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	Hohiro Kurita had again become trapped behind enemy lines, this time leading a guerrilla war against [[Clan Nova Cat]] forces garrisoning [[Teniente]]. Victor answered Omi Kurita's personal plea to rescue him, communicated through Hohiro's aide [[Shin Yodama]]. The price for this was that Omi would have to break off communication with Victor. Again, on 9 April, Marshal Hasek-Davion approved one of Victor's plans to go after the Clans, but this time the fight would be in the [[Draconis Combine]]. Victor led the first battalion of the Tenth Lyran to the Teniente system in early May. The AFFC force masqueraded as [[Com Guards|Com Guard]] troops, which got them past the atmospheric defenses. In Victor's attempt to find and rescue Hohiro, he was actually bailed out by the Kurita heir. The Revenants successfully extracted Hohiro and his troops, after which the two heirs called each other "friend".<ref>''Lost Destiny'', pp. 104–105, 120–123, 151–158, 195–199, 235–238, 257–263, 292–295</ref><ref>''Invading Clans'', p. 120: "Teniente"</ref><ref>''Era Report: 3052'', pp. 18–19, 24: "Timeline of Events"</ref>		Hohiro Kurita had again become trapped behind enemy lines, this time leading a guerrilla war against [[Clan Nova Cat]] forces garrisoning [[Teniente]]. Victor answered Omi Kurita's personal plea to rescue him, communicated through Hohiro's aide [[Shin Yodama]]. The price for this was that Omi would have to break off communication with Victor. Again, on 9 April, Marshal Hasek-Davion approved one of Victor's plans to go after the Clans, but this time the fight would be in the [[Draconis Combine]]. Victor led the first battalion of the Tenth Lyran to the Teniente system in early May. The AFFC force masqueraded as [[Com Guards|Com Guard]] troops, which got them past the atmospheric defenses. In Victor's attempt to find and rescue Hohiro, he was actually bailed out by the Kurita heir. The Revenants successfully extracted Hohiro and his troops, after which the two heirs called each other "friend".<ref>''Lost Destiny'', pp. 104–105, 120–123, 151–158, 195–199, 235–238, 257–263, 292–295</ref><ref>''Invading Clans'', p. 120: "Teniente"</ref><ref>''Era Report: 3052'', pp. 18–19, 24: "Timeline of Events"</ref>
−	===Postwar===	+	===Post-war===
	Victor ended the Clan Invasion a war hero and his own man. He had struggled to step out from the shadow cast by his parents and cousin Morgan Hasek-Davion. The invasion gave him the opportunity to make that name for himself.<ref name=ER67 /><ref>''Natural Selection'', p. 98</ref>		Victor ended the Clan Invasion a war hero and his own man. He had struggled to step out from the shadow cast by his parents and cousin Morgan Hasek-Davion. The invasion gave him the opportunity to make that name for himself.<ref name=ER67 /><ref>''Natural Selection'', p. 98</ref>

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{{Update Needed|[[Field Manual: 3145]]|[[Era Digest: Dark Age]]|[[Historical: Wars of the Republic Era]]|[[Mercenaries Supplemental II]]|[[Forever Faithful]]}} {{Cleanup|reason=review needed|date=September 2023}} {{InfoBoxCharacter | image = Victor Steiner-Davion BTLegends.jpg | caption = Victor Steiner-Davion | name = Victor Ian Steiner-Davion | birthdate = 12 April [[3030]]<ref name=FCCWp12>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 12</ref> | died = 26 November [[3134]]<ref name=TSJc13>''The Scorpion Jar'', ch. 13</ref> | othernames = | affiliation = [[House Steiner-Davion]] | rank = [[Precentor Martial of ComStar|Precentor Martial]] | title = [[Archon-Prince]]<br/>[[First Prince of the Federated Suns|First Prince]]<br/>[[Paladin Exemplar of the Republic|Paladin Exemplar]]<br/>[[Duke of Tharkad]]<br/>[[Duke of New Avalon]]<br/>[[Duke of the Sarna March]]<br/>[[Landgrave von Bremen]] | profession = | parents = [[Hanse Davion]] (father)<br/>[[Melissa Steiner]] (mother) | siblings = [[Katherine Steiner-Davion|Katherine]]<br/>[[Peter Ardan Steiner-Davion|Peter]]<br/>[[Arthur Steiner-Davion|Arthur]]<br/>[[Yvonne Steiner-Davion|Yvonne]] | spouse = [[Omiko Kurita]]<br/>[[Isis Marik]] | children = [[Kitsune Kurita]] (illegitimate)<br/>[[Jade Davion]]<br/>[[Burton Davion]]<br/>[[Lee Davion]] }} '''Victor Ian Steiner-Davion''' was the eldest child of [[First Prince]] [[Hanse Davion]] and [[Archon]] [[Melissa Steiner]]. He was named in honor of the successful conclusion of the [[Fourth Succession War]] and Hanse's late older brother, Prince [[Ian Davion]]. As the first child of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner, he inherited the most powerful realm of the [[Inner Sphere]], the [[Federated Commonwealth]]. Victor's greatest asset was his ability to learn coupled with his intelligence and desire to know more.<ref>''Ghost War'', p. 93</ref> He expected people to judge him regardless of his heritage and almost always avoided using his family name to gain special privileges. He distrusted flatterers and kept the counsel of individuals who were not afraid to tell him when he was wrong.<ref>''1st Somerset Strikers'', p. 60: "Victor Steiner-Davion"</ref> Victor fought the Clans during the [[Clan Invasion]], fighting back on [[Twycross]] and rescuing the heir to the [[Draconis Combine]] on [[Teniente]]. He acceded to the throne in [[3055]], becoming the first and only Archon-Prince of the [[Federated Commonwealth]] after his mother's assassination. His decision to replace the late [[Joshua Marik]] with a double and the ploy's subsequent discovery led to [[Operation Guerrero]], which gave his sister [[Katherine Steiner-Davion|Katherine]] the opportunity to seize power for herself by seceding the Lyran half of the realm and creating the [[Lyran Alliance]]. Victor's leadership of a multinational force during the [[Jade Falcon Incursion (3058)|Battle of Coventry]] led to the resurrection of the [[Star League]] and the annihilation of [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]]. Victor led [[Inner Sphere]] forces fighting under the aegis of the [[Star League Defense Force]] to victory over the Clans in the [[Great Refusal]], officially ending the Clan Invasion. Victor returned to the Inner Sphere to find himself deposed, Katherine having usurped the regency of their sister [[Yvonne Steiner-Davion|Yvonne]]. Though Victor did not wish to bring war to his people, Katherine's increasingly tyrannical reign, coupled with the apparent assassination of their younger brother [[Arthur Steiner-Davion]], convinced him to lead the rebellion against her. His victory over her on [[New Avalon]] in [[3067]] ousted her from power, though Victor left his realms to his remaining siblings and returned to [[ComStar]] as the [[Precentor Martial of ComStar|Precentor Martial]]. The [[Jihad]] saw a new leader come to the forefront, [[Devlin Stone]]. Victor threw his weight behind Stone and the coalition forces defeated [[Word of Blake]]. Victor supported Stone's new nation, the [[Republic of the Sphere]], where he served as a [[Paladin of the Republic|Paladin]] and briefly held the role of [[Commanding General of the Republic Armed Forces|Commanding General]]. Victor was assassinated at the age of 104 after he uncovered a plot by the Senate to seize control of The Republic. {{TOClimit}} ==History== ===Early Years=== Victor was raised on [[Tharkad]], unlike his siblings who were raised on both Tharkad and [[New Avalon]].<ref>''20 Year Update''</ref> In 3033 Victor and Melissa Steiner-Davion visited the [[Wolf's Dragoons]] world of [[Outreach]], Victor was left with child care professionals (sibparents) during this time which also quieted rumors the Dragoons had set up a boot camp for toddlers.<ref>''More Tales of the Black Widow'', p. 6</ref><ref>''BattleTechnology'', Issue #16, p. 5</ref> As the eldest child, Victor joined the military in preparation for becoming the first [[Archon-Prince]] of the Federated Commonwealth, attending the [[Nagelring]]. He credited his roommate, [[Renny Sanderlin]], with helping him through some challenging classes. Victor spent a year as an exchange student at the [[New Avalon Military Academy]] where he met [[Kai Allard-Liao]]. Victor was the first cadet to defeat the "La Mancha" scenario at the Nagelring, with the help of the data his brother [[Peter Steiner-Davion|Peter]] acquired from NAMA on how Kai defeated it. Victor graduated at the top of his class. His parents attended a ceremony for the top five percent of the graduating class on 19 May [[3049]].<ref>''Lethal Heritage'', pp. 26–34</ref> Upon graduation, he was posted to the [[Twelfth Donegal Guards]] RCT on [[Trell I]], despite his protests, because ''[[Gunji-no-Kanrei]]'' [[Theodore Kurita]] posted his son [[Hohiro Kurita II|Hohiro]] to the [[Periphery]]. This was a signal between Kurita and Davion that they would allow their heirs to choose whether or not to continue their centuries-old conflict.<ref>''Lethal Heritage'', pp. 62–66</ref><ref name=ER67>''Era Report: 3052'', p. 67</ref> At this time his [[BattleMech]] was also his namesake, a ''[[Victor]]''.<ref>''Lethal Heritage'', p. 163</ref> ===Clan Invasion=== ====Trell I==== Owing to his birthright, Victor graduated with the rank of [[Kommandant]] and was assigned command of the second 'Mech [[battalion]]. The other officers of the regiment had no confidence in a green, fresh-from-the-academy commander, so [[Hauptmann]] [[Galen Cox]] volunteered to be his aide. Though Victor insisted he did not need an aide, he accepted Galen to placate his subordinates.<ref>''Lethal Heritage'', pp. 108–113</ref><ref name=JFS26 /> During the initial [[Clan invasion|invasion]] by the [[Clans]], [[Clan Jade Falcon]] invaded Trell I. The Falcons assaulted the planet with three [[Cluster]]s, though the Donegal Guards had only a vague idea of who they were facing, the elite [[Jade Falcon Guards (Clan Jade Falcon)|Jade Falcon Guards]] and the [[1st Falcon Striker (Clan Jade Falcon)|First]] and [[5th Falcon Striker (Clan Jade Falcon)|Fifth Falcon Striker]] Clusters. The Falcons committed so many forces to the world because they were intent on capturing Victor.<ref name=JFS26>''Jade Falcon Sourcebook'', pp. 25–26: "Trell I"</ref> The Falcons grounded on 13 April [[3050]] and quickly drove for the Twelfth and Victor. For his part, Victor was at the head of his battalion, on the way to a training exercise with the [[Red Brigade]]. The scouts initially confused contact with Falcon forces for the Brigade, though they realized their fatal mistake and warned Victor, who alerted the battalion. On the other side of the Castle Mountains from the rest of the regiment, in the Chrysall Pass, the battalion was hard pressed to hold off the Falcon Guards. Victor retreated through the pass, but was hit by Falcon air and ground assets. During the fighting, he christened the ''[[Summoner]]'' [[OmniMech]] the "''Thor''" because of its powerful arm-mounted weapons. He tried to retreat into the mountains, but realized the Falcon forces would be able to cut them off from the rest of the unit. A surprise rear assault by the hitherto undetected Red Brigade gave Victor and the remaining 'Mechs of this battalion the chance to slip away, which they did, right into the mountain caverns along with the surviving forces of the Brigade. Victor was recalled by [[Leftenant-General]] [[Jeremy Hawksworth]], who recognized that the Falcons were trying to capture Victor, and ordered off-planet. Victor refused, wanting to fight a guerrilla war in the caverns of the Black Mountain foothills, which would negate the range advantage of the Clantech weapons. Hawksworth knew time was limited and ordered Cox to take Victor to his [[DropShip]], so Cox knocked him out cold with a sucker punch. Though Hawksworth got Victor off Trell I, he did implement the Kommandant's suggestion of guerrilla war. The Twelfth harassed the occupying Falcons for months.