Editing Anastasius Focht

{{Update Needed|[[Era Report: 3052]]|[[Era Report: 3062]]|[[Shadows of Faith]]|[[NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1]]|[[NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2]]}}
{{otheruses|the Precentor Martial of ComStar|the WarShip bearing his name|Anastasius Focht (Individual Suffren-class WarShip)}}
{{Redirect|Frederick Steiner|the other character with this name|Frederick Steiner (32nd c.)}}
{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Anastasius Focht BTLegends.jpg
| caption             = Anastasius Focht
| name                = Anastasius Focht
| birthdate           = 15 September [[2972]]<ref name=DRp62>''The Dragon Roars'', p. 62</ref><ref>''Era Report: 3062'', p. 78: "Anastasius Focht Profile"</ref>
| died                = May [[3081]]<ref name=ER3145-81>''Era Report: 3145'', p. 81: "Factions - ComStar"</ref>
| othernames          = Frederick Steiner
| affiliation         = [[House Steiner]]<br/>[[ComStar]]
| rank                = [[Colonel]]<br>[[Precentor Martial of ComStar|Precentor Martial]]
| title               = [[Duke of Duran]]<ref name=name=HSTLCpLOS&FT>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', foldout: "The Lyran Commonwealth's Line of Succession and Partial Steiner Family Tree"</ref>
| position            = 
| profession          = [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]
| parents             = [[Sophia Steiner]] (mother)<ref name=name=HSTLCpLOS&FT/>
| siblings            = [[Donna Steiner]]<ref name=name=HSTLCpLOS&FT/>
| spouse              = 
| children            =
}}

'''Frederick Steiner''' was a scion and military leader of [[House Steiner]]. Deeply involved in a failed coup against [[Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth|Archon]] [[Katrina Steiner]] by [[Aldo Lestrade (31st c.)|Aldo Lestrade]], the repentant would-be rebel volunteered to lead the [[Tenth Lyran Guards]] in a suicidal attack against [[Draconis Combine]] supply bases which greatly contributed to averting a Combine counterattack in the [[Fourth Succession War]].

Believed to have been killed, Frederick Steiner survived as a Combine prisoner. He was later handed over to [[ComStar]] who sought a capable and experienced leader for their [[Com Guards]]. Under the new identity '''Anastasius Focht''', he was [[Precentor Martial of ComStar|Precentor Martial]] during the [[Clan Invasion]] and the [[Battle of Tukayyid]]. He is noted for his role in the schism that led to the origination of the [[Word of Blake]].

==History==
===Frederick Steiner===
Born in the city of Quwansner on [[Duran]], in his youth Frederick had the classical blond hair and steel-gray eyes for which [[House Steiner]] was renowned, bearing a striking resemblance to his cousin [[Katrina Steiner]]. Entering military service, studying first at the [[Nagelring]] for three years before transferring to and graduating with honors from the [[Sanglamore]] on [[Skye]], it was on Skye that the young Frederick would first come to the attention of the [[House Lestrade|Lestrade family]], forming a firm friendship with Aldo Lestrade IV.<ref name=HS-154>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 152: "Personalities - Frederick Steiner"</ref><ref name=BoKOepub-873>''Blood of Kerensky Omnibus Epub'', p. 873: "Lost Destiny", ch. 22</ref>

Performing with distinction as the CO of first the [[Seventh Lyran Regulars]] and later the famed Tenth Lyran Guards, Frederick was a well-respected commander, known by his men as "the Hammer" for his preference for concentrating firepower on specific targets yet equally able to adapt his tactics to deal with either the differing doctrines of the [[DCMS]] or [[FWLM]].

