In Battle Technology's continuing tradition of bringing you interviews with the most important personalities in the Successor Stares, we are happy to bring you this exclusive interview with Princess Melissa Steiner-Davion, First Princess of the Federated Suns and Archon-Designate of the Lyran Commonwealth. The interview was conducted over a several-day period in late April-early May of last year, and covered a whole range of topics. The interview was conducted by the award-winning journalist Brandon Corey. BT: Thank you for consenting to this lengthy interview, Your Highness. I apologize if my line of questioning seems haphazard - I would like to keep things as natural as possible and follow up on interesting points as they surface. Princess Melissa: That is quite all right, MrCorey. Where do you want me to begin? BT: Let us start with your wedding and the unusual toast your husband made. From the holovids you did not look shocked at all at his declaration of war on the Capellan Confederation. Did you know about that plan, or are you just naturally able to cover your shock that well? Princess Melissa: I think it would be a terrible thing for a husband to start off his married life by concealing such a momentous thing from his wife, wouldn't you? BT: I concur, but that does not answer my question. Princess Melissa (laughing lightly): Touche. Yes, I had been made aware that hostilities with the Capellan Confederation would be taking place in the nearfuture. I had not been told what to expect in my husband's toast. Hanse had not intended to make that announcement at that time, but Liao's having dragged Justin Xiang to the wedding, and the attempted assassination of Quintus Allard made it seem like an appropriate thing to do. So you see, the answer to your original question is both yes and yes: I knew, but I am also able to shield my shock and my emotions from others. BT: Would you mind unshielding your emotions to tell us about the man you love? Princess Melissa (blushing slightly): I find it hard to conceive of a finer, brighter, more courageous man existing in the Successor States. As you know, having been a MechWarrior yourself, MechWarriors are not easy to love. They always reserve part of themselves and their devotion for the machines that carry them into battle. Still, when one is willing to share with you his life and heart, it is a very special thing. BT: Both you and your husband left Terra the day after the wedding. Now, nearly nine months later, you are showing no sign of being pregnant. This leads me to two questions: Would not an heir strengthen this alliance between the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth? And what stresses is this separation putting on your marriage? Princess Melissa: Certainly an heir would strengthen the alliance, and we do mean to have one as soon as possible, but right now there are other political considerations to deal with. BT: Do you refer to the rightist element that believes your mother sold you to the Federated Suns in return for items of dubious technological advantage? Princess Melissa (shrugs): In part, yes. More importantly, however, it is vital that the people of the Lyran Commonwealth realize that their future has not been dealt to House Davion without any consideration for them. House Steiner and House Davion entered this marriage as separate and distinct partners. While I would dearly love to be at my husband's side, supporting him as a wife should, the only way I can prove that the Lyran Commonwealth is indeed the Federated Sun's partner is to be apart from him. To answer the second question you posed above, the stresses this creates in our marriage are incredible. Anyone who has ever been in love knows how secure and reassuring the simple act of reaching out and touching your lover can be. Hanse and I do exchange holovids constantly - diplomats complain about having to endure the trips to haul these Hermes bundles back and forth - but that hardly compensates for the lack of physical contact. BT: Have you no plans to be together? I mean, your first anniversary is coming up and... Princess Melissa (laughs): Why, Mr Corey, if I answer that question, Simon Johnson will have you shot as an ISF agent weaseling state secrets from me. BT: Forgive me... Princess Melissa: No blood, no report! BT: I see your association with the Prince has already begun to have its effect upon you. Princess Melissa: Pardon? BT: Using that MechWarrior expression, for example. Also, I cannot help but notice you are wearing a 'Mech charm. Princess Melissa: Yes, Hanse gave it to me after the Sytx incident. He said it was a piece of his first 'Mech, salvaged from when it was shot out from under him. He maintained it was an Albion tradition to give it to a loved one as it would keep them safe. I cherish it and wear it next to my heart all the time. BT: Not unlike Sanglamore graduates and their belief in the miraculous powers of their Sashes... Princess Melissa (frowning): I don't, oh, I do seem to recall something like that. Yes, until recently each graduating class used to send one of those Sanglamore Sashes to my mother. BT: You mentioned the Styx incident. Until the wedding we were unaware that you had been on board the Silver Eagle, traveling incognito, to see your husband. Being there when your cousin Patrick Kell died to rescue the Silver Eagle must have been very painful. Princess Melissa: I felt like I was losing part of myself. Patrick and my father were cousins, but my father died when I was barely six months old. All I had of him were old holovids and the stories Patrick would tell meabouthim. With Patrick's death I felt cut off from my past. At this point, the Archon-Designate got up and pulled a small bronze statue from a shelf thirty-eight centimeters tall, it is shaped like a lean hound in a sitting position. The unusual thing about it is