Martial
Biographical Details
- Full Name
- Uro Franc.
- Other Aliases
- The Foo Fighter.
- Born
- Plunderers Planet, Cy. 1562.
- Relatives
- Warlord Franc, father. Sub-Warlord Sontime, sister.
- Occupation
- Member of the Star Guard.
- Associates
- The Star Guard.
Description
Height: 188cm (6'2"). Weight: 91kg (200lbs).
Hair: black. Eyes: blue.
Uro Franc is physically a heavily muscled but otherwise typical Boluscan male.
He wears a skin-tight lavender/purple uniform with a high collar and a decorative waist sash.
History
Uro Franc was the only son of Warlord Franc, the head of one of the main criminal cartels on Plunderers Planet. From childhood, Uro was trained to be an enforcer of the warlord's personal fiefdom, which on a world where might prevails meant being able to outfight any of the warlord's opponents. He was trained by the best combat instructors the warlord could buy, and he took to this training willingly and wholeheartedly. Before he left his teens, he was already capable of beating any of his instructors in single combat. The only area of personal combat where his training was deficient was the use of firearms, a deliberate choice by his father: armed thugs are cheap, but an assassin who does not need to carry a weapon is much more useful in the paranoid upper echelons of Plunderer society.
At this stage of his life, Uro fully embraced Plunderers' society, as he had nothing to compare it to. He had never been off world, and his contact with off-worlders was strictly controlled. He was indoctrinated to view the Emissariate as a weak, decadent organisation that was doomed to fall.
Warlord Franc had been embroiled in a lengthy struggle for supremacy with a rival warlord, Quatloo, and when Uro was in his 19th cycle (Cy. 1581) Franc sent him to directly assassinate Quatloo. Despite his great abilities, Uro failed in his mission. The common belief is that Uro managed to get into a position to easily kill Quatloo, and hesitated at the last moment, troubled by the act of murdering a man in cold blood. Uro never talks about the event, so the true facts may never be known.
Uro was captured and imprisoned, and forced to fight in Quatloo's gladiatorial arena. By doing this, Quatloo intended to publically humiliate his rival, Franc, but the plan backfired as Uro won every contest he fought, and Franc's status was increased by the reflected glory. Franc did nothing to rescue his son, however, and refused to pay Quatloo the ridiculously high ransom he was demanding.
Uro remained a fighting slave for an entire cycle, using the time to learn from the many other fighters in Quatloo's service. One of those fighters, the exiled Krai captain known as Krai-Lar, became a close friend. It was this friendship which finally led to Uro's freedom. Krai-Lar and Uro were forced to fight each other, and when Krai-Lar gained the upper hand he refused to deliver a killing blow as Quatloo demanded. As a result, Krai-Lar was disciplined by the arena overseers, and Uro stepped in to help him. Things escalated rapidly, and soon an unplanned gladiator rebellion was underway, with many of them, including Uro and Krai-Lar, escaping to freedom.
Uro returned to his father's service, but with a growing sense of disillusionment. Many gladiators had been from beyond Plunderers Planet, and talking with them had challenged everything he had been taught about the evils of the Emissariate. Furthermore, seeing Plunderers Planet from "below", rather than from the ivory tower of a warlord, showed him how rotten his own society was. Thoughts of leaving his world began to enter his mind. He still felt trapped in his life, however, and was unwilling to betray or abandon his father. Furthermore, he was unwilling to leave his younger sister, Sontime, and yet he knew that she was still dedicated to their father.
The cycle following his escape from Quatloo, Uro was sent away from Plunderers Planet for the first time. Warlord Franc was embroiled in a complex multi-system criminal plot, in which he had over-stretched his resources and was in danger of losing everything unless a key Emissariate political figure, Emissary Naylan, could be removed. In desperation, Franc sent Uro to assassinate Naylan. Uro came very close to succeeding, infiltrating the Emissariate's council chambers, and defeating Naylan's bodyguards. All that stood between Uro and Naylan's death was a single Star Guard, Captain Sureshot, and Sureshot's only chance to stop Uro was a killing shot.
Sensing that Uro was conflicted about his mission, Sureshot took a gamble, and didn't take the shot. He lowered his weapon, and Uro, confused, also stayed his hand. He was swiftly overpowered by Emissariate marines, and taken into custody.