He led the Tenth Lyran Guards in the [[Alliance Games]], a war game with the AFFS, after the birth of an alliance between the Commonwealth and the [[Federated Suns]]. The [[Davion Heavy Guards]], opposing force of the Lyran unit, defeated the less maneuverable and tactically clumsy Lyran unit. This defeat humiliated Frederick, who had become one of the biggest opponents of the Alliance.<ref>''Handbook: House Davion'', p. 73: "Prelude"</ref>

While not as tactically brilliant as his cousin Katrina, Frederick was a solid and effective officer with a strongly cultivated social network, many believing him most likely to overthrow and replace [[Archon]] [[Alessandro Steiner]] after his disastrous [[Operation CONCENTRATED WEAKNESS]]. Unfortunately Frederick was blindsided by the power and charisma the younger Katrina was able to quickly amass, his cousin succeeding Alessandro after the [[Estates General]] voted no-confidence in their Archon.<ref name=HS-154/><ref name=BoKOepub-873/>

Enraged by being denied what he saw was his natural right, Lestrade had to physically restrain Frederick from ordering his unit to immediately launch an attack against [[Tharkad]] to depose "The Witch," Lestrade cautioning Frederick to bide his time, seemingly manipulating him into later attempting to assassinate Katrina in an effort to make Frederick his puppet on the throne of the [[Lyran Commonwealth]].<ref name=HS-154/><ref name=BoKOepub-873/>

====Fourth Succession War====
During the first wave of [[Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG]], the Tenth Lyran Guards landed on [[Karbala]]. There they faced [[Vandelay's Valkyries]] and twelve conventional regiments. Though they were heavily damaged in the fighting, the Tenth was successful in forcing the Valkyries off the planet.<ref>''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', p. 50</ref> The Tenth went on to attack [[Lothan]] in the followup and exploitation phase of Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG before joining the [[Twenty-third Arcturan Guards]] in the battle for [[Altenmarkt]] during the final wave of attacks.<ref name="NAIS4SWp44">''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', pp. 44–45: "Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG"</ref>

In [[3029]], during the [[Fourth Succession War]], Frederick again showing his poor political judgment attempted to all but demand Alessandro Steiner support him in a direct move to depose Katrina. In doing so, he showed his political naïveté to Alessandro, who both had his own plans for the future of the Commonwealth ''and'' was entirely aware that Katrina's political base and popular support was all but unassailable currently as she reversed the decline of centuries by taking world after world from the Combine. With little in the way of subtlety, Frederick talked vaguely about Hanse Davion consuming the Lyran Commonwealth and that ''he'' was the only chance to stop such an outcome, his case utterly failing to impress his uncle. Instead, Alessandro played the message as a lesson for his protégé [[Ryan Steiner]] and decided to take no immediate action. Instead, he would vaguely suggest to his Nephew that he would support him in his plans - while watching to see how things would play out. Should Frederick succeed in replacing Katrina, he would be a weak Archon who could be deposed by Ryan leading loyalist sentiment against the man who murdered a great Archon, while Melissa would be busy as the bride of Hanse Davion. While if it looked as if he could not pull such a coup off, the [[Holovid|holodisk]] he had just sent would be excellent rope with which to hang him and remove him from the game entirely.<ref name=WC-C9>''Warrior: Coupé'', ch. 9</ref><ref name=WC-C15>''Warrior: Coupé'', ch. 15</ref>

As it turned out, Lestrade's plan (of which Frederick had not been told) was to assassinate Katrina Steiner and, failing that, to attempt to pull the Isle of Skye out of the Commonwealth in response to ''any'' Draconis attack, to force Katrina to abdicate or at least share power with Frederick in a coalition. The first part of the plan failed when [[Jeana Clay]] who was posing as Melissa Steiner killed the assassins sent after Katrina - losing her own life in the process. Upon hearing of this news, Alessandro had Ryan Steiner approach Katrina to turn over the holodisk of her cousin's proposal. Furious, Katrina, who had long suspected her cousin's ambitions as Lestrade's puppet but tolerated him as an excellent commander until he crossed this line, called her cousin into the Triad. There, with Ryan Steiner standing by her side, she furiously denounced him as a traitor. With overwhelming evidence proving his guilt Frederick admitted his part in Aldo's plot - although he also was determined to state that he had 'only' ever planned to defeat her in a political battle, not to have her assassinated. Katrina had little time for his excuses, but Frederick ''did'' confirm Lestrade's second string: he was deliberately leaving Skye hideously vulnerable to attack as a political weapon and planned to declare independence, much as the Tikonov Free Republic had done. And from there, he would force political concessions from Katrina.<ref name=WC-C9/><ref name=WC-C34>''Warrior: Coupé'', ch. 34</ref>

With his treason exposed, Frederick stripped himself of his LCAF rank tabs and resigned so as to spare the 10th Lyran Guards, a unit Katrina herself had commanded, any taint from his own actions in the full knowledge that he was sure to convicted and executed for treason.

