Rachet d'Everard

Knight-Baron Rachet Maria Gottart d'Everard CC OD IHC OE OC (June 4, 1903 – June 13, 1997) was a Yonderian soldier, nobleman and Ambassador to Burgundie. He is noted for his long and succesful military career in both the Yonderian Defence Force and the Burgoignesc Foreign Legion and as a recipient of both the Yonderian Knight's Cross and the Burgoignesc Ordre d'Distintiu, the highest order for gallantry awarded by either country. As Chief of the General Staff d'Everard was instrumental in the 1948 New Army agreement that modernized the Yonderian Defence Force greatly from an army relying doctrinally on static defence to one of rapid maneuver warfare. d'Everard would go on to become Chief of Defence of the Yonderian Defence Force in 1956, a position he held until his retirement in 1970. Following his retirement from the YDF d'Everard was posted to Burgundie as Ambassador, serving with distinction for ten years in this capacity.

d'Everard joined the Yonderian Defence Force in 1924 and rose to the rank of Lieutenant before seeking furlough and joining the Burgoignesc Foreign Legion in 1929. He fought in numerous campaigns for the Burgoignesc and was awarded, amongst other orders, the Crotx della Valor, Escut della Sang and finally the Ordre d'Distintiu, Burgundie's highest order for gallantry. He was wounded in combat several times and ultimately sent home to Yonderre in 1935 for medical reasons. After attending a higher officer candidate school d'Everard held a regimental command in the Guard Dragoon Division before being sent as a military observer to Burgundie in 1939 in time for the New Burgundie Secession War.

d'Everard was the cause of a diplomatic incident when photos surfaced of him leading a charge of Yonderian volunteers dressed in Yonderian uniform, for which he was ultimately recalled to Yonderre. Under pressure from Kiravia d'Everard was tried for treason, using a poorly worded paragraph of Yonderian military legal code to interpret that his actions in the New Burgundie Secession War constituted illegally fighting for another country. In what was widely considered a pre-determined show trial, d'Everard was found not guilty and instead of jail was posted to the Yonderian General Staff. He was made Chief of the General Staff in 1948 and oversaw the modernisation of the Yonderian Defence Force via the 1948 New Army agreement for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Joanus. d'Everard was made Chief of Defence in 1956 and served in this role until his voluntary retirement at the end of 1970, aged 67. After three months of idleness he was posted to Burgundie as Ambassador, serving with distinction for ten years in this capacity until his ultimate retirement in 1980.

A lifelong soldier and statesman, a 2020 survey placed d'Everard as the 8th greatest Yonderian of all time. d'Everard's legacy was a totally changed Yonderian Defence Force, from a conscript-based static defensive force to a professional mechanized army. His ambassadorship to Burgundie was a highly popular one that reinforced the strong bond between the two nations, but in turn the incident he caused during the New Burgundie Secession War soured Kiro-Yonderian relations temporarily.

Early life
Rachet Maria Gottart d'Everard was born in Sainte-Catherine, Kubagne, on June 3 1903, son of the famous paleontologist Phillipe d'Everard (1865-1938) and his wife Hedvig (1876-1962). The d'Everards were descended from a line of Barons leading back to the Conquest of Joanusterre, living in the ancestral d'Everard Bourg in Sainte-Catherine. Rachet attended a private catholic boys' school operated by the Order of St. Prokop until his graduation in 1919. He went on to technical school studying mechanics from which he graduated in 1922. He then spent a year and a half with his father on a paleontological expedition as an assistant digger in the rocky deserts of Iulia, Caphirian Valcenia, before returning to Yonderre in March of 1924.

Early military career
d'Everard enlisted in the Yonderian Defence Force in 1924 and received his basic training in Sainte-Catherine before being posted as a Conestable to the 3rd Regiment of the Guard Cuirassier Division, at the time a unit whose soldiers still rode horses, wore steel cuirasses and wielded sabres as their primary weapons. d'Everard performed well as a cavalryman and attended the Vallonbourg Cavalry School from 1926-1928. While in Vallonbourg he met Rachel de Renne, the daughter of a local industrialist. The two married in the Summer of 1927.

Graduating from Vallonbourg Cavalry School as a Lieutenant, d'Everard returned to the 3rd Guard Cuirassier Regiment in 1928 and became a member of the equestrian training board, with the added responsibility of buying steeds for the regiment. d'Everard grew discontent however when it became apparent Yonderre would not enter the Second Great War. Feeling a personal responsibility to fight for his ancestral homeland, d'Everard was granted furlough in early 1929 and travelled to Burgundie.

Burgoignesc Foreign Legion
d'Everard arrived in Burgundie in March of 1929 and enlisted in the Burgoignesc Foreign Legion. After a brief training stint he was posted to the 3rd Joanusterrien Light Infantry Regiment as a senior sergeant, arriving just in time for the Matavista Campaign. d'Everard distinguished himself as a platoon commander, with experience from the Iulian mountains of Sarpedon coming in handy as his regiment fought up the slopes of the Matavistas Mountains. Due to the untimely artillery-based spontaneous disappearance of his company commander, d'Everard took charge of his company for four weeks before a replacement was dispatched from Burgundie. When said replacement was killed in action two days later, d'Everard received a battlefield promotion to Lieutenant.

