Robert Steiner (25th c.)

Robert Steiner (Born 2470 - Died 2532) Lyran Noble, Aerospace Pilot, and was the seventh Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth.

Character Description

In his prime while in military service with the LCAF, he was known for being a moody and lonely individual who was known for his disquieting gazes. He wore his hair long, had blue eyes, and noted being tall. He also had thin weak legs, which was due in part from him suffered from muscular disorder which required him wear leg braces in order to stand. In later life, he would gain purpose due to family's neglect, while after the civil war and having a newly formed family to ease his loneliness in his later years.

Character History

Early Life and The Dark Years

Child of Duchess Tatyana Steiner who was the younger sister to Archons Michael and Steven Steiner, Tatyana was a troubled woman, who fell madly in love with a married man in 2469. A year later, she would give birth to her son, Robert. She loved her son, however she had developed Dobrowski Depression-A Syndrome which caused her to take her own life just before the double wedding of Robert's uncles.

In 2471 a powerful earthquake devastated Tharkad City, the Triad, and severely damaged the Royal Palace. Robert as infant escaped death as by chance of support beams forming protected pocket allowing him to breathe for three days before he could be rescued.

Series of event would stem from the earthquake that would shape Robert's future. The Draconis Combine would use the devastation of the Lyran's capital as opportunity to invade the Commonwealth world of Nox. Robert's uncle Michael, grief stricken by loss of his bride, renounced the Archonship and lead attack repulse the invasion. However, despite his success, he too become casualty in the battle. Robert's uncle Steven assumed the throne, however he suffered from mental struggles of his own and of his wife who was delusional.

As Robert grew up, rational nobility and political leaders seeing leadership of the Commonwealth suffer, help guide Robert's education and career as possible heir despite his status as an illegitimate. With their petitioning of the Archon, they enabled Robert to join the LCAF. Due to his health, he became an Aerospace pilot, graduating from the LCAF flight academy.

While in service, he became an ace pilot while combating the Free Worlds League forces across the border. His fellow pilots wanting to honor him, painted his Typhoon-A Heavy Aerospace Fighter in lurid colors stenciling name "Eagles cry at his approach" due his successes in destroying numerous Marik Fighters and Combat Vehicles.

Civil War

Dukes of Tamar Pact (Duke Samuel Natesh) and Federation of Skye (Duke Connor Gilderoy) took advantage of Archon and wife's Margaret Olsen mental states. They began influencing them into revoking laws which prevented any noble to maintain a personal army of their own which outnumbered Commonwealth troops on any given world.

After Steven Steiner's death, Robert's aunt declared herself Archon and began her mad governance of the Commonwealth with Dukes as among her advisers. Robert had was content with his life as a soldier and did not pursue matter further. However months passed as madness of Archon Olsen's rule became high enough issue he could not ignore as representatives came to Poulsbo, where he was station at its Aerodrome. With unconditional support for him claim the throne,

In 2503, Robert Steiner lead task force of several loyal regiments of troops to Tharkad. Archon Olsen and the Dukes fled the planet at his approach, sparing capital of damage. Robert would be infuriated in such way he had never felt before in his life. By seeing the state of the throne room covered with all assortment of mysticism and courtiers who encourage his aunt's lunacy. Which would change him from a reluctance to pursue the rule to anger seeing his beloved nation brought to such a sorry state.

In May 22nd Robert would present himself to Estates General, give he would address them his case. He would be say;

“

Ladies and gentlemen of the Estates General, patriots of the Lyran Commonwealth, I, Robert Aubrey Steiner, hereby declare my claim to the title and responsibility of the office of Archon, in the name of the Commonwealth and all her peoples...I may be a bastard son, but am I not more fit to rule than a madwoman who believes in ghosts and reads state policy in tea leaves? I intend to govern with reason and with the help of good men’s counsel, not because of the constellations, or by gazing into Arcturan memory crystals.

”

The representatives would ultimately strip Margaret Olsen of the Archonship, however Robert would not fully inducted as the next Archon until Duchess Olsen and the Dukes Skye and Tamar and their rebel forces were defeated.

Skye

The ex-Archon Olsen's forces were concentrated on two worlds in the Commonwealth, Tamar and Skye. Archon Robert determined a quick end to the conflict could be achieved if he was able to capture his aunt. He would muster significant number of loyal regimental forces to his cause. However his loyalist force were not as large due to a number of LCAF units opting to remain neutral in the conflict.

