Name: Matsu Kiyoshi Birthday: October 23th, 794 A.S. Homeworld: planet Kyushu. Height: 169 cm. Weight: 65 kg. Complexion: athletic. Psychologic evaluation: calm, respectful, reflexive (sometimes overthinks things a bit too much), pragmatic, fully commited to his duties. Parents: Matsu Kenjiro (deceased), Haname Kasumi (still alive, formerly known as Matsu Kasumi). Proficiencies: assasination, diplomacy, bachelor's degree in Economics and Commerce, temporary retired fighter pilot. Handicaps: after losing his right eye, his aim and perception of depth are messed up big time. His calm and reflexive ways had lead him many times to ocassional confrontation with more "hot-blooded" partners.
Notable possesions:
Kurogane: this obsidian katana used to be the sign of the Matsu clan leadership. Now is just a venerable (and highly cutting) relic.
Biography:
At New Fukuoka, one of the largest population centers of planet Kyushu, Matsu Kiyoshi was born the son of Matsu Kenjiro, leader of the Matsu clan; one of the lesser families affiliated to the Hogosha Syndicate, with strong ties to both the FA and Samura Industries, as his mother was Haname Kasumi, being the Haname a family with long tradition on the Samura Industries corp.
Kenjiro, in an effort to expand the sphere of influence of the Matsu family, decided to move out the HQ of the clan to New Tokyo, as he found it to be "more centric, where the action is".
Kiyoshi's grandfather, Matsu Daichi, decided to stay on planet Kyushu to keep an eye over the traditional stronghold of the Matsu and to mantain contact with his older FA associates.
Kiyoshi spent his childhood between New Tokyo and Kyushu, paying numerous visits to his grandfather. Daichi teached his grandson about the Matsu traditional ways, kenjutsu and of course plenty of mighty tales from when he was an active pilot, fighting alongside his FA comrades.
As time pased on Kiyoshi developed a respectful but distant relation with his father and became closer to Daichi. He often describes his grandfather as "the most influential man in my life to this date".
Kenjiro motto was "new times, new ways". Although Daichi understood that as times change, new points of view are needed, he grew worried about some of his eldest son ways of managing the clan affairs.
In any case nor him or any amongst the Matsu suspected what kind of traitorous snake lurked in their very own ranks.
At 810 A.S. Kasumi pressured his husband to get Kiyoshi into an Economics & Commercial degree, expecting to mantain his son on the more lawful side of the Syndicate activities that way. Considering Kiyoshi was bound to become the clan leader eventually, it seemed nonsense to Kenjiro being overprotective, but he saw an opportunity to further expand the family bussiness.
So following his parents will, Kiyoshi joined the New Fukuoka University, back at planet Kyushu.
He spent most of his free time either studying at his grandfather home (visiting the small dojo for ocasional breaks) or hanging around with other Syndicate youngsters on weekends.
Kiyoshi licensed without further problems on 813 A.S. ranking 204th out of a promotion conformed of 600 other students. His father was harsh about this as he expected more of him.
Even if this discouraged Kiyoshi a bit, he remembered one of his grandfathers sayings: learn to apreciate your victories, be them small or big.
Kiyoshi was 19 years old, and was about time to join the family business.
Kenjiro's second in command, Atsushi Daisuke, took him under his wing and so, Kiyoshi started officially his Syndicate career as Daisuke's assistant.
At first, Kiyoshi ran the usual errands: blackmail, sector patrol and silent elimination of those who weren't eager to comply with the Matsu ways, fastly became daily matters for the young Matsu sibling.
But as the year progressed, Kiyoshi demanded more and more responsability. And to Daisuke's surprise, he managed that weight quite efficiently: be it arranging a smuggling operation or discreetly raiding the Syndicate foes' convoys, Kiyoshi seemed to blend with the family business naturally well.
On the background, the war against Bretonia started to transition from rumour to harsh reality.
But the blow that was about to take down the clan, was coming from within.
Well ahead into 814 A.S. quite few Syndicate members were arrested during piracy and smuggling operations. And quite a few of these were involved on operations that attained in some way or another to the Matsu clan. So the rumour of a traitor amongst the Matsu ranks spread out fairly fast.
Kenjiro managed to keep the Syndicate anger at bay, assuring the higher spheres of power that the Matsu were doing anything possible to uncover those problematic individuals and make them face "proper justice".
So it was a big surprise to Kiyoshi recieving an encoded transmission from a Syndicate representative.
Being summoned to Kabukicho Depot himself, surprised him even more.
Once at the meeting, the representative informed Kiyoshi that the latest operation to have been blown up led to some "interesting findings".
Although the operation was a joint effort between the Matsu and another family, the Syndicate made sure that the actual details of the operation only were known by Kiyoshi's father.
Throuroghly investigation opened a true Pandora's box that involved Kenjiro not only as a loose tongue, but conspiring to become an independent syndicate, taking bribes, selling out his very comrades and brothers.
