Peter Steiner-Davion

File:PS-D.PNG

Peter Steiner-Davion, c. 3061

Peter Steiner-Davion was the third of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner's five children. He was born on 2 February 3035. As such, he was to be the regent on Tharkad and of the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth while Victor was holding court on New Avalon. Due to his sister Katherine's manipulations, however, this did not work out.

Biography

Early Life

Peter, following in his older brother's footsteps, attended the Nagelring, the premier Lyran military academy. It was quickly realized that he was quite a MechWarrior, which was not a surprise given his parentage.

Military Career

Peter took a series of hard lessons in the early part of his military career, as he heritage attracted a lot of attention. First, when stationed on Lyons (a world in the Skye March), Peter was the apparent target of an assassin's bomb. Allegedly perpetrated by Free Skye, Peter pounced when he heard rumors that those responsible were in Bellerive, a hamlet populated by a religious group. Leftenant Peter led his lance to the village, not realizing that they had walked into a trap laid by Ryan Steiner. Missiles began firing from the church, and when Peter attempted to disable them, prearranged explosives brought down the largest building in town and started a fire that reduced the whole community to ashes. Fortunately for Peter, ComStar intercepted the vid footage that Steiner's agents took and repackaged it as a trailer.

Going into damage control, Archon-Prince Victor removed Peter from his posting and assigned him to Tormano Liao, ostensibly as a liaison. Liao manipulated Peter into leading an attack on a Capellan-aligned mercenary unit on Shiloh that would have almost certainly resulted in his death. Only the timely intervention of Kai Allard-Liao averted the disaster that likely would have forced Victor into a war against the Capellan Confederation to avenge his brother's death.

In addition to the dawning realization that he was a pawn in the schemes of others, as well as the knowledge of its consequences in the form of collateral damage, he was manipulated by his older sister and sent away by his brother, so he went into an exile of sorts. Unbeknown to Katherine, he retired to a monastery for ex-MechWarriors on Zaniah III that had been the home of Morgan Kell.

To be an Archon

Peter was pulled from his exile by Morgan in 3067 when it became clear that the Lyran Alliance would need a new Archon to bring an end to the FedCom Civil War. Peter led a pan-Lyran coalition to Tharkad, though he attempted to convince his great-aunt Nondi to retire peacefully before landing his troops. Peter's forces gradually pushed Nondi's Loyalists back to the capital, where he killed her in single combat amid bitter street-to-street fighting in his new Fafnir.

Victor abdicated as Archon-Prince and decreed that Peter be his successor in the Lyran Alliance, though that precluded him from ever claiming the Federated Suns throne on New Avalon. Peter set about rebuilding the Lyran military and much of its ruined infrastructure.

A Hostage in His Own Home

An opportunity arose to gain help when the Star League Council convened in late 3067 on Tharkad. On a personal level, Peter sought to patch up his damaged relationship with Victor before the Council convened. Rather than ask the League for help, however, Peter decided that he would pull the Alliance out of the League. This decision would have dire consequences when the Word of Blake, incensed that their interpretation of a centuries-old prophecy was seemingly foiled, attempted to cow the Lyrans back into the League by threatening them with bombardment from the Star League-era LCS Invincible. When the Lyrans refused to bow to the pressure, the WarShip launched a devastating assault that ruptured Tharkad City's underground fusion plant.

Peter tried to lead his people from the besieged capital, but only a daring assault meant to rescue him managed to get a message of hope out to his subjects. In the message, Peter willingly handed over the Archonship to his cousin, General of the Armies Adam Steiner, stating that he was denying the Word of Blake the "prize they feel they have captured" by stepping down. Adam then assaulted Tharkad shortly afterwords and finally removed the planet from Blakist occupation, allowing Peter to reclaim the Archonship less then five months after abdicating the title.

One of Peter's first acts after returning to office was to reinstate the position of "archonette", one not in use since the early 2800's, and essentially divided the Alliance into several sub-states where these select individuals had the local responsibility for trade, logistics, and social support. While Peter retained ultimate authority, this somewhat controversial move helped the Alliance recoup from the staggering losses still being inflicted by the Word's Jihad by decentralizing authority and allowing for quicker response to local needs and emergencies.

At some point, Peter was deposed by the Brotherhood of Cincinnatus, who put Adam back on the throne in his place. The plan backfired, and Adam purged the brotherhood when he discovered the organization's involvement.

Peter was killed sometime in 3074 by a Word of Blake assassin; it is unknown how the assassination is tied into the actions of the Brotherhood of Cincinnatus, if at all.

Other Appearances

Peter Steiner-Davion makes an appearance in the MechWarrior IV: Mercenaries PC game. He is a potential employer and ally, though in missions where he is involved he must be kept alive by the player. Accepting employment from Peter can only occur if the player chooses the pro-Victor faction in the civil war. The only Steiner-Davion with a speaking part and in-game role; his siblings are only referred to indirectly. He pilots a Fafnir in these missions, just as he did in the novel Endgame.

References

• 20-Year Update
• Dawn of the Jihad
• Endgame
• FedCom Civil War
• Fire at Will
• Shattered Sphere
• Jihad Hot Spots: 3070
• Jihad Hot Spots: 3072