Post by Reverb on Apr 13, 2014 3:37:01 GMT -5
Name: Calder Richelieu
Race: Human
Age: 44
Height: 6'
Weight: 184
Birth place: Mandalore
Appearance:
Personality:
Occupation:
Chairman of the Loronar Corporation
Corporate Alliance Executive Board
A Leader of the Exchange Criminal Organization.
Rank:
Director of Advancement, Corporate Alliance Executive Board
One of a dozen leaders of the Exchange
Chairman of the Board, Loronar Corp.
Skills:
Ships/Vehicles:
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 6
Intelligence: 7
Speed: 4
Leadership: 7
Unarmed: 7
Melee Weapons: 6
Ranged Weapons:6
Bio:
The Strong Survive
Almost 60 years have they lived in shame, but the Mandalorian spirit was stronger than time. Shiala Ludo's tribe would not wallow in defeat. They were all mercenaries, and she was their teacher. Daily she led her people in martial training. She taught their young to fight with their hands, and eventually sticks, swords, and knives but not before they mastered her variation of Echani. Survival was at the core of her philosophy, and the tribe new all to well that combat was unified in one goal, to win. Eldren saw to the firearms, was their weapon smith, and Shiala's husband. Together they brought 3 warriors of their own into the world, all sons. First was Dallik, then by the time he was 3 came Ror. 5 years later Tye Lundo was born.
Mandalorian children received little tenderness, and Tye was far from an exception. He was not coddled, he was not cooed. He rarely ever cried. He was cared for, but taught to fend for himself whenever possible. Shiala began formally training all her sons at 4, a year earlier than the other children she instructed. When she began with Tye, his brothers took it as permission to assist with his education. Every day, Dallik and Ror took it upon themselves to serve as a "test" of Tye's daily lessons. His parents allowed it, as long as no permanent injury was sustained. Tye was clearly smarter than his brothers, but they had rather he learn his lessons the hard way. It wasn't until a particularly bad beating when he was 7 that Tye broke and cried to his parents for help. This earned him a firm slap across the face. Shiala's words that day would echo in him for a long time after:
"Don't you give them your fear. Don't give them your pain. Not your anger, your tears, nothing. That is your power, your strength. Don't let them take it. Never give up your power. You can't outgrow them, but you are smarter than they are. You may not be able to beat them, but you don't have to let them win."
Tye never cried again.
Shiala's martial arts instruction never ceased, but Eldren had a trade to teach his sons as well. All the boys spent time helping their father build traditional Mandalorian arms, but the appeal for Tye was not the craftsmanship. It was the math. Problem solving, calculations, the precision of it fascinated the quiet young boy. It was so easy to manipulate, and was needed to control almost everything; it had power. Great power. He was also much better at it than his brothers. They were brutes for certain, but Tye was more, a genuine tactician. This led him to programing, a much neglected skill among his fellows. He thrived in combat, but he soon found slicing to be a fitting occupation for his intellect. He earned an unspoken respect for this talent, but it was always just that: silent.
The years passed, and the Ludo boys proved themselves as warriors time and again. Dallik, now 22 was the strongest in the tribe and led the band when mercenary work came along. Among them was 19 year old Ror. There was great promise for Tye to join the next year. He had grown tall and strong, and always looked a good deal older than he was. He could even hold his own against his brothers, they had made sure of that. Tye was uncommonly quiet for a proud son of Mandalore, however, and many mistook this for an even temperament and patience. They could not have been more wrong. He was always watching, studying. Power obsessed him, and since adolescence the youngest Ludo had become acutely aware of the more nuanced means with which it was wielded in his society. Prowess in battle provided undeniable superiority in many circumstance, but Tye new that there were subtler battles to win. He enjoyed the power of mystery he owned through holding his tongue, and as a result whenever he did chose to speak, everyone always listened. As his fourteenth year drew to a close, a tragedy struck the tribe.
