Charos Ikeda

Tai-sa Charos Ikeda (池田カロス, Ikeda Karosu) was an accomplished and well-decorated of the . Often known by his nom de guerre "The Red Nightmare" and by his comrades-in-arms by the comparable Japanese moniker Akai-kaibutsu, Ikeda was renowned and feared in equal measure for his exceptional skill in piloting .
Originally born as Shūichi Kobayashi, he was the son of esteemed Ezekiel Kobayashi and a star student at the . Graduating at the top of his class, his father's political rival Gideon Tanaka used his graduation celebration as an opportunity to assassinate his father, in addition killing all living males of the Kobayashi bloodline and rounding up all of the women to be sold into forced prostitution.
Faking his death, he changed his name and became a 'Mech pilot in the recently-formed , where he impressed with his incredible skill. He quickly ascended to the rank of Sho-sa, with his ultimate goal being to ascend the rungs of the DCMS and make his way into a position in which he would be able to avenge his family and kill Gideon Tanaka. Before took command of the Legions of Vega, the units under Ikeda's command were some of the only MechWarriors in the Legions with a reputation for success. In recognition of his exceptional performance, in 3025 the newly-in-command Theodore Kurita personally promoted Ikeda to Chu-sa, and in 3026 he would be recommended by the future as a candidate to join the prestigious regiments. He would pass the Sword of Light trials flawlessly, being assigned to the and placed in command of its 3rd Battalion, becoming the first member of the Legions of Vega to enter a Sword of Light unit.
Throughout his career up to this point, Ikeda had frequently come to blows with the commander Bayard Crowe and his Bloody Buccaneers. This had begun with his first true taste of combat at the Battle of Ensirion in 3018, during which he would kill the Buccaneer's original commander, Walter Vandrel, and throughout the years after both would come to have killed a number of each other's friends and comrades, resulting in an ever-deepening bitter rivalry between the two MechWarriors.
It would be during the that Ikeda's dream of retribution for his family would finally have a chance to reach fruition. In October 3039, during the Draconis Combine's counterattack against the offensive, the 2nd Sword of Light would be deployed to alongside the and to turn back forces under the command of , who had captured the system earlier in the year. While the 2nd was underway to Kessel, Ikeda learned that Gideon Tanaka was present in the system attempting to broker the services of or otherwise strongarm a DCMS unit into reclaiming his lost holdings on the world, unable to hire mercenaries to do so thanks to edict from years earlier.
Upon the 2nd Sword of Light's arrival to Kessel, with the blessing of the regiment commander Ikeda contacted Tanaka and pledged his personal in Tanaka's service, placing his XO in command of the 3rd Battalion in his stead.
Upon deploying to the planet's surface, Ikeda and his lance found Tanaka waiting in a on a clifftop overlooking his seaside manor. Patrolling the coastal valley estate below were two lances of the . Ikeda was first into the fray, immediately stripping the chest armor of a with a pair of bolts before igniting its stores with a volley from one of his own SRM launchers. Daimyō Tanaka quickly followed suit, as did Ikeda's lancemates.
Short work was made of the remainder of the first lance, with Ikeda also felling its commander, a . Then came the second lance from further afield, headed by a . The lone skirmisher was brought down quickly as it moved up to engage the Kuritans, with Ikeda peeling the armor from its torso with another pair of well-placed PPC shots, before his lancemate Sho-sa Vasily Togosaka set off the ammo stores for the Lyran's CT-mounted six-tube SRM launcher with a volley of fire from his . Tanaka, Sho-sa Grendel Borowitz, and Tai-i Yuuki Yoshida dealt with the two main-line enemy mechs, an and a , while Ikeda and Togosaka moved in on the Lyran lance commander, Togosaka taking advantage of the Jenner's speed to distract the Zeus while Ikeda peppered it with PPC fire. By the time the Zeus collapsed with its center torso a smoking wreck, the other two Lyran mechs also laid as lifeless hulks in the dirt.
Upon their confirming their victory, Tanaka requested that Ikeda and his lancemates gather with him at the gates of his estate's main building, and that Ikeda himself dismount from his 'Mech so that Tanaka could show his gratitude face to face. Ikeda obliged, but as he approached a warmly smiling Tanaka he did not greet the daimyō with a respectful bow, instead drawing his katana and slashing the traditional uwa-obi tied around Tanaka's , sending the nobleman's daishō clattering to his feet. As Tanaka stood dumbfounded before him, Ikeda assumed a fighting stance and issued a challenge:
"I am Ikeda Charos, but you may know me better as Kobayashi Shūichi. The last time we met you killed my father, daimyō Kobayashi Ezekiel, along with what I suspect you believed was every heir to his title, stealing it illegally for yourself. However, as the late daimyō's first-born son, his title is rightfully mine to inherit." Motioning with his sword towards that of Tanaka, he continued: "Should you wish to continue using your stolen title and not face the wrath of the Coordinator for your treachery, you will have to strike me down in single combat. Take up your sword and prepare yourself if you have the spine to do so, otherwise I shall claim you as my prisoner and I will drag you rotten excuse for a man to myself once Kessel is reclaimed from the rest of these Lyran dogs.".
Tanaka's face remained stone-cold, asking just how long Ikeda had waited for this moment. The MechWarrior told him he had waited 25 years; 25 years to see the false daimyō die by his hand or grovel for the Coordinator's mercy.
"A shame then that you'll have the satisfaction of neither," Tanaka sneered, suddenly reaching for something at his hip. Ikeda cried out, lunging forward in hopes of severing Tanaka's hand, but it was too little, too late; he had underestimated the full extent of the daimyō's spiteful perfidy. Tanaka drew the and pressed it firmly against his chin. With a final, sneering grin and eyes filled with vitriol, he squeezed the trigger, sending boiling brain matter showering out the back of his skull.
Ikeda fell to his knees as Tanaka's body slumped over. In the 25 years that he had waited for his revenge, never had he imagined that Tanaka would be willing to throw away what little personal honor he had left just to deny Ikeda any possible hint of satisfaction.
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