Kiyoshi felt dizzied when he was faced with all the evidences: de-encrypted commlinks, video and audio footage, proof was overwhelming. His world became upside-down at worrying speed.
It came clear to Kiyoshi that his father had become greedy. And greed blurred his vision to things such as honor, dignity and pride.
As the representative told Kiyoshi, the Syndicate higher spheres became worried about the entire clan being involved, not just his father. So they needed proof of the Matsu innocence: Kenjiro was marked for assasination and Kiyoshi was the designed man for such task.
Once alone, Kiyoshi carefully thought about all the angles on the matter.
The Matsu directive board had a meeting scheduled for that weekend, he was also supposed to attend. So he'll wait and make his move that day.
As days passed by, he asked himself so many times if he would be up to the task. After all, it was his father they were talking about... but proof was clear, his father was guilty.
The day had come. All the Matsu men expected to be at the meeting were already up at the clan offices, located at one of the numerous New Tokyo skycrappers. An entire plant for the clan. This year's business had been good. Too good.
Kiyoshi smoked what it seemed to be the longest cigar in his entire life and finally, as he felt calmed down, resolve and commitment to his duties kicked in.
Once he entered the meeting room, his father personal office, one single object caught his attention.
Behind his father a huge CommScreen (Samura copyright, of course) hid almost all the wall, but wasn't that what Kiyoshi was looking at.
Resting at his ornamental support, Kurogane, the ancestral sword of the Matsu was almost calling him.
He smiled slightly, he planned to shot that greedy bastard. This would be far more appropiate.
As Kenjiro angrily shouted him about being late and not paying attention at all, Kiyoshi walked straight to Kurogane. He couldn't care less about his fathers words: they sounded empty to him.
What happened then was so fast and unexpected that only two or three of the man that witnesed the events can assure to have a clear perception of it actually happening.
Without a trace of hesitation or doubt crossing his face Kiyoshi took Kurogane, unsheated her and severed his father's head, on such a fluid motion that it seemed one unique movement.
As the corpse of the traitor fell to the floor and Kiyoshi started to clean the bloody blade, the other Matsu started to react, reaching for their weapons shouting "treason" and "traitor", mostly.
As it was staged, the giant commscreen behind Kenjiro's desk turned on, showing the Syndicate representative who summoned Kiyoshi earlier that week.
Suddenly paralyzed, the Matsu directives looked at Kiyoshi and the representative back and forth repeated times.
In his short but productive career, Kiyoshi had learned the true value of planning ahead and surprising the enemy. The enemy... thinking that way about his own clan fellows made him reconsider so many things.
As the representative informed the rest of the directive board what was the actual standing of the family, Kiyoshi sat at his father's seat, suddenly tired, apathic.
Once the screen turned out black again, his father's associates started to ask on a very disordered and altered manner what was the future of the family.
Kiyoshi informed them that a summit would be held at the former Matsu HQ to discuss such matters and dismissed them.
The days to come were difficult. The Matsu family found itself divided.
There were those who claimed that all was staged by Kiyoshi himself to took control over the entire clan.
There were those who claimed him being the real traitor.
There were those who rejected those theories, luckily.
But the general consensus was that Kiyoshi was too young to take the mantle of power and succeed.
To make things worse, the whole matter put a strain on Kiyoshi's familiar life. Unable to accept that the man she learned to love and respect was nothing more than an empty mask and that the man who killed him was her very own son, Kiyoshi's mother fled and sought refuge with his brother, Haname Kaneda, an independent Samura transport contractor.
Feeling disconnected from all, there was only one person whom Kiyoshi could trust: his grandfather. After careful thinking about the family actual status, Kiyoshi decided to join the war against Bretonia, leaving the leadership of the clan to Daichi. His grandfather claimed to assure the Matsu well-being while the young heir was at the battlefront. Leaving Kusari for good would give him an oportunity to left things cool off.
After being assigned to a fighter squadron, Kiyoshi flew a Wyrm on several recon and escort missions. His superiors described him as "akin to discipline, but rather ruthless once engaged in combat, usually distant".
During the infamous battle for Dundee Kiyoshi's Wyrm was taken down, losing both the ship and his right eye on the explosion afterwards.
Once his wounds were fully recovered, the KNF medic bureau declared him unable to serve on combat duty and Kiyoshi returned to civil life.
The panorama he found at home was rather discouraing. During his absence Daichi passed away.
Lacking proper leadership and with the trust of the Syndicate on the low side, the Matsu family fastly found itself disbanded into small gangs that either joined wealthier clans or resorted to independent piracy.
Actually settled on New Tokyo, Kiyoshi works for his uncle Kaneda, managing the accountancy for his uncle's transport operations.
But his resolve to rejoin the Syndicate, clean his family's name and carry on with his lineage had grown once again.
//finished. If you notice any discordance with the mod's background or wrong RP feel free to poke me, I'll edit and modify it where needed, arigato, enjoy!
"I'm a leaf on the wind, watch me as a I soar".