Kurenai Koizumi

**Brigadier Kurenai Koizumi** (formerly Sub-Revenant) is one of the supporting characters in the InsurgentAces Creatives novel, Ace Combat Insurgent Skies. The sister of the Snow Leopard herself, she is willing to become a person on the level of Naoko and hopes to make up for the lost time during her days when she went AWOL.

## Early years

Born in March 16, 1996, several years after Naoko Koizumi came to be, Kurenai is the youngest sister in the family who shared a long bloodline in the military history, their father, Shiro Koizumi, being an Admiral for the Imperial Nichihanese Navy and their mother, Kaede, a military communications expert for the whole Nichihanese Armed Forces.

When the parents aren't there for each other, Naoko and Kurenai look out for each other like true siblings, to the point they became extremely close for each other and spend most of their quality time engaging in acts that view them as *Yamato Nadeshiko* (pure lady in Nichihanese) including playing music and doing traditional activities.

When Naoko entered in the military, Kurenai wanted to follow suit with her but decided to let her follow other interests to prevent the horrors of war sinking in. During the Republic of Harima's great struggle for independence, Kurenai was present helping out the other soldiers as a pacifist, giving out aid for the soldiers who served on all fronts.

When she became 17, Kurenai is enlisted as a pilot for the Imperial Air Force, effectively finding her place in order to be close to Naoko.

## Accident and supposed "death"

During her trip in Ganzorig, Kurenai and Shiro went to Ganzorig in order to oversee several troops for the coming war against the Congregation of Dominatus. Before reaching the place, however, they had to stop after a wayward van stopped their car. Unbeknownst to the two, it was a trap rigged by Dominatians to wipe out the first half of the Koizumi clan. Without warning, Kurenai and Shiro were caught in the blast, killing Shiro and presumably Kurenai herself.

Upon receiving news of Kurenai's death, it sparked Naoko to fight harder against the Dominatian's crusade who formed ATLAS Defense Initiative along with Empress Takara II, General Lars Marsden and several world leaders.

## Going underground

In reality, the attack did not kill Kurenai, though the blast rendered her near unconscious but mobile. It was more than enough to put the young woman in a fighting situation before retreating to a nearby place and passing out due to her injuries.

She was then brought about by several Ganzorigan resistance fighters and trained her to become a better warrior in the process. When Kurenai returned to her home country in Nichihan, she received the news that Naoko was killed by several Dominatus Holy Warriors, she grew nearly inconsolable and vowed to eradicate those responsible.

When ATLAS fell, Raven Dizon, the former Executive Officer of the Valiant Squadron recruited 24 of the finest men and women and named it Raven 24. Kurenai was recruited afterwards, along with Heinrich Jessel, Danielle Kaczinsky and several others to eradicate the Dominatian threat. She was eager to join the IJSF as a flight operator, but, an attack in Ganzorig caused her to be lured in by one of Raven's students, Kostya Simonov, to join the newly reformed Pax Aeterna.

## Tenure in Pax

Kurenai was eventually brainwashed by Pax and tricked her into believing that ATLAS was responsible for the death of Naoko Koizumi, wherein she vowed that IJSF will be destroyed for what they did to her while being promised that her death will be avenged.

When Reginald was captured by Pax forces inside Yuktobania, he was constantly tortured by Sanderson Jankowski and was placed in a holding cell with Kurenai watching over him and vowing that Reginald will be the first to die. It wasn't until Kurenai saw a necklace with the Infinity Ring, reminiscent of the same necklace Naoko made and gave to her during their childhood, that snapped her out of her brainwashed state and, later on, played a key catalyst in changing sides to the Ascension.

By that point, the two would develop a close relationship for one another despite Reg siding in ISC and Kurenai being part of the Severus Squadron. During his captivity, they talked frequently while Kurenai kept her status as a Pax soldier well-hidden, even going as far as giving the captured Valiant member food to stay energized. It wasn't until later on that the young woman exposed several points in the prison area and that he is being held within Erusea along with his sister. When asked what happened to Nanami, Kurenai told him that the former's affiliations with ARKBIRD has been compromised and is set to execute her in the following months.

Before she assisted Reginald in breaking free from his hold, she secretly told him to avenge the death of her sister, but not before telling him that she will return for him. During the operation in Yuktobania, upon hearing that Naoko Koizumi was alive and rescued by Infinity Services personnel, she then planned a well timed defection phase in order to rejoin her sister with whom she hasn't seen for over a year, while maintaining her cold demeanor as a Pax soldier.

Later, she was assigned in the infamous Severus Squadron, the elite group of fighters tasked to defend the Anointed One. They were given standard issued Su-47 Berkut planes as rewards.

During their sortie in the Afzalian area where an Air Ixiom Boeing 777-200 carrying several Afzalian passengers and Red Cross members: Stephanie Meyers, Risa and Dana Kleiner was under attacked by Pax aerial forces. Despite being well trained, they were warded off by the Sky Knights, causing their planes to sustain damage and fall back.

## Defection

When Harris Hanwell, one of the Sky Knights who crashed in Nordennavic after being shot down was about to be executed, she saw several planes from a group known as the Ascension leading the charge in breaking the Emmerian mercenary free from captivity.

Upon contemplating at the necklace with the Infinity Ring given to her by Naoko, and losing sight of her calling, she then entered in her newly issued XR-45 Cariburn and broke off from the Severus Squadron, rejoining her teacher Raven and the Ascension to prove that she can still make up for the lost time.

## Competencies and flying style

Like Reginald, Kurenai is a born multirole fighter and has been known for taking down enemy aircraft and ground forces with ease. Unlike most Pax fighters who employ cold tactics, including Severus Squadron, Kurenai is the honorable warrior among them to the point she would praise those with whom she fought in the skies.

Like her sister, Naoko, Kurenai is highly knowledgeable and holds a calm interior and exterior whenever she fights, to the point that she can read the tide of the battle should the situation warrant itself.

## Trivia

* Similar to the Big 3 (Naoko Koizumi, Empress Takara II and Princess Unohana Hime IV), Kurenai Koizumi has never uttered a single profane language throughout the series as a way to maintain her serene appearance.
* Apart from piloting planes, Kurenai is extremely well taught in traditional and modern Nichihanese culture. Examples of which is when she served traditional Nichihanese tea for the troops while thanking them for their efforts and practicing calligraphy.
* Kurenai is also tremendously gifted in singing, like Naoko, and she is known to have an "angelic voice" as most people, including Reginald, described. Apart from singing, she is also a gifted musician and plays the violin at times.