SoV-12

=Scars of Victoria=
==Chapter 12 - Challengers==
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===Chit-Chat ad mists Weapons Tests===
The Victoria Institute of Technology - Victoria, Capellan Confederation - 10/6/3048
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Dereck looked up from his machine tools. “Minoru has been steaming ever since we left Barns. Any guesses why?”
Aria paused checking their inventory of recently arrived materials, code cascaded down her computer monitor as the unusual calibration cycle of the bare myomer hands on the bench beside her was conducted. “Kuan-Yin hasn’t broken up with him and we have plenty of chocolate thanks to Phila. Home problems?”“Maybe he heard something about Hohiro.”“I heard the only thing he’s been looking for is an excuse to go home. The Rim was cleared of pirates last time Ian cut through it and his troops have to avoid the pleasure circus. No-one to fight but themselves.”
William soldered circuits at the bench and flipped the brazing goggles upward. “It’s been quiet from home out here on Victoria, even from my parole officer. I still send my reports though, I can’t go off-world till next summer without Minoru.”Ryuun grafted myomer bundles onto the hostile environment suit’s frame a socketed wrist and extended forearm on which to mount Dr Allard’s machine hands. “Minoru has also been hitting the heavy bag so hard it bruises me on the other side.”“You’re too sensitive Sugawara.”“Tell that to my face Mochi.”
They all laughed at the continued absurdities of their little crew working on a far away land under an eccentric roboticist for the nerdy prince of a warrior’s realm.
“Shooters ready.”
Two men dropped to a high creep bringing their short, suppressed rifles with IR lights and lasers appeared on their multispectral cameras captured the situation around them and projected it to the HUD of their full face helmet. Reflective ‘Jingchá | Police’ and number lettering adorned the chest and back plate of their body armor along with an IR probe on their scapula. One had a stylized Tengu painted over his helmet while the other bore the letters ‘BCJ’.
“Lights out. Go on three.”
The shoot-house went dark except for the flashing numbers. On three the pair crept forward clearing each corner, helmets panning in a constant search for hostiles. Target types changed between rooms; mannequins marked with red triangles were bad in one but good in another while yellow squares needed to be taken out with headshots in one but were hostages in another. Targets were found at all angles as the pair climbed ladders, leapt down ledges, and passed through every type of door.
Orders were called out, 7.62x35mm sintered metal rounds coughed out of suppressed rifles their report quiet enough that the brass cartridges falling to the floor and the muted ‘thud’ of impact on the steel targets seemed deafening.
Dynamic animatronic arms reached out from corners toward the rifle forcing the operator to hold and draw their pistol with the other hand. Unsuppressed pistols fired sub-sonic frangible ammo at close range into flapping steel panels which would knock them back into their hiding places. Failure drills were simulated at the end where the last of 3 magazines both gunmen carried were emptied into moving man sized targets.
“Shooters make all weapons safe and clear range. Lights on now.”
Both gunmen passed through the armored doors passing the house crew that would reset the robots and change the flow or layout for the next pair to keep things ‘fresh.’
Borrowed arms and magazines were returned to the Armorer before they were allowed to remove their helmets. The Armory sign changed to show the names and a set of five scores identified by Cantonese characters, ‘Kurita, Minoru’ and ‘Xing, Lie Jie’
Lie Jie turned toward his wingman, Minoru, “Bet it’s nice to see your last name first after so long out of the Combine.”“I never thought I would miss it Lie. How do my ratings fare?”
“Lets take a look at the monitor.” Both men walked into the ready room just beyond the armory where squads of CCAF Military Police, Leeward Constabulary, and other services from across Victoria waited and watched the live feeds from a dozen different courses. Corporal Lie, typically assigned to VIT Aug Labs paged through dozens of computer tabs. “You’re about average. It’s not an insult, the BCJ has high standards"“I would hope so. I trained at the DCA’s Crush School with the Espatier Corps and as a CSE Sapper.”“Police actions and Espatiers have a lot of overlap. Sapper not so much, hopefully. Explosions are a lot more dangerous in hard and confined spaces. Our concussion grenades are only half charges because of it. Although if you need to kill everything thermobarics work well. The helmet won’t help you with the overpressure, it does work against CS gas however.”“Personal experience?”“Aye. Sports riot.”“Good thing I would be wearing a hostile environment suit. What’s the best score?”“You know I never actually looked. Let’s pull up the top ten.”