Towards the end of the Matavista Campaign, d'Everard was awarded with the Crotx della Valor and the Escut della Sang, the former for valorous action in face of the enemy and the latter for the wounds he sustained in combat. d'Everard was wounded in combat several times, first in 1930 when he was shot in the torso twice at close range with a pistol. d'Everard had carried on fighting regardless, stopping only to bandage himself before continuing the battle. In a later campaign in 1931 he received a slight wound to the head when a bullet grazed his neck, an incident d'Everard later would refer to as his "combat shave". d'Everard recieved his promotion to Captain in 1934, thus becoming a company commander. It was because of an action later in 1934 that he was awarded the Ordre d'Distintiu, the highest order for gallantry awarded by Burgundie, when he forced his way through enemy fire to take and hold a hilltop position, having to return for more ammunition five times and each time carrying a wounded comrade back to friendly lines.

d'Everard was hospitalized in the closing days of the Second Fratricide in 1935 when he was seriously wounded by an enemy artillery strike. His left shoulder had been smashed by a large piece of shrapnel and the blast had knocked him off his feet, resulting in d'Everard hitting his head against rocky ground. He was medically discharged from the Burgoignesc Foreign Legion and returned to Yonderre, spending the better part of half a year recovering from his wounds before returning to active duty with the Yonderian Defence Force.

Return to Yonderre and New Burgundie Secession War
d'Everard returned to active duty in Yonderre towards the end of 1935 after a remarkably speedy recovery. Finding that the Guard Cuirassier Division he had once served with had retrained as an armoured division, d'Everard sought and was granted a transfer to the still horse mounted Guard Dragoon Division. In 1937 d'Everard attended the one-year staff officer course at the Yonderian Command and Staff College in Willing, graduating as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1938 with a posting to the Divisional HQ of the Guard Dragoons. Given his past service in the Burgoignesc Foreign Legion he was offered a posting as a military attaché to Burgundie as an observer in the New Burgundie Secession War, an offer d'Everard took gladly.

d'Everard arrived with Burgoignesc reinforcements to New Burgundie in the Summer of 1939. He kept extensive notes and filed weekly reports to the Yonderian Defence Force. On September 1st, 1939, he was informed by telegram of his promotion to Colonel. Two weeks later, d'Everard found himself at the center of an enemy surprise attack on the forward observation post manned by Yonderian volunteers he was presently visiting. Grabbing the rifle of a killed volunteer, d'Everard rallied his countrymen and led a counterattack on the seperatist forces. Another military observer present took pictures of the action, the publishing of which caused what became known as the d'Everard incident. Under pressure from Kiravia d'Everard was recalled from New Burgundie and upon his return to Yonderre was placed under house arrest pending a trial for treason.

Trial and posting to General Staff
Under pressure from Kiravia amidst threats of cessation of all trade and diplomatic relations, the Yonderian state had little choice but to seek appeasement. Using a poorly worded paragraph of Yonderian military legal code, d'Everard stood accused of having fought illegally under another country's banner while in service to Yonderre, constituting treason. Defending d'Everard were returned Yonderian volunteers present at the battle, who testified that d'Everard's actions on that day had saved their lives. Of greatest significance to the defence was the corroborating statements that d'Everard's action amounted to self defence, rather than treason, and that he had only returned fire once shot at. Ultimately, d'Everard was found innocent of the accusations in December of 1940 after a lengthy trial.

Given three weeks Christmas leave to recuperate, d'Everard returned to the Guard Dragoon Division as a regimental commander. At the behest of his divisional commander Erwin von Bromstadt, d'Everard once more attended the Yonderian Command and Staff College in June of 1943 for a two year General Staff course. Graduating in 1945, d'Everard was posted to the Yonderian General Staff headed by Benno de Caryale who quickly took a liking to d'Everard. Realizing the importance of d'Everard's understanding of military theory and his immense tactical combat experience, de Caryale put d'Everard in charge of the commission drawing up what would ultimately become the New Army agreement. Although the plans were ready by autumn of 1946 they were soon halted by bureaucracy, and it was not until December of 1947 that they were finally approved. With de Caryale's promotion to Chief of Defence, d'Everard was made Chief of the General Staff in 1948 and oversaw the implementation of the New Army agreement which was a near-total reorganization and modernisation of the Yonderian Defence Force, for which he was ultimately awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Joanus.

