Carlos Benitez

Carlos Benitez
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Profile
Origin	Corsairs
Affiliation	Corsairs (Benitez Family)
Born	October 25 770 A.S., Planet Crete
Died	Still alive

Carlos Benitez is Don and Commandante of the Benitez family, having assumed the position in 800 A.S. from Don Rivas Benitez whom he deposed in a hostile coup. Having overseen an era of turbulence, warfare and political dispute, Carlos Benitez is better known for his politics than his record on the battlefield.

A prominent member of the Corsair Council of Elders, Carlos Benitez has battled for greater representation of independent elements in the Council, though is widely considered to have been more concerned with securing seats for his own agents than for others. Despite being a supporter of unity within the nation, Carlos Benitez is widely criticised as the Benitez Leader that brought the Empire closer to civil war than any time in it's history. Though criticised as a warmonger, Carlos Benitez has also been criticised by many elements for being afraid of progress, and some hold him responsible for the Corsairs taking a largely defensive role in the Corsair-Outcast war.

Despite controversy and mixed opinions, Carlos Benitez commands fierce loyalty and devotion from his agents, many of whom were part of the coup that saw him rise to power. Carlos Benitez' other achievements include reduction of unnecessary capital ship deployment, re-establisment of Myrtos Villas as Benitez Headquarters, and expansion of facilities and bases in Omicron 94 including the establishment of contingency plans for worst-case-scinario invasion of Omicron Gamma.

Bio Summary

The illegitimate son of the great Don Santigo Benitez, Carlos and his twin sister were born to Alicia Jiminez, a barmaid from Crete. After the loss of his mother and sister in a fire on Crete when he was 3, Carlos grew up with his uncle Ricardo Jiminez, owner of a repair ship in Europa (whom he believed to be his father). Growing up as "Carlos Jiminez", Carlos did not learn of his true lineage until many years later. Carlos underwent his rite of passage at the age of 12, and continued to work with his father until the age of 24. In 794 A.S. Carlos departed Crete with then-Soldato Enrico Benitez, who would later become one of his most loyal allies. Shortly after, Carlos recieved his first ship. He was next noted participating in the defence against Hessian forces during the great siege of Cadiz 794. Mission commission records confirm Carlos Benitez was later based out of Trafalgar Base in New London until the following year, when he disappeared from record.

The next record Corsair files have on Carlos Benitez date from 5 years later, in 800 A.S. when he, accompanied by a strike force consisting of many Benitez and associated fighters, laid siege to the Battleship Talos. Shortly after, the then-Don Rivas Benitez and his supporters disappeared from the Empire, presumably assassinated by Carlos' forces, though no admission of this was ever made, so as to avoid justice from the Council of Elders.

Following the take-over of the Benitez organisation by Carlos and his supporters, the Council of Elders took the decision not to recognise Don Carlos' regime as legitimate, and Carlos and his men fought a bitter struggle to regain lost political influence for the familia as a result of Rivas' tenure and deposition.

Political Career

Don Carlos Benitez was granted a seat in the Council of Elders (at that stage, controlled by the Brotherhood of Crete) 4 months after ousting Don Rivas, and used his influence from this position to promote trans-clan co-operation and policies such as the restriction of human imports to Corsair bases, at a time in which Corsair space had become a fashionable destination for house-tourists. Carlos and his team supported the re-emergence of the Omega Pirates Guild as a force within the Empire.

However, as the influence of both the Benitez, independent elements, and the Omega Pirates Guild grew in comparison to that of the Brotherhood of Crete, Carlos lead the campain to increase these parties representation in the Council. This lead to a bitter Cold-War that lasted for 2 years, bringing the nation to the brink of Civil War and seeing Carlos and his men briefly marked as enemies of the state. Heavily criticized for his role in the escalation of hostilities, Carlos was forced to back down, but the Benitez familia eventually won the seats they had been campaigning for in 815 A.S. Since then, Carlos Benitez has lead the Benitez familia in supporting reform of the Corsair political system, establishing of seats for independent representatives in the Council, and reduction of deployment of capital vessels.