 
Ten names came up, most of whom were DMI or MIIO SpecOps from the early days when Victoria was occupied by the AFFS. Minoru stared slack-jawed at one of the names, ‘#5 Allard, Riva, MIIO, 3042’“Doctor Allard is still in the top five out of everybody that has been through this facility. After nearly six years! How is this possible?”“Her dad built it. Those robots that jumped out at you, hers. She’s still a regular or so I hear, for fun supposedly.”“But her, really? The mousey professor, a diehard special operator.”“Appearances can be deceiving. Truthfully sometimes I think we are only guarding her lab for everyone's else safety.” Lie hung his helmet on the hooks and Minoru did the same. “You want a drink?”“Do they have booze?”“Afraid not. Guns and booze don’t mix.Protein smoothie?”
Minoru and Lie walked away from the ready room as the next team prepared their battledress for their heat. “Lie I’m looking for a new sparring partner, mine is getting a little soft and predictable.”Lie pulled out his police notepad, “I think I can pencil in a royal ass-kicking if you’re free,and buying.” 
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===Receiving Praise===
Workshop - 11/08/3048
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“Wow this is amazing. I can really feel the tension in it.” Minoru clenched his fist within long gloves thick with wiring and sensors which were in turn wired into a power supply and microprocessor shaped like a vambrace. A myomer hand attached to the bare wrist socket held upward did the same. He released it then gripped the metal rod that Dereck passed to it. The rod moved with each rotation of his wrist before he flicked it out as if throwing out a fishing reel.
“You really are impressive, Doctor Allard.”
Riva Allard dipped her glasses slightly as she studied the gray myomer bunches attached to the 3-D printed titanium armature. “As if there was any doubt.I’ve managed to teach below elbow amputees. Since you are whole it’s easy enough to get the basics down and you have plenty of options of interface systems.You’ll probably have to pay attention until you get your dexterity back. Then it shouldn’t feel any different.”
Minoru looked toward his research team then back toward the handless and headless hostile environment suit flayed of its outer coating till it was a bare metal frame with myomer bunches giving it an eerie plasticine appearance. “I can’t wait to attach these to the suit.”
Ryuun slapped him on the shoulder which didn’t translate to the hand. “Well good thing because that’s your project this weekend. Dereck and I have been killing ourselves modifying the suit to fit these manipulators and bulking out the frame.”
William stepped forward with his noteputer eying the bare hands. “Once the manipulators are attached. Aria and I can begin adapting the suit’s firmware to incorporate the extra sensors and myomer bundles, new manipulators, and reinforced frame. Are you ready for some long nights debugging Aria?” 
Aria nodded, “So much time compiling. Going over each line, step by step. It could take hours…”“At least the helmet is a self-contained unit. The only firmware you need there is your skull.”
Riva walked over to the helmet which showed signs of wear around its Tengu decoration. “Although you will need to ensure integrity on the neck dams when you finalize it. These units weren’t designed with a separate helmet in mind.”“I had to test out the sensors we acquired in an actual situation. Should we put the soft armor beneath or above the barrier?”“My current feeling is above. It will protect the inner barrier layer from damage.”
She then moved over to the carbon fiber backpack frame splayed open to reveal the suit’s regenerative life support and Fuel Cell cluttering one of the stainless-steel tables, like an organ waiting for transplant. “I see you have been busy here as well.”“We adapted the previous pack for the higher-power fuel cell of the Aggressor suits we had installed on SILVERBACK. It even let us simplify the ECLSS.” The machines hummed to life as Dereck flicked the switch. An oscilloscope registered the current passing between them while a flow gauge did the same for the chemical contents within the flexible tubing, “so it doesn’t draw as much power from the battery. It also incorporates a CO2 neutralizer due to the alkaline electrolyte, so the rebreather doesn’t have to work as hard.”