<ref name=JFS26 /><ref>''Lethal Heritage'', pp. 163–168, 188</ref><ref>''Era Report: 3052'', p. 15: "Timeline of Events"</ref><ref>''Era Report: 3052'', pp. 12, 24</ref> ====Sudeten==== Following his flight from Trell I, Victor was given command of a battalion of the [[Tenth Lyran Guards]]. He linked up with them and many respected [[Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth]] officers on 15 June on [[Sudeten]]. Victor joined the company of [[Marshal of the Armies]] [[Morgan Hasek-Davion]], Leftenant-General [[Andrew Redburn]], [[Kell Hounds]] commander [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Dan Allard]], [[Major]] [[Christian Kell]], and [[Leftenant]] Kai Allard-Liao to strategize how to combat the Clans. In July he presented a plan to take the fight to the Falcons. His plan involved an assault on the world of [[Twycross]] to take advantage of what he theorized would be inferior garrison forces and a constant, giant sandstorm on the planet's surface known as the Diabolis. Marshal Hasek-Davion green-lit Victor's plan, characterizing it as the best plan he had seen to launch a counterattack, using the Tenth Lyran Guards RCT, both Kell Hounds regiments, and the [[9th FedCom RCT|Ninth Federated Commonwealth RCT]].<ref>''Lethal Heritage'', pp. 226–233, 244–250, 276–282</ref> ====Twycross==== The multiregiment force assaulted Twycross in September. Unfortunately for them, the frontline force that had conquered the world, the Jade Falcon Guards, had not been able to leave due to inclement weather, so they faced this Cluster in addition to the [[Jade Falcon Eyrie (Clan Jade Falcon)|Jade Falcon Eyrie Cluster]]. Despite fighting almost as soon as the AFFC troops landed, the Ninth F-C successfully entered the Diabolis, the Kell Hounds seized the Plain of Curtains and the Sharktooth Mountains, while the Tenth Lyran functioned as rearguard in the Great Gash and mobile reserve. The Great Gash was mined with vibrabombs in case the Falcons tried to break through. The AFFC forces achieved victory when Kai Allard-Liao single-handedly destroyed a flanking maneuver by the Falcon Guards that would have overrun the Commonwealth positions by self-destructing a borrowed ''[[Hatchetman]]'', causing a land slide that buried the Falcon Guards in the Great Gash. Without the reinforcement of the frontline forces, the AFFC commands were able to handily defeat the garrison troops.<ref>''Lethal Heritage'', pp. 306–331</ref><ref>''Jade Falcon Sourcebook'', pp. 28, 42</ref><ref>''Era Report: 3052'', pp. 14, 24</ref> ====Outreach==== After the battle, Victor returned to Tharkad. On 10 November, an officer from [[Wolf's Dragoons]], Major [[Sveng Ngov]], appeared in person to invite the leadership of the Commonwealth to a conference on [[Outreach]]. He arrived on 12 January [[3051]] to find dignitaries assembled from across the Inner Sphere. The Dragoons commanding officer, [[Jaime Wolf]], informed them that, because of the sacrifice of Rasalhagian fighter pilot [[Tyra Miraborg]], they had less than one year to unite their forces against a threat to all the nations of the Inner Sphere.<ref name=ER15>''Era Report: 3052'', p. 15</ref><ref>''Lethal Heritage'', pp. 365–366, 372–377</ref> On 15 January, Jaime informed the leaders that the Dragoons were a force sent to scout the Inner Sphere for eventual invasion by the Clans. The origins of the Clans as the descendants of the [[Star League Defense Force]] led into exile by [[Commanding General of the Star League Defense Force|Commanding General]] [[Aleksandr Kerensky]] were revealed. A team-building session among the young nobles on 5 February brought Victor and Hohiro Kurita to blows, partly because of their own prejudices and power plays, and partly because of the divisive attitude of [[Sun-Tzu Liao]]. Both Victor and Hohiro were dressed down by their fathers, who seemed to quickly put aside their differences to focus on the Clan threat. Tentative truces were made between the powers of the Inner Sphere to combat the Clan menace. It was also here that Victor first met [[Omiko Kurita|Omi Kurita]], his first love. The relationship was initially tolerated because their families did not believe the pair could ever be more than pen pals due to distance and politics marred by centuries of distrust and war. Months of training exercises brought Victor closer to Hohiro and Kai but fostered further personal enmity between him and Sun-Tzu. Ultimately, it was their simultaneous defense against a possibly threatening action by Sun-Tzu against Kai that pushed Victor and Hohiro to mutual respect if not outright friendship. In a Clan-style [[Trial of Position]] in July, Victor finished third among the assembled heirs. Kai's refusal to accept Jaime's gift put Victor in possession of a ''[[Dire Wolf (Daishi)|Daishi]]'' he named "''Prometheus''" because of its energy-heavy weaponry.<ref name=ER15 /><ref>''Blood Legacy'', pp. 17–27, 53–64, 74–80, 98–106, 141–150, 160–166, 198, 223–224, 236–239, 313; ''Lost Destiny'', p. 293</ref> ====Alyina==== Victor and Kai, both serving with the Tenth Lyran Guards on [[Alyina]], continued their friendship that began when they were cadets. They were interrupted on Christmas Day 3051 with the news that the Falcons had returned. The invading forces consisted of the [[Turkina Keshik (Clan Jade Falcon)|Turkina Keshik]], First Falcon Striker, and [[1st Falcon Velites (Clan Jade Falcon)|First Falcon Velites]]. Fighting on 5 January [[3052]], Victor allowed himself to be herded by the Falcon forces, but he did not expect a [[Star]] of jump-pack-equipped OmniMechs to jump out of the Mar Negro and ambush him and Hauptmann Cox. Only the timely intervention, and seeming sacrifice, of Kai allowed him to withdraw with the Tenth.<ref>''Blood Legacy'', pp. 251–254, 290–293, 313–321, 351–355</ref><ref>''Jade Falcon Sourcebook'', p. 40: "Alyina"</ref> ====Teniente==== Following their flight from Alyina, the Tenth Lyran Guards were in bad shape; Victor's battalion had been whittled down to thirteen operational 'Mechs. In early 3052, they were rotated to [[Port Moseby]] for rest and refit. Victor nicknamed his battalion the Revenants because they would return from their near-destruction to take the fight to the Clans again. With a large pool of volunteers looking to transfer into one of the premier units in the AFFC, the Tenth was able to replenish its losses quickly.<ref>''Lost Destiny'', pp. 63–69, 116–119</ref> Hohiro Kurita had again become trapped behind enemy lines, this time leading a guerrilla war against [[Clan Nova Cat]] forces garrisoning [[Teniente]]. Victor answered Omi Kurita's personal plea to rescue him, communicated through Hohiro's aide [[Shin Yodama]]. The price for this was that Omi would have to break off communication with Victor. Again, on 9 April, Marshal Hasek-Davion approved one of Victor's plans to go after the Clans, but this time the fight would be in the [[Draconis Combine]]. Victor led the first battalion of the Tenth Lyran to the Teniente system in early May. The AFFC force masqueraded as [[Com Guards|Com Guard]] troops, which got them past the atmospheric defenses. In Victor's attempt to find and rescue Hohiro, he was actually bailed out by the Kurita heir. The Revenants successfully extracted Hohiro and his troops, after which the two heirs called each other "friend".<ref>''Lost Destiny'', pp. 104–105, 120–123, 151–158, 195–199, 235–238, 257–263, 292–295</ref><ref>''Invading Clans'', p. 120: "Teniente"</ref><ref>''Era Report: 3052'', pp. 18–19, 24: "Timeline of Events"</ref> ===Post-war=== Victor ended the Clan Invasion a war hero and his own man. He had struggled to step out from the shadow cast by his parents and cousin Morgan Hasek-Davion. The invasion gave him the opportunity to make that name for himself.<ref name=ER67 /><ref>''Natural Selection'', p. 98</ref> On 17 June 3052 Victor and Galen arrived on New Avalon, flush with word that Kai had not only survived but had managed to get off Alyina. Though that news was cause for celebration, Victor's mood was decidedly dampened when he entered his father's office to find a holovid recording of Sun-Tzu Liao announcing his betrothal to [[Isis Marik]]. It was only after viewing the message once that Victor realized something was wrong with Prince Hanse Davion, who was slumped over his desk. Hanse looked up at his son and smiled before passing away of a heart attack.<ref>''Lost Destiny'', pp. 374–378</ref> Victor was able to reconnect with Omi when she attended Hanse's funeral. Coordinator Takashi overruled his son and allowed Victor and Omi to continue communicating.<ref>''Grave Covenant'', pp. 32, 188</ref> Melissa offered to step down so that Victor could become Archon-Prince, but he persuaded her to stay on, not only as Archon, but as regent of the [[Federated Suns]].<ref>''Bred for War'', pp. 238–239</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Davion'', p. 80: "The Federated Commonwealth"</ref> Victor was given command of the Tenth Lyran Guards RCT.<ref>''Objective Raids'', p. 23</ref> The unit shifted up and down the Jade Falcon border.<ref name=ER13 /> On 12 April [[3055]], Victor met with [[Phelan Ward]], his cousin and a [[Khan]] of [[Clan Wolf]], on [[Arc-Royal]]. The next day, during a meeting with Kell Hounds officers, Victor showed his obliviousness to the growing tide of discontent against him in the Lyran half of the realm that he was heir to. The real reason for his trip to Arc-Royal, however, was a meeting facilitated by [[ComStar]] Precentor [[Klaus Hettig]] with Phelan about the [[Red Corsair]]. Destabilizing elements within the Commonwealth, especially [[Ryan Steiner]], were using the bandit attacks to gather power. After a Kell Hounds officer insulted Phelan during a social gathering, Victor suggested a simulator battle so both parties could have their satisfaction, which Phelan's Clan force won. After the battle, Victor again got an earful, this time about the alleged refusal of the [[Federated Suns]] to adequately defend the Lyran half of the realm from the Clans.<ref>''Natural Selection'', pp. 21–36, 47–62, 69–83</ref> Victor's sister [[Katherine Steiner-Davion|Katherine]] (who had begun calling herself "Katrina" after her grandmother [[Katrina Steiner]]) surprised him by showing up on Arc-Royal, but the bigger surprise was that Omiko Kurita had accompanied Shin Yodama. Omi and Victor took the opportunity to renew their affections for one another, though they denied each other the carnal pleasures they both desired. After Omi turned in for the night, Victor had a long conversation with Phelan that planted the seeds for reconciliation with his cousin. Victor subsequently attended the retirement party for [[Morgan Kell]].