Editing Vedet Brewer

{{Update Needed|[[A Bonfire of Worlds]]|[[Era Report: 3145]]|[[Field Manual: 3145]]|[[Tamar Rising]]|[[Elements of Treason: Opportunity]]}}
{{Cleanup|reason=review needed|date=September 2023}}
{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Vedet Brewer TamarRising.png
| caption             = Vedet Brewer, ca. 3152
| name                = Vedet Gerald Greydon Brewer<ref name=EoT:Oc27>''Elements of Treason: Opportunity'', ch. 27</ref>
| birthdate           = [[3090]]<ref name=TRp91>''Tamar Rising'', p. 91: "Vedet Brewer profile"</ref>
| died                = 
| othernames          = Vedet Brewster
| affiliation         = [[House Brewer]]
| rank                = 
| title               = [[Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth|Archon]]<ref name=TRp91/><br/>[[Duke of Hesperus II]]<ref name=TRp91/>
| position            = 
| profession          = Noble
| parents             = 
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = [[Cassandra Mylonasa]] (lover)<ref name=EoT:Oc8>''Elements of Treason: Opportunity'', ch. 8</ref>
| children            = [[Callisto Mylonasa]]<ref name=TRp17>''Tamar Rising'', p. 17</ref>
}}
'''Vedet Gerald Greydon Brewer''' was a [[thirty-second century]] [[Lyran Commonwealth]] nobleman, the [[Duke of Hesperus II]] and CEO of [[Defiance Industries]]. An ambitious and ruthless leader, he seized the [[Archon|Archon's]] throne of the Commonwealth in [[3141]], abdicating two years later and fleeing to the Commonwealth's hinterlands. In [[3151]] Brewer established a new nation under his rule, the [[Vesper Marches]].

A critic of [[Archon]] [[Melissa Steiner II|Melissa Steiner]] in the years following the [[Blackout]], Brewer publicly voiced his opposition to her policies of merely strengthening the borders of the Commonwealth and not attacking other nations. His power and influence was such that Archon Steiner gave him a leading role in [[Operation HAMMERFALL]] in the late 3130s, where Brewer ostensibly proved himself a worthier leader to the [[Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces|LCAF's]] generals. After [[Clan Wolf]] turned upon the Commonwealth in [[3140]] he deposed Melissa Steiner the following year in a military-backed coup. His tenure as Archon lasted barely two years and was marked by a failure to halt the Wolves' advance into the Commonwealth, leading to Brewer's downfall and Melissa's restoration.

Exiling himself to the Commonwealth's remote regions, Brewer never gave up his claim to the Archonship. Following [[Clan Jade Falcon|Clan Jade Falcon's]] abandonment of their Occupation Zone he took control of [[Melissia]] in March [[3151]] and proclaimed himself ruler of the Vesper Marches.

==History==
===Early Years===
Brewer spent some time at [[Melissia]] about [[3121]]. There, he became lover of a noblewoman named [[Cassandra Mylonasa]]. He fell in love with her and, before being forced departing offplanet by political reasons, proposed her to marry him, but she wasn't able to leave. Vedet was forced to abandon the planet, and his family on Hesperus II kept him grounded on planet several years, and monitored all his communications, preventing him to contact Cassandra, but he attempted it anyway, in vain.<ref>''Elements of Treason: Opportunity'', ch. 11</ref>

===The Troubles of Skye===
On November 25th, [[3134]], Duke Vedet met with [[Trillian Steiner-Davion]] and his guest, a renegade [[Republic of the Sphere|Republic]] nobleman named [[Jasek Kelswa-Steiner]], the leader of a pro–House Steiner splinter group known as the [[Stormhammers]]. Over dinner, Jasek convinced Trillian and the Duke that it was in the interests of the Commonwealth to aid him in invading the Jade Falcons, assuring them there would be no retaliation from the Clan. In December [[3134]], the Duke and Trillian provided Jasek military aid to fight [[Clan Jade Falcon]]'s invasion of [[Skye]], sending him LCAF forces that included Hesperus' guarding [[WarShip]], [[Mjolnir#Named Vessels|LAS ''Yggdrasil'']].<ref>''Blood of the Isle'', ch. 24, pp. 166–171: First appearance of Vedet Brewer, Trillian Steiner-Davion, and the meeting that allowed House Steiner to aid Republic forces fighting on Skye</ref>

===Operation HAMMERFALL and Glory Seeking===
In March [[3137]], [[Trillian Steiner-Davion|Trillian Steiner]] arrived at Hesperus II to inform Duke Vedet that he was offered a position as Campaign Leader by the Archon for [[Operation HAMMERFALL]]. Taking the opportunity to gain even more power, he accepted. However, leery of the Archon's offer, he and his military aide [[Colonel]] [[Bernard Nordhoff]] planned to take action against Trillian when the time was right.

