Arthur Steiner-Davion

This article is about the character. For the WarShip bearing his name, see Arthur Steiner-Davion (Individual Fox-class WarShip).


Arthur Steiner-Davion
Arthur Andrew Steiner-Davion
Character Profile
Born 14 July 3037[1]
Died 6 December 3062[2]
Affiliation House Steiner-Davion
Title(s) Duke
Parents Hanse Davion (father)
Melissa Steiner (mother)
Siblings Victor
Katherine
Peter
Yvonne

Arthur Andrew Steiner-Davion was the fourth of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner's five children. He was named for both his grandfathers, Duke Arthur Luvon and First Prince Andrew Davion.

History[edit]

Always described as more heart than head, Arthur was often easily led. He attended Robinson Battle Academy and was often considered the protégé of James Sandoval, who convinced him of the threat he believed the Draconis Combine still posed.

When the Kokuryu-kai attacked Robinson in 3062, cadet Arthur helped lead the counterattack alongside Tancred Sandoval in his Enforcer III.

Death and Legacy[edit]

On 6 December 3062, Arthur was giving a speech when the building he was giving it from was the victim of a bomb attack. Though Arthur was presumed dead, no body was ever found. Victor Steiner-Davion believed that his sister Katherine had Arthur assassinated in order to prevent him from becoming popular enough to be a threat to her rule. He used this as justification for joining the burgeoning civil war, so Arthur's apparent assassination is often cited as the spark that ignited the FedCom Civil War.

Canon Rumor[edit]

Canon rumors suggest that Chandrasekhar Kurita had been supplied with information by 3075 intimating that Arthur had not been killed in the explosion that supposedly claimed his life. The source of this rumor was an anonymous individual claiming to be a detective or investigator who had witnessed a number of bombings and who believed that there was insufficient material left at the scene for the aftermath of a bomb of the size used. This same individual claimed to have subsequently obtained documents implicating the Word of Blake in Arthur's apparent death, documents that stated that the Blakists had abducted Arthur and shipped him to a reeducation camp on Kittery in late 3068. The author of the post speculated that this linked Arthur and Devlin Stone, and while Chandrasekhar doubted the veracity of the information, he did indicate that his organization should attempt to obtain a DNA sample from Stone.[3]

Chandrasekhar Kurita was also involved in another canon rumor linking Arthur to The Master as part of a series of documents supposedly linking Clan Wolverine to ComStar and the Word of Blake through an organization known as The Blood. These documents included a note allegedly penned by the Master on the 20 December 3063 indicating that Arthur would be brought into or indoctrinated into the Blood or the Word and thereby understand the Master's plan and the nature of the Third Transfer. He further indicated that Arthur would serve as his protégé.[4]

Fan Speculation[edit]

The events of Patriots and Tyrants strongly hint that Arthur is still alive. The combination of the beginning of Arthur's speech and the philosophies of Devlin Stone have led to rampant fan speculation that Arthur becomes Stone, though there is no official confirmation of that.

Philosophical and Political Views[edit]

James Sandoval had firmly convinced Arthur that the Draconis Combine was still a threat to the Federated Suns. So it was that Arthur was, at one point, trying to convince Tancred Sandoval to help assault the Combine. The contents of the beginning of Arthur's speech wherein he was believed to have been assassinated show the beginning of a philosophical shift towards democratic or republican thought, including the belief that power comes from the people.

Notes[edit]

According to BattleTech Line Developer Ray Arrastia, Arthur "was accounted for. He became one of the Master's Manei Domine lieutenants. The end Patriots and Tyrants, the Master is setting up Arthur for something. It seemed later that it must tie in with Stone. No, completely separate. He was making him one of his manei Domine borgs. Remember, Arthur got blown up to hell. Arthur SD became "Lucifer" and disappeared with a bunch of MDs and WoBs."[5]

Images[edit]

References[edit]

  1. FedCom Civil War, p. 12
  2. FedCom Civil War, p. 16
  3. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 115: "Arthur Steiner-Davion: The Truth?"
  4. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 134: "The Not-Named?"
  5. Ray Arrastia, interview on Classic BattleTech Discord, #classic_bt

Bibliography[edit]