Considering his response in silence for some time, Katrina finally spoke to Frederick, MechWarrior to MechWarrior. Telling him that while she personally would like nothing better than to have him in front of a firing squad and Lestrade hanged from the tallest tower of the Triad, there simply wasn't time for such dramatic gestures. While Aldo had been playing his games, [[Theodore Kurita]] had taken full note of them and intended to take every advantage. Not by simply attacking into Skye as Lestrade had anticipated, but by launching an all-out conquest of the entire region. With his forces already massed and Skye left open to attack, the DCMS would be able to seize any number of worlds before anything could be done, a fact Katrina now knew full well.<ref name=WC-C34/> What she and the LCAF needed to counter this was time; time to bring units forward to repel the assault. Time that could be gained by destroying Theodore's staging base on [[Dromini VI]]. A mission that would need an elite unit willing to make a one way trip and destroy those supply depots at any cost against overwhelming opposition.<ref name=WC-C34/>

Ever the Lyran patriot, Frederick of course agreed to her request. Extracting a promise from Katrina that a [[JumpShip]] would remain to recover as many of the Tenth Lyran Guards as possible after the raid (after assuring her he would not be on it, implicitly promising to die in her name), Frederick accepted back his rank tabs from the Archon and kissed her hand. Leaving behind only a final cutting warning to Ryan Steiner about his own ambitions, a warning which Ryan would fail to heed.<ref name=WC-C34/>

The Tenth Lyran Guards attacked the DCMS supply bases on Dromini VI with all the fury they could muster, and despite the presence of many elite and veteran defenders under Theodore's command, considerable damage was done to the planetside supply bases. Eventually though the Tenth, bloodied and cut off, were surrounded. Frederick offered his life in exchange for allowing his surviving men to retreat off-world. Impressed, Theodore Kurita accepted his terms and the Tenth were allowed to leave while Frederick was taken prisoner and brought before Theodore, battered but alive and treated almost as an honored guest. Theodore expressed his admiration of how he had fought before informing him that he had the JumpShips he needed already in place and that Frederick had cost him, at best, one week.<ref name=WC-C43>''Warrior: Coupé'', ch. 43</ref>

At that exact same time however, on 15 September 3029, [[Loki (Intelligence agency)|Loki]] agents in a covert Zero-G assault from the JumpShip Katrina had left behind to evacuate the survivors already en route, managed to infiltrate the JumpShips of the DCMS fleet nearby. They succeeded in sabotaging the [[JumpShip]]s of the [[Kurita]] fleet, destroying the helium tanks on four, the drive-charging units on two others and the conventional drive on a seventh, causing it to drift from the [[Jump Point]] towards the system's sixth planet. Theodore Kurita was outraged to learn of this seemingly dishonorable action against the honor he had shown Frederick. Steiner claimed to have known nothing about the plan and while Theodore agreed that was most likely the case he was furious at his grand plans being so thoroughly derailed and pulled his sidearm, determined to execute him in retaliation. Frederick's final words bemoaning the fact that warriors such as they were always but pawns to political creatures such as Katrina reached him only as he was pulling the trigger.<ref name=WC-C43/> Theodore did decide at that moment to spare him and started to pull his gun away, but was not fast enough and the bullet struck the side of Frederick Steiner's head and gravely wounded him.<ref name=Heir-C35>''Heir to the Dragon'', ch. 35</ref> He survived by the slimmest of margins but had to undergo plastic surgery, and permanently lost his right eye. He was generally assumed dead following his doomed attack on Dromini VI and his survival in captivity was kept secret by Theodore Kurita, with it being an open secret Theodore had executed him personally. In reality, after recovering Frederick was moved quietly into a Buddhist monastery where he swore to himself to never get mixed into politics ever again considering all it had cost him.