Sins of the Brother
They were only two dozen strong to start, but that was all they had ever needed. The tribe accepted a lucrative contract to aid a very well funded radical group launch an offensive on Dantooine. It was a trap. the noble who hired them used them to play hero, having thwarted a Mandalorian power grab. It was a base power play that payed off for it's organizer. Tye noted this well when the news came that Dallik and a squadron of 8 would not be returning. They had been used, and so easily. Money had talked and dampened their judgment. Another lesson Tye Ludo never forgot.
Shiala did not take well to the loss of her prized son. There was a notable change in her, Tye new. She and Eldren compensated by doubling down on his combat training. Ror was already out of their reach. Now twenty, he naturally competed to take over his brother's command. He had the advantage in combat, and won by traditional determination, but many new, including Tye, that he didn't have the capacity to truly lead. Their tribe was severely fractured, their numbers halved and Shiala holding on by a thread. Older Warriors now had to fill the ranks to pay the bills, including both of Tye's parents. Weakness, and fear, were all seeping into the tribes very heart; but not Tye's. His visor of patience was the only thing faltering in him as the repugnant stench of doubt among his people. Did the spirit of Mandalore mean nothing to them?
The following two years he spent joining his tribe as a gun for hire. He disdained it. It was never clearer to him how expendable they really were. All they believed of themselves meant nothing in the wide scope of galactic conflict. The once proud Mandalorians were flaccid, and he felt trapped among them.
The final straw came as he reached the close of 16. A high profile robbery. They were petty muscle. Embarrassing to Tye. Employed by Thanis Dredge, a crime lord in the Exchange, they were to assist in the robbery of precious minerals stored on site at a private mining facility. Once the vaults were breached they were meant to hold the private security while the cargo was loaded. It should have been simple, but as fate would have it, Ror was as restless as his brother, though sadly not as smart. He saw an opportunity to ambush security early, and took it. Everything went to hell. The fight was uncontrolled, and they couldn't even get to the vaults. One of the Exchange splicers sent along was killed, and two of the 6 Mandalorians, including Eldren Ludo. The rest escaped only to be taken prisoner by the Exchange. Tye was furious. Not as furious, however, as Thanis Dredge.
The whole tribe was brought before Dredge, on their knees and in bonds. The cool even tempo of Thanis's as he paced before them, the pin-drop silence in the room, three dozen murderers and soldiers hanging on his every move, Tye knew where the real power was. Through the next several minutes he found himself biting his tongue.
"I'm at a loss," Thanis grumbled. "I have never before scene such spectacular failure. You are all sterling warriors, really; unfortunately, I did not pay you to SHOW OFF!" He punctuated his sentence by shooting a Mandalorian, one that hadn't even been on the mission. The rebellious struggling was brief. Thanis killed another to silence the room, "Relax. This was just eye-for-a-eye. I hired you out of pity, and now I am trying, I really am, to think of a reason to keep you alive..."
Tye could taste blood. He suddenly became aware of himself. His breath was sharp an loud through his nose, his jaw tense. This man was putting on a show, because he could. That was how he truly punished them, humiliation, shame, that was where his strength came from. Tye did all he could to focus his breath and calm his temper. he was not proud of his family, but he would not give this man what he wanted. But it wasn't his choice.
Thanis leveled his blaster at Ror's head, "Well at the very least, you have certainly proved yourself useless to me..."
Shiala's scream pierced the heart's of the entire room, "NOO! spare him...spare him...we can serve you... we will get the money...we would be proud to be your warriors...." Shiala had lost too much, and just like that she sold her people out to the exchange. Ror had no response, he seemed prepared to follow his mother's lead. Tye was not. Thanis delighted laughter was cut short by Tye's rebutle.
"She does not speak for us all." Suddenly Tye had the rooms attention.
"Really? Now this is interesting... your the little brother aren't you? You have your mother's disdainful frown. What if I cut it from her face..." He motioned to a Bothan who promptly put Shiala in a headlock, and began tracing her cheek bone with a vibro knife. "...would you be interested in 'nobly serving me' then?"
