Ian is a friendly young man with a skillset focused entirely on tech and computers. Most would never imagine he's the infamous "Emerald Wizard" on the Hypernet, bane of many governments and corporations seeking to keep things from the general public. Along with his trusty AI Dyna, which he brought to "life" himself, he makes his way through the universe. He doesn't have any particular place to call home and seems to be quite fine with that. What adventures are in store for him? Stay tuned to find out!
Personality
Ian's personality is divided into two very different modes: on the 'net and off the 'net.
When surfing the Hypernet, he operates under his alias, the "Emerald Wizard," and exhibits a certain cockiness that has earned him more enemies than it has friends. He's good at maneuvering the digital world and he knows it, so his confidence is ten times what it would otherwise be. Sure, he's still nice... but like most people operating behind the safety of a screen, he does possess a bit of an invincibility complex.
In the real world, Ian is a much more humble individual. He's amicable, outgoing, quick to help and an all-around "nice guy" as many people like to classify him. Although he is still sure of himself when it comes to his capability with techhnology and computer systems, he doesn't exhibit the same degree of arrogance that he does when online.
Background
Ian was raised in a one-parent household as his mother died when he was born. She knew going into the pregnancy that there was a chance she would not survive it due to her frail health, but she nevertheless went to full term and gave birth to her son before passing. Unfortunately, the entire ordeal pushed her husband over the edge. Ian's father was a maniac. Not in the psychotic sense of the word, more the mad scientist variety. The only good thing Ian ever got from his father (his looks came from his mother) was his aptitide with technology. When Ian was younger, he was practically terrified of his father. There was no predicting what the man would do next. Nothing was out of bounds - not even experimenting on other people. Unfortunately for Ian, this included him.
Though nothing horrible happened to him at the hands of his father, he was the unwilling guinea pig in one of the last experiments the man ever conducted. As a result of his father's fascination with alien technology he didn't quite understand, Ian was given a very permanent "gift" - the device on his left wrist that he can never remove. Ian's father joined his mother and passed on when the boy was barely a teen. However, once his father was gone, Ian manipulated the family's official records to make it seem like he still had a legal guardian. At the same time, he changed his surname from that of his father to Omega (yeah, well, what better name would you have come up with at twelve?), which he liked much better. Being "raised" by his mother's nonexistant older brother, Ian did just fine all on his own.
Growing from an adolescent into a young adult, Ian found he shared his father's fascination with technology. Determined to be a different kind of man, he avoided the kind of experiments his father conducted and focused on exploring the Hypernet instead. He was already adept at navigating it from using it as a frequent escape from his life when he was growing up. He explored every nook and cranny of the 'net, even the ones he really shouldn't have, under the alias of the "Emerald Wizard." After a few years of this, he decided to attempt to finish one of the projects his father had been working on. Taking a different approach than his dear old dad, Ian investigated ways to create artifical intelligence without attempting to actually extract that intelligence from another human being. Yeah, that's the kind of twisted thing his father had been working on towards the end of his life.
Through his resourcefulness and perseverence, Ian did finally manage to succeed where his father had failed and create a rather amazing AI. Dubbing her Dyna, the only problem was where to keep her. To that end, he decided to take a risk and tinker with the device on his wrist that he'd largely ignored until that moment. It was a peculiar gizmo indeed, having somehow expanded as his arm grew along with the rest of him. It took less time than he thought it would, but he was eventually able to unlock a portion of the device's potential and use that to house Dyna.
SKILLS
CHARISMA - Competent: Even though he spends most of his time with technology, Ian is nevertheless quite a social young man. He's outgoing and friendly, as well as careful not to upset or offend others. He has no problem approaching a stranger and striking up a conversation about the most random thing, although that opportunity doesn't necessarily present itself very often. In almost every situation he finds himself in, individuals who are not outrightly hostile to him can usually be swayed to find him rather likeable.
COMBAT - Novice: One of Ian's mottos is "make peace, not war" and he stands by it firmly. However, sometimes there's no way out of a situation without getting your hands a little dirty. For that reason, Ian is a self-taught practitioner of various methods of hand-to-hand self defense. Having learned what he knows from hours of reading and watching videos on the Hypernet, as opposed to any type of formal training, he's able to at least keep from getting completely steamrolled in a brawl. He isn't really going to leave much of a mark on his attacker, though. Usually, it's just enough to allow him to escape (mostly) unscathed.
