[CHAR] Ronin: Neo-Japan

[vietmyke]

RONIN IDENT

Name: Eric Takashi
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Alias/Handle: Ranger

Psychological Analysis:
Impassive and calm, Eric Takashi is a reserved individual. Relatively relaxed, Eric is typically seen as an easygoing individual who takes things at his own pace. His relaxed composure leaves him slightly less professional than others, but his calm and collected personality makes up for this. Intuitive and highly perceptive, Eric is often acutely aware of his surroundings and can easily gauge others. Clever, and quick on the ball, Eric is able to make snap judgements in on a moments notice. A bit of a sadist, Eric darkly enjoys teasing and terrorizing his targets, asserting his victory and position over them when he is able, "Playing with his food", as others call it. Despite his sadistic nature and lazy attitude, Eric still manages to keep a code of morals, with a strong, albeit occasionally misguided, feeling of right and wrong.

Employment Record:
Born and raised on the streets of the downtown Tokyo District, Eric has been on his own for as long as he can remember. Born to most likely a Caucasian mother and a Japanese father, Eric doesn't know if he was abandoned by his parents, if they died, which is highly likely, and whether or not he has any siblings. Not that he particularly cares either. Eric spent most of his early childhood as a street rat, hiding from the light and people in general, IDENTless and vulnerable.

Around the age of 8, Eric was found by a former Ronin turned safehouse owner. Taken under the older Ronin's wing, Eric learned the basics of general education, reading, writing and the like before he was taught how to survive in the underground of Tokyo. Under the wing of a mentor, Eric learned quickly, learning how to shoot and break locks, and other arts of subterfuge and survival. Under his mentor's tutelage, Eric also learned the importance of intuition and making decisions on the fly to stay alive.

Soon enough, Eric found himself at the right age to strike off on his own and to make his own way into the depths of Neo-Japan. Using his surrogate father/mentor's already extensive list of connections, Eric was able to find himself a Fixer and managed to hook himself up with a small team. Working slowly and making his way up, Eric soon found himself steady work as a Ronin, set with its riches and setbacks.

A longtime member of his current team, Eric has been with the team for a little more than 2 years now, and is a versatile Ronin capable of a variety of tasks.

Enhancement:

• Grade-B Cybernetic Eyes 5,000 - High grade cyber-eyes with opticam, retinal clock, low-light vision, and up to 10x magnification. All information gathered by the cybernetic eyes can be accessed via storage chip in a slot behind the left ear.
• Grade-A Left and Right Cyberarms 20,000 - High grade custom cyberarms specially fitted to Eric's body. These high quality cyberarms grant Eric considerable dexterity and strength. The nature of their neural link to Eric's body also allows them to react and move considerably quicker than regular arms.
• Grade-B Dermal Armor 5,000 - Military grade subdermal protection that weaves Kevlar and ceramic plates under the skin, interspersed with pockets of ballistic gel that provides protection against small arms fire.

Equipment:

• Combat Armor 5,000 - A full-body combat defense system featuring durable armor plates covering the major portions of the body: The chest, shoulders, legs, forearms, knees, and head; and ballistic-weave cloth. The armor has an integrated helmet/HUD system that is linked to Eric's cybernetic eye-display. Strips of stealth-camo fabrics hang from the helmet and shoulders.
  Combat Armor

  
• Stealth Coat 5,000 - A black longcoat that goes to just above the knee, made of smart-nano fabrics that allow Eric to camouflage at will.
• Grade-B Battle Rifle 1,000 - A midline mil-spec rifle, commonly seen amongst corp-sec and private militaries. The rifle has a 20 round magazine and comes with a detachable silencer and an 4x magnification scope.
• Multi-Purpose Energy Katana 5,000 - An energy katana commonly used by Neo-Japanese Ronin. It has adjustable length and can be easily wielded in one or two hands. It is lightweight and easy to conceal.
• Built-in Mono-filament Whip 2,500 - A molecular thin whip powered by an internal power core to provide it with a heated cutting edge, it slices easily through low grade armor, flesh, and bone alike.
• Grade-C Pistols x2 500 - A pair of cheap, nondescript low quality pistols. Easily replaceable, and deadly in the right hands.
• Stun Knuckles 250 - The knuckles of Eric's cyberarms sport hard pads on them that when activated discharge debilitating electrical shocks upon contact.
• Forged IDENT x2 500 - A pair of cheap, disposable fake IDENT cards.
• PharmaCon Medical Gel x1 250 - PharmaCon Medi-gel dispenser in case of injuries.