In pursuit of the rebel forces, he would arrive on Skye in late 2504. Rebels forces staged skirmishes along the path that Robert's expedition of loyalists took, wearing them down as they arrived. Robert led his forces towards the capital, having to battle House troops of the Duke of Skye, Samuel Natesh. Robert's forces would finally take Skye in two months, however, Duke Natesh's delaying action allowed for Duchess Olsen and Tamar Duke Gilderoy to escape.

Tamar

Four months passed until Robert's expedition of loyalist troops would finally arrive on Tamar. However, by this time Robert's forces were exhausted from months of fighting and soon repulsed by Duke Gilderoy's house troops on their arrival on world. Pushing them into the rocky and barren peninsula on Tamar's Sahara continent.

This situation was frustrating to Robert Steiner, his now-outnumbered troops were in dire situation with possibly being destroyed by his mad aunt's rebel forces. Preparing for the final attack by the Duke's forces which he believed would be at sundown, an unexpected arrival changed the entire dynamic of the situation. Between the two warring armies, a planetary cutter from Terran Hegemony landed announcing it was carrying a peace mediator to end the fighting between the two factions. This unexpected arrival would prove to be a god send, delaying Duke Gilderoy's armies from closing in and achieving victory.

The overnight negotiations would ultimately fail, force the Hegemony shuttle to leave the battlefield as the Robert and other leaders return to their respective positions on the battlefield. However, as Dukes of Tamar and Skye led their men on the offensive. Robert would notice that there were new bound units arriving on top of the rebel's positions. Taking a chance, Robert order his combat unit forward from their defensive positions into the enemy. The rebels position collapsed and loyalist found them fleeing the inhospitable terrain behind. Loyalist forces after six hours of fighting, would make 30 kilometers inland see smoke and flames of battle between the Rebels forces and Robert's rescuers. The new arrivals' leader would march forward alone to meet with Robert at his Mobile Headquarters. Piloting a Griffin BattleMech, Duke Nels Reynolds of Fatima leading his own forces announced his pledge of aid to Steiner's cause as a means to pay back a debt his family owed to Robert Steiner.

Their combined forces, would tear into the rebel's army finally end the conflict capturing Margaret Olsen and Dukes of Tamar and Skye.

The Archonship and Later Life

In the following year in 2506, Robert would be finally officially sworn in as Archon. In first course of action, he immediately chose to prosecute three ring leaders of the Civil War. Gilderoy and Natesh were arrainged on charges of treason against the state. They were convicted and executed, while their families were stripped of their nobility and exiled to the farthest corners of the Commonwealth. To reward people whom had been loyal to him, Robert designated that Kelwa and Lestrade families would be awarded the titles of Duke Tamar and Skye.

For his aunt on other hand was clinically insane, she was sentenced to exile to Gallery where she would spend rest of her life in fortress. Robert would choose not to prosecute those who were following orders. He felt in fact felt guilty of triggering the civil war, which left devastation on several worlds till the conflicted ended. As part effort to make amends for this and stimulate the Commonwealth's economy, he would fund recovery efforts out of his family's fortune. Another early action as Archon, to prevent Civil War such they experienced from happening again, he would order the nobility to place their house troops under the command of LCAF or they would be considered enemies of the state.

In 2511, Robert married his long time lover, Lucindra Andruson. Settling down and transitioning into a family changed him for the better. The couple had a single child, the appealed to general public as they needed to heal from Dark Years of instability and civil war. This image help shielded him from some political problems and enabled him to make subtle changes to the Commonwealth. He quietly, took back many of the political powers his late uncle lost during the Dark Years from the Estates General Assembly, while fostering good relations with him.

For the rest of his reign, he would move the LCAF slowly to a more defensive stance, while only having them embark on a single military campaign in which Commonwealth took Megrez away from the House Marik. Most interstellar disputes, he was content in have the Terran Hegemony flex their diplomatic muscles help aid the Commonwealth. Which saved many his soldiers from death and relieved a war weary populous from facing more war.

In the end he would become a popular Archon and after twenty-two years of ruling the Commonwealth, he would step-down in 2528 and pass leadership over to his son Craig.

Legacy

Aside from having a single son, Craig Steiner, who would become the next Archon, Robert was notable in that he was the one who had granted the Kelswa and Lestrade families control of their respective districts in the Commonwealth, which would last until the 31st Century. He is credited with restoring the position of Archon to rule over the nobility of House Steiner.

Bibliography

• Handbook: House Steiner
• House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)