COMPUTERS - Expert: Software? Check. Programming? Check. Hacking? Wouldn't you like to know. When it comes to the world of computers and electronics, Ian's savvy is bar none. He can navigate the Hypernet better than most to find whatever he wants, including getting into parts that are less than public. While he's never used his skills for malice, he nevertheless has the aptitude to find anyone or anything that has a digital signature. He is equally skilled at manipulating and maintaining computer systems of any kind, whether it be a single-user device, a spaceship's operating systems or even certain things on a much larger scale.
INTELLECT - Expert: Inheriting his superior cognitive skills from both of his parents, Ian has a combination of his mother's common sense and wisdom alongside his father's gifted mind and eidetic memory. Though this does not directly translate into a broad expanse of knowledge, it does mean that he is more than capable of holding his own when it comes to a battle of wits. He can put two and two together far faster than the average individual and excels at mental feats in general. It also means that the knowledge he acquires through his constant Hypernet surfing isn't forgotten, so the more time he spends researching and learning the smarter he becomes.
PILOTING - Novice: Ian's abilities when it comes to steering a vessel of any size are severely limited. With the help of technical guidance systems, something he's actually good at using, he can more or less figure out Start, Go and Stop. Don't expect him to jump at the opportunity to man the helm or to pull off any fancy maneuvers. No, this is purely for emergencies only - suddenly getting away from an exploding space station, halting in front of another ship before it turns into a crash, etc.
TECHNOLOGY - Competent: Aside from his expertise in all things computerized, Ian has a decent grasp on other pieces of technology. Given that most tech is based on some kind of software, it stands to reason that he can apply his skill with one to the other. He is familiar with a number of different devices and systems, ranging from something as simple as a handheld scanner to the more complicated workings of a starship's weapons. In particular, he is a fan of holographic interfaces as they allow him more control over whatever it is he may be manipulating. Through this, he actually has the potential to function decently as a starship gunner under the right circumstances.
POWERS
ADVANTAGES
INFORMATION BROKER Through his incessant surfing of the Hypernet, Ian has come across a lot of valuable pieces of information. Most of this is stored by Dyna for later use, but nothing is as helpful as the sheer amount of dirt he has on individuals of authority, prestige and power. Having accumulated a huge chunk of what is basically blackmail material, he holds onto every scrap of it for dear life. You never know when it might come in handy to have someone like that on your side, even if it's begrudgingly. He's not particularly fond of that idea, threatening to reveal someone's secrets, but everyone needs a trump card for when things hit the fan and get real.
PORTABLE AI Artificial intelligence has always been and will always be a hot topic. Most of the people who dabble in such things have years of experience and research under their belts. Not Ian, nope. You would think it's impossible for a man so young to have developed an AI of his very own, but he did it. Naming "her" Dyna, he managed to compress the entirety of her existence and personality into a device that, to the casual observer, appears to be some kind of wrist scanner/communicator. While he is eager to explore the possibility of broadening her scope and integrating her into a larger computer system, he has to settle for having her all to himself for now.
WEAKNESSES
DIGITALLY HUNTED It's not really possible to get into places you're not supposed to be on the Hypernet and escape notice forever. Although Ian is extremely good at covering his tracks, he has nonetheless created a digital signature of his own. In particular, he is a highly wanted individual on a great many planets and space stations. Even though no one knows who he actually is, should it ever be discovered by one of those parties that he is the name behind the alias... it probably wouldn't end well for him.
TROUBLED CHILDHOOD As a result of being raised by a single parent, in this case one who was borderline insane, Ian's life as a child was not the greatest. Since the Hypernet was his main source of escape during that period of time, a factor that fueled his current interests and situation, he is afraid of losing contact with the information network and utterly petrified of having his access to all technology cut off. Though he has managed to overcome most of the things that haunted him as a youth, he has never been able to shake off the nightmares about some of the events he witnessed.
WRIST TECH Ian's AI is housed in a device on his wrist. What most do not know is that the unique piece of technology is actually locked onto his arm with no way of being removed. Ian himself does not know how to take it off, which is part of the reason why he tinkered with it until he found something useful for it -- housing Dyna. Anyone attempting to "kidnap" Dyna would either have to take him along or, as a grim alternative, take Ian's arm with them. For this reason, her existence is on a need-to-know basis. It's not that he doesn't want to share his exciting creation with the world... it's more that he doesn't want to lose a limb in the process.