[vietmyke]

Reserved

[Slamurai]

Name: Karen Chung
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Nationality: Chinese-American
Alias/Handle: Swallowtail

Psychological Analysis:
Karen comes off as a harsh, no-nonsense Ronin, expecting the best from her teammates while on-duty. Results come first. She is perhaps the most likely out of the team to worry over their reputation. In this sort of business, one has to have a sterling image. Karen keeps a close eye on the rest of the team in the field, to better orchestrate the most successful outcome. She radiates authority, carrying herself with a haughty demeanor and steely confidence. She is loathe to display any kind of weakness, or failure to measure up to the rest of her team. On the inside, she is actually very reserved and apprehensive about herself, which is likely what drives her to perform at her peak. Of course, she makes no effort to reveal her softer side to her associates. Despite her reputation, she enjoys a laugh over drinks, and will not shy from an occasional insult in good humor.

Employment Record:
Karen was never an ambitious child. She was not wanting for friends, or hobbies or necessities, but she lacked enthusiasm in most things she did, save for hitting the gym, blogging and shooting guns with her father. Come her 16th birthday, she had no real aspirations to learn to drive. No real concern over jobs at 18. And when she graduated college at 21, she'd put off career-searching and largely kept to herself. With a niche degree and a desperate need for some form of income, she was forced to look into local job postings. The security corporation GSM had an opening, and without much to lose, Karen looked into it.

Following a seven-week-long period of training, Karen was employed by GSM as a full-time security officer. GSM had a strong presence in the States, providing surveillance and protection to client businesses; most of which were arms manufacturers or cybernetic companies. Karen was assigned to a posting at Ceres Aeronautics. Originally a designer and manufacturer of aircraft, Ceres had just taken the leap into the cybernetic market as well, taking licenses from designers to manufacture prosthetic limbs and implants.

Ceres's entering the biotech industry unnerved other local corporations, wary of the growing competition within the market. DynaCorp was especially anxious when Ceres unveiled its latest series of neural developments. DynaCorp was starting to lose a number of prospective clients to the upstart company. It hired a mercenary unit to assault Ceres's manufacturing plant with the intent to deliver the message “stay out of the industry.”

Karen was among the GSM personnel assigned to the facility, who had been caught off-guard by DynaCorp's attack. The mercenaries mounted a sudden, powerful offense and hammered Karen's partners into submission before totaling the plant. Her trips to the gun range with dad had paid off. Although she held out with a grim determination and downed a few of the hired guns, there were too many for her to deal with, and she was forced to hide and wait out the assault.

The incident prompted Ceres Industries to respond by hiring the same mercenaries that had been sent after them with an extremely lucrative contract. Not only did this get DynaCorp out of their hair momentarily, but it gave them a means to retaliate. The mercenaries took a liking to Karen, praising her for her performance during their raid. The leader, a Ronin, convinced Karen to quit her dead-end job at GSM and join his unit, following the expiration of their contract. He sensed potential in the girl, and he felt he owed it to himself and the fallen mercs to make use of it.

Karen was trained extensively by her new crew, molded from humble beginnings into a lethal professional soldier. She was taught the ins and outs of the Ronins' underground society; how to thrive, who to (dis)trust and how to do business. For what seemed like the first time in forever, Karen felt truly alive. By augmenting her body with credits earned from operations, she felt herself becoming stronger. There was a kind of euphoria in it, coupled with the danger, the prestige of being a Ronin. This was finally something she could dedicate herself to.

Karen's team has been involved in many operations since her induction, and has had a moderate turnover rate since. Ronins have come and gone before her eyes, and even her mentor was consigned to meet his end. At the moment, it consists of only a handful of Ronin; some new, some old; each one a finely-honed instrument of their client's will. Karen's hope is to mold the group into the most effective team as possible, aiming to uphold the honor and legacy of its Ronins before her.