"No."
The crime lords performative facade melted away, he saw something in Tye and felt no need to hide it. "You have no idea how much I'ld like to believe you...Kill them."
Tye didn't flinch. He held the gaze of Thanis Dredge for what seemed an eternity, but was just a few seconds. A brief flash of blaster fire, and Tye Ludo was the last of his tribe. Still, he didn't bat an eye.
The sincerity of Thanis Dredge's warm grin shocked the room as he offered his hand to the orphaned Mandalorian, "Stick with me son, and someone like you can own this galaxy..."
Tye Ludo took that hand, and never looked back.
An Honest Living
"You must be joking! In the last year I have literally brought your rivals to their knees for you... You made promises to me Dredge!"
Thanis rolled his eyes. His once soft spoken protege had developed a bit of a mouth with Dredge this past year; but he couldn't argue with the cold calculated professionalism with which his young enforcer yielded results. He wasn't well well trained and lethal, but smart and calculated, everything Thanis had hoped when he first locked eyes with the young man. He knew, however, holding this boy back would only blow up in his face. Tye needed more than Thanis could give him as a glorified bodyguard; that, and Dredge saw the potential for having a a genuine ace in the hole.
"Your smarter than this Ludo. You cannot grab at power like a child if you want it to last. It must be grounded, and this requires patience and a great deal of work. You have to think further ahead. and in the meantime, the short term benefits should also be obvious..."
Tye Snorted in resignation. Of course his mentor was right, but it felt like starting completely over. Enlisting in the army of the republic. Again a soldier, again taking orders. He would have to earn his authority from his...superiors. It was a long uncertain road, but the risk was worth taking, and the challenges had their appeal. He worked with Thanis's best splicer to rewrite a bit of history, and in an afternoon Tye Lundo had dies with the rest of his tribe a year prior. A few months later, a young republic citizen just 18 enlisted in the republic marines. His name was Calder Richelieu.
Calder's training put him immediately above the other recruits and many of his superiors, but Thanis had lectured him to great lengths about the wrong and right kind of attention. He had a few small scuffles early on, but the trust and confidence of his CO was more valuable than his pride. Once he resigned to his new life, he even enjoyed playing the part. The secret of his own motives put a twinkle in his eye that made it easy for him to join in the game. He became and ideal soldier.
Calder rose in rank quickly, and always accepted with absolute humility. As he was given command he learned the difference between real and superficial power. It was so easy. He became a stronger warrior and leader. Thanis was right to send him here. Even if it was for 10 years.
At 28, Captain Richelieu had a decorated career. Early on he used the Republic service bill to earn a degree in galactic business and industry, with a minor in literature, and was quickly put into officer training after. Education was a thrilling new experience for him. His intellect suddenly had room to flourish, and he wielded a whole new form of power, knowledge. From then on he was a sponge, nothing was irrelevant to his quest for dominance. In the marines, Calder eventually served in spec ops, and led a platoon of the republic's finest. Calder was given responsibility for combat training, specializing in melee & unarmed. Apart from all this he now had a whole world to tend to, social obligations, an apartment, an education, a life.
He also had a secret. The information passed was small, but enough. Just a little advanced knowledge of military operations, and the Exchange had room to profit. With the intel and cover he'ld been providing Dredge, his mentor climbed ranks as quickly as Calder. The Exchange was flourishing. Dredge new where guns were needed, were high priority targets were hiding, who was scared and why; but eventually, Dredge got greedier.
Low profile, that was how it had to be. The arrangement was obviously delicate, but opportunities for profit were becoming more frequent and more lucrative. Dredge was getting old and seizing on Calder's intel without any foresight. There would be a Major Richelieu soon, and maybe even a General eventually. Calder had a shot at a seat of power from which he would be untouchable and they could run the Exchange with impunity, but not if Thanis blew it all now. Every time they spoke now was an enormous fight, and with stakes like these, nobody was going to win. Furthermore, Calder was beginning to realize the absurdity of their relationship. He was now a lauded tactician, better educated, and more qualified in every respect to manage their criminal enterprise. Thanis had been treating him as for of a pawn than partner as of late. The time had come for power to shift hands...
