Toriares Ata'e

I: HISTORY
Former master assassin for the Blue Dragon Syndicate, Kuran Branch. The earliest known information about Toriares Ata'e dates from his time growing up as an orphan on Khalis colony in Khephren space, separated from his sister Marasi Ata'e under unknown circumstances. For most of his life, he lives on the streets of colony at barely subsistence existence, surviving mainly by his intellectual gifts and aptitude for strategic thinking

At the age of 18, Toriares is discovered by Mao Xai Jian under unknown circumstances and is sponsored and trained to become Mao's right hand man, his physical skills quickly equaling his intellectual gifts. It is at this point he develops his signature technology--his mask and the multi-functional King Stick weapon. It is also during this time that Toriares battles Lewis Sinclaire, in his guise as Sabre, enforcer of the White Phoenix Syndicate and receives a scar on the back of his neck.

Four years later, Mao and Toriares are directed to move their branch of the Syndicate to Kuran colony in the wake of the Frontier's reorganization under the jurisdiction of the United Earth Federation. Here, Toraires encounters his sister for the first time--she is in command of the ruling gang controlling the colony's illegal activity.

It is also at this point that Toriares meets Kienan Ademetria, and Kienan became his apprentice. While initially standoffish, Kienan and Toriares will eventually grow as close as brothers, and after a year, a third member of their team, Silhouette will join them both as Kienan's lover and a fellow assassin for the Syndicate. To accommodate their larger operation, Toriares and Kienan purchase the Silhouette, a modified light cargo ship as a mobile base of operations and begin to outfit the ship to serve as a suitable mode of transportation.

During this time, all three are embroiled in a scheme instigated by Pirate Red and Kilana Montero to usurp control of the Pirate Clans on the Frontier. While they eventually succeed in extricating themselves from the matter, the beginnings of an ongoing feud between the Pirates and the Blue Dragons that continues to the present day.

Within six months, Toriares meets and falls in love with Neferta'ri, the daughter of a Kephren lord and they make plans to wed. Toriares is grated leave to retire from the Syndicate moves to Alepha, a colony on the fringes of Khephren space. Kienan Ademetria becomes master assassin for the Kuran Branch.

Four months later, a disgruntled Silhouette stages her own death at the hands of Kienan, and Toriares returns to comfort his friend in the wake of the tragedy.

Later, Kienan and Toriares vacation on Axanar colony, a deserted colony on the fringes of Earth-controlled space. Encountering Sinclaire again, they further become embroiled in a larger conflict with a squad of Sekhmet troopers who have received upgraded transport suits provided to them by Doctor Reficul. They eventually killed the Sekhmet squad and escaped, leaving behind Sinclaire, who elected to stay and finish the job.

Toriares presently works for the Khephren as a freelance troubleshooter. The story is ongoing. ==II: FIGHTING STYLE ==

Toriares' fighting style is primarily defensive, as implied by his use of the staff as his primary weapon. His preferred method of attack is to dodge his opponent's attacks, analyze his weak points, and punish his mistakes with counterattacks. In contrast to Kienan's straight-ahead all or nothing approach, Toriares is more patient and willing to figure out all the angles of a potential situation.

==III: WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT ==

Toriares has three main pieces of equipment he uses in his line of work. The first is a gold mask that fits to his face thanks to a molecule-thick adhesive coded to his DNA. The mask is actually a complicated sensory apparatus and computer, capable of transmitting vast amounts of information to him. The information is displayed by beaming it directly into his retinas. In addition, the mask can remotely operate some functions of his King Stick.

Toriares' King Stick is an adjustable multi-function weapon. In its "collapsed" mode it is a small foot-long club-like cylinder. At signal from Toriares, it can telescope to a length of three feet long. In addition, Toriares can alter the rigidity of the stick, changing it from a rigid staff, to flexible pole (for pole vaulting), to a sjambok-like flexible whip-club.

On the larger of the two ends of the King Stick is a tight-beam magnetic grapple known as the Magnet Beam. Toriares commonly uses the Magnet Beam to grapple onto metal structures and swing from anchor point to anchor point, but has also been observed to use the Beam to grab objects as a distraction, and in one instance, to use the Beam's force directed downward to boost himself over large chasms.

At the other end of the Stick is a compact, but very powerful laser, which operates as a tight-beam cutting tool. Toriares rarely uses this in combat as the laser's gradual charge-up time is not suited to cutting through the heavy-weave armor that has now come into standard use--nevertheless, Toriares has found a number of uses for the device in non-combat roles.

In addition, Toriares also carries a handheld semi-automatic shotgun strapped to his back. The shotgun is designed to fire mild incendiary spreads, and fires at a rate of three bursts per second. Each blast-cap is capable of ten shots at full power, fifteen at standard power.