03 Jun Pan-Pacifica Preview #9 – High Lord Reiko Kanawa
The Pan-Pacifica Kickstarter is in progress! This time we take a look at the High Lord of Pan-Pacifica, Reiko Kanawa.
Rise of the Twins
Reiko and Ryuchi Kanawa were born to one of the richest families on Marketplace. They were genetically engineered identical twins, the product of the best geneticists money could buy, and borne by their mother. This was a rather unusual practice, since most children on Marketplace are developed in artificial wombs, which allowed mothers to continue working for their employers.
Ryuchi was born first, mere minutes before his sister, Reiko, and they grew up as comfortably as their father, Riku’s, wealth as owner and CEO of Kanawa Corporation would allow.
Ryuchi was arrogant and lazy, and mostly maintained his excellent grades and expansive social circles through raw talent. Reiko on the other hand, was quieter, less socially active, and more interested in reading the latest genetic studies than going to parties.
Having reached their ages of majority, Reiko and Ryuchi became full partners in Riku Kanawa’s enterprises. Ryuchi was made Vice President of Kanawa Corporations entertainment division and Reiko became Vice President of the personal products division. Ryuchi leapt into his responsibilities with enthusiasm, but Reiko found herself cramped intellectually.
Reiko was still required to be the “friendly face” of the family, responsible for organizing soirees and parties, along with her managerial duties. However, her passion remained biology, especially the field of genetic engineering. So, without either her father’s nor her brother’s knowledge, she used her limited spare time to study. Her genetically-enhanced intelligence and focus allowed her to gain her PhD in genetic engineering within three years.
Ryuchi Ascendant
The twins’ education within the company continued, until a fateful day when assassins killed Riku Kanawa. Who ordered the hit was never discovered, but it was instigated by Ryuchi, who decided he’d had enough education. It was time to take control of Kanawa Corporation himself. Three members of the Board of Directors were also killed during the attack, and the replacement Directors were enough to create a majority to elect Ryuchi as CEO of Kanawa Corporation.
Ryuchi offered Reiko a promotion, to take over his previous position, but she resisted. She wanted the Chief Operations Officer position, but Ryuchi had given that position to Mary Buchanan, as partial payment for her vote confirming his position. If she couldn’t have that, she insisted on getting control of Research and Development. Ryuchi, with little interest in such “nerdy” topics, relented, but only on the condition that Reiko continue her role as the social face of the company.
Reiko reluctantly agreed, seething beneath her calm, smiling exterior. She wouldn’t forget this slight. And so she schemed.
Reiko immediately set about using her newfound power to initiate an acquisition of Honoki Biomedical, a Japan-based biotech startup using a series of shell companies to hide her trail. Reiko created a new identity for herself and, under the guise of “business trips” used the opportunity to insert herself into the actual science and development of emerging biotechnology.
She soon created a monumental breakthrough in telomere regeneration, which would result in a significantly extended lifespan for those who could afford it. Profits skyrocketed, and Reiko’s R&D Division became the most valued division in Kanawa Corporation.
The Trouble with Ryuchi
Reiko’s plan for the invasion of East Asia went well, for the most part, and as far as territory covered, it’s about as good as she’d hoped. There were some hiccups like the cure for the Contagion being discovered earlier than planned, and she’d had to adjust the timeline on Project: Comaghaz.
But acquiring Eternity Shards, covertly foiling the other High Lords, and keeping Quinn Sebastian off balance have been largely successful ventures.
And then there was Ryuchi. Over the past decades he’d slowly become more and more decadent and lazy. After the first time she’d met Kranod, she thought maybe her brother had some technodemon in him somewhere. However, with his predilection for his own extravagant “parties” and the need to continually clean up his messes, Reiko came to realize it was time for her to take full control of Kanawa Corporation.
The final straw came when Ryuchi showed up drunk at a press conference in Beijing, opening the new Chinese Kanawa Corporation headquarters…with one of his body doubles already conducting those responsibilities. Only quick thinking by Kanawa security prevented the ruse from being revealed.
CEO Reiko Kanawa
Two weeks later, she made her move. Reiko told Daikoku to freeze Ryuchi’s accounts and ordered the hit. Ryuchi barely escaped, but his body doubles (or most of them) were killed and disposed of with copious amounts of lye.
Announcing her brother had been cooking the books and hiding declining profits from the Kanawa Board of Directors, she announced that the Board had tapped her as the new CEO of Kanawa Corporation.
Meanwhile, she continues to work in her personal lab, studying the strange organisms this world offers, as well as those from the other invading cosms.
Schemes
Reiko has spent years studying the human mind, and even though she knows she is also subject to the biases and whims of evolutionary development, she understands herself enough to realize that—eventually—she may not be as clear headed as she thinks. She values people who will say “no” to her, as long as they can justify the reason. She trusts her closest confidants (though good luck to anyone figuring out exactly who those people are) but still keeps her eyes on her back. Reiko believes in the adage, “Trust, but verify.”
Reiko loves playing the long game. In another lifetime she may have become a simple grifter. She plays people like she plays chess and uses schemes to keep her mind sharp for her true passion, biotechnology. She loves discovering how organisms work—or don’t work—and she thinks that she has pushed Marketplace to a position where it has the most advanced biotech in the cosmverse. Her position as the most talented biotechnologist on Marketplace brings her more satisfaction than even being High Lord. Her bargain with Daikoku is meant to keep others from interfering.
Coming Soon!
In the coming days, we’ll highlight upcoming products for Pan Pacifica including new Perks, psionic powers, miracles, and Threats. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this preview, head on over to the Ulisses Spiele Discord server!