Charles Beams

"Freedom is something you have to fight for, rather than something you're given. Being free means being prepared to carry that burden."

Fierce and free-spirited, Charles is a man who spends his life free of doubt and deceit. Together with Ray Beams, his business partner and wife, he runs a private mercenary business that operates independently from the Trailers organization. While easily taken for a humorous and easy-going individual these surface traits conceal a darker reality. As an ex-special forces operative, Charles understands all too well the reality of war and human conflict, choosing to view it objectively as everyone's fight to put food on the table. He and his wife may spend their time away from missions blissfully happy in the company of each other, but for those who find themselves in his sights, Charles has no reason to suppress the thrill he gets from killing.

Background Information
Once upon a time, Charles was a soldier of the EFA. He was very, very good at killing people, whether it was an automatic weapon in his hand or a flight stick. His superiors understood the cool thrill he got out of ending the lives of others, and it was something they were quite happy to advantage of. His skill and longevity were such that when it came time to form an elite squadron of black ops pilots who were deadly efficient operatives both inside and outside of the cockpit, Charles Beams was among the first on the list of candidates to be a member of the SOF - Special Operations Force. He was one of the unit leaders alongside Holland Novak, both second in rank only to the SOF's leader, Dewey Novak.

Among the members of the SOF was a non-human girl by the name of Eureka, whose efficiency as an emotionless mecha piloting killing machine was above and beyond all expectations. Several members of the SOF abandoned the force and took her with them as the result of a moral crisis, both for the acts of murder they themselves had committed, and for the sake of a young girl who was being raised to be a killer with no future. Charles was one of the few who remained, as well was Ray Beams, the elite hacker who he had come to love during his term of service with the unit. Despite her being rendered infertile by radiation from Eureka's experimental mecha, he could picture a future living with no other woman. In the wake of the political embarrassment surrounding the defection, both were Charles and Ray were both discharged from the military...or so the story goes. Dewey Novak, the SOF's commanding officer, was less fortunate and placed on indefinite leave in a jail cell.

Fast forward to today.

Charles and Ray Beams live together happily in a light mobile carrier that they've named "The Swan". The combination of Charles's ruthless efficiency as a pilot and Ray's mastery of all matters technical have blossomed into a surprisingly efficient private mercenary business that operates separately from the Trailers organization. Truth be told, the two aren't making an incredible fortune between the costs of refueling and maintaining The Swan and the twin custom mechs that it houses, but it's more than enough for the two of them that they're able to stay out of debt and live happily in the company of each other.

Personality Traits
Charles Beams is a pretty happening guy. He enjoys music, attends raves, goes ref boarding in his spare time, and is a loving husband to his wife Ray. He has a laid back personality and is rarely afraid to play the part of the goofball, but he has a far more solemn view on life than most would take him for. He enjoys the most he can out of every day because each may be the last for him or his wife, and moreover he accepts the dog eat dog nature of the world without regret. It is for this reason he disapproves of idealists who wear their hearts on their sleeves, particularly those who go through life thinking that they can change the state of the world without killing others in the process. Humanity will never come together as a peaceful entity, and those who yearn for times of peace are merely seeking comfort in their momentary delusions.

There is a darker facet as well; Charles Beams is a killer.

Charles has accepted the grim truths of reality - and gets a thrill from placing himself close to death only for others to find it instead. Unlike a serial killer, he has complete control over his emotions and actions. Like a serial killer, he's learned to be good at what he does, has no qualms about it, and doesn't hide the fact that he enjoys it from himself. He holds no grudge against those who survive battles against him, and merely looks forward to the next opportunity to dance close to the edge of death with them. It's a dangerous game, and one that is bound to get him killed one day. His wife knows this and deep down fears it more than nothing else in this world. For now he continues to be lucky...and good. /Really/ damn good.

Talents & Abilities


Party Animal: When not on the job, Charles just wants to have fun. He doesn't believe in taking work home with him, and when he's not on the job he can be found attending the occasional low income rave or dance party down on the surface of Earth, or "ref" boarding in the trapar wave supporting regions of the planet. Those who have met Charles from hanging out with him in social settings have little reason to associate him with the bloodthirsty mercenary that he is on the job.

Consummate Professional: It's extremely rare for a mission to conflict with the morals of Charles, with the murder of civilian children being one of few that he will refuse. Children flying a mech around are hardly defenseless however, and far be it from him to not provide the gritty lessons in reality that they deserve. He's also extremely disinclined to accept "higher bids" to betray a client on a job he's been trusted with, as it becomes extremely difficult to maintain good business with warring factions unless they can expect him to get the job done.

Killing Things: in ur base, killing ur d00dz. Charles is very good at ending people. While most of the kills he racks up are in the cockpit, his skills at ground warfare have not waned over the years. In addition to the bolt-action rifle that he keeps behind the seat of his cockpit, Charles has been known to board enemy vessels with a semi-automatic on occasion. Survivors of said encounters have detailed the results as "very messy".

<3 <3 <3
Ray Beams: You know you're the only one, babe.

Affinity
Charles likes to get along with people where he can. People come from all sorts of backgrounds, and they've all got interesting stories to tell.

Ambivalence
Dewey Novak: The old boss was smart as hell. Maybe too smart. It always struck Charles as odd that Dewey was put in jail for his own brother's indiscretions. Maybe it were a pretext. Employers: It doesn't really matter to Charles what motivates the people paying him. He'll get the job done even if they're on the preachy side of idealist, but nobody is paying him to not make fun of them either.

Caution
Eureka: Charles only knew Eureka as a member of Holland's SOF squad; an emotionless killing machine on the government's leash. No identity, hopes, or dreams...very disturbing to a man like Charles. Despite the hatred that his wife holds for her, Charles ultimately doesn't blame Eureka for her lot in life. He just finds the young alien prodigy a bit unnerving.

Distrust
The EFA: As a former black ops operative of the SOF, the Beams couple and the EFA have a somewhat uneasy relationship. While officially exonerated of having anything to do with Holland's deserters, Charles knows full well that many within the EFA would rather see him and his wife dead or in prison just to be on the safe side.

Contempt
Holland Novak: Defecting from the SOF took some balls, but it's almost like he's been on the run from his life ever since. Very disappointing. Might need some forced intervention in growing out of his second puberty...

Idealists: War isn't going anywhere, kids. No amount of preaching or crying yourself to sleep at night is going to change that.

Logs
None, yet!