Raxs 'Gatakurr

"A lot of money, and a couple of people with the right mindset, can get you out of any situation."

- Raxs 'Gatakurr

Raxs 'Gatakurr, formerly christened  ' Riogatakurree prior to the Great Schism, was a former Silent Shadow operative of the defunct Covenant and one of the top executives of the Worldly Guilds of Akurr-Zufam.

Biography
Raxs 'Gatakurr's early life was largely a mystery, and only a handful of details were known for certain. It was known he hailed from Khael'monthka, living in its poverty-stricken regions. Although government records contradict this, he emigrated from his homeworld at a young age, likely in search of a better life. He lived from job-to-job, some of it legal, others involved with criminal activity. At some point he was employed as an aide to Grasan 'Dralkamee, a traveling merchant who allowed Raxs to negotiate to customers on his behalf. This hinted at a deeper connection to the man, although it was impossible to tell whenever Raxs was employed as an apprentice or as merely an associate tasked with carrying out his lower-priority work. More specific details, such as how he received his education, what his original family was like, or how he somehow survived alone following his emigration, often varied according to sources and the man's own inconsistent recollection on the period.

Raxs enlisted with the Covenant's Ministry of Resolution after his nineteenth birthday, with forged admission papers to allow him to navigate around the department's minimum enlistment age. Again, records of this period were inconsistent outside of key events. Most of his service was as a young Storm Sangheili in the Nulu-Varl Warrior Creche (later the Concordian Sixth Crusading Legion), who were frequently tasked with countering Jiralhanae holdouts who were still resisting the Covenant's occupation of their space, and suppressing divergent cults that clashed with the Covenant religion. Already, his charisma and ability to negotiate and convince others were recognized. During operations on the Qurosh Moons, when a handful of lances were captured by heretic rebels as bargaining chips, Raxs had convinced them to return the soldiers unharmed, preventing bloodshed. However, between these were unsubstantiated accounts of dishonorable, disobedient, and coercive deeds, with at least one account that claimed he was demoted for attacking a superior. Although none of these were mentioned in Covenant records, given that Raxs never pursued an officer's posting, it was suspected that these events did occur but were buried at a later date, likely to improve his chances of advancement. Regardless, Raxs eventually moved out of combat duties and instead became a Redeemer, a part-chaplain position that better suited his strengths.

Appearance
As a direct result of his need for attention, Raxs has taken a lot of care with his physical appearance. Belonging to the Subanese race, he stood at 241 centimeters tall and weighed about 149 kilograms. He shared his phenotype's major traits, such as their light-grey skin tones and larger scales. However, the fact that he was quite lean instead of stocky, with his mandibles being a little thicker than the norm, suggested that some of his heritage also originated in the Yermo region of Sanghelios. He was born with complete heterochromia, with his right eye being yellow and his left eye being green. The mutation meant that he suffered from shortsightedness, and required glasses or lens to correct this. Occasionally, he opted to cover them up with heads-up display contacts, although he often left them visible. He has fairly soft and youthful skin for a Sangheili of his age, with minimum wrinkling, and he has only a few small white speckles dotted over his body. To hide impurities and maintain his youthful appearance, as well as to exaggerate certain features of his body, he occasionally applied certain treatments of makeup. Depending on the exact application, this either exaggerated his intimidating qualities, or made him more attractive than he otherwise could be.

Raxs' infiltration harness was iconic, and distinctly unique from other types of armor currently in service. The basic design was similar to that used by other Silent Shadow operatives, and its capabilities were largely identical. It retains the advanced active camouflage emitter built into the armor, stealth-optimized profile, and impressive shielding unit. The surface was designed to change its coloration according to the local environment, but Raxs has elected to keep a bright tundra camouflage scheme during most fights. Dotting the armor was a collection of precious gemstones, such as topazes, emeralds, and diamonds, whose purpose were to stand out among the duller harnesses worn by more experienced warriors. For formal meetings with important individuals, Raxs has a second harness that was plated with platinum and gold, as a visual representation of his ambitions.

Fashion was something Raxs tried to stay on top of, and his unarmored clothing reflected this. Indeed, his wardrobe rotates frequently, often changing with the seasons as styles waxed and waned in popularity. He usually avoided were the classical, simple Trahudan robes most commonly favored by conservative families and warriors, though he did keep an expensive, high-maintenance suit for formal occasions. Instead, he preferred styles that were considered radical or at least over-the-top among Sangheili society: this included Haz-Szz, whose bright coloration (especially in the ultraviolet range), intricate shapes, and aromatic scents clearly conveyed its Yanme'e heritage; and Vapurn jackets whose high collars, yellow insert, and shining, hard exterior of navy blues evoked imagery of oceanic predators. Towards the end of his life, he adopted styles popularized among humanity, partially to showcase his support for that species.

Personality
"If I cannot take a moment to enjoy myself, I fail to see the point in living."