Duke Vedet assembled his own regiment with his own people, naming it the [[1st Hesperus Guards]]. The Duke had been assigned to fight in the [[Duchy of Tamarind-Abbey]], while General Nordhoff was assigned to fight in the [[Marik-Stewart Commonwealth]].

He planned to take advantage of the invasion by moving ahead of the military timetable to pummel the Duchy into submission early. With no leadership, he hoped to take control of the worlds he conquered and install himself as their new leader, gaining enough power to ultimately contest the throne of the Lyran Commonwealth.

The Duke received his first taste of combat and victory on Shanta in July 3137 against the Shanta Home Guard. Shanta was a soft target world in his invasion plans.

Later, in August, he ordered the complete destruction of the [[Millungera Militia]]. He became accustomed to and fascinated with military life and killing.

In early September, Duke Vedet received word that the [[Royal Guards|Royal]] regiments kept in reserve for Hammerfall were being deployed into the old Skye region of the Republic, taking away forces he was counting on for his campaign. He began to see his mistake in underestimating Archon Melissa and swore not to do it again.

Later in September, he and his Guards were deployed to the Marik-Stewart Commonwealth world of [[Bondurant]] to assist the now badly damaged [[Third Lyran Regulars]]. Here, his officers began to see his lack of military training as the Duke faced off with a skilled and determined enemy. The Duke showed fear for the first time in years and fell for a trap set by the [[Silver Hawk Irregulars]] and local militia unit [[Bondurant Bombardiers|The Bondurant Bombardiers]].

He ordered General Nordhoff and his Third to his aid, thinking he had found the Silver Hawks. Nordhoff called in artillery fire on the battlefield, and Vedet was a victim of friendly fire. This caused Duke Vedet to begin to question Nordhoff's loyalty.

The Duke arrived at Simpson Desert on 2nd December, ordering General Nordhoff to delay for three days before moving to Tamarind to fight the [[First Tamarind Regulars]]. He hoped they would destroy the [[1st Steiner Strikers|Broken Sword]] battalion, killing Trillian Steiner in the process.

On 6th December, on Danais, Duke Vedet and the Hesperus Guards were attacked by the planetary militia "Daredevils of Danais", who somehow infiltrated the rear area of the Duke's forces through the thick forest. The Daredevils and the Silver Hawk Irregulars had led the Duke to believe the world was lightly defended as his forces took its capital city of Breckenridge. The city had been stripped of vital supplies the Duke needed, causing him to order retail stores to be raided for supplies.

All facilities that Lyran forces tried to use were sabotaged. The city had become a symbol and rallying point for the population to fight the invaders.

Two days later, a Guards military aide, Hauptmann Klein, advised the Duke that he was leading them into a trap.  By the 9th, the Duke's forces were faced with attacks from civilians who had been trained in irregular warfare by the Silver Hawks, which made him feel vulnerable even within the confines of his own base. By January [[3138]], Duke Vedet learned that [[Clan Wolf]] had entered the conflict in the Marik-Stewart region.  Operation Hammerfall's actions were suspended until Wolf forces finished deployment. His operations had slowed down considerably on Danais from the efforts of civilian and guerrilla fighters, and he subsequently ordered widescale arrest and imprisonment of the citizens of Breckenridge.

Duke Vedet and his Guards were later relieved from their position on Danais and moved to capture the world of [[Helm]].  They arrived at nearly the same time as [[Star Colonel]] [[Alaric Wolf]]'s [[Cluster]].  The Duke shared his intel with the Wolf Star Colonel in an attempt to gain favor but was almost completely ignored.  Vedet was left out of the initial attack on the capital city of Helmsdown in late April.  However, Wolf forces called off the attack due to unexpected resistance.

After a few run-ins with Alaric, Duke Vedet's attitude toward the Wolf leader became increasingly hostile. Even the arrival of Trillian Steiner did not improve things as she attempted to coax him and Wolf to continue the invasion. The battle for the planet did not resume until late May with the arrival of the newly renamed Broken Sword battalion, now [[1st Steiner Strikers]].

After Wolf forces pushed into the city, Vedet ordered his artillery stationed on a nearby mountainside to fire down on the defending Silver Hawk forces. Vedet and his Guards managed to cage in the defending Hawks and pressured them to surrender.  However, the Wolves were not told of the surrender and some Hawk forces did not take part. Vedet's victory over the Hawks was stolen and he was forced to attack them after they defended themselves against the Wolves. The [[Battle of Helm (3138)]] ended in a massacre, which was promptly covered up by Trillian Steiner.  By this time Vedet was furious with the Wolf leader and vowed never to work with them again.  Rumors of the Wolves leaving the planet for the capital of [[Stewart]] prompted the Duke to muster his Guards off the planet to attack the Marik-Stewart capital.