Captain Sureshot visited Uro in prison and spent a considerable amount of time in conversation with him. After several visits, Uro's view of the world was fundmentally changed, and Sureshot was convinced he wanted Uro in the Star Guard. It took considerable diplomacy on the part of the Star Guard leadership, but Uro was released from prison and invited to a "try out" audition. Despite having no actual super-Boluscan ability, his unarmed combat skills were so great that he defeated Hyperman in a demonstration bout, impressing all the Star Guard present. He was accepted into the Academy, from where he rapidly graduated and began his Star Guard career in Cy. 1585, using the code name Martial to reflect his mastery of martial skills.
Martial proved a great asset to the Star Guard and is highly admired and valued both by his peers and by the Boluscan public. His background as the son of a plunderer warlord is mostly not known to the general public. He served a cycle as leader in Cy. 1594, though he did not enjoy the experience.
In Cy. 1590, Martial learned that his old friend Krai-Lar was in grave danger. The circumstances meant that helping Krai-Lar could put him at odds with the Star Guard Code (the written constitution that regulates and checks Star Guard behaviour). Torn by conflicting loyalties, he took a leave of absence from the Star Guard in order to pursue his personal mission. This mission led him to the interdicted planet Earth, where he was stranded for several months with no means of off-world travel or communication, and burdened with a manfunctioning translator and flight unit. Concealing his alien origin as much as possible, Martial had a string of adventures on Earth as the "Foo Fighter", during which time he added a knowledge of several major Human fighting styles to his skill set. He was eventually rescued, and rejoined to the Star Guard after a unanimous vote in his favour.
Martial continues to operate as a respected senior member of the Star Guard. When mission schedules permit, he teaches unarmed combat at the Star Guard Academy, and is always willing to instruct any of his fellow Star Guard if requested.
Psychological Profile
Martial is driven by a strong sense of justice, fairness, and hatred of the abuse of power. As these beliefs tie in with the Star Guard Code, he is fiercely dedicated and loyal to that code and to the Star Guard organisation, but at the same time is quick to speak out when he percieves the Star Guard are not following the spirit of the code.
Martial has dedicated his life to the practice of fighting, and yet paradoxically is among the most pacifistic of the Star Guard. His intimate knowledge of combat, and of the lethal damage he could do to an opponent if unchecked, has led him to treat combat as a last resort and always look for a peaceful solution to a conflict first. But when physical combat is inevitable, he will strike quickly and ruthlessly, using his skill to end the fight as quickly as possible.
When he must fight, he always strives to avoid killing. In his eyes, killing an opponent is the easy solution, and therefore means he has failed to use his skills as effectively as he should.
From his first days in the Star Guard, he was conscious that he lacked the raw power of most of his team-mates, and because of this he works doubly hard to maintain and constantly improve his skills. This doesn't mean he suffers from any sense of inferiority or doubt in his abilities; he is just naturally driven to be the best he can.
Martial has a friendly, easy-going nature. He can be quiet and introverted, and is happy with his own company, but he also fits naturally and easily into any group of his peers. He gets on well with all of the Star Guard, but his closest friends include Replica, who took on the role of his mentor when he joined, and Lump, whom he sponsored for membership and with whom he enjoys a great cameraderie despite their vastly different personalities.
He has little time for politics, bureaucracy, or paperwork, preferring direct action. It's a standing joke in the Star Guard that Martial's mission reports are the worst, though recently Team 3's reports are challenging him for that title.
Skills and Abilities
Martial has mastered every form of unarmed combat developed by Boluscanoid species, and even studied and adapted some non-Boluscanoid forms, such as the four-armed grappling techniques of the Formax species (which he has taught Replica to use very effectively). He has synthesised these forms into a unique fighting style that has him acknowledged as the greatest martial artist in the known galaxy.
Although he prefers not to use weapons, he has included their use in his studies. He has mastered, among others, the war-staff of the Crumok, the throwing stick of the Canoids, and the spear-fighting techniques of Gerrl.
Martial has excellent coordination, reaction speed, and physical agility. His strength is at the high end of Boluscan norms.
He is able to determine the weak spot in any object (or living creature) and strike that precise spot for maximum effect. With this skill, he can shatter solid rock and perform other feats that would normally seem impossible for a Boluscan of non-enhanced strength levels.
He is intelligent, quick-thinking, and an excellent tactician and strategist.
Martial wears a standard Star Guard flight unit, worn as a belt beneath his uniform's sash. He seamlessly incorporates this mobility into his fighting style.