that the hound is obviously mechanical or cybernetic in nature. Sitting nestled between its two forepaws is a wholly natural puppy that looks up eagerly at the larger hound sheltering it. About a year after Patrick's death I received this statue through ComStar. It arrived without any message. Dr. Vanderhoff down at the National Museum of Art said the chop used to sign the piece belongs to a female artist named Takara, and that the bronze is from the Draconis Combine. Simon Johnson said he had reason to believe she and Patrick had met at least once in the past. I am glad to have someone else who shares my grief. BT: How do you interpret the statue? Princess Melissa: I am glad to see it in different ways at different times. I will always see the large hound as Patrick. At times I identify with the puppy, but at other times I see things in a larger perspective. Then I see the MechWarrior image as sheltering the hope of peace in the Successor States from the baser desires of men. BT: Your personal loss, having come so recently, must affect the way you feel about the war. You have Morgan Kell out there fighting against the Combine, and you could possibly lose another link to your father. What are your feelings toward the war? Princess Melissa: I hate it. I hate it most of all because I know there was no way to avoid it. The strategic considerations made launching a preemptive strike againstthe Capellan Confederation vital. As the Federated Suns worked to recover more lostech, the Capellans would realize that they were falling further and further behind. Maximilian Liao, in his paranoid state, would have to launch a strike on the Federated Suns. This being the case, and all the analysts - both public and private - said as much, it became imperative that we control the flow of the conflict. Liao had to be hit and hit hard. By doing that we could minimize casualties in the civilian population, and this is exactly what we have done. Were we the bloodthirsty bandits Liao claims, we never would have negotiated a peace that liberated the people of the Tikonov Free Republic. BT: Your point is well made concerning why the Federated Suns went to war. Why, in your view, did the Lyran Commonwealth have to strike at the Draconis Combine? Princess Melissa: At the time things were being planned, no one had any idea of how badly things were going between Samsonov and Jaime Wolf. The situation we were looking at had Wolf's Dragoons and the Ryuken poised to fall on the Federated Sun's Draconis March. A diversionary strike at the Dieron Military District made perfect sense. Likewise it made sense to help the people of the Rasalhague district to gain their freedom. BT: Had you had agood picture of the animosity between Samsonov and Wolf would the plan have been altered? Princess Melissa: (shrugs) I am not certain. You must understand, Mr. Corey, while I am privy to discussions of policy and free to offer my opinion, I am not the Archon. I should add that with these difficult decisions, I am very glad I do not have that responsibility yet. BT: Responsibility is a good topic to address. Within the context of the war and outside it, what do you see as your responsibilities right now? Princess Melissa (laughs): You mean other than doing interviews? BT: Touche again. Princess Melissa: Within the war context, my responsibility lies in one very vital area. It is up to me, through workand personal sacrifice to show our citizens that we must help one another through this difficult period. BT: This, then, would be your motivation for the rehabilitation work you've taken to doing one day a week, right? Princess Melissa (serious): That is absolutely correct. The men and women who are medivacced all the way back to Tharkad for medical treatments have given so incredibly of themselves - spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically - that I cannot but honor their sacrifice by working with them. I sincerely regret only being able to give one day a week to that cause, but there are so many other things that demand my time. BT: How so? It seems to me that the Archon-Designate of the Lyran Commonwealth and First Princess of the Federated Suns should be able to do what she wants when she wants. Princess Melissa: If only that were true. The problems that I have to deal with are so vast, and my contribution so small, that I wonder if I am doing any good at all. You see, the old saying, "Out of sight, out of mind," is incredibly true, especially in a time of uncertainty and possible danger. I understand how people turn in and focus on themselves and their close family or friends. It's my job to remind them that they are part of a larger community and that if they are not on the lines with a weapon in their hands they have to help by doing something at home. For example, the refugees from the Styx base that sheltered me when the Combine tried to capture the Silver Eagle are trying to build themselves a home on the world of Lyons. Those people fled an asteroid base that had been their home, and they escaped with virtually nothing. I hosted a party in their honor, and all the newsvid networks picked up on their story and reported it heavily. Contributions of all sorts were made in their name and those people soon had what they needed to build a viable community. That's just one example. Every day and night there are gatherings for orphan funds and emergency relief efforts. All I can do is to shake some hands and pose for some pictures, but if that reminds everyone that we are in thistogether, then I take some satisfaction in that. Working with the wounded, on the other hand, is deeply satisfying because I can help them recover to a point where they will be able to share the future I want to offer them. BT: There must be times when your duties are less grim and somewhat lighter. Have any of your subjects in the Federated Suns