Charles Edward Maxwell
Sarna News
Charles Maxwell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal | |
| Also known as | "Eden" |
| Born | 2996 |
| Died | 3092 |
| Affiliation | Mercenary |
| Profile | |
| Profession | MechWarrior |
| Family | |
| Parents | Frederick Maxwell, Elizabeth Maxwell |
| Spouse | Alyssa Maxwell (nee Chase) |
| Children | Benjamin Edward Maxwell, John Edward Maxwell |
History
Charles Edward Maxwell was born July 29, 2996 to affluent merchant parents of Lyran heritage and spent his formative years learning the finer points of frontier diplomacy and business in the Aurigan Reach. His mother and father made a comfortable living brokering and facilitating trade between the land holds of the Aurigan Coalition, the Capellan Confederation, the Free Worlds League, the Taurian Concordat, and the Magistracy of Canopus; though often at odds with one another, the diverse nations all had material needs, and the superlative ability of the Maxwells to conduct politically-neutral commerce amongst them kept customers' warehouses stocked and the coffers of the family full.
The prosperity of the family business enabled Charles to receive a robust primary education, and, when he was older, to attend a private Taurian military academy to formalize his secondary schooling.
Unfortunately, the continuation of Charles' life of privilege would not follow him into adulthood. His parents' ability to earn their fortune was eclipsed only by their ability to spend it. By the time Charles graduated from his university studies, his family had become utterly destitute. Unable to meet the demands of their creditors, and having fallen out of favor with their peers in the Outworlds gentry, Charles' parents took their own lives in 3019.
The single object of value which remained after the settlement of the Maxwell estate was a first-generation CPLT-C1 Catapult, which had only been spared from bankruptcy liquidation due to the presence of a mis-recorded lien in its title history. Charles took possession of the BattleMech, and, in an act of historical irony, christened it 'Tyche', after the Greek goddess of luck and prosperity.
With little else to the family name, in 3020, Charles fell back on his tactical and mercantile knowledge to eke out a meager existence for the next five years as a caravan escort for House Arano.
In 3025, Charles participated as one of many guns-for-hire involved in the evacuation of Coromodir IV after a political insurrection, staged by the Espinosa family, resulted in the outbreak of military hostilities on the world. During the retreat, Charles' convoy was set upon by Espinosa Directorate forces. Maxwell, holding the line to buy precious time for the transports under his guard to escape, was ultimately forced to eject from his BattleMech; both he and 'Tyche' were later rescued by a nearby mercenary unit. Charles remained with the unit for the next three years, eventually rising to a leadership position in its command structure.
Over the course of 3028, Charles and his mercenary company would play key roles in restoring stability to the Aurigan Reach. However, the inherent unpredictability of the Periphery and its persistent strife had worn thin on Charles. With substantial earnings in the company's accounts after remaining under constant contract to the Coalition for over a year, Charles elected to split the mercenary unit into two separate entities, with his command, Aegis Division, withdrawing from the Reach and seeking out new opportunities in the relatively-more-stable Sarna March. Establishing a foothold in Gellen's Heights, on the core world of Sheratan, Charles continued to offer his services as a full-time mercenary and part-time merchant for the next several years. During that time, Charles piloted a KGC-0000 King Crab, codenamed 'Ares'.
| “ | Charles Maxwell's ethos was simple: if he found it interesting, and he believed it could be accomplished, it was worth doing. | ” |
| — Orlex Jaeger, 3029 | ||
In 3029, following a fateful and fortuitous encounter with the enigmatic William Kauffman, Charles and Aegis Division entered into long-term contractual arrangements with Interstellar Expeditions that saw the unit embarking on a series of far-flung artifact retrieval contracts throughout the Inner Sphere.
Charles would eventually become the director of a secretive and shadowy independent technologies exchange, ultimately becoming its CEO in 3068 after its corporate headquarters was annihilated in the Word of Blake attack on New Earth.
Retiring in 3072, Maxwell was alleged to have died in 3092. However, rumors abound that he may have taken the Devlin Stone route around death, surviving to see the rise of the Republic of the Sphere.
Notes
- This character was created as part of the 2019 Clan Invasion crowdfunding campaign by a backer.
- Charles Edward Maxwell appears in the Mercenaries of the Inner Sphere II pilot collection.