Grand Master Ion Rush

Ion Rush became the Gao-shiao-zhang or House Master of House Imarra following the Fourth Succession War. He is, however, entirely loyal to the Capellan state and ideals, which led him into a variety of conflicts with the ruling house of the regime. This finally led him to leave, with his House, the service of the Capellan Confederation and joining the Capellan Free State.

Early Life

Ion Sigismund Rush was born on Sian in 3006 to a poor family of servitors. From a young age, he was thought to survive through any means necessary and make do with what little he had. At the age of 8, he got into a brawl at his school which sent 3 other boys to the hospital. This drew the attention of Master Icarra Sung and prospective master Karl Yaquinto Yadi, who saw potential in the young man. Buying him off his parents and enrolling him in House Imarra training program, Ion Rush demonstrated incredible martial discipline and military acumen beyond what was expected of him. He was accepted in the MechWarrior program, where he excelled before being put on a fast track to leadership positions.

Military Career

The Defense of Sian

While many warriors of House Imarra had gotten “upgraded ‘mechs” using prototype triple-strength myomer, Ion Rush was content with keeping his Thunderbolt as close to stock as possible. This potentially saved his life on 24 October 3029, as his ‘Mech was unaffected by House Davion’s gas which destroyed triple-strength myomer. He led what warriors were left of the House in the defense of House Liao and the Celestial Throne, saving the life of Chancellor Maximilian Liao and his daughter, future Chancellor Romano Liao.

For his failures, Master Yadi was removed from command of House Imarra and Ion Rush was named the new House Master as one of the first acts as Acting Chancellor by Romano Liao. In this position, he ordered a new regimen of training for his men and women to ensure the highest level of efficiency.

Andurien Conflict

During the Andurien Conflict, Warrior House Imarra officially remained on Sian, but companies were dispatched to support other Capellan regiments on the front. Ion Rush himself deployed on multiple occasions in support of various Capellan regiments who were still cripppled from the Fourth Succession War. Thanks to his leadership, the Capellan military had fewer losses than anticipated.

Guardian of Sian and Murderous Dealings

Master Rush saw himself as a defender of the Capellan people after the Andurien Conflict rather than a cog in the Liao regime. While he enjoyed the favors of Romano Liao, he was known to criticize her and some of her stranger obsessions and delusions. He was amongst the supporters of Sun Tzu Liao to be named as heir to the throne after it became more apparent that Kali shared some of her mother’s inadequacies.

The Clan invasion put things in perspective for the Capellan Confederation, with Romano gloating about the losses the other Inner Sphere nations faced. The CCAF’s leadership under James Teng focused heavily on the “previous war” with their planning and requirements against what most of the Warrior Houses now saw as the new major power. Romano’s madness combined with the CCAF refusal to admit the truth of future wars were important elements in Ion Rush’s decision to let Candace Liao in the Celestial Palance, leading to the murder of Chancellor Romano Liao. His involvement in the assassination became known to a few important members of House Liao but was generally admitted to have been a good thing for the nation.

Disillusionment with the Regime

House Master and then Gao-Shiao-Zhang Ion Rush still grew more disillusioned with the CCAF and the Liao regime in the years after Sun Tzu’s ascension to the throne. While there was an improvement in many aspects of general life and the military, Ion was now able to compare and contrast this with the St. Ives Compact under Candace Liao. Even with the liberalization introduced by Sun Tzu, Ion had issues with the class and caste stratification which was still quite apparent in the Confederation. He also still saw major issues with the CCAF and how it operated, being a major detractor of James Teng.

During the early stages of Operation GUERRERO, Warrior House Imarra led the Warrior Houses in taking the ancestral home of Liao from the Federated Suns. Ion Rush showed once again great leadership and military skill, which put him at the forefront of the CCAF. It came as a surprise to many when James Teng was demoted that it was Talon Zahn who got to position as Strategic Military Commander instead of Master Rush. House Imarra was recalled to serve as protectors of Sian once again, with Ion Rush not being allowed to participate in further fights on the Tikonov front.

Defection to the Free States

In 3064, Warrior House Imarra and Ion Rush were dispatched to support the fight against the St. Ives Compact during the Fifth Succession War. Ion Rush still had close ties with Duchess Candace Liao and this perturbed him as he was leading Capellans to fight Capellans. His own disagreements with Talon Zahn and Sun Tzu Liao had also been growing since the appointment of the former as Strategic Military Director.

As they were deploying on the Ambergrist, House Master Rush took his ‘Mech and his personal affairs with him and wanted to leave the Capellan Confederation. His plan was caught by another member of the House, who confided in him that he also would want to leave the Capellan state due to ideological differences. Quickly, the majority of House Imarra had decided it was time to serve a new master rather than the Capellan Confederation, putting their support behind the Capellan Free State, Candace Liao and Tormano Liao.

Battle of Ambergrist

Landing on Ambergist, Ion Rush and his men left Warrior House Fujita engage the defending First Illician Lancers to see how the fight was going. After the initial impact, House Fujita requested support from House Imarra, who refused to answer. Aggravated, Shiao-Zhang Juan Bautista Wyeth, took his command company to meet with the Imarra leadership, where he was ambushed and his ‘Mech destroyed. Ion Rush promised safe passage off world to the members of House Fujita if they swore not to fight the St. Ives Compact and Capellan Free State in the future, with the members of House Imarra that wanted to remain with the Confederation joining them.

While there was some fighting that still followed, a significant number of members of House Fujita decided to follow House Imarra instead of simply leaving the planet. In the end, combining their forces, the two defecting Warrior Houses had the equivalent of a regiment’s worth of troops who in turn swore allegiance to the Free States.

Conquest of Imalda

Duchess Candace Liao gladly accepted the support of the Warrior Houses, allowing them to open a monastery on St.Ives and on Warlock for their own needs. The Duchess had to personally guarantee the loyalty of the members of the Warrior Houses to the Allied Command, as Duke Morgan Hasek-Davion was skeptical of their true intentions. Only through investigations by MIIO were the warriors vetted for service in upcoming operations in the Fifth Succession War.

The world of Imalda was selected for Ion Rush to lead a force on, as the world was in open revolt against the Liao regime at the time. The goal was for him to bring peace to the world before asking the locals for a vote on which faction of the Capellan state they wanted to join. With the support of the First Illician Lancers, Ion Rush landed on the world and fought against Liao Loyalist militias and garrison, along with supporting elements from the Crater Cobras mercenary regiment. The fight was short and after a month, the Cobras had left the planet and the locals were brought to the ballot box, voting overwhelmingly for joining the Capellan Free States.

Personal Life

Ion Rush’s life was built around monastic life as a member of the Warrior-Houses. Even in his adult life, he spends most of his time in martial arts training, meditation and studying philosophical documents. He has taken a liking to studying political treatises from Earth’s Middle Ages, focusing on John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Thomas Sowell and Hannah Arendt. As a Buddhist warrior-monk, Ion Rush follows the 227 Precepts and is sworn to a life of celibacy.

Ion Rush’s BattleMech

In his early career, Ion Rush piloted a Thunderbolt equipped with jump jets. He later traded his ‘Mech for a brand new Jinggau from Shengli Arms.

Clan Watch Report

“Ion Rush shows us exactly what amounts for ‘loyalty’ in the Inner Sphere. Even people at the top of a system can shift allegiances because of so many reasons it becomes hard to follow. Or maybe it shows us that loyalty to an ideal is more important than loyalty to a political system. More research is required on this topic, and on this man.”