Chief of Defence
Rachet d'Everard was made Chief of Defence of the Yonderian Defence Force on January 1st 1956, replacing his old mentor de Caryale. d'Everard took charge of the YDF at the height of the Occidental Cold War, a time of great uncertainty. Because of the New Army agreement that d'Everard had drawn up and the implemenation of which he had overseen, the YDF was now a mechanized and thus highly mobile army of volunteer career soldiers, a turnaround from the previous footslogging conscript infantry army. However, realizing and acknowledging the YDF's limited size compared to that of the Urcean Royal and Imperial Army, d'Everard sought to establish the YDF as a highly elite mobile force, adept at acting in specialized roles on potential LOTA deployments while also being able to protect the borders of Yonderre itself should the need arise. The ultimate result of this was the Yonderian Defence Agreement of 1960, which further emphasised the focus of the New Army agreement on mobility through mechanization.

As Chief of Defence, d'Everard oversaw and pushed for the introduction of many infantry weapons systems like the MAS mle 58 anti-tank guided missile, RAS mle 66 RPG and AMG-60 armoured personnel carrier, all of which were intended to improve the fighting capability of the comparatively small YDF. d'Everard worked closely with Grand Duke Joanus X de Martigueux and the Stewards of the Realm on Yonderre's military strategy, neatly balancing the figurative tightrope of defensive and offensive capability with a relatively small force. In 1970, at his own request, d'Everard retired from the YDF after nearly 46 years of service, intending to settle down in Gabion for his retirement. At d'Everard's suggestion, Ricardo de Bordeleaux of the General Staff was made the new Chief of Defence and not as was usual the Chief of the General Staff Sören Einsch, with whom d'Everard had disagreed widely over defensive strategy.

Ambassador to Burgundie
Three months into retirement, d'Everard was offered the highly prestigious post of Yonderian Ambassador to Burgundie, an offer he graciously accepted. d'Everard arrived with his wife in Vilauristre in March of 1970 to much media attention. The d'Everards settled in quickly, smoothly entering the upper class of Vilauristre society as an ambassador couple. As much as the d'Everards featured in tabloids and magazines, so too did they foster good relations with not only the Burgoignesc authorities but also dignitaries from other countries in Vilauristre. Serving with distinction for ten years in this capacity, d'Everard once more pursued retirement in 1980.

Final years
With the end of his ambassadorship, the d'Everards moved from Vilauristre to Gabion. The d'Everards had been in the media spotlight on and off ever since the d'Everard incident and became regular celebrities in Burgundie and particularly in Yonderre as a result of his ambassadorship. The d'Everards, in spite of their advanced age, became part of the jetset of Gabion, frequenting the Komeon Boulevard neighbourhood. When Rachel d'Everard passed away in 1990, Rachet isolated himself for half a year, accepting only visits from his children and former brothers in arms. It was not until 1992 that d'Everard appeared in public again, as part of a special one-and-a-half hour episode of Here is your life. After appearing on television, d'Everard began giving talks at military academies and public gatherings on a variety of topics pertaining to the Second Great War, the Yonderian Defence Force and matters military in general. Rachet d'Everard passed away in his sleep on the 13th of June, 1997, and is buried in his native Sainte-Catherine. d'Everard received a state funeral, with his coffin placed on a horsedrawn artillery carriage for a final ride through Sainte-Catherine.

Personal life


d'Everard met and married Rachel de Renne in 1927 while studying at the Vallonbourg Cavalry School, Rachel being the daughter of a local industrialist. The two married in the Summer of 1927 and had three children, future YDF General Phillipe d'Everard (1936-2018), actress Edith d'Everard (1940-) and Edmond (1945-), school principal. The d'Everards had been in the media spotlight on and off ever since the d'Everard incident and became regular celebrities in Burgundie and particularly in Yonderre as a result of his ambassadorship, a trend that continued when they retired to Gabion.

Legacy
A lifelong soldier and statesman, d'Everard's legacy was a totally changed Yonderian Defence Force, from a conscript-based static defensive force to a professional mechanized army. His ambassadorship to Burgundie was a highly popular one that reinforced the strong bond between the two nations, but in turn the incident he caused during the New Burgundie Secession War soured Kiro-Yonderian relations temporarily.

Awards


The following is a selected assortment of medals awarded to Rachet d'Everard


 * Yonderre


 * Yonderre  Distinguished Rider Award (1928)
 * Yonderre  Dutiful Service Award for 12 years (1936), 25 years (1949), 35 years (1959), 45 years (1969)
 * Yonderre  Cross of the Order of the Sentinel (1946), Grand Cross (1952), Grand Cross with Swords (1962)
 * Yonderre  Knight's Cross of the Order of Joanus (1948)
 * Yonderre  Cross of the Order of the Shield (1962), Grand Cross (1965), Grand Cross with Swords (1972)
 * Yonderre  Cross of the Order of the Kestrel (1964), Grand Cross (1972), Grand Cross with Sash (1978)


 * Burgundie


 * Burgundie  Crotx della Valor (1929)
 * Burgundie  Matavista Campaign Medal (1930)
 * Burgundie  Escut della Sang (1930)
 * Burgundie  Ordre d'Distintiu (1934)


 * Other


 * Urcea Honorary Eptéi of the Royal Life Guard (1966)
 * Levantine Union Imperial Knight of the Imperial Order of the Holy Cross (1979)