Enhancements:

• A-grade cybernetic optical implants – Karen's eyes feature an advanced HUD, giving her access to thermal, night and infrared vision. They interface with high-grade weapons with the proper software to allow for precision aiming and target acquisition. They also have recording software and 63x zoom. Karen can interface with TVs and monitors to display and record visual data. The eyes' most impressive feature is probably its 'smart vision' – enabling the user a degree of x-ray vision through thin walls and objects with thermographing technology. 10,000Cr
• B-grade dermal armor – Karen's body has been modified with a composite, microfiber weave, suspended in a dilatant fluid beneath the skin in vital parts of the body. The fluid becomes rigid when struck with kinetic energy. It also protects against fire and electric damage through conductive elements woven into the armor. This enables resistance from EMP attack. 5,000Cr
• B-grade arm prosthesis – Artificial arms made of myomers, and held together by a polymer and metal frame, interface with high-grade weapons to provide shooters with a rock-steady firing platform, even on the move. They also grant the user considerable strength and reaction time beyond what would normally be possible. 10,000Cr (Left/Right)
• A-grade thermo-optical camouflage – This system consists of a series of wires that link the brain to a control implant located along the ribcage. The grid is layered beneath the surface of the skin and over prosthesis. When activated, the implant generates a precise electromagnetic field that manipulates the EM radiation in the user's immediate vicinity. The result is a high-quality optical cloak, that bends the light hitting the user. It affects all wavelengths, rendering detection through lasers or infrared and ultraviolet light impossible. Temperature regulatory systems mask the user's thermal signature, making them difficult to spot, if not invisible, through thermal optics. 10,000Cr

Equipment:

• Combat-grade armor. 5,000Cr
  
  Armor Appearance

  
• Kryton CR12 carbine (A-grade) – The CR12 features a helical magazine across the length of the barrel, much like a P90, and a bullpup action with a forward-facing ejection port. Although the weapon is very light and compact, it retains the barrel length and accuracy of a conventional rifle. It fires a 6.5x39mm armor-piercing round, with up to fifty in each magazine. The weapon has Picatinny rails for mounting various accessories. Karen typically equips it with a silencer, laser aimpoint and holographic sight. As an A-grade firearm, it features a complex suite of recoil-dampening systems, and interfaces with Karen's implants for easy target acquisition and auto-stabilization. 5,000Cr
• Seburo M-5 (C-grade) – The Seburo M-5 is a simple, 5.45×18mm handgun. It has a concealable 3.5-inch barrel and fires using a rotating breech locking mechanism. It is a common firearm in the hands of security and law enforcement personnel, and is ideal for anyone requiring a light, concealable weapon. Its 5.45×18mm round is capable of penetrating multiple layers of kevlar. Karen's magazines hold twenty rounds in a double stack pattern. 250Cr
• Standard combat knife. 250Cr
• 4x E-nades. 1,000Cr
• Trade tools – Karen carries an array of virus and data-hacking software loaded into portable USB drives, through which she can overload or invade encrypted systems. Useful for causing havoc to security networks or digging up secure data. 1,000Cr
• 4x PharmaCon Medical Gel. 1,000Cr
• PharmaCon Emergency Trauma Solution. 1,000Cr
• Street Chems – Karen doesn't use them herself, but she carries a handful of substances that could be used to... entice locals into owing her favors. 500Cr

[Reaper]

Name: Evie Asada
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Nationality: Half-Japanese, half-English.
Alias/Handle: Oracle

Psychological Analysis:

Evie is meticulous to a fault. She always has a plan to get the job done, and several contingencies in case things don't go her way. She takes pride in her work and has a strong sense of professionalism. Clients who honour their deals and fellow Ronin who prove themselves trustworthy will find that her skills are the deadliest insurance policy they can invest in.

She is also incredibly humble, at least in the sense that she never claims credit publicly for her work. She takes great pride in it, but knows better than to brag about it and paint a target on her back. Her teammates, however, know better. Evie's expertise with technology and explosives often has her improvising deadly tools and devices, all the while humming merry tunes. Not to mention their enemies would inexplicably find that any explosive devices they had planted would not respond to the detonators, or end up blowing up their own makers.

Evie has a really bad sweet tooth. It's almost impossible to find her without some sort of candy on her person, usually in her mouth. While she doesn't use chems to augment her ability, Evie will joke that sugar and caffeine from soft drinks do the same job for her.

Her most notable quirk, however, is her tendency to speak to her rifle as if it were a pet or a companion. She even has a custom paintjob with the rifle's own name on it. She even sleeps with it and always has it close by, even in the shower (Her bodyguard against would-be peeping toms, she claims). She is extremely protective of it, and anyone allowed to touch it is pretty much treated like a surrogate family for her.

