Editing Thomas Frederick Bradford

{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Thomas Bradford.png
| caption             = Frederick Bradford
| name                = Thomas Frederick Bradford
| birthdate           = [[3008]]<ref name=ssp53>''Shattered Sphere'', p. 53: "Thomas Frederick Bradford Profile"</ref>
| died                = 
| othernames          = Frederick Bradford<ref name=ssp53/>
| affiliation         = [[House Bradford]]
| rank                = 
| title               = [[Duke of Coventry]]<ref name="HB:HSp80">''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 80: "Planet Profile"</ref>
| position            = 
| profession          = Noble
| parents             = [[Harrison Bradford (Duke)|Harrison Bradford]] (father)
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = Two sons<ref name=ssp53/>
}}
Duke '''Thomas Frederick Bradford''' was a mid-[[thirty-first century]] was the noble ruler of the [[Lyran Alliance]] planet of [[Coventry]]. Bradford was noted for his intense loyalty towards [[First Prince of the Federated Suns|First Prince]] [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] and his hatred of Victor's sister, [[Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth|Archon]] [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]].

==History==
===Succession Wars Era===
Thomas Frederick Bradford, who typically goes by Frederick Bradford, was the legitimated bastard son of [[Harrison Bradford (Duke)|Harrison Bradford]]. Some time prior to January 3050, Thomas would succeed his father as [[Duke of Coventry]]. He also succeeded his father as a notorious womanizer. At the age of seventeen he made a pass at a mature, beautiful woman thirty-two years his senior. That woman, [[Archon]] [[Katrina Steiner]], was amused and flattered.<ref>''House Steiner (the Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 154</ref><ref name=20YUp95>''20 Year Update'', p. 95: Thomas Bradford personal profile</ref>

===Clan Invasion Era===
In [[3058]] during the [[Jade Falcon Incursion (3058)|Jade Falcon Incursion]] Duke Bradford had his authority challenged by [[Graf]] [[Joseph Mannervek]] who declared himself planetary ruler as the result of the Duke's alleged treason, though Mannervek then proceeded to accommodate a [[Clan Jade Falcon]] presence on the continent of Chakulas inferring Mannervek's claims were more political than factual.<ref>''Malicious Intent'', chs. 29, 33</ref>  As the situation deteriorated he personally asked Archon-Prince [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] to expel the Falcons, instead of [[Archon]] [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]]. This request never reached Victor however, due to the information blackout Katherine and [[Tormono Liao]] imposed regarding the Incursion. Victor arrived anyway, at Katherine's request, and leading a [[Battle_of_Coventry_(3058)#Relief|multinational task force]] to Coventry to confront the Jade Falcons.  The Incursion into the Lyran Alliance ended when ''[[Hauptmann (Rank)|Hauptman]]'' [[Caradoc Trevena]], a Lyran officer with astounding success facing the Clans, offered ''[[hegira]]'' to [[Khan]] [[Marthe Pryde]].  Khan Pryde accepted and ordered her forces to leave Coventry without further bloodshed. This incident led to the re-formation of the [[Second Star League|Star League]], the destruction of [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]], and the [[Great Refusal]] on [[Strana Mechty]].<ref>''Shattered Sphere'', pp. 38–40</ref>

Less than a year later, Bradford used his status as CEO of [[Coventry Metal Works]] to ensure the first runs of ''[[Stiletto (BattleMech)|Stiletto]]'' [[BattleMech]]s went to pro-Victor units such as the [[First Davion Guards]], ostensibly for "field testing."<ref>''Technical Readout: 3067'', p. 56: Stiletto deployment</ref> Bradford circumvented normal procurement channels several times in this period, such as when he sent the [[Twenty-second Skye Rangers]] a pair of ''[[Hauptmann]]'' [[OmniMech|OmniMech]] in recognition for the [[Tenth Skye Rangers]]' action in saving his world,<ref>''Field Manual: Lyran Alliance'', p. 102</ref> or outfitting the [[Coventry CPM]] with cutting-edge hardware.<ref>''Field Manual: Lyran Alliance'', p. 111</ref>

Bradford also opposed [[Billie Piper]], Commandant of the rebuilt [[Coventry Military Academy]], in her efforts to indoctrinate the cadets at his world's academy. As tensions continued to rise in the early 3060s, their clashes grew in frequency and ferocity.<ref>''Field Manual: Lyran Alliance,'' p. 39: Coventry Military Academy profile</ref>

===Civil War Era===
The LAAF was not keen on seeing another attack on Coventry, and garrisoned it with three regiments of troops. However, the conflicting loyalties of these forces drove tensions ever higher. On Christmas Day of [[3062]], the [[FedCom Civil War]] came to Coventry when the newly formed [[1st Coventry Jaegers]], a unit completely loyal to Archon Katherine, were ordered to disarm the [[Coventry CPM]], who were equally loyal to Duke Bradford. The Jaegers, backed up by the [[Free Worlds League]]-based [[mercenary unit]] [[Kristen's Krushers]], wiped out the CPM and the Coventry Military Academy. When Colonel [[Kristen Marik]], commander of the Krushers, protested against the iron-handed policies of Jaegers CO Colonel [[Jason Walker]], Walker saw the opportunity to attack a scion of the hated [[House Marik]]. Walker quickly ordered his unit to attack the weakened Krushers, forcing them off-world. Archon Katherine used her propaganda machine to blame Victor (and by extension, Duke Bradford) for the slaughter of the CPM and nearly instigating an international incident by "ordering" the Jaegers to attack the Krushers.<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', pp. 37–39</ref>

Victor himself and his Allied forces arrived on Coventry on October 17 [[3063]]. By this time, Archon Katherine had "informed" Colonel Walker that Victor had come to destroy the Jaegers in retaliation for their destruction of the CPM; as a result, the Jaegers refused to surrender to Victor and were nearly destroyed to the last man by December 12, returning control of the world to Duke Bradford.<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 85</ref> Following the Civil War, Bradford eagerly threw his support behind the new Archon, [[Peter Steiner-Davion]].<ref>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 99</ref>

==Family and Legacy==
Bradford was married and had two sons.<ref name=ssp53/>

==Notes==
''[[Storms of Fate]]'' and ''[[Field Manual: Lyran Alliance]]'' depict Harrison Bradford still holding the title of Duke of Coventry as late as 3064.{{cn}}

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[20 Year Update]]''
* ''[[FedCom Civil War (sourcebook)|FedCom Civil War]]
* ''[[Field Manual: Lyran Alliance]]''
* ''[[Handbook: House Steiner]]''
* ''[[Shattered Sphere]]''

[[Category: Lyran Commonwealth Characters|Bradford, Frederick]]