<ref>''Natural Selection'', pp. 84–100, 111–117, 119–120</ref> ===Archon-Prince=== After leaving Arc-Royal, Victor focused on the Red Corsair raids. When a loaned unit from Clan Wolf sparred with local defenders, Victor was determined to take up the fight himself. News of his mother's assassination by bomb reached him at the same time, however, so he sent word to the Kell Hounds to take the lead against the Corsair. Melissa's death resulted in Victor's accession as Archon-Prince and the formal inauguration of the Federated Commonwealth. In his grief, Victor sent word to Katherine to make arrangements for the funeral and not to wait for him. Victor's failure to attend his mother's funeral gave rise to rumors that he ordered her death. Regardless of the rumors, Victor's grief caused him to throw himself into the efforts to catch her [[Dancing Joker|assassin]] with single-minded devotion. On the DropShip ride to Tharkad on 27 June 3055, he was briefed on the tide of public sentiment turning against him by Agent [[Curaitis]]. Victor's active efforts to court public opinion, something he had never given any thought to before his accession, resulted in a small measure of success. Victor dispatched Galen to accompany Katherine to Arc-Royal for the funeral service of [[Salome Ward]], who was killed in the same blast that Melissa Steiner died in. After the [[Intelligence Secretariat]] captured the assassin, Victor kept him on [[Poulsbo]].<ref>''Natural Selection'', pp. 137–143, 174–179, 190–191, 194–200, 214–221, 289–291, 318–322</ref><ref>''FedCom Civil War'', pp. 14–15: "Mistakes and Missteps"</ref><ref name=HBHD80>''Handbook: House Davion'', p. 80: "Archon-Prince"</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 63: "Death of an Era"</ref><ref name=ER13>''Era Report: 3062'', p. 13</ref> On 19 December, Victor visited his mother's grave, exactly six months after her assassination. Victor believed that it was Ryan Steiner manipulating the media of the Federated Commonwealth against him. It took his accession to finally convince Victor to become a political animal. On 1 April [[3056]] Victor recognized the services of the [[Gray Death Legion]] by naming [[Grayson Carlyle]] a baron and granting him [[Glengarry]] as his landhold, an action that touched off another rebellion from the [[Skye March]]. To head off the uprising, Victor ordered cheap food and fuel be made available to some Lyrans, declared the anniversary of Melissa Steiner's death a holiday, and took control of many planetary militias. The failure of the rebels to take Glengarry stopped the crisis before it became unmanageable for Victor.<ref>''Assumption of Risk'', pp. 20–28, 108–115, 165–172, 181–184, 186</ref><ref>''Bred for War'', p. 37</ref><ref name=HBHD80 /><ref>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 63: "Second Skye Rebellion"</ref> [[Peter Steiner-Davion]] was manipulated into killing 550 [[Free Skye]] separatists on [[Lyons]] on 9 April. Victor scored a public relations coup when Ryan Steiner's people overreached in trying to electronically manipulate media coverage by replacing the violent holovid imagery with an interview of Victor. He recalled his brother to Tharkad and dispatched him to [[Solaris VII]]. Following another bomb attack that appeared to kill Galen Cox, Victor ordered the assassination of Ryan Steiner, which occurred on 24 April. Less than a week later Victor announced that he would rule from New Avalon for a year, shifting the planned six-month rotation of the court. The attempted assassination of Galen allowed the Intelligence Secretariat to determine that Katherine knew about it in advance and did nothing. Working back from there, they figured out that she arranged payment to the assassin who killed Melissa Steiner.<ref>''Assumption of Risk'', pp. 199–201, 216–220, 224–236, 281–283, 302–308, 353–360</ref> ===Operation Guerrero=== With [[Joshua Marik]]'s failing health, Victor instituted a plan of his father's to replace the boy with a double by 1 April 3056.<ref>''Assumption of Risk'', pp. 165, 169, 171</ref> The double was inserted in December. The real Joshua was hidden and kept on life support until 20 May [[3057]], after which he was cryogenically frozen. Meanwhile, Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao's guerrilla fighters were becoming more effective with the Commonwealth's focus on the Clans. Through Omi, Victor learned that Peter had exiled himself to a monastery on [[Zaniah]]. Sun-Tzu allowed Thomas Marik to believe that there was doubt about Joshua's paternity, which caused Thomas to institute a plan to prove his paternity. A spy obtained a sample of the Joshua double's blood, which proved that there was no relationship between him and the Captain-General.<ref>''Bred for War'', pp. 11–13, 33–39, 69–73, 86, 104, 114–120</ref><ref name=CM>''Chaos March'', p. 8</ref><ref name=HBHS64>''Handbook: House Steiner'', pp. 63–64: "The Lyran Secession"</ref><ref name=EROG>''Era Report: 3062'', pp. 13–15: "Operation Guerrero"</ref> With evidence that Victor substituted a double for Joshua, Thomas Marik assumed the boy's death and launched a punitive invasion for Victor's perfidy, announcing the invasion on 16 September 3057. At the same time, Capellan guerrillas wreaked havoc across the [[Sarna March]], now supported by mercenaries in League employ. Victor's attempts to counter the invasion were all but halted when Katherine announced the secession of the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth and the creation of the [[Lyran Alliance]] two days after Thomas' announcement. On the 19th Victor addressed the Commonwealth, indicating his decisions to fight the Mariks, tacitly endorsed his sister's secession, and explained his rationale for substituting Joshua with a double. Katherine's recall orders to Lyran units in the Sarna March left the region underdefended and simultaneously removed the transports the AFFC needed to shift troops to deal with the crisis, resulting in the creation of the [[Chaos March]]. The news that [[Francesca Jenkins]] was the agent who uncovered the double plot could have hurt Victor because he had praised her when she almost died defending "Joshua" from Capellan assassins. Instead, he ordered her turned to be a Commonwealth intelligence agent. When Thomas offered peace, Victor accepted, rejecting his father's plans for his own path. On New Year's Day [[3058]], Galen informed Victor that genetic testing done as a result of the Operation Gemini fiasco indicated that Thomas Marik was actually a double placed on the throne by ComStar.<ref>''Bred for War'', pp. 121–148, 157–174, 180–184, 209–214, 241–246, 352–356, 374–378</ref><ref name=CM /><ref>''Field Manual: Federated Suns'', p. 11: "End of Innocence"</ref><ref name=HBHD80 /><ref name=HBHS64 /><ref name=EROG /> ===Jade Falcon Incursion=== When Victor paid the ransom to Katherine to have AFFC JumpShips returned to him, he made sure that it was considered "foreign aid" to save face. With all of the adversity he faced, Victor decided that the best way to go about shedding his father's legacy and forging his own path was to focus on the fight against the Clans, so he asked Anastasius Focht to organize a joint training session with the Com Guards and Draconis Combine on [[Tukayyid]]. Victor left New Avalon in early February 3058 with the [[Davion Heavy Guards]] RCT. At the same time, he received word that the Jade Falcons had attacked Lyran space, though initial intelligence was spotty. By March, Victor was in the [[Raman]] system, where he met up with Kai, who was in command of the [[First St. Ives Lancers]]. They received word that [[Word of Blake]] had invaded [[Terra]]. Victor and Kai arrived on Tukayyid in April. Focht unveiled the Com Guard [[Invader Galaxy]], a unit configured to act as an opposition force using Clan tactics.<ref>''Malicious Intent'', pp. 104–110, 130–135, 162–166, 202–206, 216–220</ref> While Victor was training, his sister was scheming. Katherine enacted a plan to lure Victor to [[Coventry]], which was under assault by Falcon forces. She made the decision, however, to leak an underestimate of how many troops the Falcons had on the planet, which she hoped would cause him to lead an understrength relief force and die in the battle. Victor left Tukayyid with his Davion Heavy Guards RCT, Kai's Lancers, Hohiro's First Genyosha, and the Invader Galaxy. Because he did not trust his sister, Victor stopped in Arc-Royal to recruit the Kell Hounds. He also tried to convince Khan Phelan Kell of [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile]] to join his expedition, though he was rebuffed because Phelan did not want to denude the strength of the [[Arc-Royal Defense Cordon]]. He did send [[Ragnar Magnusson]] with, however. While there, Victor was shocked to learn that his allies all believed that Katherine perpetrated the assassination of Melissa Steiner, not Victor. With all the negative media coverage directed at him, Victor had assumed everybody believed him guilty.<ref>''Malicious Intent'', pp. 230–231, 240–244</ref> When Victor's task force arrived in the Coventry system in June, they added a large relief contingent supplied by Katherine's allies from across the Inner Sphere. This led to consternation on Victor's part, however, when he realized that he would have to balance the politics of such a coalition. He forestalled most issues by asking Falcon Khan [[Marthe Pryde]] for ''[[safcon]]'', the right to land unmolested, which she granted. Once he landed, Victor sought out Hauptmann [[Caradoc Trevena]], who handed the Falcons a rare defeat during the [[Jade Falcon Incursion (3058)|Battle of Coventry]]. Victor used his firsthand information to shore up the hypothesis that the Falcon incursion was about training young troops. During the discussion, Trevena hit on the idea that the Clan had executed its deep invasion to ensure that the troops faced off against the best the Inner Sphere could offer, rather than just garrison forces. The information Katherine leaked to Victor indicated that the Falcons had four Galaxies on Coventry, so he believed there would be as many as six, but Trevena confirmed for him that the correct number was closer to eight, giving the two forces roughly equal parity. Victor worked with Ragnar to come up with a solution. Victor, Focht, and Trevena met with Pryde and her aide in the town of Whitting. Instead of fighting the Falcons, Trevena offered Khan Pryde ''[[hegira]]'', the right of a defeated foe to leave without retribution. Though Victor's decision not to drive Pryde's troops off Coventry was unpopular with some of the officers in his force, including [[Lyran Alliance Armed Forces]] [[Marshal (rank)|Marshal]] [[Sharon Bryan]], most others were happy not to shed their blood to train young Falcon warriors.