She is also a woman of few words. She communicates using as few words as possible, sometimes not even forming full sentences or giving one word responses. This makes her seem cold, though her actions often prove otherwise. Anyone who could be called her "friend" will find that she's always ready to offer a cup of tea, bandages, or even sanctuary when they need it.

Employment Record:

Evie was born with all the right genes, not through accident of birth, but rather by design. Her parents were the owner of Asada Technologies, one of the leading companies in weapons research and development. Their wealth and desire to see Evie do well meant that she was genetically designed at birth to have all the advantages nature could provide in her biology - a higher IQ, no genetic predispositions to illnesses, and much more.

She was provided the best education money could buy, and privately tutored. By the time she was 16, she was assisting with the design and manufacture of firearms as homework assignments. She, in her youth, liked to think she had fired more rounds and knew the weapons more intimately than most soldiers did in their career on the battlefield.

When she turned 18, upon completion of her studies, she was enlisted in the Asada Defense Group, aka the ADG. It wasn't enough that she knew how to make weapons and the science behind killing people, nothing could replace actually field experience, her father argued. It would also win her more influence with potential buyers in the future to know that the heiress of Asada Technologies had actually tread the same battlefields her weapons went to; and knew exactly what modern soldiers needed.

It was her time with the company's private army that she learned most of her skills - infiltration, battlefield tactics, counterintelligence and providing security. It was one thing to be able to hit a bull's eye a kilometer away on a firing range. Doing it in the field, in the middle of a city with civilians and traffic on top of unidentified gunmen, that was an entirely different ball game. Still, Evie had been mentored by the best of the ADG's veterans, and some of its most proven Ronin. She was a quick study and proved herself well, earning a few battle scares of her own, as well as the tattoo that marked her as part of the family of soldiers.

It all changed, however, 4 years later. A rival company attempted to sabotage their latest development on the battlefield, an AI guided missile. The warhead was unstable and detonated prematurely, killing her parents and several potential buyers and stockholders during a demonstration. Evie survived the explosion, but suffered head injuries that required surgery. It was during this time that she got her brain augmentation as well, even though she suffered no lasting brain damage.

The fiasco ruined the name of Asada Technologies and left the company ripe for a hostile takeover. Evie, without sufficient proof to clear her family's reputation and restore her rightful place as heir, went off the grid. The agent responsible for the sabotage vanished off the face of the earth a few weeks after her parents' funeral, with no forensic evidence to identify who was behind it. All trace of Evie Asada vanished as well, with official records stating that she died with her parents.

In the months following the incident, stories of a new Ronin began to surface. "Ghost", she was called, because the bodies she left behind were the only evidence of her work, with untraceable bullets fired from an unidentified rifle. This Ghost was also known for being notoriously efficient at her work - killing only intended targets with as little collateral damage as possible. Sometimes, they wouldn't even see her, just the shadow overhead as her drone did the work for her.

She joined her current team a year into her career as a Ronin. She had been hunting down a rival group of would-be Ronins who were infamous for kidnapping the children of their targets and sending them back to their parents with missing body parts, if at all. She took it on as a personal job, while her team were formally employed at the time to hunt down the bastards. She tracked down the thugs and leaked the information to the team, who found her strapping an explosive collar to one of the culprits before sending him running towards the rest of his crew.

Enhancement:

A-Grade Neural Interface (10,000): Evie has brain augmentations that allow her to interface directly with electronics, mainly her drones and armor systems. Her natural high IQ along with this augmentation allows her to process information twice as fast when not micromanaging her drones.

Equipment:
Grade-A ATARi-5 MPR (5,000) - The Asada Technologies Assault Rifle 5 (ATARi-5) Multi-purpose rifle was meant to be a pet project between Evie and her parents. It was meant to be a versatile platform with interchangeable parts to fit into any battlefield role using a different range of ammunition. After losing her parents and company's resources, Evie took what was left of the project and developed her personal rifle, named "Arbiter". It uses anti-material, armor-piercing 5.56mm rounds and can be fired either semi- or full auto, and uses a hybrid scope that allows her to engage in close quarters and at long range.

Rifle Appearance

A-Grade .45 Specter (5,000) - Evie's secondary firearm of choice, this advanced pistol is easily concealed, virtually silent, and fires armor piercing rounds in either semi-automatic or full auto with little recoil.