- Raxs 'Gatakurr

From the outset, Raxs was an arrogant, self-serving individual, with an easy-going and playful demeanor that made it difficult for him to take things seriously. As an attention seeker, Raxs thrived most when he felt someone else watching him, and carefully maintained his public persona. He kept up a very confident, slick act, and took the light-hearted approach whenever possible. It was his belief that standing out in the most outrageous way possible was the best way to get attention, which led to ill-advised incidents that reached regional news. He found it easy to get along with people, especially those who were less-fortunate than him. He was capable of resiliently bouncing off those that try to insult him, and as a result he was difficult to anger and hard to dislike - unless he chose to be obtuse. Thanks to his positive approach to life, he often enthusiastically tried new things, and continue on even if he proved clumsy. It was sometimes stated that Raxs was very lenient with who he places his trust in, although this was an illusion; although he welcomed people around him, only a select few individuals within his inner circle were granted access to the many secrets he possessed. He may talk far too much, but he knew what to make public and what to keep to himself - which was why his true friends trust him completely. He was also a notorious drinker, fond of the cheaper varieties of beers and lagers but has a lot of experience with stronger, more expensive forms of alcohol.

Raxs was far from an infallible person, and his drawbacks were many. He has a lack of discipline and patience, which often led to him rushing into situations without thoroughly considering the consequences. This has led to him getting dangerously hurt, and he arrogantly created enemies with powerful officials, as he believed they could not seriously harm him. In particular, he actively disrespected high-class Sangheili from influential families, as he ironically considered them arrogant and an enemy to their meritocratic society. Unfortunately, his charisma also meant that he was prone to seducing women from all walks of life, including the wives of very powerful governors and commanders. In addition, his willingness to engage in activities considered dishonorable, such as bribing and eliminating his enemies through discreet means, ensured that he was disliked by conservative members of his species.

In his private life, Raxs was a somewhat different person. Although he enjoyed the spotlight, on many occasions he will gladly take shelter in more budgeted establishments, where he associated the most with the worker-class Sangheili and Kig-Yar. He was quite open with the other races, and was especially interested in humanity because of their recent discovery and concept of free enterprise. He found himself requiring constant stimulation, and was attracted to activities with a degree of risk to them. It was for this reason that he enlisted and eventually joined the Silent Shadow. His confidence and calm demeanor gave way when he was pressed on certain topics; for example, he was reluctant to discuss subjects regarding his early past and the morality of his dealings, even in the presence of those he trusted.

Even as merchants go, Raxs was greedy, and was completely devoted to acquiring as much wealth as he can possibly grasp, and a need to show it off to those around him. This obsession was born from his poor upbringing on his homeworld, and he bore emotional scars from the constant fighting for food and feeling of defenselessness. This has gone so far that he elected to keep his lineage visible in his badge name, partially as a reminder to never again be caught in such a hopeless position again.

Skills
Easily Raxs' greatest asset was his business mindset. Despite his immaturity, he was dedicated in his goal of acquiring more wealth, helped by being an able negotiator who could use his position and influence to achieve his desired outcome. He has experience in almost every aspect of his business, from manufacturing to marketing to the politics in the top levels of his corporation. He had an eye towards exploiting faltering ideas that few see potential in, and paired them with the right marketing approach to achieve success. This was one of the pillars of his corporate doctrine: while focusing on a single line of products could lead to incredible short-term gains, he used that success to bring attention to a number of smaller, more niche services he also offered. In the past, he used to be dangerously bent on reducing costs no matter the moral implications. However, in recent years he has urged his executives to improve the quality of life for their workforce, including upholding the workers rights that were historically disregarded.

To complement his economic talents, Raxs also had a number of connections to criminal elements and has experience as an information trader. His strategies often utilized many methods frowned upon, including bribery, assassination, fraud, and sabotage. He sold protection by encouraging - or secretly sponsoring - attacks on his competitors. Similarly, he constantly assessed his underlings to determine who may be loyal, and who may be a threat.

Raxs' combat style was centered around making as much of an impression as possible, even if it is not as efficient as more traditional techniques. He used weapons that packed a heavy punch and made an immediate impact on the battlefield, such as fuel rod guns, plasma launchers, and concussion rifle. Using these, he made his entrance as eyecatching as possible, both for psychological warfare purposes to more quickly break their will as well as to draw their attention to him. He was not above using dishonorable weapons such as Jiralhanae firebomb grenades to burn his targets, although they were typically used to only to draw them out of cover. Although he was a good shot with his preferred armaments, he has shown an appreciation for killing them through indirect manners. For example, he may blow apart the supports of a building apart to crush those within, or launch heavy boxes and vehicles to squash the unfortunate soul who is in its way. His love of showmanship extended to swordfighting as well, where he used overly-elaborate techniques to impress the audience - even if that made him poor at the art as a result.

Raxs was a talented artist, equally capable of a number of different styles, from stylistic character-chores, to abstract minimalist pieces, and highly-detailed realistic objects. He was first taught the skill before he left his homeworld, and it was because of this personal connection why he is reluctant about showing it to anyone but those he intimately trusts. Although he stored most of his completed work and sketches on a dedicated holographic storage device, his preference for painting on paper meant that much of his best work was physically framed, hidden away in purpose-built rooms within his private residences.