Rivas Benitez

Rivas Benitez
Profile
Origin	Corsairs
Occupation	Don of the Corsair Benitez Family
Gender	Male
Height	164cm
Weight	87kg
Hair color	Grey
Eye color	Green
Affiliation	Corsairs (Corsair Benitez Family)
Rank	Don
Status	Assumed deceased
Born	745 A.S.
Died	800 A.S.??

Rivas Benitez served as Don and Commandante of the Familia from 779 A.S. to 800 A.S. and, for a time, was one of the most significant political figures in the Corsair Empire. A controversial character, Don Rivas oversaw significant changes in the familia's role, but modern perception of his tenure may be significantly coloured by propaganda spread by his successors. Then-Don Rivas Benitez made his last appearance in 800 A.S.. Though the circumstances of his departure from power are not widely known, by 801 A.S. he had been replaced, along with many of his lieutenants.

Early Career

Rivas Benitez first emerged in 764 A.S. as a young Soldato within the familia, under the command of Capitan Quintus Benitez. He earned various commendations during his time as a fighter pilot, eventually becoming captain of one of the Benitez' M26 class gunboats. An exemplary fleet commander, in 772 A.S. Rivas led a daring siege of the last remaining Outcast installation in Sigma-17. The success of this operation cemented Corsair supremacy in the lower Edge, and propelled Rivas to the Council of Elders. By 774 A.S., Rivas had been granted the position of Praetor, reporting directly to the legendary Don Santigo Benitez and becoming principle commander of the Talos-C.

Tenure as Don

Following the death of Don Santigo in battle in 779 A.S. the Benitez Council of Elders elected Rivas as the new Commandante and Don of the familia.

Although the reputation of the familia during his predecessor's tenure had grown significantly, Rivas felt that the familia was financially overstretched, having become responsible for defence of bases across the Empire while neglecting profitable pursuits such as piracy and smuggling. During the 780s, Rivas gradually dialled down Benitez involvement in the war with the Outcasts, withdrawing troops from Etna Base, while encouraging administration and defence of Cadiz to be taken on by the disparate pirate guilds of Omega space, which would eventually be united by the so-called "Pirate King" Gentle. Rivas refocused the efforts of familia agents on building business links throughout House space, developing new markets for Benitez-exported Alien Artefacts. These resources were primarily devoted to espionage operations and technology development, though the fruits of much of this investment only emerged during the early 9th century.

In 795 A.S., Rivas made first contact with the Order and negotiated a bilateral deal to exchange resources for technology. While this enraged the Council of Elders, who later negotiated an alliance with the Order on behalf of the Empire as a whole, Don Rivas' actions established close ties between the Order and Benitez familia that would endure for the next 12 years, and also ensured that Benitez would be first to benefit from access to Order technology.

In late 797 A.S., with the launch of the new Osiris-class Talos-D, Rivas transferred Benitez headquarters from Myrtos Villa, Planet Crete, to his new flagship. Despite their newly developed military might, the familia's political influence had declined rapidly, having paid a significant political price for their circumvention of the Council of Elders in 795 during dealings with the Order.

By 799 A.S. the reputation of the familia had declined significantly. When the economic impact of the destruction of Freeport 7 in early 800 A.S. hit Crete, the Benitez' stranglehold on the Artefact trade was blamed for reducing the Empire's resilience to external shock.

Last Appearance

Don Rivas' last public appearance occurred in June, 800 A.S.. In 801 A.S. following months of silence, the Benitez familia inaugurated a new leader (Don Carlos Benitez) on the steps of the Corsair Council Chambers in Heraklion, Planet Crete, wearing traditional Corsair imperial uniform. Though this theatrical event is marked as the end of Rivas' tenure as Don of the familia, most analysts believe it represented the culmination of a longer-term hostile take-over of the Benitez organisation by disgruntled elements within the familia. The fate of Don Rivas and many of his lieutenants has never been disclosed, though most Corsair historians believe they were put to death in 800 A.S. by their political opponents within the familia. This allegation is strongly denied by the current regime.