Editing Nondi Steiner

{{Update Needed|[[Heir to the Dragon]]|[[Rhonda's Irregulars (scenario pack)]]}}
{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Nondi Steiner 1.jpg
| name                = Nondi Steiner
| birthdate           = [[2981]]<ref name=HSLCft>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', foldout: "The Lyran Commonwealth's Line of Succession and Partial Steiner Family Tree"</ref><ref name=HSLCp160>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 160</ref>
| died                = 2 April [[3067]]<ref name=EGc29>''Endgame'', ch. 29</ref>
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[House Steiner]]
| rank                = [[General of the Armies]]
| title               = [[Duchess of Gallery]]<ref name=HSLCp160/>
| position            = 
| profession          = 
| parents             = [[Alexandr Weldon]] (father)<ref name=HSLCp160/><br/>[[Lisa Steiner (30th c.)|Lisa Steiner]] (mother)<ref name=HSLCp160/>
| siblings            = [[Katrina Steiner]]<ref name=HSLCp160/>
| spouse              = [[Jack Milby]]<ref name=HSLCp160/>
| children            = [[Lisa Steiner (31st c.)|Lisa Steiner II]]<ref name=HSLCp160/><br/>[[Ivan Steiner]]<ref name=HSLCp160/><br/>[[Richard Steiner (31st c.)|Richard Steiner II]]<ref name=HSLCp160/>
}}
'''Nondi Steiner''' was the younger sister of [[Archon]] [[Katrina Steiner]]. Lacking her sister's interest in politics, Nondi largely stayed out of the discord between Katrina and [[Alessandro Steiner|Alessandro]] in [[3005]]. 

==History==
[[File:Nondi Steiner.jpg|right|150px|thumb|During the [[War of 3039]]]]
Nondi Steiner was the second child of [[Lisa Steiner (30th c.)|Lisa Steiner]] and [[Alexandr Weldon]], she spent much of her life competing with her older sister [[Katrina Steiner]]. She embarked on a military career like her elder sister and, during the [[Fourth Succession War]], became a General in the [[LCAF]] and [[Margrave of Tamar Theater]]. Nondi was infuriated by her sister's seizure of the [[Archon|Archonship]] in [[3007]] but remained loyal to her despite their sibling rivalry.<ref name=Wo3039-20-21>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 20: "Nondi Steiner"</ref> She was a firm Lyran supremacist, highly skeptical of Katrina's peace proposals of the 3020s and hostile to the alliance with the [[Federated Suns]]. The Duchess of [[Gallery]] at the time, she considered retirement as early as [[3025]], the burden of command weighing heavily on her. As a [[General]], she was known to occasionally physically abuse officers under her command for incompetence.<ref name=Wo3039-20-21/><ref name=ER3062-74>''Era Report: 3062'', p. 74: "Nondi Steiner Profile"</ref> 

During the [[Fourth Succession War]] she was the commanding officer of Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG, the [[LCAF]]'s assault into the [[Draconis Combine]].<ref>''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', p. 43</ref>

She served as a military advisor to [[Hanse Davion]] during the [[War of 3039]], Katrina's daughter and successor as Archon [[Melissa Steiner]] having delegated many military decision making responsibilities to her in spite of Nondi's requests to retire.<ref name=Wo3039-17>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 17: "Archon Melissa Steiner"</ref>

She remained distant from the political machinations of the [[Federated Commonwealth]], but became enamored of her niece [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]]'s "Steiner First" attitude. She became General of the Armies following Katherine's secession of the [[Lyran_Alliance|Lyran]] half of the [[Federated Commonwealth]] and ultimately served as Regent when Katherine was on [[New Avalon]], but remained blind to her great-niece's megalomaniacal actions, supporting her to the very end.<ref name=Wo3039-20-21/> 

===War of 3039===
Put in charge of the [[LCAF]]'s preparations for the [[War of 3039]] she served directly under the [[General of the Armies]] after having her requests to retire denied by both the High Command and the Archon. She planned both the Commonwealth and Dieron thrusts, taking personal command of the drive to [[Vega]] during [[Operation WINTERSCHNEE]] and placing her friend [[Field Marshal]] [[Vanessa Bisla]] in charge of the [[Operation WINTERSCHNEE#Dieron Thrust|Dieron Thrust]]. After establishing her command post on Vega and sending her accompanying [[3rd Lyran Guards]] and [[Camacho's Caballeros]] to prepare for the next wave, [[DEST]] strike teams caught her in a [[Head Hunting]] attack that incapacitated her and forced her evacuation. This proved disastrous insofar as command fell to Nondi's subordinate [[Kathleen Heany]] as the highest-ranking officer remaining during Nondi's long recovery, allowed her subordinate commander's preference for older Lyran tactics to undermine the [[War of 3039#Commonwealth Thrust|Commonwealth Thrust]].<ref name=Wo3039-20-21/>

===Federated Commonwealth and the Clan Invasion===
The failures of [[3039]] left Nondi with severe insecurity, despite her promotion to head of the [[AFFC]]'s [[Lyran State Command]]. She once again considered retiring in the late 3040s but the Clan Invasion forced Nondi to remain. The losses to the former [[Lyran Commonwealth]] at the hands of the Clans left Nondi extremely bitter towards the "[[AFFS|Davion Military]]", feeling that the AFFC should have done more to assist and defend the Lyran territories.<ref name=Wo3039-20-21/>

===Lyran secession and the FedCom Civil War===
When [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]] sundered the [[Federated Commonwealth]] in [[3057]], Nondi Steiner supported her and served as [[General of the Armies]] of the breakaway [[Lyran Alliance]] also serving as Regent for Katherine for short periods.<ref name=Wo3039-20-21/> In the 3060s she authorized the development program that eventually introduced [[compact engine]]s.<ref>''TechManual'', p. 214: Compact engines</ref>

Nondi was serving as Katherine's Regent on Tharkad when [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] declared his rebellion against Katherine's rule, and she was largely responsible for putting the Lyran Alliance on a military footing in response. She was killed on April 2nd, [[3067]], at the age of 86, in single combat against her great-nephew, [[Peter Steiner-Davion]], in Tharkad City.<ref name="Endgame">''Endgame'', p. ??{{cn}}</ref>

==BattleMechs==
For much of her career, Nondi piloted a ''[[Zeus]]'' [[BattleMech]]. During the battle of Tharkad City at the end of the civil war, she used a ''[[Hauptmann]]'' [[OmniMech]]. In her final engagement, the 'Mech mounted paired PPCs, indicating it was likely in its HA1-OB configuration.<ref>''Endgame'' pp. 234–239</ref>

==Notes==
{{ApocryphalContentStart}}
*In one of the endings to the game ''[[MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries]]'', the player takes part in the battle and can kill her. An after-battle narration says that, regardless of who actually killed Nondi, "the history books claim it was Peter who took down the General of the Armies — who are we to quibble over the credit".<ref>''MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries/Checkmate''</ref>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Endgame]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Historical: War of 3039]]''
* ''[[Era Report: 3062]]''
* ''[[FedCom Civil War (sourcebook)]]''
* ''[[House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)]]''
* ''[[MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries]]''
* ''[[NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1]]''
* ''[[Operation Audacity]]'' (Novel)
* ''[[TechManual]]''

[[Category:Lyran Commonwealth Characters|Steiner, Nondi]]
[[Category:Notable Hauptmann Pilots]]