<ref>''Malicious Intent'', pp. 248–252, 257–270, 272–287</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 65</ref><ref name=ERDSJ>''Era Report: 3062'', pp. 19–20: "The Death of the Smoke Jaguars"</ref> ===The Star League Reborn=== After Victor suggested a unified force take the war to the Clans, Katherine offered to host the meeting on her capital. With only months to wait, Victor stayed on Coventry, drilling with his troops. He also wanted to get back in shape, so he trained in martial arts with the heirs to the Draconis Combine and St. Ives Compact.<ref>''Grave Covenant'', pp. 13–15</ref><ref name=HBHSSSL>''Handbook: House Steiner'', pp. 65–66: "The Second Star League"</ref> At the end of September 3058, Victor returned to Tharkad for the first [[Whitting Conference]], a multinational summit that resulted in the re-formation of the [[Star League]]. Upon arriving on the Lyran capital, Victor dodged Katherine's welcoming committee and headed directly to his mother's memorial, where Katherine found him. There, the siblings had their first face-to-face meeting since Katherine sundered the Federated Commonwealth. He also met with Coordinator Theodore Kurita, who expressed condolences over the deaths of Victor's parents. The two sovereigns renewed their informal nonaggression pact. At the opening gala on 1 October, Victor was able to reunite with Omi and spend the evening with her. Over the course of the conference, they continued to find ways and reasons to meet with each other. The conference opened on 3 October and the formal military planning sessions began the following day. On 8 October, the political leaders agreed to focus their efforts on [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]], staging from the Draconis Combine. Morgan and Phelan Kell met with Katherine and point-blank told her that they knew she was responsible for her mother's assassination, part of Victor's plan to gather the evidence that she would surely move to eliminate. Victor then met with "Thomas Marik" and determined that the man who was Captain-General did, in fact, know that he was a double. He also made inroads in repairing his relationship with "Thomas". By November, the allied Inner Sphere leaders were planning for the invasion, which included the submission of Clan Nova Cat and information on how to get to the Clan homeworlds, specifically the Smoke Jaguar capital [[Huntress]], from a [[Trent (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|traitor]] turned by ComStar. Morgan Hasek-Davion proposed to lead a [[Task Force Serpent|task force]] to invade Huntress, convincing a skeptical Victor in a reversal of roles from just eight years prior. The assembled leaders agreed to Morgan's plan and named Focht as the commander of [[Operation Bulldog]]. Focht, in turn, named Victor his deputy. With the Star League constitution ratified, Katherine called for the election of a First Lord, rather than by lot, and nominated Sun-Tzu Liao. Victor worked out Katherine's plan to get herself elected and voted for Sun-Tzu, denying her the position. Kai convinced Victor to attend the gala for Katherine's birthday, where he was reintroduced to Isis Marik, who encouraged him to pursue his romance with Omi. Along with the other Inner Sphere leaders, Victor signed the constitution on 21 November, after which he announced that he would be traveling to [[Luthien]] as a show of unity.<ref>''Grave Covenant'', pp. 13–20, 27–35, 43–56, 75–81, 89–97, 104–120, 134–159, 165–169</ref><ref name=HBHSSSL /><ref name=ERDSJ /> ===Operation BULLDOG=== Victor took the unprecedented step of naming his youngest sister, [[Yvonne Steiner-Davion|Yvonne]], regent while he focused on the campaign against the Jaguars. With Morgan also gone, Victor knew that Yvonne would lean on his wife [[Kym Hasek-Davion|Kym]] and [[Tancred Sandoval]] as advisers. Victor's trip to Luthien was a grand success in winning over the hearts of the people of the Combine. He viewed traditional Japanese cultural events, piloted a ''[[Grand Dragon]]'' at a [[Luthien Armor Works]] factory, and visited the grave of Takashi Kurita. On 5 January [[3059]], the seventh anniversary of the [[Battle of Luthien (3052)|Battle of Luthien]], Omi brought Victor to the Palace of Serene Sanctuary in Imperial City with the intent to consummate their love, however, a trio of assassins attacked Victor. Using only the ''katana'' from the ''daishō'' given to him by Theodore, Victor defeated two assailants and gave Omi time to dispatch the third. One of the assassins stabbed him and punctured a lung, causing Victor to collapse. He was quickly taken to Jihen Military Hospital. During his near-death experience, Victor hallucinated a conversation between himself, Hanse Davion, and Takashi Kurita. He again reiterated his decision to forge his own path. Victor was well enough to leave the hospital forty-eight hours later. The Combine and ComStar quashed attempts to spread the news of the assassination attempt. Theodore used the opportunity to exhort his people to accept their allies in a new nationalism that did not allow for such xenophobia and held up Victor and Omi as the greatest examples of what he wanted for his nation.<ref>''Grave Covenant'', pp. 170–175, 185–201, 208–239</ref> Following the assassination attempt, Victor spent four-and-a-half months in the Combine rehabilitating his body, then seeing to preparations for the invasion. All the while, he was overwhelmed by Combine culture, from traditional foods to martial arts. While he could have forced the issue by insisting that his people oversee his recovery, he knew that it was important for the Kuritas to see him embrace their culture, both to solidify the budding alliance and to be seen as worthy of Omi's affections. While helping him heal, Omi and Victor consummated their relationship without interruption from assassins, and they continued to do so whenever they could. Victor found his new familiarity with the Combine helpful in bringing along DCMS commanders who were working alongside foreign units.<ref>''Grave Covenant'', pp. 242–245</ref> The plan to invade the Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone was solidified by May 3059. It called for small units to launch raids that would pin Jaguar forces in place so that they could not reinforce worlds that were invaded in the first wave. Victor wanted to mimic the Clan strategy during the invasion by hitting hard, seizing worlds, and quickly following up with subsequent invasions. The first wave captured five worlds quickly, in part because Smoke Jaguars were gearing up for their own assault. Victor refused to speed up the timetable for the second wave, however, because of the logistics involved, though he did increase the number of worlds that would be struck. The Jaguars launched a counterattack, but Precentor Martial Focht dealt with relieving reserve forces while Victor prepared to head into combat at the head of The Revenants.<ref>''Grave Covenant'', pp. 240–247, 257–265, 286–290</ref> Victor landed on [[Schuyler]] on 10 August 3059 in command of his "Dream Team', the Tenth Lyran Guards RCT, Davion Heavy Guards RCT, First Genyosha, First St. Ives Lancers, [[4th Wolf Guards (Clan Wolf-in-Exile)|Fourth Wolf Guards Assault Cluster]] and the Com Guard [[91st Division (ComStar)|91st Division]]. They were opposed by two Clusters, the [[4th Jaguar Regulars (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|Fourth]] and [[12th Jaguar Regulars (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|Twelfth Jaguar Regulars]]. They pushed the Clan troops for three days before the Lancers, Wolves, and Com Guards were able to break the Twelfth at Olasin Fjord. The Fourth Regulars defended Mitsuhama Ridge when they Genyosha and Davion Guards flanked them. With nowhere left for them to go, Victor and the Revenants advanced. A Trinary held a weak point in the ridge that Victor attacked, though he was cut off for the rest of the unit and advanced with only Renny Sanderlin at his side. The duo defeated a Star of 'Mechs, then realized that that Star had fought a delaying action to give the rest of the unit time to retreat to their DropShips and evacuate the planet.<ref>''Grave Covenant'', pp. 296–302</ref><ref>''The Dragon Roars'', pp. 50–51</ref> Clan Smoke Jaguar forces often either fought delaying actions or simply retreated from the Star League invasion across the Occupation Zone. Victor, Focht, and Phelan Kell assumed the Jaguars would fall back to Huntress. Faced with the knowledge that Task Force Serpent was going to engage many more Jaguar warriors than they planned for, Victor decided to lead a second task force to assist them, knowing full well that he was abandoning the Inner Sphere and his nation to predation by Katherine.<ref>''Grave Covenant'', pp. 302–308</ref> ====Huntress==== Victor led some of the best military commands in the Inner Sphere to Huntress, making contact with the Task Force Serpent survivors on 30 March [[3060]]. Once they arrived, it took only ten days to defeat the desperate Jaguar forces. On Huntress, Victor made contact with Andrew Redburn, who was now in command of the force. Redburn informed Victor of the assassination of Morgan Hasek-Davion before they ever made it to Huntress, though Victor put off thinking about it. He knew that his troops would have to pursue ilKhan [[Lincoln Osis]] and the remnant Jaguar forces he commanded.<ref>''Shadows of War'', pp. 272–273, 276–278</ref> On 9 April, Victor gave a speech thanking the soldiers of Task Force Serpent for their sacrifice. Later that day, the commanders of the relief force decided to go to [[Strana Mechty]] and confront the Clan leaders.<ref>''Prince of Havoc'', pp. 11–26</ref> Victor encountered [[Tiaret Nevversan]], a Smoke Jaguar Elemental, when she led her [[Point]] into the sewers of Lootera with fifty sibs. After Victor personally assured her the Star League forces would not exterminate them, she came out, but five children were missing. Victor organized the search party with Tiaret, then coaxed them out when she could not because of her bulk. After returning, she surrendered, though Victor immediately made her a warrior again. She soon appointed herself Victor's bodyguard. Victor trained with Tiaret, a genetic descendant of ilKhan Osis, while the DropShip was on its way to the surface of the Clan capital.<ref>''Prince of Havoc'', pp. 36–41</ref> ====Strana Mechty==== On his thirtieth birthday, Victor received ''safcon'' from Khan Marthe Pryde on behalf of the Clans, as well as a meeting with the [[Grand Council]]. Six days later, Victor challenged the Clan Khans to a Trial of Refusal over the invasion. If the Star League won, the invasion would be over and peace would reign. If the Clans won, the Truce of Tukayyid would be voided and the invasion would resume immediately. Victor worked with the other invasion commanders to determine which of the eight Clans defending the trial each would face. After insisting to the leaders and to the Smoke Jaguar traitor Trent that they could not have their own ways, Victor allowed the Nova Cat Khans to oppose [[Clan Ice Hellion]] on the strength of their visions because it was their visions that led them to join the Star League.