Thanis was to powerful now to be reached alone, but an opportunity came in the form of an illegal stockpile guarded on Ordo. The Captain convinced his superiors that his team would be able to investigate quietly, then falsified the timetables before passing the intel off to Dredge. It was Calder however who ended up trapped. Thanis, however, had grown suspicious, and powerful. The trap had been set by him, and he was waiting in ambush for Captain Richelieu's brave 37th. Calder's men were pinned down hard, but his training gave the all an underestimated advantage, and they whittled down the numbers of the rougher mercenaries attacking them. Still it was a bloodbath. Once his men had gained back the upper hand, Calder set off after Dredge, and found him hiding in a small command hut behind enemy lines. His bodyguards were no match for Captain Richelieu, wielding his blaster in one hand and a vibro sword in the other. Dredge didn't even put up a fight, he couldn't, and Clader wasted no time in driving the sword deep into his chest. They locked eye like they had so many years ago, and Thanis smiled.
"I guess I'm proud, you little..." he paused to clear blood from his airway, "I do hope you survive this. Barely." Thanis revealed a thermal detonator in his left hand, Calder had seconds. He ran, and he did survive, but Thanis left his mark. For his service Calder took a piece of shrapnel through his right thigh, and his left arm from just below the elbow was demolished by fire and debris.
Calder was debriefed as he waited in ER for the cybernetic replacement of his left hand. His leg healed, though enough tissue was taken in the blast that he did require a smaller cybernetic graft on the outer thigh. He had a lot of time to think in recovery. This event and his injuries would set back his military career options, but more importantly, he felt no obligation to them any longer. It was time to refocus his goals, on what HE wanted. No more taking orders this way. He wanted to control the playing field, and he knew just where to do it. Living among society he had witnessed the greatest weapon in the galaxy at work, one that allowed it's wielder to shape history itself: credits. Captain Richelieu felt it was time to move to the corporate sector.
The Merger
Calder's resume was very impressive. His rank, a distinguished record, and an education got a lot of attention, and he had quite a few connections already through former Officers who had joined the industrial complex. After a lot of smiling, impressive banter, and firm handshakes the right choice for Calder was clear. This interview was different. He sat in the office of Gilreth Hungren, then CEO of the Loronar Corporation, whose primary investment was defense contracting. Captain Richelieu was in uniform, and confident, having already received a few offers. Gilreth was...old, with a dark brow, and an office that oversaw the coastal bank of Murkhana City. This was the most significant position he would interview for, Director of Operations. Since the end of the wars over 30 years behind them, their profits were dipping heavily, and their wartime management was getting old, and unable to adapt. The Board wanted new blood and they needed to be impressed. Calder noticed a much different temperature in the room than he had experienced in his other interviews. He sat quietly across from Hungren, and allowed the man to size him up. Gilreth snorted in an approving manner and leaned over his desk, shifting his gaze to the screen holding Calder's profile and resume.
"So Captain Richelieu...," he addressed Calder by rank with a noticeable indifference to it. "you certainly are a man of duty, your dedication can not be questioned; nor education I suppose... we like military experience for obvious reasons...so let's skip the formality so I can make my lunch appointment. I don't need soldiers here, Captain. So tell me exactly what you think this company needs; and what you are willing to do about it." Gilreth dismissed the credentials with a dramatic wave, and sneered a bit, enjoying having put someone on the spot. Then, feigning an afterthought, he casually gestured toward an observer droid hovering in the corner behind him, "and just so you know...the board is watching."