made demands upon you? Princess Melissa (grinning broadly): Yes, there are light spots in my day. I received a holovid from a Baroness in the Federated Suns. She requested my assistance in a delicate affair of the heart. BT: Can you give us details? Princess Melissa (Feigning shock): I thought BattleTechnology better than the tablevids... BT: You have piqued our curiosity. Princess Melissa: Well, she has a certain romantic interest in a MechWarrior who is a Captain with the Kell Hounds. The Baroness thought I might be able to intercede on her behalf with this officer and get him to act like a gentleman. Apparently he is a noble, related to someone high up in the Federated Suns government, but he was seen spending time at my wedding with, of all things, a commoner from the Lyran Commonwealth. BT: Shocking conduct for an officer! Princess Melissa (smiling): It is well you should think so; he graduated from the New Avalon Military Academy in your class - the class of 3015. BT: There's only one guy from my class in the Kell Hounds ... never mind! How did you resolve the situation? Princess Melissa: I'm afraid I've failed at my first request from one of my new subjects. I had to tell her that Morgan Kell had broken the Hounds' contract with the Lyran Commonwealth and that it is acting as a free unit. Therefore, I have no control over the actions of Morgan or his men. I did promise, however, that if I had an opportunity to speak with this officer and alleged gentleman, I would carefully plead her case. BT: Morgan Kell's having taken his unit independent seems to parallel the situation with Wolf's Dragoons over in the Draconis March. Do you think this is a trend among mercenary units? Do you support it or does it worry you? Princess Melissa: I can see how you discern a parallel between Morgan's action and the dissolution of the Dragoon's contract with House Kurita, but there is a vast difference. The Kell Hounds are not being paid by the Lyran Commonwealth - though my motherwould gladly underwritten their efforts - while the Dragoons are being paid and supplied by the Federated Suns. I do not see this independence as a trend mainly because most mercenary units cannot afford to be without an employer for very long. Morgan pursues a course that is personal, and he is willing to accept the costs of that expedition. As for my possible support for atrend, I would trust Morgan Kell or Jaime Wolf at the head of an independent company, but not so many of the other mercenary leaders. When money gets tight, some companies might resort to outright banditry - especially given that Max Liao won't be around to issue them the equivalent of privateer's papers to legitimize their crimes. BT: I see. Let me back up here for a moment. You mentioned your vision of the future. Would you like to share that with us? Princess Melissa: I want to see a universe in which we don't have to resort to combat to settle our differences. This does not mean I want to see a return to the Star League because, as we saw during its existence and after its downfall, it did nothing to change mankind into a more peaceful race. I long for a future where we can share our resources with each other instead of having to steal them, so no one side will have an advantage over another. BT: That sounds very much like the message of peace and unity that ComStar pushes. Princess Melissa: The ends might be the same, but I see worlds of difference in the means used to gain those ends. ComStar harkens back to a simpler time. They see strife as a byproduct of the complexity of our current society. To them technology seems a catalyst for discord. I must admit, if one looks at how wars are waged unevenly until both sides are battered back into a similar level of technology, ComStar could be right. My dream, however, is to see a time when technology is freely shared. Let us turn away from building weapons and work toward building those things that increase the quality of life for our citizens. BT: There are those who would point out that military research and development often spin off products that prove valuable to the general population... Princess Melissa: I acknowledge that may be true, but when was the last time laser research cured a genetic disease? When did the last PPC project create a fertilizer that turns arid land into a lush garden? If we put our technology to use solving the basic problems of the universe - having enough food and freedom from illness and hardship - we won't need wars to decide who owns what resources. BT: Yours is certainly a compelling vision of the future, yet the war itself seems to contradict or even to fully negate it. Princess Melissa: Hardly. The Capellan people are not free to imagine a world without strife. Subjugated as they are, they cannot have dreams, and they cannot work to make those dreams come true. Man has forever proved himself hardy enough to adapt to the most adverse conditions. Once he has adapted, he has made things better. The war will liberate plenty of people and give them the chance to make their world better. BT: You are obviously passionate about your vision of what is to come and about your husband. It must be difficult to see him and yourself vilified in scandalvids and even some of the more prominent magazines. The Prince's critics, like Michael Hasek-Davion and Justin Xiang, have been most vocal in their criticism. Princess Melissa: That is very difficult for me to deal with because I don't have accesstothe people spouting lies about my husband. I regret Duke Michael's death because it meant that the distorted impression of his relationship with my husband would never be corrected. It is a pity because, as can be seen in the excellent relationship between Hanse and Morgan Hasek-Davion, there is no great animosity between the two houses. Duke Michael might have been prone to making intemperate