Doctor Allard nodded to them all, “See I told Minoru that he could deliver a prototype in record time by adapting already existing tech. I look forward to seeing your continued progress when I return next week.”“Enjoy your anniversary trip with Max, Doctor Allard.”“I shall, don’t get into any trouble while I’m away.”
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===Interpretation your Guanyin===
At the Circus, Leeward Tower - Victoria, Capellan Confederation - 11/11/3048
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Cloyingly sweet smells of candy floss and caramel wafted between carnival games, fortune tellers, and street performers. Minoru and Kuan-Yin walked in file behind one another while Ryuun chomped on the last of his kebob. Electric buzzers and carnival barkers filled the volume beside excited squeals, disappointed groans, and shouts of “rigged!” BCJ officers vigorously patrolled the midway with weighted gloves, helmets with face grills, a long baton in hand, and a belt full of zip-ties.
Six coins were tossed into the air and landed with a brassy thud, a wizened woman with cataracts and a mysterious aura called out to Kuan-Yin. “You seemed troubled, Young Lady. Care for the certainty of the coins?Six of yours for six of mine, times three, and I can foresee.” 
Kuan-Yin paused for a moment, Minoru almost ran into her while Ryuun walked ahead toward a strength challenge where a trio of nursing students took turns slamming down the comically oversized hammer. “Minoru, we haven’t seen her before, have we?”
Minoru whispered to her, “No, but she really has the act down, cataract contacts and everything. Magic and divination aren’t real, come on.”“The I ching never lies, though it is always up to your interpretation Guanyin.”
She stormed over to the seer, “How do you know me?”“I too hear the cries of the world.You have a gentle energy girl, perhaps too much. Your path has not been an easy one and your heart aches with uncertainty and sorrow.”
Eighteen Yuan worth of coins clattered to the table then disappeared into the women’s sleeve. “Write down a question you seek an answer too, fold and drop it here.” 
Her bony finger pointed toward a chute built into the table.
 
“But you won’t be able to see it if I do that.” Kuan-Yin said clutching the pen and piece of paper.
 
“I don’t need to see it to interpret the coins and answer it for you.”“Would you like to go next young man?”“I will politely decline.” Minoru said as Kuan-Yin scribbled something on the slip and dropped it into the chute.
Three heavy bronze coins engraved with arcane Taoist symbols were laid alongside a piece of paper. The seer readied her calligraphy brush. “Cast the coins then Guanyin.”
Six tosses of the three coins were drawn out by the women onto the scroll in intricate brushstrokes as quickly as Kuan-Yin could lift the tokens. “Earth over Thunder, Thunder slumbers beneath the Earth.” 
After completing the brushes and casting some sand over the ink she opened her metal bound copy of the Book of Change. “Hexagram Twenty-Four,Fu-The Return also known as the Turning Point.A new spring will come shortly into your life, but you have been here before, yet this is progress not regression. All cycles must come full circle. There will soon be movement brought about not by force but devotion.Transformed into Hexagram Fifty-One, by this changing line.” She had marked the middle line with red ink, “Thunder echoes upon Thunder. The superior one looks within and sets their life in order. There will be a fright, but know that it is a signal to awaken, and a reminder that all storms will pass in time and clear skies shall return.”“How do you know this!”“I know nothing but what the coins have told me.” The seer held the ribbon wrapped scroll out to Kuan-Yin. “This is yours, a short reminder to answer your query.Always understand your fate can change, and so can your fortune.” 
Her final look caused shivers down Kuan-Yin’s back. “Perhaps we will see each other in the future.”"Wow that was creepy. What question did you ask?"
She stuffed the scroll into her jacket, "It's not important. Let's forget this happened.""That's fine with me. Thirsty?"
They pushed through the crowd until they found themselves at one of the smaller standing only bars next to a pair of teenagers wearing SIAMS cadet jackets. The boy looked over toward Minoru with a toothpick in his teeth, he lifted his garrison cap. “Wouldn’t you know it. Out of all the bar tops in Leeward.”
The girl took a step back from the bar tossing a piece of wrapped bubble gum into the wastebin, “These two decided to walk into ours.”
Minoru looked over to Kuan-Yin who seemed paler than normal, he then looked over to the boy beside him. “I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced.Minoru Kurita.”