<ref>''Prince of Havoc'', pp. 40–45, 56–63</ref> As the leader of the Star League Expeditionary Force, Victor squared off against ilKhan Lincoln Osis and his Smoke Jaguar [[Binary]] in the Bloody Basin on 23 April. Victor's force included a lance from the First Kathil Uhlans led by Andrew Redburn and the heir to the [[Magistracy of Canopus]], [[Danai Centrella]], with the Tenth Lyran Guards forming the balance of the company. The Jaguars did not offer honorable ''zellbrigen''-style combat to Victor's company, so 'Mechs went down quickly under combined fire. Victor was unable to stop a Clan ''[[Masakari]]'' from killing Centrella in her loaned ''[[Falconer]]'', though he did destroy the OmniMech. Victor's forces defeated the Jaguar 'Mechs, so the Elemental Point bounded into the fray, but Victor tried to convince them to stop. Instead, he ended up initiating a dialogue with Osis, who removed his battle armor. Victor likewise dismounted. Victor tried to convince Osis to surrender again, but Osis begged for death. When Victor turned his back on the Elemental, Osis made a sudden move, so Victor reflexively drew his ''katana'' and beheaded Osis with a draw cut, ending the battle in victory.<ref>''Prince of Havoc'', pp. 92–99, 125–134</ref> The Star League won five of the eight combats, giving them victory over the Clans in what came to be known as the [[Great Refusal]]. Victor became the first individual from outside the Clans to address the Grand Council, an opportunity he used to invite them to have diplomatic relations with the Star League. For his part, Khan [[Vlad Ward]] of the new [[Clan Wolf]] stated that his abstention meant that his Clan was not bound by the Refusal, though he indicated that he would abide by the Truce of Tukayyid. Victor returned to Huntress and appointed Colonel Sir [[Paul Masters]] as Star League ambassador to the Clans, even though the two did not see eye-to-eye on almost anything. Victor left Huntress for the Inner Sphere on 18 July 3060.<ref>''Prince of Havoc'', pp. 135–152</ref><ref name=HBHSSSL /><ref name=ERDSJ /> ====The Return Home==== On 1 November, the Star League Expeditionary Force stopped at an uninhabited system to check for fleeing Smoke Jaguar warriors. Working with his knowledge of Inner Sphere politics, Victor was able to determine that Morgan Hasek-Davion's assassin, [[Lucas Penrose]], was ultimately working for Word of Blake, though he could not figure out the exact reason why the schismatics wanted Morgan dead. Nonetheless, he crafted a story to be released to the public that fingered Penrose as a lone operative.<ref>''Prince of Havoc'', pp. 170–179</ref> Victor would not learn for years that he had actually impregnated Omi Kurita. She quietly gave birth to [[Kitsune Kurita]] while Victor was gone.<ref>''Ghost War'', pp. 126–127</ref> ===Deposed=== Upon his return to the Inner Sphere, the force was ordered to travel to the Combine capital under radio silence. Once on Luthien in March [[3061]], Victor was greeted by Theodore and Omi Kurita in a carefully staged ceremony. It was only once they reached the Palace of Unity that Victor encountered his sister Yvonne, who conveyed to him the simple message that she had lost his realm. Theodore offered to help Victor eject Katherine from New Avalon, but Victor demurred, stating that he had seen a lot of combat recently and had no desire for war. After two weeks to recharge with Omi and her garden, Victor gave a speech to the soldiers that returned from Clan space with him, thanking them for their service and their offers to go to war with Katherine for him, but he rejected those offers. He stated his belief that their duty was to protect the people of the Inner Sphere, not bring war to their doorsteps. He announced his resignation from the Star League Defense Force. After the emotional speech, Victor was met by Curaitis and Francesca Jenkins, who had been working to uncover more evidence of Katherine's involvement in Melissa Steiner's assassination. They were able to gain a number of documents from the late [[Sven Newmark]] that detailed how the plot worked, but there was not enough to convict her. Victor spent more time with the garden, behaving in some ways like an ordinary citizen. He received a commendation for his command against the Clans from First Lord Sun-Tzu Liao that was brief and unflattering.<ref>''Prince of Havoc'', pp. 199–207, 217–244</ref> The Second Whitting Conference opened in November 3061. There, Kai was able to rally the Star League Council to pass a resolution requiring Sun-Tzu to send Victor a longer message with more praise for Victor. At that conference, Katherine was nominated for the position of First Lord, and it fell to ComStar to cast the tiebreaking vote. Rather than insert himself in politics, Precentor Martial Focht abruptly announced his retirement. In dramatic fashion, Victor revealed himself to be Focht's successor and voted against Katherine. While Victor's friends believed he had gone to a rustic retreat on Luthien, he had actually arrived on Tharkad before they did. ComStar rerouted messages to him and allowed him to return them as if he were still there. Theodore Kurita was elected first lord and appointed Victor Commanding General of the Star League Defense Force.<ref>''Prince of Havoc'', pp. 257–261, 272–276</ref><ref>''FedCom Civil War'', pp. 16–17: "Countdown"</ref><ref>''Shattered Sphere'', p. 110: "Precentor Martial Victor Steiner-Davion"</ref> Victor's appointment led to a new wave of defections from the Com Guards to Word of Blake. Victor worked to stanch the defections.<ref>''Field Manual: ComStar'', pp. 14, 18–19: "Wheels within Wheels" and "Precentor Martial Prince Victor Steiner-Davion"</ref> The appointment of Victor also soured ComStar's relations with the [[Taurian Concordat]] because of [[Protector of the Realm|Protector]] [[Grover Shraplen]]'s anti-Davion stance.<ref>''Handbook: Major Periphery States'', p. 111</ref> ===FedCom Civil War=== After the conference, Victor returned to Tukayyid where he spent Christmas with Omi, Yvonne, and [[Tancred Sandoval]]. In February [[3062]], Victor introduced Tancred to ComStar's latest 'Mech simulators, earning a draw with the heir to the Draconis March. With Katherine beginning to resort to military means to bring worlds disloyal to her in line, Victor was already worried for his subjects. He asked Tancred to check up on his little brother [[Arthur Steiner-Davion|Arthur]], who was stirring up the Draconis March against the Combine, and sent Yvonne to Tharkad.<ref>''Patriots and Tyrants'', pp. 3–11, 29–40</ref> In May, Precentor [[Gavin Dow]] arranged for Victor to visit Com Guard units in the Lyran Alliance, which he informed Victor of during a meeting of the First Circuit. In July on [[A Place]], Victor met with Morgan Kell, who surprised him with the news that Omi was also on-world. Victor then visited the [[90th Division (ComStar)|Ninetieth Division]] on [[Pasig]], then traveled to [[Mogyorod]] to check up on the [[244th Division (ComStar)|244th Division]], nicknamed The Prince's Men. Omi accompanied him, but he was also shadowed by a Word of Blake JumpShip. On 11 October Victor was also joined by Isis Marik, who had been banished from the Capellan Confederation by Sun-Tzu Liao after a ten-year engagement.<ref>''Patriots and Tyrants'', pp. 57–62, 71–77, 90–97</ref><ref>''Dawn of the Jihad'' and ''Blake Ascending'', p. 20: "The Wedding Is Off"</ref> In November 3062, word reached Victor of fighting on Kathil between military commands loyal and opposed to Katherine's reign and a Katherine-supported coup against the ruling Dresari family of [[Kentares IV]]. Neither Victor nor his assembled advisers could come up with a solution that did not involve direct military action. On 5 December, a bomb blast apparently killed Arthur Steiner-Davion. Victor immediately blamed Katherine, and his advisers counseled action, especially with word that Katherine had given local commanders broad authority to deal with dissent and the apparent slide towards war as Duke [[James Sandoval]] blamed the Draconis Combine for the assassination. On 8 December, from Mogyorod, Victor gave a speech in which he publicly accused his sister of murder and set himself up as the figurehead of the resistance to her rule.<ref>''Patriots and Tyrants'', pp. 126–131, 136–137, 140–150</ref><ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 17: "Fateful Straws"</ref> In order to take the reins of the rebellion, and in light of the geopolitical situation, Victor temporarily set aside his role as Precentor Martial in [[3063]]. Precentor Martial Pro-Tem Gavin Dow issued orders denying Victor access to Com Guard facilities, though Precentor [[Raymond Irelon]], commander of The Prince's Men, ignored the order. In addition to worlds and military commands who declared their support for Victor, a number of smaller commands and individuals from across the Inner Sphere and Periphery flocked to Victor's banner. Jerry Cranston organized them into the [[Outland Legion]], which was under his command.<ref>''Patriots and Tyrants'', pp. 181–189</ref> ====Newtown Square==== Upon leaving Mogyorod, Victor's force headed to [[Newtown Square]] to secure the support of the [[Thirty-ninth Avalon Hussars]] RCT, arriving on 2 April. He was surprised, however, to find that the [[Fourteenth Donegal Guards]] under the command of [[Adam Steiner]] were already secretly on-world. Steiner pinned the Hussars in place with his Guards, which was made easier by the fact that the Thirty-ninth was spread-out pursuing the remnants of the [[Deep Hunters]] mercenary unit. The bulk of the Guards assaulted the capital city Market, where Victor had located his headquarters, while token forces kept the Hussars engaged and unable to reinforce their commanders. Faced with overwhelming force, Victor was forced to quit the capital, abandoning his [[DropShip]]s in the process. Adam's Guards chased Victor's troops across the Plains of Culd. On 20 April, a portion of the Guards [[combat vehicle]] contingent raided the Hussars [[aerospace fighter]]s, catching them on the ground, giving the Guards air superiority. When the 244th Division appeared on the scene, Adam pressed the attack. The Guards shattered Victor's command company and took down ''Prometheus''. Victor survived, but was wounded, including a broken collarbone, fractured ribs, and a concussion. Adam surrendered the Guards shortly after.<ref>''Patriots and Tyrants'', pp. 202–208</ref><ref name=FCCW66>''FedCom Civil War'', pp. 66–67: "Newtown Square"</ref> After Victor had two weeks to recover, he was able to return to the command post, where he was confronted by Adam. Victor began to sway his stubborn cousin, though Adam remained unconvinced due to Victor's failure to produce incontrovertible proof. Victor informed Adam that he was taking enough to resupply and repair his forces and leaving enough for the Guards to do the same. Though he took some of the Guards' transportation, he left Adam enough to move half of his RCT; enough to defend nearby worlds against Clan Jade Falcon, but not enough to pursue Victor. He left on 15 May at the head of the Thirty-ninth Avalon Hussars and 244 Division.