The captive Frederick Steiner was eventually handed over (presumably with his consent, and probably even upon his request) to [[ComStar Primus]] [[Myndo Waterly]] by Theodore Kurita on 21 July [[3034]] to appease ComStar when the creation of the [[Free Rasalhague Republic]] did not immediately go as planned. With Theodore pointing out Waterly's reliance on [[mercenary]] troops to manage deployment of the Com Guards, the seasoned General was well received by the Primus.<ref name=Heir-C55>''Heir to the Dragon'', ch. 55</ref>

===Anastasius Focht===
Frederick Steiner joined ComStar under the name of "Anastasius Focht" ("Anastasius" Latin for "reborn"; "Focht" German for "(he who) fought," past tense form of ''fechten'' = fencing). After being the pawn in Lestrade's schemes, Focht vowed to never get involved in politics again. At this time the Com Guards functioned as a division of the Order's shadowy intelligence agency [[ROM]], with Waterly quickly replacing [[Precentor ROM]] [[Nicholas Cassnew]] with Focht to place him in command of her military forces. Despite the lack of knowledge of his background or beliefs, the First Circuit approved Focht's appointment as Precentor ROM with minimal complaint, Waterly calling in political favors and offering concessions to opponents to ensure this.<ref name=CS-60>''ComStar'', p. 60: "Rosebud"</ref>

Externally, every intelligence organization launched investigations to try and discover Focht's background, attempts which ultimately failed due to ROM's extensive efforts to protect their leader's identity.<ref name=CS-61S>''ComStar'', p. 61: "Mystery Man"</ref> As Precentor ROM, Focht set about making a number of organization changes as set about taking over from the mercenary commanders previously employed to direct the posting of the Com Guards in Davion and Kurita space. Focht's service as head of ROM proved relatively smooth until [[First Prince]] [[Hanse Davion]] launched [[Operation FLUSH]], a mass purge of ROM elements in the [[Federated Commonwealth]] in [[3034]].

With dozens of suspected ROM agents captured in Flush's first "opening shot", while Primus Waterly expected a fiery counterstrike, Focht instead ordered ROM to wage a war of confusion, directing those ROM agents left in FedCom space to spread misinformation and false leaks to force the [[MIIO]] to waste its resources investigating red herrings. Displeased with Focht's "soft-handed" response to Flush, Waterly proposed the [[Readjustment Act of 3035]] which saw ROM and the Com Guards separated, naming the aggressive [[Charles Seneca]] as the new Precentor ROM and creating the position of Precentor Martial for Focht, placing him purely in direct command of the Com Guards.<ref>''ComStar'', pp. 61–62: "Flush"</ref>

Focht was kept busy as Primus Waterly set about adopting a carrot and stick approach to get the other Successor States to agree to accept Com Guard forces within their borders. Thanks to [[Thomas Marik]]'s service in the order and the offer of ROM aid in the capture of Dame [[Catherine Humphreys]], the new [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] readily agreed to allow Focht to post troops at the [[Free Worlds League]]'s [[HPG]] stations. The [[Capellan Confederation]] and the Lyran Commonwealth were much harder to persuade, but a [[3038]] agreement to waive a blanket 25 percent increase in transmission costs for Capellan HPG traffic and a unsanctioned "terrorist" action by the [[Free Skye]] movement in [[3041]] finally forced their hands.

When tensions between the Chancellor and the Primus only increased after the [[Maskirovka]] attempted to assassinate [[Precentor]] [[Villius Tejh]] of [[Sian]] in [[3041]], Focht counseled the Primus against a military confrontation, pointing to Romano's unstable mental condition and insisting that while the Com Guards could successfully defeat the [[CCAF]] that they would not be able to do so and maintain their Sphere-wide defensive deployment. Waterly instead chose a political solution, replacing Tejh with [[Adept]] [[Jen Li]], a confidante of Romano who was secretly a ROM agent feeding House Liao intel to ComStar.<ref name=CSp62>''ComStar'', pp. 62–63: "Spread of the Com Guards"</ref>

In the 3040s, Focht would instigate sweeping changes to the deployment and organization of the Com Guards, assigning the component elements of each battalion, division and army to positions that would allow them rapidly reform into their larger functional units as required and further enhance their mix of [[infantry]], [[Combat Vehicle]]s and [[aerospace fighter]]s. Cementing the combined-arms focus of his troops via extensive training for any contingency both at [[Sandhurst Royal Military College]] and frequent training drills, Focht would tour the worlds upon which the Com Guards were stationed for two months every year.

