscripts from across Leon who were accustomed to a more freestyle life as farmers, fishermen, and professionals, who resented the seemingly harsh military discipline which she employed. Many Leonan colonels viewed her as too harsh and commanding, while many Sanoan colonels viewing her as too compassionate.

The Pilotmarian Marines were able to land and get off the beach, into the large town of Ashoka. Pilotmarian forces were ground to a stalmate, despite the numerical and technical advantage held over the Pilotmarian attackers.

After three days of bitter hand-hand fighting, the colonels reported that the troops were of very low morale. She ordered them to continue fighting.

A significant blow to their morale came when Pilotmario Marine Corps Pummeler Mk II from an ad-hoc forward air base and Navy Hawk Mk IIIAN from the carrier PMRS Allen Ethan (CV-11) launched a surprise attack against their airbase, taking care to fly extremely low until they were extremely close in order to attack. Half of their aircraft were damaged beyond repair on the ground in the surprise attack, failing to permanently cripple Leonan air power in a costly gamble. Out of the 25 Hawks and 50 Pummelers committed comprising of the whole fleet, only three Hawks and eight Pummelers were found immediately serviceable for continued operations. Ten Pummelers were assembled from parts of damaged aircraft, bringing the total to 18; less than half of the original force. Aircrew casualties among Hawk pilots were high, although Pummeler aircrew casualties were low.

The attack was almost a costly error if it was not for the poor morale of the Leonan forces, which were not particularly good at the beginning of the battle. The Leonan Army began to surrender hastily to the desperate but determined Marines, and Colonel Ma'al was forced to surrender.

She was met with shame when she was released and returned home, and was tried on television for being unable to defend the island despite her numerical and technical superiority. Ma'al gave a rousing speech claiming that the dissolution of the Conditioning Camps and the installation of public schools which children were not given proper discipline was a root cause of the defeat at Gautama Island. Many conservatives agreed with her, but she was discharged dishonorably, to be considered a felon. During this time, she began to draft a proposal to turn Leon into a military state.

Despite this, Ma'al remained influential among the conservative movement, and the desperate situation forced the government to pardon her dishonorable discharge and restore her rank and awards. She assumed command of the 34th Sanoan Light Infantry Division. There, she was able to convince other Sanoan soldiers to overthrow the government. With the defeat at the Battle of the Renovan Sea, where the Leonan Navy committed half of its fleet against the cruisers of the Pilotmario Navy 5th Fleet from Percival Island Naval Base and lost in one of the most one-sided naval engagements, popular support for the government has waned considerably.

She used this opportunity to stage a coup, taking over the country and installing herself as President. She immediately turned Leon into a military state, where the distinction between military and civilian is blurred considerably. In this process, the Army became much stronger.

Many liberals fled the nation as a result. She made no effort to stop them, stating "Why should we waste our energy on the weak?"

She restarted the campaign against the Enlightened Kingdom. Wong Gao, the Dalai Lama, was able to escape aboard a Pilotmario Navy frigate and petitioned for the Pilotmario Republic to respond.

The Pilotmarian response was swift. They began a brutal island-hopping campaign, culminating in the liberation of Nirvana. However, the war was often considered largely positive due to the improved relations between Leon and Pilotmario.

Leonans, especially Sanoans, viewed the Pilotmarians as weak. The Pilotmarians viewed the Leonans as brutish and crude people. The Leonans soon learned to respect the stocky Paternian soldier, viewing them as effective soldiers. General Ma'ar, although largely critical of the Pilotmarians, appreciated the precision of the Pummeler Attack pilots. When a commander tried to explain the high friendly fire cases of their attack pilots, she was claimed to have said "(Pilotmarian) soldiers can call airstrikes one-hundred yards from their position and expect to not die from their own Hogs. How come our troops can't do that?"

However, the Pilotmarians learned to respect the bravery and skill of the Leonan soldier, as well as their tactical efficiency. General Burns claimed "A man that claims they are not afraid of death is either a liar or a Sanoan." Paternian marines saw the cultural similarities between them and the Leonans, though Paternians prefer to defend the weak than leave them to die.

Because of this, the new President of the Pilotmario Republic, Elizabeth Rickes, decided to create the Peace Resolution, agreeing that both nations shall not fight and should serve to bolster economic cooperation between each other. The two women became good friends. During the War of Three Nations, the Leonan Navy agreed to protect the Renovan Sea, freeing up Pilotmarian Navy warships for combat. And when Hurricane Donald ripped apart Victoria, the capital, the Pilotmario Aid Agency rushed and provided logistical assistance in rescue and reconstruction efforts.

She has recently allowed a Pilotmario military presence to be stationed in Questor in anticipation of hostilities with the Teutonic Empire.