“Kai LiaoCare to share a drink? I still owe you one from last time we...bumped into each other.”
Kuan-Yin grabbed Minoru’s arm and tried to pull him away, but he shrugged her off. He rolled up his sleeves tapping the signet ring on his pinkie upon the cheap bar-top. “I think I would like that.”
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===A Challenge===
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The Liaos and Minoru Kurita stood beside one another at the bar top to the astonishment of its proprietor. “Wow! Kai the All-Capellan Wushu Champion, big fan. Here are your drinks, my treat.”
Minoru placed a fifty Yuan bill on the far end of the bar which was matched by Kai who glared at him behind brown eyes. His ancestor Ursula did so with green from the paper bills which were hastily collected by the barkeep. “Kuan-Yin didn’t tell me her brother and sister were on world.”“Oh really? We told her we were coming, to do our SIAMS rotation at Shengli.” Cassandra leaned her head over toward Kuan-Yin’s turned face. “Are you ashamed of us, Sis?”
“No, I thought you would be busy. Actually, hoped it.”
“Well, we are busy, but Leeward is only a train ride away, Kuan-Yin. Minoru, we heard you stopped by Shengli a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, we were on duty, keeping the mountain thundering.”“As was I. Magnus was aiding my mine clearance exoskeleton project. We have made good progress. Kai, is your Thunderbolt complete?”
“It is although I have not gotten a chance to work on or pilot it yet. I have been putting plenty of them together to know every detail of how they work.”“My companions have told me that they have been beaten quite thoroughly in the simulators by a mech in a similar configuration.”“No one would learn or improve if they didn’t get beaten occasionally. They should be thankful.”“I’m certain they are, although they spent so much time as Champions, handling the fall is proving difficult.Higher you are, etcetera”“Another instructional lesson.”
Kuan-Yin pulled on Minoru’s arm again, her eyes pleading with him. “If you will excuse me, I need to use the restroom before we depart. We unfortunately have other things to do this evening but thank you for the drink.”“Another time then, though not too long, Cassandra and I are only on world till the end of the year.”
Minoru stepped away and Cassandra stepped up to stand in his place beside Kuan-Yin who hissed, “What are you doing here, Sis?”“We were enjoying our first day off in weeks. Fort Lee is not exactly an exciting place for anyone.” She attempted to jab her finger into Kuan-Yin, but it was deflected, “You bumped into us!”
Sisters squabbled while Minoru saw Kai enter through the mirror as he was washing up. His eyes followed the mirrored image of someone moving with predatory intent. “When you said we shouldn’t wait so long this isn’t what I was expecting.”“That’s a lie and you know it. I know what you are up to.”
He pocketed his ring and kept his hands at the ready, “Do enlighten me, because I find myself at a bit of an impasse.”
Kai loomed behind him, “You say you’re here for a humanitarian reason, researching bomb proof suits with Aunt Riva. But I don’t believe you! Because that is not what Kuritas do. You’re doing this for pride showing up here with money and press conferences as a distraction for something nefarious your father has up his sleeves.”“I believe I did read that you were born on New Avalon, yet we both find ourselves in the Capellan Confederation. Didn’t my father sign a peace treaty and exchange ambassadors with your uncle? These are unprecedented times.”“Some things never change though. You could have conducted your research anywhere in the Confederation or Combine, but you chose Victoria.”“Doctor Allard is peerless in her field.”“And she had my sister as her ward, the same on that you have on your arm. Am I to believe that you didn’t come here to a poach a princess along the way?”
Recognition hit Minoru like a ton of bricks, his own sister was off-limits as an avowed Pillarine, and he had never thought of it in that manner. He felt a surge of anger at being falsely accused of such conduct. “Your sister came on to me before I even hit the ground, and she is no princess.If that’s what I wanted I needn’t have gone furtherthan Highspire.”
Kai’s fist cracked the mirror where Minoru’s head was a moment before he ducked and spun out of the way. A double palm strike sent Kai reeling backward toward the stalls where he caught himself. Minoru stood back up hands at the ready, “Kai, I don’t want to fight you.”