With the Guards now posted across the width and breadth of the Inner Sphere, Focht expanded on efforts to promote the Com Guards' neutral and pacifistic stance by deploying his troops to assist with relief efforts for natural disasters, hostage rescues, political unrest and search and rescue operations. The most notable of these was Focht's deployments of the Com Guards to defend [[Periphery]] border worlds against pirate raiders, a propaganda bonanza and recruitment tool for the Order, with the public unaware that many were bandits who had received a measure of support from ComStar during the [[Jolly Roger Affair]].<ref name=CS-64>''ComStar'', p. 64: "War of 3039 - Aftermath"</ref>

===Envoy to the Clans===
After learning of the presence of strange invaders in the [[Periphery]], Focht was dispatched by Primus [[Myndo Waterly]] to be her liaison to the [[Clans]] in January [[3050]].

He was the first one to recognize the threat of the Clans after seen the [[BattleROM]] of Phelan Kell after his capture in [[The Rock]], but he mistook the clans as alien beings posing as humans.

He quickly established a rapport with Khan [[Ulric Kerensky]] of [[Clan Wolf]].

Upon discovering that the Clans sought to conquer [[Terra]], home of ComStar, Focht gathered the Com Guards and issued a challenge for a proxy battle on [[Tukayyid]], a world in the [[Free Rasalhague Republic]]. If ComStar won, the Clans would move no closer to Terra for the next fifteen years. If the Clans won, ComStar would surrender Terra, join the Clans, and deny their communications services to the Inner Sphere. Focht challenged the seven invading Clans in [[3052]] and succeeded in defeating Clans [[Clan Smoke Jaguar|Smoke Jaguar]], [[Clan Nova Cat|Nova Cat]], [[Clan Steel Viper|Steel Viper]] and [[Clan Diamond Shark|Diamond Shark]] by forcing them to fight a long, protracted campaign. He achieved a draw with [[Clan Jade Falcon|Jade Falcon]] and [[Clan Ghost Bear]], though the Com Guards force was defeated by [[Clan Wolf]]. Winning four out of the seven battles meant that ComStar won the battle. From his command post in the [[Tamo Bunker]], Focht directed the battle, managing to achieve the victory at a high cost.

At the same time, and behind Focht's back, Primus [[Myndo Waterly]] initiated [[Operation Scorpion]], her plot to bring all of humankind under ComStar's dominion. Upon returning from Tukayyid, Focht deposed Waterly through an "externally initiated brain aneurysm", played kingmaker for the new Primus [[Sharilar Mori]], and worked to reform ComStar of its mystical trappings. He worked to preserve the truce and keep the [[Successor States]] ready for when the Truce ran out in [[3067]].<ref name=CS-4>''ComStar'', p. 4</ref>

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

Focht would attend the ill-fated [[Terran Peace Summit]] in the spring of [[3053]], hoping to enhance ComStar and House relations in order to better deal with the Clans once the Truce of Tukayyid expired. The sole concrete result of the summit came when the House delegates announced they no longer trusted the Order to act as the impartial arbitrator of mercenary contracts, with Focht proposing that ComStar would abandon control of the [[Mercenary Review Board]], and to have it reform as a jointly administered [[Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission]]. Focht would end the summit with a heartfelt but ultimately ignored plea of the need for unified focus on the threat of the Clans.<ref name=CS-78>''ComStar'', p. 78: "New ComStar - United We Stand"</ref>

