Anastasius Focht

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Anastasius Focht (b. 2972 – d. 30??) was the Precentor Martial during ComStar's Battle for Tukayyid against the Clan Invasion and is noted for his role in the schism that led to the origination of the Word of Blake.

Biography

Frederick Steiner

Focht was born "Frederick Steiner." A member of House Steiner, Frederick was born with blond hair and grey eyes. He graduated from Sanglamore on Skye with honors and performed with distinction in the Seventh Lyran Regulars and Tenth Lyran Guard. A solid commander, he was believed to be a favorite to replace Archon Alessandro Steiner after his disastrous military policies. Instead, Katrina Steiner succeeded him after the Estates General voted no-confidence in their Archon. Though he badly wanted to be Archon, Aldo Lestrade cautioned him to bide his time.[1] Lestrade seemed to manipulate him into attempting to assassinate Katrina. It appeared that wanted to make Frederick into his puppet on the throne of the Lyran Commonwealth. He was still commander of the Tenth Lyran Guards during the Fourth Succession War and led a suicidal mission against the Draconis Combine on Dromini IV. Offering himself to Gunji-no-Kanrei Theodore Kurita, Frederick saved the lives of his men, though everyone thought him dead.

Envoy to the Clans

Frederick Steiner joined ComStar under the name Anastasius Focht (German for "he who fought, reborn") and became their first Precentor Martial, head of the ComGuard. After being the pawn in Lestrade's schemes, Focht vowed to never get involved in politics again. After learning of the presence of strange invaders in the Periphery, Focht was dispatched by Primus Myndo Waterly to be her liaison to the Clans. He quickly established a rapport with Khan Ulric Kerensky of Clan Wolf.

Upon discovering that the Clans sought to conquer Terra, home of ComStar, Focht gathered the ComGuard and issued a challenge for a proxy battle on Tukayyid, a world in the Free Rasalhague Republic. If ComStar won, the Clans would move no closer to Terra for the next fifteen years. If the Clans won, ComStar would surrender Terra, join the Clans, and deny their communications services to the Inner Sphere. Focht challenged the seven invading clans in 3052 and succeeded in defeating Clans Smoke Jaguar, Nova Cat, Jade Falcon, Steel Viper, Diamond Shark by forcing them to fight a long, protracted campaign. He achieved a draw with Clan Ghost Bear, though the ComGuard force was defeated by Clan Wolf. Winning five out of the seven battles meant that ComStar won the battle.

At the same time, Primus Myndo Waterly initiated Operation Scorpion, her plot to bring all of humankind under ComStar's dominion. Upon returning from Tukayyid, Focht deposed Waterly through an "externally initiated brain aneurysm,"[2] played kingmaker for the new Primus Sharilar Mori, and worked to reform ComStar of its mystical trappings. He worked to preserve the truce and keep the Successor States ready for when the Truce runs out in 3067.

Schism

Focht allowed ComStar to be weakened, however, when Precentor Atreus Demona Aziz took many members of the order who did not like his reforms into exile with her in the Free Worlds League and formed the Word of Blake with Thomas Marik as their Primus-in-exile. Part of his plan to keep the Inner Sphere ready involved turning Tukayyid, which was the first logical target of the Clans' renewed invasion after the battle that was waged there, into an armed camp. Rasalhague's Elected Prince Magnusson essentially turned the world over to ComStar, which made it into a major staging area.

Focht was on Tukayyid in 3058 when he learned that Clan Jade Falcon had launched an offensive into the Lyran Alliance and, later, that the Word of Blake was assaulting Terra. Focht made the decision to let the Blakists have Terra so that ComStar could focus on the Clan threat, a move that proved very detrimental to ComStar further down the road.

Star League

After an allied force led by Victor Steiner-Davion stopped the Falcon incursion on Coventry, the Successor States decided that they needed to resort to drastic measures to make themselves safe from the Clans. In late 3058, the leaders of every nation in the Inner Sphere and ComStar met on Tharkad to discuss the Clan threat. It was almost a foregone conclusion that they decided to resurrect the Star League as a banner to fight under and as a tool of psychological warfare against the Clans, since that was the purpose behind their invasion. For his part, Focht stayed out of the politics, though the Precentor Martial became ComStar's non-voting representative to the Star League Council.

Focht led the Star League Defense Force's Operation Bulldog, a massive offensive with the stated goal of removing Clan Smoke Jaguar from the Inner Sphere, though he never accepted the title of Commanding General. The assault succeeded beyond Focht and Steiner-Davion's wildest hopes, prompting Victor to lead a relief force to Huntress to aid Task Force Serpent. Focht accompanied him and commanded the ComGuard forces that participated in the Great Refusal against Clan Jade Falcon. The Falcon forces handily defeated Focht's ComGuard unit, though the Inner Sphere forces were able to secure enough victories to win the Great Refusal. The loss shook Focht, even though the Falcons had won the battle before a shot was fired.

Upon their return to the Inner Sphere, they found that Victor's sister Katherine had usurped his little sister's regency of the Federated Commonwealth, leaving Victor a leader without a nation. At the Whitting Conference of 3061, Katherine endeavored to become the First Lord. The council was evenly divided, forcing ComStar to cast the deciding vote. True to his vow to never get involved in politics, Focht resigned as Precentor Martial rather than cast the deciding vote. Victor succeeded him and voted against her, paving the way for Theodore Kurita to become First Lord.

Retirement?

Focht, now in his nineties, ostensibly retired to write his memoirs. He helped negotiate the final settlement to the Capellan-St. Ives War in 3063, but remained quiet other than that, though he did continue to train with his BattleMech.

Jihad

The Word of Blake Jihad engulfed the Inner Sphere after the historic vote to disband the Star League in late 3067. Focht organized a raid on Tukayyid that rescued Primus Sharilar Mori and publicly spoke out against the Blakists. He remained their most hated enemy, and continued to thwart them even in his dotage.

Death and afterward

Philosophical and/or political views

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Awards

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Trivia

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Notes

  1. ↑ House Steiner, pg. 154.
  2. ↑ ComStar (1992), FASA, pp 4.

References


See also

External links

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