Chameleon Combat Armor (5,000) - As the name implies, the Chameleon series Combat Armor alters the color and camouflage pattern of the armor itself to match the user's environment using visual input from the helmet.

Armor Appearance

Civ-Grade Armor (250) - Useful for her infiltration jobs and going incognito, Evie usually has this under her combat armor anyway.

Aerial Reconnaissance and Engagement System (10,000) - ARES for short, this is a combat drone Evie uses in the field, it was built to carry different weapon systems as needed, but usually a .308 cal anti-material rifle. It is also equipped with cameras and scanners that provide high resolution imaging and hostile detection, with infrared and stealth capabilities.

Fast Transportation - Motorcycle (10, 000) - Modified with custom parts, Evie's bike has a self-stabilising system installed for when she needs to fire on the move. It comes with hidden compartments for her to hide her drones and tech.

Motorcycle

Trade Tools (1,000) - Evie's expertise with technology allows her to improvise traps and explosives on the fly with the right tools, as well as battlefield repairs for equipment.

E-Nades x3 (750) - A smokescreen and two multi-purpose E-Nades are her weapon of choice. Usually deployed as makeshift claymores and traps in case her position are compromised.

High-Quality Forged Indent Card (2,500) - She's supposed to be a dead woman, and doesn't need anyone asking questions, especially since she makes a habit of breaking into places with pretty high end security.

Firefly (500) - Aside from Ares, Evie also has a swarm of tiny spherical Firefly camera drones, equipped with sensors to map out buildings, terrain and record information. They're no bigger than a marble and can easily slip past most people unnoticed.

Other:

Evie has a tattoo on her left shoulder from her time in the ADG.

[Breadngames]

.open.choosefile(c:/folder/fl/tier3/g/goblin4.def)

Subject: Saito Kurosawa (born Zhao Guoliang)
Age: 28
Gender: Male-male
Nationality: 2nd gen NJ citizen (born NPRC)
Alias: Goblin

.open.sub.choosefile(c:/folder/fl/tier3/g/goblin4.def;psych536)

Psych Overview:
Subject attempted to break ice with sarcastic joke. Psych Unit KLEO obviously unimpressed. Subject then made unfavourable comparison between KLEO and common household appliance (see:toaster). Subject pacified through mild electroshock. Review commenced without further interruptions.
Subject put through word association test. Abnormal responses observed, highlighted below:
4.Family: “tpk”
12.Government: “abandon”
49.Oath: “broken”
121.Day: “wasted”
133.Murderer: “fucking cunt stain”
150.Ronin: “*CENSORED*”
172.Snack: “holy shit how many of these are there”
173.Ramen: “are you fucking kidding me”
174.Burger: “*NO RESPONSE DETECTED*”
175.Fillet: “oh god please stop”
…
250.Aroma Therapy: “yessir yessir two bags full”

(see more...)

Conclusion:
Subject displays tendency towards irreverence and cynicism. Additionally, subject is predisposed against demands of applied vocation as T3 asset (see response #133). Will require moderate persuasion to properly direct. Recommended prescription list includes four (4) class-b mood-altering drugs, two (2) psycho stimulants and two (2) vitamin supplements.

Additional notes:
Belay the prescription. Goblin is a trained medical professional and will probably figure out we’re dosing him. No point antagonizing an asset when we can simply direct him by selectively feeding him info on *REDACTED*. If he still has a hate boner for them, we’ll have our leash.
Interestingly, cross-referencing with his JSDF psych analysis, it seems Goblin has changed a great deal since. “Dour, humourless and serious to a fault” are not the words one would describe the man we just interviewed. Clearly, that shitshow at the clinic left quite the scar on him (PTSD?). This just adds credence to my recommendation. Anything that can transform a person that fundamentally is a raw nerve we can exploit.


Employment Record:

Born Zhao Guoliang, the man now known as Goblin fled what used to be China at the age of four. His parents had been political dissidents, and when a nation-wide crackdown turned for the worse, they sent him ahead to Neo-Japan. However, the young Guoliang was orphaned as pro-government corporations gassed the Zhao family home, claiming it to be an “unforeseen industrial accident” (begs the question of what’s a “foreseen industrial accident”). The boy was then raised by his sole remaining family member, his aunt, who renamed him Saito Kurosawa.

