Hanse Davion

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Hanse Adriaan Davion
Character Profile
Also known as "The Fox"
Born 2983[1]
Died 17 June 3052[2]
Affiliation House Davion
Title(s) First Prince
Duke of New Avalon[3]
Profession Noble
Parents Andrew Davion (father)
Jennifer Campbell (mother)
Siblings Marie Davion (half-sister)
Ian Davion
Spouse Melissa Steiner
Children Joshua
Victor
Katherine
Peter
Yvonne
Arthur

Hanse Adriaan Davion (born 2983[1] – died 17 June, 3052, aged 69 years) was the First Prince of the Federated Suns from 3013 until his death in 3052. He was the second child of Prince Andrew Davion and his wife Jennifer Campbell. He was known by his nickname of "The Fox" for his shrewd and cunning military and political strategies.[4]

History

Early life

As the second child of the Prince, Hanse was expected to be a powerful individual, but never to inherit the throne. Because of this, he was freed from many of the pressures that faced his brother Ian. He attended Albion Military Academy and graduated with honors, earning him a spot in the Third Davion Guards RCT. Here he showed a penchant for unconventional tactics, often to the exclusion of more practiced maneuvers. It was only with experience that he discovered that traditional tactics have their place as well. Having risen to command the RCT's BattleMech regiment by 3011 he later served as military governor of the recently conquered New Aragon and held other important administrative positions.[4] Upon the death in battle of his brother, Ian, who was without issue, Hanse succeeded to the throne in 3013.

Compromise

Hanse Davion proposed to Major Dana Stephenson of the 34th Avalon Hussars on the Christmas ball in 3013, just before the start of the hard-fought Battle of Halstead Station in which he led from the front and fought together with his fiancée. When the Davion forces evacuated from the planet under heavy fire, her Enforcer was downed during their last stand at the pickup point and an enemy Awesome stepped on her cockpit in full view of Hanse's BattleMaster. It took the combined efforts of Ardan Sortek and Ran Felsner to bring him out of his shock and bring him to retreat together with his forces.

Hanse Davion, the "Victor of Halstead Station", subsequently kept a small figurine in his office crafted from ferroglass salvaged from Dana's cockpit, modeled after a holographic image of the couple that Ran Felsner took on the Christmas ball of 3013 and containing the engagement ring in the base.[5]

Prince

After the Halstead Station raid during which his forces had obtained thousands of books, marking it a success despite his personal loss, he founded the New Avalon Institute of Science, the first new college of science in the Inner Sphere in centuries. In 3022, he signed the Federated Suns-Lyran Commonwealth Alliance, or FedCom Accords, with Katrina Steiner, laying the foundation for the union of the Federated Suns with the Lyran Commonwealth and his marriage to Katrina's daughter, Melissa.

His marriage plans, and the Federated Commonwealth alliance, were nearly ended in the days preceding the wedding ceremony. Rogue elements of the Roman Catholic Church and ComStar—to include Myndo Waterly—had created a child that was the genetic offspring of Hanse and Katrina from DNA surreptitiously gathered at the treaty signing on Terra. Originally this child's parentage was to have been confirmed by the double of Hanse which Liao had made. This would have undoubtedly worsened Davion-Steiner relations, perhaps to the point of a succession crisis war. The plot was foiled by Ardan and the child, Joshua, was secreted away somewhere in the Inner Sphere never to be told of his real identity. It is likely few aside from Hanse and Ardan knew anything about this, perhaps to include Katrina and Melissa Steiner.[6]

Hanse married Melissa Steiner on 20 August 3028, at a ceremony on Terra. During the marriage ceremony, he announced the Fourth Succession War, and conquered much of the Capellan Confederation. During the course of the war, he and his Intelligence minster Quintus Allard ordered a series of deadly espionage operations against various powers, to ensure the war swings their way.[7] Including tricking Michael Hasek-Davion to reveal his leaking of classified materials to Chancellor Liao.[8]

By the same year, when the planet Northwind fell under the attack of the Combine, Hanse killed two birds with one shot brokering the Northwind Agreement, recruiting the mercenary group Northwind Highlanders.[9]

On the 10 September 3029, while on New Avalon, Hanse spotted a DropShip heading for the NAIS—which confused him slightly given that, to his knowledge, no shipments of material had been scheduled for that evening. Calling the spaceport, he was shocked to discover the DropShip was transmitting the IFF of the Camelot—as that DropShip, known only to a very few people, was in fact on its way to Tharkard with his wife Melissa. The ship could only be an impostor. Ordering tactical command to scramble aerospace fighters and close down all airspace over Avalon City, he at once headed for the 'Mech bays. With the 1st Davion Guards offworld on Kawich and the battalion of the Davion Heavy Guards normally also assigned to the palace offworld with their Regiment on New Aragon, Avalon City had in fact been left only lightly defended. Both enthusiastic about being able to finally make a direct and personal contribution to the war as well as enraged by the attack itself, Hanse Davion mounted his Battlemaster and moved out at best speed for the NAIS.