<ref name=FCCW66 /><ref>''Patriots and Tyrants'', pp. 215–220</ref><ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 68: "Hood IV"</ref> ====Hood IV, Winter, and New Capetown==== After leaving Newtown Square, Victor arrived on [[Hood IV]] a week later with a token bodyguard. He failed to convince the [[Fifteenth Lyran Regulars]] to join his cause. Though Colonel [[Lisa Orsini]] said that she wanted to watch the Falcon border, Victor's advisers believed that she no longer had the stomach for the fight. Victor subsequently traveled to [[Winter]], landing with a full battalion. His caution was unwarranted, however. The [[Seventh Crucis Lancers]] organized a parade review and joined his force. He was joined by the ''[[Avalon]]''-class [[WarShip]] ''[[Melissa Davion (Individual Avalon-class WarShip)|Melissa Davion]]''. After that he went to [[New Capetown]] in August, where he attempted to convince the [[Royal New Capetown Academy]] to support him. He failed to consider their anti-Clan prejudice, however, allowing Tiaret to appear next to him. He left New Capetown behind on 14 September.<ref>''Patriots and Tyrants'', pp. 222–223, 232–236</ref><ref>''FedCom Civil War'', pp. 68–69: "Hood IV", "New Capetown", and "Winter"</ref> ====Coventry==== Victor landed on Coventry on 17 October. Katherine told Colonel [[Jason Walker]] that Victor had ordered the death of the [[First Coventry Jaegers]] for their role in the massacre of the Coventry militia. He actually did not want to decimate the Jaegers, though he was counseled to do so by Duke [[Thomas Frederick Bradford]]. After months of herding, the Jaegers broke against the Thirty-ninth Hussars. The loyalist command overrode the safety protocols on their 'Mechs, giving and accepting no quarter. After the fourteen living soldiers were taken prisoner, a captain remained unconvinced that Victor would not take revenge on them for executing the [[Coventry Coventry Province Militia]] and spit in his face.<ref>''Patriots and Tyrants'', pp. 248–254</ref><ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 85: "Coventry"</ref> ====Alarion and York==== Victor sent the Thirty-ninth Hussars and [[Sixth Crucis Lancers]] to [[Alarion]], which they took without a fight. Victor moved on to [[York (LC)|York]], landing with the 244th, Sixth Lancers, and Outland Legion. After allowing them to establish supply bases, the [[Alarion Alarion Province Militia]] and [[Carlisle APM]] attacked. Once the Sixth was strung out in pursuit, Victor was surprised to see the [[Eleventh Arcturan Guards]] under the command of [[Linda McDonald (31st c.)|Linda McDonald]] dropping from orbit. The Eleventh grounded between the two forces, though the Lancers retreated successfully. By 13 March [[3064]] Victor was leading a fighting retreat, trying get away from the superior numbers of the loyalist force. When they received word that the [[First Alarion Jaegers]] had slipped in via pirate point with two WarShips, Irelon convinced Victor to leave York. He managed to get away, though at a significant cost. The trap was set by the commanding officer of the Eleventh, [[Maria Esteban]].<ref>''Storms of Fate'', pp. 11–22, 43</ref><ref>''FedCom Civil War'', pp. 100, 102: "Alarion" and "York"</ref> Though Victor did not know it, Omi Kurita was assassinated by the same man who had assassinated Melissa and Ryan Steiner on 15 March 3064.<ref>''Storms of Fate'', pp. 22–28</ref> He had been hired by Katherine, who hoped that Omi's death would strike a killing blow to Victor's psyche. The Combine quickly went on a communications blackout to avoid word getting to Victor. ====Halfway==== After fleeing York, Victor's force retreated to [[Halfway]], grounding on 11 May. They faced a determined but small militia force that they quickly dispatched. They appropriated a whorehouse as their command post to throw off loyalist headhunter units. It was here that Victor's command staff was joined by Morgan and Phelan Kell and Carardoc Trevena on 23 May. They were trying to decide their next target when word came that the Jade Falcons had invaded the Alliance. Even though Victor had built his legacy defeating the Clans, he knew that it was more important to prosecute the civil war, so he dispatched General [[Archer Christifori]] to deal with them. Victor abandoned Halfway, but left aerospace fighters in-system to oppose Esteban's forces, which convinced her that he was still on-planet. It was only when they grounded that they realized Victor had tricked them, which left Esteban and McDonald guessing about his next target.<ref>''Storms of Fate'', pp. 31–32, 39–50, 68–82</ref><ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 103: "Halfway"</ref> ====Clinton and Thorin==== After leaving Halfway, Victor went to [[Clinton]] where he met with [[Cranston Snord]]. Victor asked Duke [[Robert Kelswa-Steiner]] permission to attack [[Hesperus II]], which he flatly refused. Victor planned for that, however, knowing that word would leak to Katherine. Instead, Victor's forces enacted Operation Scatter, striking a variety of targets in the Alliance including [[Furillo]], [[Aristotle]], [[Gallery]], [[Thuban]], [[Soilihull]], [[Drosendorf]], [[Gypsum]], [[Bolan]] [[Eidsfoss]], and [[Ciotat]]. Victor moved on [[Dar-es-Salaam]] with a small raiding force. When the local militia realized that the invaders were not large enough to take and hold the planet, they pressed Victor. Instead of retreating, Victor's Outland Legion punched through and left the militia badly damaged.<ref>''Storms of Fate'', pp. 83–94, 103–110</ref><ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 104: "Operation Scatter"</ref> The distraction raids allowed Victor to gather his forces on [[Thorin]]. He petitioned Captain-General Thomas Marik for permission to attend the Whitting Conference on [[Marik]]. Thomas agreed, but made Victor promise that he would only involve himself in matters that directly involved Katherine.<ref>''Storms of Fate'', pp. 122–129</ref> ====Third Whitting Conference==== Victor attended the opening ball for the conference on 4 November 3064 where he reacquainted himself with Thomas Marik, Candace Liao, Morgan Kell, and Tancred Sandoval. On the 10th, he attended a meeting with Theodore Kurita and Thomas Marik regarding Marik's motion to admit Word of Blake to the Star League. Victor was there as a representative of ComStar, even though he was not active with the organization at that moment. Word of Blake had expanded quickly, so ComStar and the Star League had questions about how they were being financed. Marik agreed to allow ComStar to audit their books. When Victor inquired about Omi, Theodore told him that she was resting on Luthien.<ref>''Storms of Fate'', pp. 133–141, 156–161</ref> When Katherine nominated herself to be the new first lord, Thomas sponsored Victor to speak against her. He accused her of assassinating Melissa Steiner, which caused Prince [[Christian Månsdottir]] of the [[Free Rasalhague Republic]] to withdraw his support for her nomination. Månsdottir was elected to succeed Theodore Kurita. Before Victor left the hall, over the protests of Theodore and Hohiro, Katherine told him that Omi had died.<ref>''Storms of Fate'', pp. 186–194</ref> ====Tikonov and Muphrid==== While Victor was on Marik, his troops penetrated the Federated Commonwealth and struck [[Tikonov]], arriving on 11 November. They were followed by Esteban's task force, however. The news of his love's death rocked him, however, and his forces began to think about retreat in January [[3065]]. Victor sent the [[Davion Assault Guards]] to assist against the DCMS on [[Addicks]] in late January. By early February, Victor was directing the conflict on Tikonov with Morgan Kell's assistance, but was getting very little sleep. He was soon in no condition to lead, so Kell left enough force on Tikonov to harass Katherine's loyalists and pulled Victor back to the Alliance world [[Muphrid]], where he was joined by Kai Allard-Liao. Much as he had when his mother was assassinated, Victor could do little other than obsess over the assassin. He dispatched Jerry Cranston to Luthien in April because he believed that the man was still on the Combine capital. Only the [[Twenty-third Arcturan Guards]] remained on Muphrid; the bulk of Victor's forces were on Thorin to distract from his actual location. Isis Marik arrived from Luthien in August. After being put off for over a week, Isis insisted that Victor accompany her to dinner. Isis pushed Victor to remember that his subjects needed him to lead and managed to knock him out of his funk.<ref>''Storms of Fate'', pp. 168–177, 197–203, 210–215, 222–230, 257, 268–272</ref><ref>''Personal Best'', pp. 6–10</ref><ref>''Endgame'', pp. 22–29, 41–48</ref><ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 126: "Tikonov"</ref> ====Back to Thorin==== In January [[3066]] Victor arrived on Thorin to relieve the beleaguered troops there. With the death of Raymond Irelon, Victor promoted [[Rudolf Shakov]] to Precentor and gave him command of the 244th. Victor planned with Morgan Kell, Shakov, Tiaret, and his sister Yvonne. The war entered a new phase, with Victor planning to secure worlds where fighting was already, rather than start new battles. He ordered Thorin and Muphrid and their Lyran supply train abandoned. Instead, they planned to push on to the Commonwealth and take Tikonov and [[Kathil]]. Meanwhile, Morgan returned to the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon to prepare for a strike on Tharkad. Victor coordinated with Tancred, who was getting ready to journey to [[Robinson]], by inserting information in Yvonne's personal messages to him in an attempt to throw off ComStar, who might have provided that intelligence to Katherine. Victor left Thorin on 26 January.<ref>''Endgame'', pp. 69–84, 92</ref><ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 149: "Thorin"</ref> ====Back to Tikonov==== Once again at the head of the Tenth Lyran Guard, Victor led his forces back to Tikonov in May. The Tenth and 244th quickly assaulted the loyalists in Tikograd, then forced the [[Third Republican]] to surrender on 27 May. Though he tried to limit damage to the city, it was about twenty percent destroyed. On 23 July 3066, after the loyalist commands left the planet, Victor declared Tikonov pacified at a ceremony in which he awarded the [[Golden Sunburst]] to [[Christoffer Pierce]]. In September, Victor commandeered a suburban stadium to house all of the command staff members he now had, including Colonel [[Warner Doles (Blackwind Lancers)|Warner Doles]] of the [[Blackwind Lancers]]. He even accepted help from Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao in the form of [[House Dai Da Chi]], which he left behind to garrison Tikonov. He dispatched the 244th and Blackwind Lancers to [[Marlette]] to pin Katherine's forces there.