Saito joined the military at the height of a Sino-Japanese tensions, hoping that conflict would erupt and he could help retake his ancestral homeland. While corporate interests ensured that said war never broke out, his talents earned him a spot in the elite pararescue unit as a medical specialist. While a capable medic, life in the highly corrupt and ineffectual military caused him to grow disillusioned, eventually leading to an early discharge. Saito then used his training to set up a clinic and continued to serve the community with his expertise.

Saito in the JSDF

One night, a pair of Ronins, hired to silence a high-value individual, attacked the clinic. They killed indiscriminately, cutting down all the staff and patients in their path, hoping to disguise the assassination as a random massacre. Saito fought back and managed to kill one Ronin, but his resistance ultimately proved ineffectual, as the Ronin’s partner proceeded to incapacitate him. A second group of Ronins, hired to secure the HVI, eventually arrived to chase off the attackers, allowing the injured Saito to survive the event.

Saito's aunt was among the casualties. Having lost his homeland, his country and now his family, the despairing ex-medic abandoned his Hippocratic oath to pursue revenge. With no gods, kings or masters, Saito went down the path of a ronin, like the many abandoned killers before him.

Enhancement:

A-grade right arm (10,000) - Saito lost his arm during the attack on the clinic. His new arm’s main function is to stabilize itself during trauma care. However, it also allows the user to absorb recoil from his weapons, and has a built in defibrillator (see Built-in Stun Knuckles equipment entry)

Equipment:

Trade tools (1,000) – A variety of gadgets for the discerning cybercorp merc. Of note is a medical laser-scalpel. It allows medics to cut open flesh while cauterizing the surrounding tissue. However, it has trouble burning through sub-dermal armour, but will eventually do so given enough time.

Stealth Cloak (2,500) - Saito throws this over himself and the patient as a last ditch measure to buy him time to stabilise and extract the wounded.

Medigel x10 (2,500)
Trauma Solution x10 (10,000)
Stun knuckles (250) - Saito's stun knuckles are unique in that they double as defibrillators as well.

Combat grade armor (5000)

Armor

B grade rifle (1000)

StA409 Keyzer

E-nades x4 (1,000) - Non-lethal Smoke, Flash, IR&UV Disruptive nades.

Jetmatic (10,000)- A combination of equipment which allows Saito to boost, wall-run, vault and generally get around the concrete jungle like a caffeinated monkey. (Imagine Titanfall parkour)

High quality forged IDENT (2,000)
Forged Firearm license (2,500),
Designer Chems x2 (2,000) - Medical Quality Drugs.

[Heat]

Name: Max Branch
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Nationality: American
Alias/Handle: Grizzly

Psychological Analysis:
An imposing, solitary man, Max's psych has been hit hard by long years of work as a Ronin. An intense anger is inside of him from the incident which took the lower part of his face and forced him to replace it with cybernetics. He has a natural dislike for augmentations, finding anyone that replaces their body parts with machinery hardly worthy of respect. Since there are so many augmented people around him, he does not often speak this view unless in a heated confrontation. Max is not trusting of others and prefers to work alone. When forced to work with others he keeps his distance from them, watching with a careful eye for signs of treachery, something he has experienced all too often in the past. His temper is legendary, those that enrage him tend not to do it again.

He finds real enjoyment in killing, but only those that fight back. The thrill of being in intense danger, ending lives left and right, it fills him with adrenaline and helps to put aside some of the internal rage. He dislikes harming innocents finding no fun in cutting down those that can't (try to) harm him. He tries to avoid it unless they get in his way and there is no way around it. Max has a reputation for his brutality and near insanity on the battlefield, bounding towards enemies with his shotgun raised, crushing bones with full body tackles, even removing limbs with an animalistic grace. He doesn't really care about credits, he simply wishes to exact revenge on those that betrayed and mutilated him, enough work as a Ronin will get him to them.

Employment Record:
Max was born in the United States, it is where he lived the first 18 years of his life before he enlisted in the Marines. An average student in school, he never intended to go any further than high school and enlisted right after graduation. He was stationed overseas in Japan, as part of the military police. A natural talent with firearms, much of his time was spent investigating the criminal gangs in the area. After four years of service he was given an honorable discharge, he decided to stay in Japan after he met a girl there.

