Franklin Liu
Franklin Liu (Liu Kar Wei) is a Chinese man of average build in his early 40′s, quick witted and friendly. Outside of a mech, Liu is a genuinely warm and well-adjusted man, but his fighting style in a mech is aggressive to the point of recklessness at times. Despite this contrast, Liu is experienced and skilled at what he does, and usually exhibits a trademark good judgment. He has some useful training in technical/engineering, as well as a few other odd skills – each of which comes with a story.
Liu was born on Nirasaki/Al-Na’ir within the Draconis Combine (Dieron District) to an ethnic Chinese family. Early on, he showed an aptitude for technical skills. During his education Franklin was active in various school pursuits. The Liu family was not especially fanatic by Kurita standards, but Liu joined the DCMS upon graduation, seeking excitement in the armed forces. Liu served a short time in the armored cavalry as a technical specialist, but an improbable skills inventory exam result landed him a slot in the Dieron District Gymnasium. After a few years attending this low-profile and low-prestige academy, Franklin Liu was posted to the 3rd Dieron Regulars as a mechwarrior. Initially assigned to a light lance piloting a “Jenner”, Liu’s aggressive fighting style won him some injuries, some commendations, and eventual reassignment to a Heavy Lance, piloting a “Dragon”. This assignment lasted for a few more years.
In 3022, Liu refused an order to commit an atrocity while fighting on a Steiner-held world along the border. Though the officer giving the order was held to be out of line, his high social status prevented him from being severely punished. Liu was marked as a “persona non-grata” for failing to carry out his orders, but was spared execution because of the nature of the incident. Liu was stripped of his rank and cashiered out of the DCMS. He returned home in disgrace and spent the next decade as an assistant astech, drifting from job to job,serving with both corporations and mercenary units, acquiring an assortment of useful skills.
Eventually he drifted out of the Draconis Combine entirely. In 3035, Franklin Liu came across a recruiting desk for a unit called the Royal Dragoon Guards, and made the cut to join up. And here he is, piloting a mech for pay. He couldn’t be happier about the arrangement. His 60-ton Grand Dragon,called the “Sun Wukong”, is painted in a blocky blue/green scheme, with a few odd little Chinese-myth inspired images painted near the cockpit.