Opposite him Kai readied himself, “Then feel free to stop anytime,” before he lunged forward. Their conflict was ugly with lots of pushing and crashing into tiled walls and through thin metal stalls. BCJ whistles blew as the constables separated them before putting both scraped up and bruised boys in zip-ties. 
“You’re dead, Minoru!I know your game.Next time the cops won’t be here to save you.”
The constables escorted them outside where Kuan-Yin and Cassandra were similarly restrained and held apart. Their clothes and hair were disordered, Cassandra had a black eye, and Kuan-Yin’s face was red with rage, vibrant scratches visible across her cheek.
A BCJ Sergeant rushed over with additional cops to keep the crowds at bay, “What disappointing behavior from our next generation of potential leaders.”“I don’t know about that, if you were there it was a pretty good fight Sergeant,” said Kai as he struggled against the burly officer holding him in place.“You’ve just caused a diplomatic incident, Cadet Kai Liao. You’ll hear about it when the MPs arrive.”
Minoru eased up as the anger left him, “I don’t want to press charges, Sergeant.”“That may not be up to you.”“I will tell Ogawa-sama the same, he will understand.”“You are still going to get blacklisted from the Circus for three months. All of you will.”
“I will make my own entertainment.” Minoru turned to face Kai who returned it with a menacing growl, “I would like to challenge Cadet Kai Liao to proper fight, next week.” 
He then faced the crowd of stunned onlookers, “At the Shengli Arena! for charity.” the last words dripped with scorn and his looked betrayed it as well.
“I accept your challenge, Minoru Kurita,for charity....
but no mercy.” he said under his breath as the MPs dragged him and Cassandra away. 
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===Reckoning with Aunt Riva===
Workshop - 11/14/3048
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The door to V.I.T. Aug Labs was already open as Dr. Riva Allard stormed toward Corporal Lie and the other BCJ officers stationed at its entrance for the afternoon shift. “Welcome back Doctor, did you…” A stern look stopped him mid-sentence as he waved her through.
She paused at the entrance to the group lab and found it locked, she slammed the side of her fist into the buzzer. William’s voice came through the intercom, “Who is it?”“You better open up, really quick, Yoshimara!”
He talked to someone else in the lab without taking his finger off the intercom button, “It’s Doctor Allard, she sounds mad.”“Oh I am.”“Gives us two minutes.”
Two minutes later the door opened revealing William, shirt untucked, and Aria, hijab slightly out of place, in the entrance with no sign of the others. “What are you two up too?”
“Debugging code.” They said in unison.“Of course, you were.” Riva stepped in and looked around seeing the partially completed prototype suit plugged into the wall while its pack components were still spread out along the table. “Where’s SILVERBACK?”“Dereck and Ryuun, took it to the machine shop. They needed Cosby’s help for some modifications.”“I thought you abandoned that project.”“What he meant was that Cosby wanted it, so Dereck and Ryuun are delivering it.” Aria interjected.Riva’s gaze hovered uncomfortably long on the young man. His face reflected in her glasses like he was caught in scope’s targeting reticle. “Is that so young man?”“Yes, Doctor.”“You lie terribly, Yoshimara. I guess I should be grateful. I will find out what is really going on.Until then get a different room,after venting this one, or light a candle, or something.”
Aunt Riva loomed through the peephole; Kuan-Yin hastily opened the door turning her scratched cheek away from her unconsciously. Riva stepped through closing the door behind her as her niece backed away. “Sit on your bed, Young lady. We need to have a chat.”
Kuan-Yin cleared the made bed of its plush animal inhabitants. Small, cutesy crochet dolls of her friends and siblings lined the upper shelf of her bookcase. A bookcase which like the rest of her furniture had been moved from St Ives when she came to live with her aunt on Victoria. “What happened?”
“Minoru, Ryuun, and I were out then there was a creepy seer lady who read my fortune…”“This had better be a very quick story on why Minoru and you got into a fight with your brother and sister.” Riva interrupted“We bumped into them, and Kai was…Kai.” She began gesturing as if to pantomime the whole encounter, “I tried to get Minoru away and he did excuse himself, but Kai followed him into the bathroom. Then Cassandra and I got into an argument.” Kuan-Yin paused and hugged her arms around herself“The nature of which was?”