On June 5th, Duke Vedet landed his forces south of the capital city of New Edinburgh. He learned prior to the landing that Captain-General Anson Marik was still in the city.  Leading his forces from the south, he dispatched a company to the west to cover a temporary DropShip port which he believed the Silver Hawks and the Captain-General would attempt to escape from.  Later, he learned of a motorcade of limos traveling within the city itself, assuming it to be Anson attempting to escape. Duke Vedet led his forces to intercept the motorcade. Colonel Roderick Steiner along with his command lance and Alaric's Wolf Command Star rushed out to try and snatch the prize from Duke Vedet instead.  Vedet arrived first but was nearly killed when the motorcade exploded, destroying his infantry forces surrounding the vehicles.

Furious, the Duke ordered New Edinburgh palace to be attacked, in the hope that Anson was still there. His [[infantry]] forces penetrated the palace's defenses and killed Anson in a fierce firefight.

By the 10th of June, Duke Vedet ordered no public mourning be held for the slain leader.

===Military Coup and Archonship===
Chosen by House Steiner's military cabal, on March 17th of [[3141]] Vedet led a bloodless military coup on [[Tharkad]]. With his 1st Hesperus Guards and senior officers of the LCAF at his back, he unseated Melissa Steiner and claimed the title of "Acting Archon". One of his few acts as Archon was to designate his 1st Hesperus Guards as his own personal bodyguards in place of the [[Royal Guards]].  His two-year reign did little to reverse the Commonwealth's failing war against both [[Clan Wolf]] and [[Clan Jade Falcon]] as the enemy forces made headway toward the capital.  By [[3143]], in fear of facing both Clans on Tharkad, he fled the planet and ceded control to Melissa Steiner, who was freed from house arrest by the frantic military leadership of the LCAF.

===Exile and the Vesper Marches===
Duke Vedet took his personal regiments anti-spinward within the Commonwealth to the world of [[Alekseyevka]], where they would be granted asylum by [[Margrave]] [[Diego Widmer]].<ref>''Field Manual: 3145'', pp. 120–123: "Succession War/Commonwealth Guards" - Duke Brewer's actions in his brief term as Archon</ref> Nonetheless, after Widmer's secession from the Commonwealth and formation of the [[Buena Collective]], Brewer refused to bring his troops to Widmer's aid when the LCAF moved in [[3148]] to crush the rebel nation. Instead, he simply responded to Widmer's plea for assistance with the message "I hope you have an exit strategy."<ref>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 49</ref>

In [[3150]] Archon Trillian Steiner requested that Vedet use his regiment against another ex-Lyran breakaway state, the [[Timbuktu Collective]], but he stayed just as aloof as he did with Widmer. Instead, he took the Hesperus Guards and headed towards the Melissia Theater, with even the LIC unable to determine his ultimate goal.<ref>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 91</ref>

Brewer revealed his intentions in January [[3151]] when he took the Guards into the [[Melissia]] system. Intending to make a bold strike against the Jade Falcons and gain political capital in his effort to reclaim the Archonship, Brewer instead discovered that the world had been abandoned by the Falcons. After several weeks of laying the groundwork, he persuaded both the independence-minded Melissia Republic and pro-Lyran nobles to accept his authority as their new leader. With Melissia under his control, Vedet Brewer proclaimed the formation of the [[Vesper Marches]] in March and called upon all Lyrans desiring a strong government to support him.<ref name=ICp112>''IlClan'', p. 112: "The Absent Duke</ref>

==BattleMech==
On Melissia Brewer piloted an ''[[Atlas III]]''.<ref>''Elements of Treason: Opportunity'', ch. 24</ref>

==Notes==
* Duke Vedet is a trained MechWarrior, despite lacking military schooling. He was only instructed by private instructors. He operates a new redesigned ''[[Atlas (BattleMech)|Atlas]]'' BattleMech.

* The ''[[Fenrir II]]'' is the result of a bet between Vedet (as Duke of Hesperus II) and Archon [[Adam Steiner]].<ref>''Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth'', p. 8: "Fenrir II Assault Battle Armor"</ref>

* Duke Vedet is sometimes listed as Brew'''st'''er rather than Brewer, primarily in Dark Age novels.{{cn}}

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Blood of the Isle]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Elements of Treason: Opportunity]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Era Report: 3145]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: 3145]]''
* ''[[Fire at Will]]'' (novel)
* ''[[IlClan (sourcebook)|IlClan]]''
* ''[[Shattered Fortress]]'' (sourcebook)
* ''[[The Last Charge]]'' (novel)


[[Category: Lyran Commonwealth Characters|Brewer, Vedet]]
[[Category:Archons|Brewer, Vedet]]