Unfortunately for him, it was difficult finding a job in Neo-Japan. The young Max was offered a job by a friend of his girlfriend, when he asked the details he was told the job wasn't "totally legal". It was not, Max had gotten himself involved with gun running. While not one hundred percent morally behind the job, it was money, good money at that, and the chances of being arrested for it were very low. It was simple at first, taking a weapon from one location to another, sometimes to a private buyer, other times larger shipments to groups.

After a breakup with his girlfriend he moved on from dealing weapons, getting himself a job in security with one of the many mega corporations. He did his job admirably, making friends within the mega corporation. This is also where he met Kudo Iwao, who would become one of his closest friends. Kudo helped push Max down the path to become a Ronin, as he too wanted to be one, Max and him would be a killer team was what he always said. After a few years, both men left their jobs together, bundling their credits in order to become Ronins.

The two were quite the duo, taking any jobs they could get, both loved the work, no matter what it was, assassinations, assaults, it was all great fun to Max especially. Then Max met another Ronin, Endo Rai, more of a veteran compared to the two young elite criminals. He saw potential in them, and the duo turned into a trio. They all made a name for themselves, credits piled up, life was great. Endo and Kudo were his two best friends, he could trust them with anything. Unfortunately that changed.

It was just another routine job, though extremely high paying and high risk, the credits for all three men numbered in six digits each. The capture of a notorious crime lord who had gotten on the wrong side of a very powerful mega-corporation. The three Ronin were unfazed by the job, it involved breaking into a highly guarded building loaded with dangerous gangsters.

They executed it perfectly, Max and Kudo entering from opposite sides, guns blazing, while Endo took the quieter approach, entering from the roof. The three converged on the target, dozens of corpses left the in their path to him. Then the betrayal occurred, the blunt end of a rifle to Max's temple as they exited the building, Endo and Kudo looking down at him with smiles, him returning their looks with one of confusion. They explained their action, the corporation paying Endo and Kudo had offered a very enticing bonus if Max was taken care of, him too much of a reckless liability.

Neither could bring themselves to put a bullet in their friend, killing him like a dog. Endo tipped over a barrel of gasoline, the liquid covering Max's jaw and frontal neck, a cigarette was tossed into it, igniting it. Max screamed in pain as his skin burned, his only saving grace being a passerby who helped him by dragging him to a doctor. He barely escaped with his life, though much of his neck, jaw and mouth were badly damaged by the flames. Cybernetics were immediately put in.

Once he was able to walk he went back to being a Ronin, almost solely going by the alias of Grizzly. It has been nearly six years since then. His personality having changed for the worse since the betrayal, now filled with brimming amounts of rage. His only real goal now to find the two men that betrayed him so that he can exact his revenge. He has been a part of his current Ronin team for three months. The promise of good payment and more importantly, possible answers for where to find the two that stabbed him in the back.

Enhancement:

• C-Grade Cybernetic Jaw and Mouth (5,000 CR) - A full metallic jawline which covers his lower face. His mouth has been replaced with machinery as well, metallic teeth inside and a total reconstruction allowing him all the functions of a natural mouth. Most notably has an increased bite force.
• C-Grade Neck (2,500 CR) - A near total replacement of his neck, includes the innards lost during his betrayal, such as a larynx, thyroid gland and a trachea.

Equipment:

• Elite Grade armor (20,000 CR) - His personal suit of armor, very high quality and can withstand a beating. Used in combination with his shotgun, Max is a force to be reckoned with at close range. A full scale HUD is contained within the helmet which displays his vitals, different types of vision (heat, night and normal) and a friend/foe indicator.
• A-Grade Semi Automatic Shotgun (5,000 CR) - His most prized possession, an extremely powerful ballistic shotgun, tears through flesh and light armor at a close range. Specifically made with a recoil adjustment system, it doesn't have a ton of range but can put a hole in what is in range. 20 rounds per magazine.
• B-Grade Assault Rifle (1,000 CR) - A fully automatic, accurate at short to medium distances ballistic weapon. Equipped with a 4x magnification scope, 25 rounds per magazine.
• Hybrid Short Sword (1500 CR) - A sharp, energized sword, the blade is 24 inches in length. Similar in appearance to a Roman Gladius, but modernized.
• Jetmatic Personal Transport Unit (10,000 CR) - Uses it in combat, allows him to jump around the battlefield and attack enemies from different angles.
• PharmaCon Medical Gel x2 (500 CR) - Just in case he gets careless.