Working to reform the Com Guards in 3053 in the wake of the Battle of Tukayyid, Focht would reorganize the twelve armies down to four divisions per army as his forces rebuilt. To try and avoid accusations of covert action, Focht also instigated a formal process whereby detailed announcements were sent to all of the Great Houses any time ComStar re-formed or relocated a Level III-size force.<ref name=CS-78/><ref name=CS-82>''ComStar'', p. 82: "New ComStar - Com Guards in Reformation"</ref>

As part of Primus Mori and Focht's combined efforts to ensure the House Lords of ComStar's good intentions, Focht would visit now-Coordinator Theodore Kurita in the summer of [[3054]] and agreed to place a large contingent of Com Guard troops on [[Luthien]] under joint ComStar/Combine command as a precaution against the Nova Cats or Smoke Jaguars taking advantage of the Black Pearl's position above the Truce Line.<ref name=CS-888>''ComStar'', p. 88: "New ComStar - Relations with the Inner Sphere - Draconis Combine"</ref><ref name=ER3062-12>''Era Report: 3062'', p. 12: "History and Review - Timeline of Events: 3053-3062</ref>

Focht strongly suggested that Com Guard forces not be removed from the Inner Sphere Clan theater, when the need to strengthen Terra's garrison came up with the departure of [[Brion's Legion]]. This cautionary note led to the decision to hire the [[21st Centauri Lancers]] for that five-year contract.<ref name=FOT-7m>''The Fall of Terra'', p. 7: "Gathering Storm"</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

Prior to the [[Fourth Whitting Conference]], Focht had reportedly retired to the gardens of [[Dromini VI]].<ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 5</ref> After the Word of Blake [[Jihad]] engulfed the [[Inner Sphere]] after the historic vote to disband the [[Star League]] in late [[3067]], Focht organized a raid on [[Tukayyid]] that rescued Primus [[Sharilar Mori]] and publicly spoke out against the Blakists. He remained among their most hated enemies, and continued to thwart them even in his dotage.

Focht's reputation would suffer with the Blakist [[White-Out]] in late [[3068]] which publicly revealed numerous ComStar secrets including his identity as Frederick Steiner, leading many to question his motives and integrity.<ref name=FM3085-11>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 11: "Historical: Review - Dawn of the Jihad - Early Setbacks"</ref> When Sharilar Mori was assassinated in the ComStar command center on [[Orestes]] by disillusioned members of ComStar's [[ROM]] on the 26th of October [[3071]], the individuals who assassinated Mori - individuals who included [[Victoria Parrdeau]], the head of ROM - also attempted to assassinate Anastasius Focht on the same day, before fleeing.<ref name="J:FRp46">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 46: "The Jihad In Review"</ref>

===Death and Legacy===
Focht would survive to see the conclusion of [[Operation SCOUR]] and the Jihad, apparently playing a role in the birth of [[Republic of the Sphere]] before dying a few months after its formal formation.<ref name=ER3145-81/><ref>''Dark Age: Republic of the Sphere''</ref> One of his last acts, with aid from Victor Steiner-Davion, was to convince the Federated Suns to relocate his namesake academy, the [[Focht War College]], to [[Kentares IV]] and maintain it as a multinational institution.<ref name=FM3085-173>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 173: "Republic of the Sphere - State of Readiness - Academies - Focht War College</ref>

Having effectively lived two lives, both Steiner and Focht had linked but separate legacies.

While the true extent of Frederick's treachery against Katrina is not commonly known, his intense hatred of her and links to Aldo Lestrade darkened his reputation after his seeming death during the Fourth Succession War, though he did receive a memorial plaque in the Steiner family crypt.<ref name=BoKOepub-873/> Despite this cloud, as a minor scion of House Steiner who met a noble end saving the Commonwealth, a number of buildings and streets were named after him, the most notable being the Frederick Steiner Memorial Library on Tharkad. This site would infamously be the location of the assassination of [[Melissa Steiner-Davion]] on 19 June [[3055]] by the man who would be called the [[Dancing Joker]], as well as an attempt against Focht himself by an upstart claimant to the Dancing Joker's reputation in the lead-up to the [[Second Whitting Conference]] in [[3061]].<ref name=>''BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction'', pp. 167–173: "Means to an End"</ref> By [[3067]], Frederick's face would also grace the 10 [[kroner]] note, with the ''[[Zeus]]'' he favored on the reverse side.<ref name=HHS-131>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 131: "Economics - Lyran Units of Currency and Exchange Rates"</ref>

