Polaris "Dynasty" Matthison

Description
"'Trained from childhood to protect the innocent, he carries that ethos into everything he does'"

Backstory
”''Identify. Adapt. Annihilate.''”

Those were the words his father repeated over and over, during every day of training. Polaris still hears them echoing in the back of his mind whenever he feels under pressure. Born on Talon Prime, Polaris spent his childhood either in school, or being trained by his father. Ames Matthison himself was one of the most senior members of the Talon Black Ops wing, and from an early age, decided his only child was to follow in his footsteps.

Each day after coming home, the two would head out to the woods to train. Hunting, Tracking, SERE, Guerrilla warfare. After that, languages and strategy. Polaris learned the 3 most common languages in addition to the common tongue. Thrice weekly before bed, hand to hand training. On the weekends, weapons and marksmanship, followed by pilot training. Polaris’ mother was a doctor, tending to his wounds and deciding if he needed time to recover.

One day after a particularly intense sparring session involving bamboo sticks, he lost it.

“Why?! Why must I do this?”

“Identify!” His father said, swinging at his head, but was blocked.

“Adapt!” His father said, sending a flurry of blows that Polaris parried, all too easily.

“Annihilate!” His father shouted, suddenly whipping around and sweeping Polaris’ legs out from under him. He pressed one of the sticks to his sons throat; in a real fight he’d be dead. His father offered a hand, helping him off the mat.

“If you cannot do that, civilians die. Innocent lives are lost. I train you to protect the people, because they cannot protect themselves from the threats we face. You have the strength and will of my side of the family, and the humanity and intelligence of your mother’s. Under our watch, we prevent the destruction of innocent lives.”

Then, for the first time in his life, Polaris saw his father smile. “You are more than we could’ve ever hoped for.”

After that, training progressed rapidly, but less often. Polaris was able to enjoy what remained of his childhood and adolescence, learning to enjoy himself whenever the opportunity presented himself. Afternoons and weekends remained the same, but his evenings were free. A social life and social skills would be important in the work he would be doing.

Soon enough, he graduated, beginning his life as a member of the Talon Black Ops division. Years passed, many lives were saved. After his father died during the 4th year of the Libertas War, he did his best to live up to his father’s legacy.

During a raid on an unidentified military depot, Polaris’s team came under fire. He drew the fire enemy ship, allowing his comrades to escape and minimizing the amount of casualties in his unit. Barely surviving, he managed to disable the enemy ship, hailing it and offering mercy. The enemy pilot turned out to be a Gazer Operator. The Gazer pilot, impressed with his combat skills and moral fibre, recruited him.

The next year was spent surviving the most grueling training regime of any outfit in the Galaxy. But, he survived, and thrived, joining a Gazer unit codenamed FIRELIGHT. Soon after joining, he learned that his father had been one of the unit’s deep cover agents. From this, he got the callsign “Dynasty”.

Each member of FIRELIGHT is free to pursue their own interests until activated. Red Daggers and Fire Legion, however, are designation Kill-On-Sight. FIRELIGHT’s main objective is to protect civilians of all factions by destroying such threats as Red Dagger’s, and Fire Legion in particular. They also make a point to avoid engaging Federation and Rebel forces unless fired on first. They never fly under Gazer colors while on combat missions. Polaris normally flies under his old Talon colors unless necessity dictates otherwise.

Polaris’ current ship has only one other Gazer crew member: Mikayla Stone. Mikayla and Polaris were in the same recruit group. After completing training, Polaris offered her the position of XO on his father’s Rusalka, the ”Liberator”. Eventually, she agreed, and they have flown together over the past 2 years.

Personality
Despite his intense upbringing, Polaris has managed to keep a witty, laid-back air about him. Everyone except Fire Legion is a friend until they act otherwise. He maintains a strict open-door policy, and is more of a father to his subordinates than a commander. He loves his crew, and would die protecting each and every one of them.

In combat, however, this changes dramatically. Orders are barked, and he takes the pilot’s seat, and the result is victory. This doesn’t keep him from apologizing afterwards, though.

Diplomacy
Polaris has but one moral absolute: Do not hurt the innocent. Any who break this will find themselves in his crosshairs. FIRELIGHT marching orders are KOS on Fire Legion and Red Daggers, do not engage Federation or Rebel forces unless fired on first. Everything is up to the discretion of the captain. Polaris engages in normal piracy against just about everyone else except Talons, always offering surrender, and never shooting down escape pods.

Romance
"'We could all die tomorrow, why not enjoy ourselves today?'"

Relationships
Friends with Mikayla Stone