remarks, but the press blew them utterly out of proportion. Justin Xiang, on the other hand, is a quisling. His statements can be weighed on that scale and discarded as garbage immediately. The man planned to betray my husband and his own nation, then complained bitterly when caught at it! I consider it a stroke of our good fortune that Maximilian Liao seems to have forgotten that Xiang failed in his attemptto become a spy. His having elevated Xiang to the position of spymaster is nothing but proof of Liao's dementia. BT: What would Xiang's having escorted Liao's heir-apparent to your wedding be proof of? Princess Melissa: Insanity is heriditary? BT: Back on the home front, there have been some vocal critics of your mother's policy and your marriage. Duke Frederic Steiner and Duke Aldo Lestrade come to mind as the two most outstanding examples of those critical of the current war. Princess Melissa: I have come to believe actions speak louder than words, Mr. Corey. Duke Frederick, while claiming he opposes the war, has ever been with the Tenth Lyran Guards as they spearhead the assault against the Combine. To paraphrase the Bard, methinks he doth protest too much. We all know he has ambitions to become Archon and his success in the war can do nothing but bring him closer to making that dream a reality. BT: What about Duke Lestrade? Princess Melissa: I see him as a chick still trapped within an egg. He is confident he is the master of his universe, but someday he will discover that there is an even bigger and colder universe outside his warm little home. I fear for Duke Lestrade this will be a rude awakening. BT: We've heard rumors that Lestrade ordered the Kell Hounds to vacate the world of Lyons. This would almost completely denude the Isle of Skye of troops with direct loyalty to the Archon. Speculation suggests that Lestrade will take the Isle of Skye independent, perhaps with Combine backing. Any comment? Princess Melissa: No, not really. I think Duke Lestrade is smarter than that, but he has ached for independence over the last twenty years. Now, heirless, he might be desperate enough to grasp at straws. Still, thrusting his realm into the Dragon's mouth is not something a sane man would do. BT: The current hostilities are nearing their first anniversary. How much longer do you see the war going? Princess Melissa: Once again you put your life in peril of the LIC in asking me to answer that question. I think it is safe to suggest that the war will progress until the Capellan Confederation is eliminated as a threat to the peace and stability of the Successor States. At their present rate of collapse, I cannot see the war lasting more than another two or three years. BT: Is this the war to end all wars? Princess Melissa: If only it could be ... I share with all your readers and the people of the Successor States an absolute horror of war. I know the scars this war is making on worlds and on people will never heal again. Consider it: the average lifespan in this day and age is over one hundred years. That is incredible, considering that we send many of our best and brightest young people to die in war. That number also means that some people who are maimed in this war will have a century to live within the shattered remains of their bodies. That is unforgivable. Yes, if I had my wish, this would be the war to end all wars. I hope and pray my children, and the children of all those involved in this conflict, will never have to fight in awar. On the other hand, I hope we will never grow so complacent that we cannot defend ourselves when the time comes. BT: I hear in your voice a fierce devotion to making certain your people have the benefits of personal freedom. Princess Melissa: That is because I feel that all people deserve the chance to make the most of themselves. This is why I support the war, as horrible as it may be, because it gives the citizens of the Capellan Confederation that chance. While I might well agree there are some who abuse their privilege and do not act in unison with our goals. I would sooner put up with that sort of opposition than tolerate the methods needed to suppress it. BT: What is the first thing you want to do when the war ends? Princess Melissa: Before or after the month in seclusion with my husband? BT: Ah, after. Princess Melissa: I want to rebuild. Remember, Hanse Davion gave the Capellan Confederation to me. I will make my new people whole again. We do not wish the interview to be redone. You may call it a whim, but I find it inexplicably moving to read. Let it see print as it is and stand as a record of a terrible valiant time in our history, when the outcome was uncertain and our peoples' spirits shone forth through adversity. Yes, the references to Minister Allard's son Justin, and to the Duchess of St Ives are incorrect and unfair. Let them stand, too, as a record of just how convincing Justin Xiang Allard was as a disaffected turncoat. He certainly fooled us. That young man should go far. Melissa accedes in this matter to my wish that your readers across the Known Sphere get a clear picture of an extraordinary young woman working at difficult and sometimes dangerous tasks in a spirit of intelligence and optimism, giving her people hope when sometimes she felt none. Reading over the text of Mr Corey's interview, my love and admiration for that woman well up all over again. Remember, at the time of that interview, on many worlds she would not have been considered old enough to vote... I should add that mother and child are doing well, according to all the doctors. I look forward to being a grandmother. The birth is expected in early April. --Katrina Steiner, Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth Back to BattleTechnology 9 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1990 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com