==BattleMechs==
During his life as Frederick Steiner, Focht favored a ''[[Zeus]]'', being both an excellent pilot and expert tech of the Lyran staple, though in his youth he notably received a slight scar above his right eye after cracking his head ejecting from a burning ''[[Phoenix Hawk]]''.<ref name=HS-154/> He later piloted a 100-ton [[Atlas (BattleMech)|''Atlas'']] during his attack on Dromini. While retiring from direct combat in the field after becoming Precentor Martial, Focht reportedly kept up on his 'Mech piloting certification all the way into his retirement from ComStar, having retained an upgraded AS7-K variant during the Battle of Tukayyid and Operation BULLDOG just in case.<ref name=DRp62/>

==Philosophical and/or political views==
Before or after his "rebirth," the man known as Anastasius Focht was foremost a soldier. Frederick Steiner in particular depended more on strength and force rather than cunning and guile, many observers considering him almost incapable of subtlety. Always disdainful of politics, Frederick's desperation to become Archon allowed him to fall prey to the political manipulation of Aldo Lestrade, engendering in Focht a greater caution against it while serving ComStar, the loss of his eye a constant reminder of the price he paid.<ref name=HS-154/><ref name=BoKOepub-873/>

Despite the Lyran fondness for social gatherings, in many respects the man in both lives disapproved of displays of formal courtesy or protocol, focusing instead more practical discussion of military matters, being pleasant if distant in such social occasions.<ref name=HS-154/><ref name="20YU-85">''20 Year Update'', p. 85: "Major Personalities of 3050 - Anastasius Focht"</ref>

==Quotes==
{{quote|''History proves that no war ever ended by arms reduction, and this conflict was no exception.''|Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht, ''The Gallant Defense of Mankind''}}

{{Quote|''ComStar knows all.''}}

{{Quote|''You have to understand the code of duty and honor that rules those who pilot these engines of destruction. Placing such an awesome weapon in the hands of an individual implies a similar gesture of trust.''}}

{{Quote|''Good charts, a strong ship, and a sextant have made it possible to weather more than one storm.''}}

{{quote|''I admit to a certain fascination with Nicholas Kerensky, not as an historical figure, but as a man.  What was it like for him, to deny his heritage under the shadow of Amaris cutthroats?  How did he deal with people looking to his father as a god?  What force drove him to develop the whole of Clan culture?''|Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht, journal entry, 22 December 3050<ref name=WCS>''Wolf Clan Sourcebook'', p. 12: "Nicholas Kerensky, the Man"</ref>}}

{{quote|''Wars are not won on the field of combat. Battles are, but those are only ever part of the story. To win a war you need to break the enemy's resolve, to force him to accept defeat. Otherwise the war will never end. Too many conflicts persist because battles are won but the hearts and minds of the people are not. Winning involves every level of society, from the generals and politicians to the shop girls and street cleaners. The infantryman with his rifle may be the blunt weapon used to win this fight, but he is neither the instigator nor the concluder.''|Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht, 3058<ref name=HRW-5>''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 5: "Battlefields"</ref>}}

{{quote|''In my time with the Clans, I have come to know them well, both as ally and foe. Their [[Trial of Position|Trials of Position]] are most unique and alien to our governments and way of life. Rather than handle promotions the way that the militaries of the Inner Sphere do, they wage Trials of Position: in these, the combatants battle individual Warriors, in succession, one at a time. The number defeated determines the rank of the [[MechWarrior]].

''These battles are often fought in arenas. As much as the Clans disdain worlds like [[Solaris VII]] and its games, their arenas are similar in nature. Their arenas are enclosed, with rises along the edges, and building-like obstructions in the middle. Here, Warriors fight. Death is not expected, nor is it uncommon.''