<ref>''Endgame'', pp. 109–114, 125–130, 147–156</ref><ref>''FedCom Civil War'', pp. 158–159</ref> ====New Avalon==== In November 3066, Victor jumped into the [[New Avalon]] system with the FCS ''Melissa Davion'', three ''[[Fox (WarShip class)|Fox]]''-class corvettes (''[[Admiral Corinne Donnings]]'', ''[[Kentares (Individual Fox-class WarShip)|Kentares]]'', and ''[[Robinson (Individual Fox-class WarShip)|Robinson]]''), and seventy-nine JumpShips. His naval assets carried the day, clearing the way for his ground forces. He landed on the continent of Brunswick, securing it by mid-December. Victor linked up with Tancred Sandoval and [[Ardan Sortek]] later in December, assisting them with the liberation of Rostock. Archer Christifori and his Avengers covertly landed on New Avalon on 29 December, whereupon Victor used Archer's well-known hatred of Katherine to distract her from his plans. In March [[3067]] Victor received word that Warrior House Dai Da Chi defeated the other forces he had left behind and claimed Tikonov for the Capellan Confederation. Shakov left Marlette to Doles and joined Victor on New Avalon. Victor arranged for his accumulated evidence against Katherine to be delivered to [[Marshal of the Armies]] [[Jackson Davion]], who resigned in late March 3067 after reviewing and confirming it. After a month of preparations, Victor's forces assaulted Albion and Avalon Island in April, exploiting the beachhead opened up in February. Victor's forces reached Avalon City on the 20th. Victor reached Sortek near the [[New Avalon Institute of Science]] campus, where an artillery barrage virtually wiped out the [[First NAIS Cadet Cadre]]. Angered by the display, and his sister's willingness to use artillery against her own people on the capital world, Victor drove on the palace. Though Katherine's units repeatedly tried to ensnare Victor, he managed to avoid them, though escape came at the cost of Sortek and his ''[[Templar]]''.<ref>''Endgame'', pp. 174–184, 192–198, 226–233, 240–251, 255, 258</ref><ref name=FCCW171>''FedCom Civil War'', pp. 170–171</ref><ref>''The Longest Road'', pp. 6–10, 39, 44–45</ref> Faced with her imminent loss, Katherine surrendered on 20 April 3067 through Jackson Davion. Victor's address to the nations that once made up the Federated Commonwealth four days later called on everybody to lay down arms, declaring the war over. He disbanded the Commonwealth and announced that he was renouncing his claim to the throne of both nations, leaving Peter as archon and Yvonne as the ruler of the Federated Suns. Yvonne banished Katherine from the Suns, placing her in Victor's custody. Peter also issued a similar edict. Victor now had enough evidence to convince her supporters that she was guilty of assassinating Melissa Steiner.<ref>''Endgame'', pp. 256–263</ref><ref name=FCCW171 /> ====Aftermath==== Victor escorted her to Arc-Royal, though Katherine's supporters tried to stir up trouble in some of the systems they traveled through. Only in [[Blue Diamond]] was there any actual threat when an aerospace fighter pilot attempted a suicide run to kill Victor. He turned her over to Clan Wolf-in-Exile, who constructed a facility in the Grungurtel Jungle to house her. On 26 August, however, Khan Vlad Ward of Clan Wolf personally traveled to Arc-Royal to take possession of Katherine. He threatened to renew the invasion, since the Truce of Tukayyid had expired, if Victor did not agree to turn her over to him. With the promise not to interfere in the affairs of the Successor States looming over him, Victor agreed, though he did not know why Vlad had come for her. After the tense meeting, Galen informed Victor of something he had learned while investigating Omi's assassination. Omi had given birth to a child.<ref>''Endgame'', pp. 267–276</ref> ===Precentor Martial=== Once Victor returned to ComStar as the Precentor Martial, he had to deal with Gavin Dow who was now in the role of First Precentor, with authority over Victor. Dow claimed that Victor's actions had damaged the perception of ComStar's neutrality. For his part, Victor had to swear an oath to never again put his personal interests ahead of his responsibilities to the Com Guard again in order to be reinstated.<ref>''Endgame'', pp. 268–270</ref><ref>''Field Manual: Updates'', pp. 81–82</ref> Victor remained on Arc-Royal and celebrated Halloween there. He departed for the Whitting Conference on Tharkad a few days later. Victor arrived at the Triad on 27 November to much pomp and circumstance as part of ComStar's delegation, subordinate to Dow. Victor's plain robes made his escort, Isis Marik, seem all the more glamorous. He offered to escort Isis as a friend so that she did not have to suffer the indignity of going solo as part of the Marik delegation. He even pulled her into a surprise private meeting with Peter, who did not want to see his brother for the first time in eleven years in a formal setting. Peter apologized to Victor for the trouble he had caused over a decade ago, seeking to be on good terms, something that Victor was only too happy to oblige him in. Victor again renewed the acquaintance of his friends and allies who made the journey at the opening ball.<ref>''Shadows of Faith'', Vol. 2, pp. 2–16; Vol. 4, pp. 2–10; Vol. 5, pp. 2–11</ref><ref>''Dawn of the Jihad'' and ''Blake Ascending'', p. 40: "On the Red Carpet"</ref> On 30 November the Star League failed a no-confidence vote and disbanded despite Victor's attempts to keep it together. The Capellan Confederation delegation did not show and both the Suns and Alliance, realms now ruled by Victor's siblings, pulled out claiming financial constraints in the wake of the civil war.<ref>''Dawn of the Jihad'' and ''Blake Ascending'', pp. 42, 64: "Star League Disbands" and "Star League Disbands"</ref> ===Jihad=== Not long after this, the [[Word of Blake]] launched their [[Jihad]], bringing destruction to much of the Inner Sphere. Victor, as Precentor Martial of ComStar, was a leader in this conflict. Following the Blakist attack on Tharkad after the abrupt end to the Whitting Conference, Victor evacuated aboard the ''[[Invisible Truth]]''. There, he met with "Thomas Marik" before heading for [[Orestes]]. At Focht's winter home he attended another summit with the Kuritas and Yvonne and Tancred at the end of 3067.<ref>''Dawn of the Jihad'' and ''Blake Ascending'', p. 45: "Summit of Light"</ref> Victor attempted to lead the Com Guard in the assault on the Word of Blake stronghold of [[Terra]] in [[3068]], but the so-called "[[Case White (event)|Case White]]" force was destroyed while Victor and the [[Invisible Truth|CSV ''Invisible Truth'']] were delayed by an ambush while traveling to the Case White staging grounds. He arrived in the Sol system to find the fleet annihilated and barely escaped.<ref>''Dawn of the Jihad'' and ''Blake Ascending'', pp. 46, 84, 88–89</ref><ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', p. 15 and ''Blake Ascending, p. 175: "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref><ref name="J:FRp45">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 45: "The Jihad In Review"</ref> Victor attempted to coordinate a combined defense against the Word of Blake following the Case White debacle, meeting with Lyran General of the Armies [[Adam Steiner]] and Khan [[Phelan Kell]] of [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile]] on [[Arc-Royal]] in January [[3071]];<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3072'', pp. 35–36: "Arc-Royal Summit Threatened"</ref><ref name="J:FRp49">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 49: "The Jihad In Review"</ref> it was Victor who led a coalition of [[LAAF]], Wolf-in-Exile and Com Guard troops to break the siege of [[Donegal]] in February [[3072]],<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3072'', pp. 71–72: "St. Valentine's Day Victor"</ref><ref name="J:FRp50">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 50: "The Jihad In Review"</ref> and he used the [[Free Worlds Resistance]] victory on [[New Home]] in November 3072 as another rallying call to bring leaders from across the Inner Sphere to Arc-Royal in hopes of building an allied coalition. That conference was bombed, however, on 22 January [[3073]] by the Word of Blake, who turned [[Fritz Donner]] into a living explosive.<ref name="J:FRp51">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 51: "The Jihad In Review"</ref><ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3072'', p. 117: "Broken Hope, Shattered Dreams"</ref> Following the Arc-Royal bombing and the resulting disruption of the conference there, Victor was responsible for leading Lyran, Wolf-in-Exile and ComStar representatives to meet with [[Devlin Stone]] on Tukayyid in October 3073 as Stone assembled a coalition against the Blakists. They later met with Hohiro Kurita.<ref>''Ghost War'', pp. 96–97</ref><ref name="J:FRp52">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 52: "The Jihad In Review"</ref> Victor served as a part of the senior command of the allied coalition throughout the campaign to liberate the [[Word of Blake Protectorate]] and was serving in that capacity when former [[AFFS]] and [[AFFC]] General [[Andrew Redburn]] was found alive in a prison camp in [[3077]], a decade after being presumed dead. Victor took Redburn on as an aide up until Redburn transferred to serve as executive officer to General [[Belle Lee]].<ref name="J:FRp57">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 57: "The Jihad In Review"</ref> As the coalition turned to Terra in [[3078]], Victor took on a central role, attempting to keep the coalition partners working together under Stone's command. Victor's past successes against the Clans were vital in keeping them out of the assault, which was necessary because the Clans still wanted to possess Terra to determine the ilClan.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', pp. 7–8, 91–92, 108, 133</ref> In March [[3079]] Victor was one of those present at the deathbed of his longtime friend [[Andrew Redburn]] when Redburn succumbed to the virus that would later bear his name.<ref name="J:FRp12">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 12: "Funeral For A Hero"</ref> In the closing years of the Jihad between 3079 and [[3081]] Victor became a notable supporter of the idea of the Republic of the Sphere, campaigning tirelessly alongside others such as [[David Lear]] and [[Melissa Allard-Liao]].<ref name="J:FRp13">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 13: "The Best Of Times"</ref> ===Republic Era=== While the Republic of the Sphere was establishing itself in the early [[3080]]s Victor was offered the post of Commanding General of the new [[Republic Armed Forces]]. Victor was the second choice, behind General Belle Lee, but despite being the second choice he was well regarded by David Lear, who recommended Victor to Devlin Stone for the post. Stone was concerned about Victor leading the fledgling RAF because he was also slated to be one of the first Paladins. Lear acknowledged that there were many who would view Victor negatively, with reactions varying from suspicion to outright hostility, but he also highlighted that Victor had experience at melding forces of differing origins into a cohesive organization, in addition to being an excellent commander. While Victor was apparently reluctant to accept the post, Lear evidently regarded Victor as a good choice to fill the post while a long-term decision could be made on his permanent successor.<ref name="J:FRp103">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 103: "Leadership"</ref> Victor was involved with the establishment of the Republic system of Knights within the Republic Armed Forces, working with a team of advisors to generate a list of suitable candidates to be recognized in the first batch.