Now Kuan-Yin balled her fists on the bed and her face went red, “She implied that I was whoring myself out to Minoru. So I punched her in the face and gave her a black eye. Then we fought before the BCJ broke us up and then they did the same to Kai and Minoru. Then I had to sit in detention for two hours and they banned me for three months.”
A moment passed as Riva tapped her finger on the kitchenette’s countertop looking at the mint green baseball helmet on the bookcase and baseball bat leaned against it, “You punched your sister, the military cadet in the face, you Kuan-Yin?”“Yes! I showed her.”“Honestly, I feel a bit conflicted about that. I should be angry, but am proud at the same time.”“What? Why?”“Well, you stood up for yourself. Cassandra was out of line; military school is not the best place for a young lady to grow up in. Megan would have set her straight, but she wanted to be with her big brother and Tormano let it happen. I should have pushed my brother harder.Now a difficult question, have Minoru and you…you know…” Riva pushed her fingers together in an awkward manner.
Kuan-Yin’s face went red for a completely different reason, she looked away sheepishly once more wrapped her arms around herself. “No, we haven’t even like…made out.”“It is important for me to know. Girls your age get married in the Draconis Combine.”“But I’m only sixteen.”“Exactly, I am upset about a lot of things presently, but that does put my mind at ease. However, I still have to chew Minoru out. Do you know where he is?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him since Saturday.”
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Riva walked out toward one of Leeward’s interface consoles, found the hidden button and put in the secret backdoor that Quintus had installed into the arcology’s computers. “The physical chemistry lab? What the hell is he doing there!”
Minoru sat beside a collection of white bottles filled with metallic salts and other chemicals. Behind him were large cardboard tubes and wooden box marked with hazard symbols. A shoe scuffed against the linoleum floor, and someone lifted the rope with a sign marking ‘Hot Lab, High Hazard.’
“You have to touch the static discharge panel before entering the lab, Doctor Allard.”
A lab coat swished behind him as Riva picked up one of the chemical bottles, “Minoru, what the hell are you doing with Strontium and Barium salts?”“Carefully mixing them with other chemicals for a project.”“What kind of project?”“A functional test of the suit.”“Involving?”“Pyrotechnics.”“You are making pyrotechnics, in this lab! Are you insane?”“No, I have a CSE explosives license. I know what I am doing.”“Said every teenage boy ever. You are grounded young man!” She stormed off and away from the explosives, “We are going to need a long chat soon about your recent behavior.”
He tapped the SD-panel built into the hood before pulling out another scoop of powder with a non-sparking spatula. “Of course I’m grounded, it would be irresponsible to do anything otherwise while handling explosives.”
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===Charity Fight Card===
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Image of a pair of Eastern Dragons grappling with one another, the black one breathing red flame and the green one blue lightning
Kai Liao ‘The Southpaw Stallion’ 
VS
Minoru Kurita ‘The Warrior-Sage of Hachiman’
AT
Shengli Advanced Technologies Arena, Leeward, Victoria
All proceeds will directly benefit The Capellan Restoration Trust
Brought to you by the Victoria Institute of Technology’s Board of Trustees
Kai Liao
Age – 18
Height – 180cm (5’9ft)
Weight – 67.8Kg (~150lb)
Trained Styles – Wing Chun Quan, Qin Na, Xingyiquan, Imarra style Kuntao, SIAMS Sanda
Fighting from The St Ives Academy of Martial Sciences
Titles 
Junior Disciple of the Lorix Order of House Imarra
All-Capellan Junior Wushu League Featherweight Champion, 3044-46
CCAF MechWarrior Cadet, 2nd Year. Thunderbolt ‘Du Shi Wang’
Minoru Kurita
Age – 17
Height – 176cm (~5’8ft)
Weight – 63.4Kg (~140lbs)
Trained Styles – Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujitsu, HTI Hwarangdo, Five Pillar style Shorin-Ryu Kenpo, DCA Espatier Corps SnoS (Senshi no Sutairu)
Fighting from The Hachiman Technical Institute
Titles
Prince of the Draconis Combine
Technical Sergeant, Draconis Combine Support and Engineering Corps
Combat Sapper Tab, CSE
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