Arriving on the scene, he found he was facing no less a unit than House Liao's Death Commandos. Undaunted, he engaged, destroying first a Panther then backhanding a Marauder onto its back. Frantic calls of alarm at the unexpected appearance of the Assault 'Mech in their midst brought in additional Death Commando forces, with Hanse then in rapid succession destroying a Griffin with a punch to its cockpit (which destroyed his PPC in the process) and a Locust with his medium lasers. Making use of his 'Mech's more unique features, he discarded his PPC and ripped the arm from the downed Marauder, then flung himself straight into the middle of the confused enemy forces at hand-to-hand range, the enemy unable to fire upon him without risk of hitting each other. He shoulder charged a jumping Stinger which spun out of control and killed its pilot on crash landing, then used his improvised club to, in quick succession, cripple a Centurion and a Cicada before almost literally flattening a Scorpion. At this point, additional Davion Forces in Team Banzai arrived and started to engage the Death Commandos. Fighting on, Hanse and Team Banzai successfully defeated the 'Mech unit (who fought to the death, ensuring they were not taken alive), as NAIS security managed to fight off the infantry attempting to attack the facility, now robbed of their 'Mech support. In the weeks ahead, it would be discovered that these could not have been the Death Commandos, the real Death Commandos were in fact busy facing down Morgan Hasek-Davion on Kathil at that exact same time. Soon enough, the Prince would (correctly) come to suspect that this had been some kind of covert ComStar attack force and Hanse would mark ComStar as perhaps his greatest enemy from this point forward.

However, given their critical value to the Federated Suns and later, Commonwealth, Hanse could not act directly against ComStar, instead fighting a shadow war with Primus Myndo Waterly and ROM up until her death in 3052. His next target would instead be that which he had held the longest grudge against; in 3039, he turned the might of the united armies of the Federated Commonwealth against the Draconis Combine. His assaults, however, were undermined by ComStar's covert aid to the DCMS and a strategically brilliant counter-attack, directed by Theodore Kurita that lead to the loss of critical logistical centers, most notably the BattleMech factories on the planet Quentin. This counter attack had been a pure bluff, with the DCMS stretched to breaking point to pull it off, with the AFFS and LCAF needing only to hold their nerve and continue the war to win. Hanse however blinked first and called off the attack after the showing of unexpected strength. Publicly, Hanse claimed victory in the War of 3039, as the conflict became known. Indeed, he had succeeded in recapturing several worlds that had been lost to House Kurita in the First Succession War, and in fact took more worlds than he lost. Privately, however, he admitted that he had been strategically beaten and showed a genuine respect for Theodore Kurita. As Hanse would later explain to his son Victor just before his first deployment as an AFFC officer, up until Theodore had come of age the DCMS had ultimately been predictable, hemmed in Takashi's rigidity and traditionalism. Theodore, however, had managed to get a significant amount of the DCMS to act in a much more dangerously flexible way and while the strategic balance of power remained with the Federated Commonwealth, Hanse simply didn't consider crushing the Combine worth the cost that Theodore would demand of him. And accordingly, between 3040 and 3050, there was very little activity beyond minor raiding on the Combine-FedCom border.

And then came the Clans.

Detente

In 3050, Hanse again directed the Federated Commonwealth in battle, this time against the Clan Invasion. Later, he took part in the Outreach summit that lead to a detente ceasefire among the Successor States.

His respect for Theodore Kurita, combined with strategic considerations, lead him to order the Kell Hounds and Wolf's Dragoons to Luthien, capital of the Draconis Combine, to bolster the world's defenses against the Clan assault. The Battle of Luthien ended in defeat for Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Nova Cat and saved the command integrity of the DCMS. That it was Hanse that ensured the survival of the Federated Suns' most hated enemy speaks tantamount to his visionary political and strategic acumen.

Death and Legacy

On 17 June, 3052, Victor Steiner-Davion returned from his mission to rescue Hohiro Kurita on Teniente. Together with Galen Cox he immediately went to see his father. Hanse Davion had received a priority message on a holodisk an hour earlier, and Victor and Galen found it played in an endless loop. In it, Sun Tzu Liao referred to (and mimicked) the taunting holodisk that Hanse's agent Justin Xiang Allard had left behind at the height of the Fourth Succession War; Sun Tzu retaliated by announcing his engagement to Isis Marik and thereby his realm's implied alliance with the Free Worlds League. Having suffered a heart attack while watching the message, Hanse Davion died in his son Victor's arms.[2]

Hanse married Melissa Steiner in 3028 at a ceremony on Terra. Their union produced five children, Victor, Peter, Katherine, Yvonne, and Arthur.