<ref name="J:FRp104+">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 104–106: "Knights"</ref> Victor was also firmly opposed to the idea of releasing information regarding the Word of Blake that could result in them becoming perceived as another looming threat waiting to manifest again in the future; he felt that to do so would reduce the idea of the Republic of the Sphere to nothing more than the equivalent of another Great House, controlling citizens through the fear of vengeful forces returning, rather than maintaining the original intent of the Republic.<ref name="J:FRp125">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 125: "Legacies Of The Word"</ref> At Stone's request, Victor stepped down as Commanding General in [[3083]] so that Belle Lee could succeed him.<ref>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 167: "Commanding General"</ref> ===Dark Age Era=== In his nineties, Victor had hip replacement surgery. He had rehabbed the hip enough to walk without a cane by his hundredth birthday, though he needed it again a few years later. He lived in Santa Fe on Terra, but could not travel by [[3134]]. He took on [[Mason Dunne]] as a project, likely because he reminded Victor of Phelan Kell, and guided him to become a [[Ghost Knight]].<ref>''Ghost War'', pp. 89–91, 94–95</ref><ref>''The Scorpion Jar'', p. 51</ref> Despite his advanced age, Victor was actively working on the [[Blackout]] of [[3132]].<ref>''Ghost War'', pp. 89–99, 135–139</ref> ===Death=== Investigation of the Blackout was not Victor's only project, however. He discovered an elaborate plot by The Republic's Senators to sponsor promising young warriors and, through them, take control of the Republic's government. Because of that, he was murdered on 26 November [[3134]], on the orders of a cadre of Republic Senators, led by [[Geoffrey Mallowes]] of [[Skye]], in Sante Fe on [[Terra]]. He was one hundred and four years old.<ref>''The Scorpion Jar'', pp. 1–4, 39–40, 53–59, 65–67, 247–248</ref><ref>''Era Report: 3145'', p. 15: "Vultures Circling"</ref> ==Marriage and Children== Victor had one illegitimate child with [[Omiko Kurita]] and at least three children with his wife, [[Isis Marik]], which led to an unknown number of grandchildren and at least one great grandchild.<ref name=Sword>''Sword of Sedition, p. 266</ref> * Sir [[Kitsune Kurita]] was hailed as a contender for the throne until the [[Draconis Combine]] nobles who backed him found out who his father was. Kitsune revealed this information to Victor when his father made him a Knight of the Sphere.<ref>''Ghost War'', pp. 126–127</ref> * [[Jade Davion]] (born in [[3068]])<ref name=JHS76-15>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3076'', p. 15</ref> * [[Burton Davion]] (born in [[3072]])<ref name=JHS76-15/> - died in the [[Capellan Crusades]] with [[Kai Allard-Liao]], but not before giving Victor grandchildren; [[Gavin Marik-Davion]], [[Simone Davion]],<ref name=Sword/> and [[Nessa Davion]], his youngest granddaughter.<ref>''Ghost War'', p. 99</ref> * [[Lee Davion]] (born in [[3072]]) twin brother to Burton<ref name=JHS76-15/> * Unbeknownst to Victor, his sister Katherine combined their DNA to produce an [[iron womb]]-born warrior, [[Alaric Wolf]].<ref>http://www.classicbattletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,19332.0.html (dead link)</ref><ref>''Masters of War''</ref> * It has been claimed that during his training on Outreach, genetic material was secretly taken from Victor for use in the Dragoon [[Trueborn]] program. Given Victor's later military successes, it seems likely his material would have been used. Although these facilities were destroyed in 3067, it is possible they produced surviving offspring of Victor.<ref>''Wolf Pack'', pp. 102</ref> ==BattleMechs== At the start of his [[AFFC]] career, Victor piloted his namesake 'Mech, a ''[[Victor]]'', which he used through the battle of Trell I up to the [[Battle of Twycross]]. His sister Katherine would later sell it to the [[Black Heart Roses]].<ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental Update: "Force Briefs Updates - Black Heart Roses"'' p. 33</ref> Later, in Outreach, he received a ''[[Dire Wolf|Daishi]]'' [[OmniMech]] from [[Jaime Wolf]], which he named ''Prometheus'', and he piloted this 'Mech throughout the rest of his career and into the [[Jihad]].<ref>''Record Sheets: 3060'' p. 240</ref> ==Quotes== ''"The invasion has ended, but not so our contact and our futures. There are countless individuals in the Inner Sphere who have learned to hate you, but we do not intend to prosecute a war against you - at least, not as the Star League. As the Star League, we invite you back to the Inner Sphere, to allow your people and ours to become acquainted. We have things to offer you, as you have to offer us. Beneath this umbrella of peace there are many new possibilities. We invite you to explore them."<ref>''The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky'', p. 26: "End of an Era"</ref> -Victor Steiner-Davion addresses the [[Grand Council]] of the [[Clans]] in the [[Hall of Khans]] on [[Strana Mechty]] immediately following the [[Great Refusal]], late April [[3060]]. '''Giving In To Fate'''<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', pp. 19–20</ref> ''"Good citizens of the Federated Commonwealth, I could wish many things for us. That the great union of two nations which my parents forged would not have foundered. That I would never have found it necessary to leave you while fighting to end the Clan invasion. That my sister, [[Katherine Steiner-Davion|Katherine]], could have quelled her hunger for power, no matter what the price.'' ''"But wishing will not make it so. Such dreams have already died.'' ''"And any hope I might have had for peace between the two realms I once led died with my brother [[Arthur Steiner-Davion|Arthur]], who was killed two days ago in a vicious terrorist attack.'' ''"Arthur was a soldier, a good man, and he was learning to become a leader of men, women and worlds. For that, someone decided that he had to die. Arthur's death convinced me that my duty to protect the Commonwealth can no longer be denied. The troubles on [[Solaris VII|Solaris]] were a harbinger of things to come, and Arthur's violent death underscores the fighting already taking place on worlds such as [[Kathil]], [[Robinson]] and [[Kentares IV|Kentares]].'' ''"His death will not be in vain. No longer will an unfit and unjust ruler sit on the thrones of the [[Federated Suns]] and [[Lyran Alliance]], one who has seen fit to bring violence against her own family, betraying the memory of our [[Hanse Davion|father]], our [[Melissa Steiner-Davion|mother]] and the trust of the people of both realms. There is blood on Katherine's hands, and no amount of propaganda will wash them clean.'' ''"None of us wishes to see more conflict, but we can no longer ignore the problems plaguing us. Now we must live with the results, however painful, as we acknowledge the irreconcilable differences that continue to divide my sister from me. It is no longer possible for me to stand back in the interests of peace. The time has come, my people, where no other choice remains.'' ''"None but war.'' ''"This mandate has been pressed upon me by Katherine's tyrannical actions, and by the sacrifices of patriots already fighting on the worlds of Kathil, [[Benet III|Benet]], Kentares, [[Demeter]], [[Bromhead]], and others yet unreported. We will resist with any and all means at our disposal the efforts to subjugate and enslave our freedoms. We fight with the truth on our side, and we simply ask that everyone listen and judge accordingly.'' ''"In the end, I know we shall be victorious, reestablishing a trustworthy and accountable government among our people, worlds and nations."'' -Prince Victor in a broadcast to the people of the former Federated Commonwealth, December 8, [[3062]]. ==Gallery== <gallery> Victor-davion-19.jpg|In 3050 Victor Steiner-Davion ER3052.jpg|Victor at age 20 from ''[[Era Report: 3052|ER:3052]]'' Victor Steiner-Davion DR.jpg|Victor at age 29 from ''[[The Dragon Roars]]'' Victor Steiner-Davion ER3062.jpg|Victor at age 30 from ''[[Era Report: 3062|ER:3062]]'' Victor Steiner-Davion ShSphere.jpg|Victor at age 31 from ''[[Shattered Sphere]]'' Victor Steiner-Davion MM.jpg|Victor at age 47 from ''[[Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers|Masters and Minions]]'' Victor_Steiner-Davion_HWotRE.jpg|Victor at age 81 from ''[[Historical: Wars of the Republic Era]]'' Victor Steiner-Davion BTLegends.jpg|Victor from ''[[BattleTech: Legends|BT:Legends]]'' Victor Steiner-Davion PVSD BTCCG.jpg|Victor from ''[[BattleTech Trading Card Game|BTTCG]]'' Victor Steiner-Davion HDL BTTCG.jpg|Victor from ''BTTCG'' Victor Steiner-Davion VSD BTTCG.jpg|Victor from ''BTTCG'' Sword of Sedition.jpg|Victor's burial on Terra. Dire Wolf (Prometheus) BTLegends.jpg|Victor's ''Daishi'' ''Prometheus'' from ''BT:Legends'' </gallery> ==References== <references/> ==Bibliography== {{div col|colwidth=25em}} * ''[[1st Somerset Strikers (sourcebook)|1st Somerset Strikers]]'' * ''[[20 Year Update]]'' * ''[[Assumption of Risk]]'' * [[BattleTechnology#Issue 16|''BattleTechnology'', Issue #16]] * ''[[Blake Ascending]]'' * ''[[Blood Legacy]]'' * ''[[Bred for War]]'' * ''[[Chaos March]]'' * ''[[The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky]]'' * ''[[Dawn of the Jihad]]'' * ''[[Endgame]]'' * ''[[Era Report: 3052]]'' * ''[[Era Report: 3062]]'' * ''[[Era Report: 3145]]'' * ''[[FedCom Civil War (sourcebook)|FedCom Civil War]]'' * ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]'' * ''[[Field Manual: ComStar]]'' * ''[[Field Manual: Federated Suns]]'' * ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]'' * ''[[Ghost War]]'' * ''[[Grave Covenant]]'' * ''[[Handbook: House Davion]]'' * ''[[Handbook: House Steiner]]'' * ''[[Handbook: Major Periphery States]]'' * ''[[Invading Clans]]'' * ''[[Jade Falcon Sourcebook]]'' * ''[[Jihad: Final Reckoning]]'' * ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3070]]'' * ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3076]]'' * ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: Terra]]'' * ''[[Lethal Heritage]]'' * ''[[The Longest Road]]'' * ''[[Lost Destiny]]'' * ''[[Malicious Intent]]'' * ''[[Masters of War]]'' * ''[[Natural Selection]]'' * ''[[Patriots and Tyrants]]'' * ''[[Personal Best]]'' * ''[[Prince of Havoc]]'' * ''[[The Scorpion Jar]]'' * ''[[Shadows of Faith]]'' * ''[[Shadows of War]]'' * ''[[Shattered Sphere]]'' * ''[[Storms of Fate]]'' * ''[[Sword of Sedition]]'' * ''[[Wolf Pack]]'' {{div col end}} [[Category:Federated Suns Characters|Steiner-Davion, Victor]] [[Category:First Princes|Steiner-Davion, Victor]] [[Category:Republic of the Sphere Characters|Steiner-Davion, Victor]] [[Category:Archons|Steiner-Davion, Victor]] [[Category:Lyran Commonwealth Characters|Steiner-Davion, Victor]] [[Category:ComStar Characters|Steiner-Davion, Victor]] [[Category:Federated Suns Rulers]] [[Category:Notable Dire Wolf (Daishi) Pilots|Steiner-Davion, Victor]] [[Category:Nagelring Alumni|Steiner-Davion, Victor]]

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