The Captain was un-phased. He leaned forward with intention and took pleasure in this rare opportunity to be sincere. "Well Mr Hungren, since studying business I have always felt that the military could learn a great deal about war from the corporate sector. While I have always seen the tactics as identical, where I have always been held back in my service is when my directives are blurred for weak ethical notions. Please remember I have chosen to leave service, and I'ld like to tell you why." Calder could see Hungren lean in ever so slightly, his eyes widening behind tiny spectacles. It even felt as if the droid's lens zoomed in just a little. Calder had sized Loronar up well. He had gotten a close look at them from the military perspective. He knew they had similar goals, and after he let the tension ripen, his closing remark left an assuring grin on Gilreth Hungren's sizeable mug. "The reason I work as I do is because, like Loronar, I have a bottom line, and I'ld like to think there is a place where the end will always justify the means." That evening was full of excitement for Calder. First was the call offering him the position at Loronar, then, as he returned home after a celebratory drink with some fellow officers, there was the assassin waiting on his couch.
In less than four minutes, Calder's apartment was nearly demolished. Eventually there was nothing but the deep panting of two warriors, and the thick flavor of sweat and blood in the air. In one corner there was Krim Nutua, a young Twi'lek woman with a shoulder out of socket, a broken nose and two ribs, and thick purple bruises covering her green skin. In the other was the Mandolorian, littered in shallow cuts, two a little deeper, and Krim's vibro-knife he "caught" running right through the palm of his cybernetic hand; but he could still stand. Both wore a an expression half grimace, half grin. A long and still period of silence took over. Calder's voice resonant whisper broke the silence.
"So. No poison."
"No" The struggle to breath was audible as Krim spoke.
"There's only one place you could have been sent from, do they want me dead or not."
"No. Just a message." Krim manages a momentary smile. "Congratulations" Clader's incredulous look was not missed.
"On your new job... and to remind you of your old one. Since you are alive, you are up for a promotion. A speeder will be here at dawn."
"So what was this?'
"Part of the message, and lets say your initial interview."
"They expected you to fight me head on and live or die." Calder was intrigued.
"I knew what I accepted." she sneered. "I wasn't about to let them think I had any fear of death, nor think I wasn't more lethal than some republic yuppie captain. I think they left out a few details..."
"Would that have changed anythi..."
"No."
A pause.
"I'll see to it you're kept alive.
"Pathetic" Krim spat. "I don't want your pity"
"You don't have it, Assasin," Calder snapped, filling every syllable with venom. "You have no allegiance to the Exchange, only yourself. That is as close as it gets to trustworthy, and you fight, well." He took a moment to allow the weight of his compliment to sink in. For such fighters, the scrap they shared was worth years of knowing someone. "With my new career path, I'll need an agent, and on my terms. I know you do not fear death, so to reiterate your options is futile. It's your choice. We survive together or we don't."
Krim allowed calder to take her to a military hospital under the guise of saving her from several attackers. He received stitches and dressing, then insisted he be released, and went to work reviewing his own collected, and quite dense, files on The Exchange. He wouldn't b caught unarmed again. Sure enough, at dawn, a luxurious speeder arrived with a well armed and very inhospitable looking escort. Calder was forced o submit to a drug induced sleep as they traveled, only to wake up in a rather dim, windowless chamber with double the guard, and a half dozen holoprojections of well dressed men and women, three Calder recognized from watch lists, another was a Senator he had met on several occasions.
The "hearing" that followed was surprisingly straight forward. Calder was pleasantly surprised to find that Thanis Dredge had been a bit of a black sheep, and, in reality, The exchange ran much more like a corporation, and they too had a bottom line. They admitted to being impressed by Calder (though they insisted on calling him Lundo), but were sure to emphasize that they only offered the possibility of life for one reason: Calder Richelieu was the new director of operations for Loronar, the largest arms manufacturer in the galaxy. Furthermore, Calder learned that this is how they found him. Gilreth Hungren's lunch appointment had been with the Senator, who, recognizing the description encouraged Hungren to trust his gut with the unusually young hire. They needed Calder, and he didn't have a choice. He was to inherit Dredge's territory in the outer rim, if he could utilize it to bring back profit to the Exchange in the next year.
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