After Hanse's death, his BattleMaster became the centerpiece of a war memorial on the NAIS campus. The 'Mech was saved from the Blakist bombardment that devastated Avalon City and used by the resistance during the Blakist occupation. When House Kurita captured the world in 3146, the BattleMaster was taken back to Luthien to be displayed as a war prize.[10]

Philosophical and Political Views

Since the fall of the Star League, most Great House leaders desired to be First Lord. While Hanse certainly did as well, he was also realistic enough to acknowledge that he would not be able to attain such a goal. Instead, he set about establishing a dynasty in the hopes that that would allow such a feat to be accomplished by his descendants.

Titles and Positions

Preceded by First Prince of the Federated Suns
30133052
Succeeded by

30133052Ian DavionFirst Prince

BattleMechs

For most of his career, Hanse Davion piloted a Battlemaster. He used this most famously to prove his identity with Ardan Sortek's help when Maximilian Liao tried to replace him with an impostor.

Notes

  • When he was 28, Hanse received the title of "Marksman", the MechWarrior equivalent of an Ace.
  • In a likely error, page eight of House Davion (The Federated Suns) depicts a young Hanse Davion as a lance commander at the Battle of Banton Hill in 2998. This would place Davion's age at only 14 or 15 (based upon his birth year of 2983) when the "picture" was taken, yet Davion appears to be much older than this.

Gallery

Quotes

I, Hanse Davion, rightful heir and successor to my brother, do accept from His Most Honored Chairman Elder, Cardinal Diego Lavera, the Unfinished Book and the Scepter of State as symbols of my rights and responsibilities toward all the peoples of the Federated Suns. God bless the freedom-loving people of the Federated Suns.
  — From the official Coronation Speech of Hanse Davion, Prince of the Federated Suns, 3013[11]
I've no delusions about my brother-in-law. If my brother was known as the Hound, and I'm the Fox, then the Duke of New Syrtis is the Weasel darting through the underbrush, looking to take advantage.
  — From Hanse Davion's private journals, 3013[12]
An Alliance is a delicate thing, but I think ours will live beyond us. The day will come when our people will view our two states as a single realm with a single desire for peace.
  — Hanse Davion to Archon Katrina Steiner, 3022[13]
I'm still pretty young, but I've seen enough action to kill any heroic feelings I had toward combat and war. For me, knowing that I have to send men and women into combat is the dirtiest job I can think of.
  — Hanse Davion, 3023[14]
Look, we may have pushed him back a bit in recent years, but don't you ever assume we've weakened him. He is the dragon on which his realm is based; scales for skin, flame for breath, leathery wings to fly, and all the more dangerous coiled like we have him now.
  — Prince Davion to the Ambassador from the Lyran Commonwealth, 3025[15]
Wife, in honor of our marriage, in addition to this morsel I give you a vast prize. My love, I give you the Capellan Confederation!"
  — Hanse Davion to Melissa Steiner-Davion at their wedding reception on Terra, also sparking the Fourth Succession War, August 20, 3028[16]
The operation to neutralize the threat of the Draconis Combine has developed contrary to our predications and with the assault by DCMS troops into the Draconis March we must suspend further offensive operations until said threat can be neutralized.
  — Prince Hanse Davion's Recall Order[17]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Era Report: 3052, p. 65, "Hanse Davion Profile"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Lost Destiny, C. 49
  3. BattleTech Third Edition, p. 46 "House of Davion"
  4. 4.0 4.1 House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 179
  5. BattleCorps story Irreplaceable
  6. The Gauntlet
  7. Warrior: Coupé, pp. 131-134: Hanse briefs his top military staff on reports of a FedSun-funded FWL insurgency and the deliberate destruction of the mostly traitorous 5th Syrtis Fusiliers.
  8. Warrior: Riposte, p. 292: Hanse Davion receives word of Michael Hasek-Davion's secret departure for Sian.
  9. Northwind Highlanders, p. 9, "Homecoming" and p. 24, "Situation"
  10. BattleTech: Legends p. 35
  11. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 113, "Religion"
  12. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 95
  13. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 98
  14. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 97
  15. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 89, "RECENT DEVELOPMENTS"
  16. MechWarrior, Third Edition, p. 161 "Fourth Succession War"
  17. Historical: War of 3039, p. 130, "Aftermath"

Bibliography