''To us, fighting for rank is alien and almost barbaric. To the Clans, it ensures that only their most proficient Warriors rise through the ranks. This is only one of the reasons that I recognize these enemies for the threat that they are...''}}

==Notes==
* In the novel ''[[Lethal Heritage]]'', a Clan medic told Focht that he could have saved his lost eye had he been present at the time of the injury.

* In the same novel it is stated that Focht is fluent in German but not Italian. He mentions this in a conversation with then-bondsman [[Phelan Kell]]. Focht was attempting to clear up Phelan's confusion regarding Clan social norms. This bit of information and others would later help Phelan learn his identity.

* Also, it mentions that Focht spent some time in a Combine monastery. Primus Myndo Waterly wondered if that experience is what gave him his calm demeanor.

* It was he who named the ''[[Timber Wolf]]'' "''Mad Cat''" after he studied the battle footage of Phelan's encounter with Clan Wolf. Focht also pointed out that it would be impossible for ComStar to replicate the 'Mech when Myndo Waterly suggested that their armorers modify their ''Catapult''s to that weapons configuration.

* Before he discovered the truth about the Clans, one of his theories was that they were an alien species that had consumed Kerensky's people and had come to harvest the rest of humanity. The hypothetical species he described had the ability to assimilate human DNA.  This was also said to be why the Clans piloted human-style BattleMechs. In his discussion with Primus Waterly, Focht did not favor the theory that they were the long-lost descendants of Kerensky's people, which ironically turned out to the true origin of the Clans.

* According to the ''ComStar'', Focht publicly revealed his identity not long after the Battle of Tukayyid. Obviously, this was later retconned out.<ref>''ComStar'', p. 87</ref> However, he revealed his real identity to Victor Davion after the success of Operation Bulldog when he heard Victor say he must follow the fleeing Smoke Jaguars to Huntress. Fearful that the prince was to commit his same mistakes, he revealed it to make Victor change his mind.

==Portrait Gallery==
<gallery>
Frederick Steiner HSTLC.jpg|Frederick Steiner at age 53, ca. 3025, from ''[[House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)|House Steiner]]''
Anastasius Focht 20YU.jpg|Anastasius Focht at age 78 from ''[[20 Year Update]]''
Anastasius Focht ER3052.jpg|Focht at age 79 from ''[[Era Report: 3052|ER:3052]]''
Anastasius Focht Comstar.jpg|Focht at age 83 from ''[[ComStar (sourcebook)|ComStar]]''
Anastasius Focht DR.jpg|Focht at age 87 from ''[[The Dragon Roars]]''
Anastasius_Focht_ER3062.jpg|Focht at age 88 from ''[[Era Report: 3062|ER:3062]]'' (eye patch erroneously depicted over left eye)
Anastasius Focht BTLegends.jpg|Focht from ''[[BattleTech: Legends|BT:Legends]]''
Anastasius Focht BTTCG.jpg|Focht from ''[[BattleTech Trading Card Game|BTTCG]]''
Atlas (Heimdall) BTLegends.jpg|Focht's ''Atlas'' ''Heimdall'' from ''BT:Legends''
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
<div class="desktop-3-col">
* ''[[Blood Legacy]]''
* ''[[ComStar (sourcebook)|ComStar]]''
* ''[[Dawn of the Jihad]]''
* ''[[Era Report: 3062]]''
* ''[[Era Report: 3145]]''
* ''[[Exodus Road (novel)|Exodus Road]]''
* ''[[The Fall of Terra]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Capellan Confederation]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: ComStar]]''
* ''[[Grave Covenant]]''
* ''[[Heir to the Dragon]]''
* ''[[Historical: War of 3039]]''
* ''[[House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)]]''
* ''[[Jihad: Final Reckoning]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3070]]''
* ''[[Lethal Heritage]]''
* ''[[Lost Destiny]]''
* ''[[Malicious Intent]]''
* ''[[Prince of Havoc]]''
* ''[[Warrior: Coupé]]''
* ''[[Warrior: En Garde]]''
* ''[[Warrior: Riposte]]''
* ''[[Wolf Clan Sourcebook]]''
</div>


[[Category: ComStar Characters|Focht, Anastasius]]
[[Category:Notable Atlas Pilots|Focht, Anastasius]]