Ray Adams

Ray Adams is a former human member of the Shield of Kytettee and captain of his own ship, the Asimov. He is a registered tradesman of the Pyrian Republic and one of the story's protagonists.

Personality
A relatively kind and gentle man in private, Adams is deeply bitter about the events that led to his augmentations. This has led to him projecting a harsh and stubborn disposition towards those he doesn't trust. He is also heavily biased against technology, despite his own life being saved by it, and refuses contact with any form of artificial intelligence if he can avoid it.

Appearance
Before his accident, Adams was regular in height and build but in his new form the large amount of armour plates and defenses required to defend, protect and transport the heavy life support engine now nestled in his chest. In order to keep his appearance unimposing, as well as to decrease maintenance, Adams keeps his frame painted in Gunmetal-grey.

Biography
Adams was born to human parents on {a Kytettee world}, and grew into a gifted engineer, technician and shipman. Upon entry to the military at the age of eighteen he quickly rose the ranks to the position of head engineer on his first ship, and even after being reassigned to several other vessels, continued to serve with distinction.

Adams last assignment was to a ship called the Langford, a Kytettee cruiser vessel captained by Adams’ then-fiance, a human by the name of Aisha Ellion. During what was supposed to be a simple border patrol Adams, serving as copilot to Ellion, convinced her to leave the ship on autopilot for the rest of their shift so that they could spend some time together. While the two were occupied the autopilot’s course brought the ship into the slipstream of an asteroid passing through the system and, not being coded to cope with this situation, the autopilot attempted to compensate and caused the ship to collide with the asteroid. With the ship badly damaged Adams managed to regain control of the helm by severing the autopilot’s relay, redirecting it into a crash landing on the closest habitable planet. However, in the turbulence caused by reentry the cabin is breached and the two are thrown out of the ship. Due to his engineering suit being designed for zero-G and vacuum environments Adams is able to maneuver, attempting to rescue his fiancee so they can be retrieved via Mag tether, but in the commotion he loses his grip on her and she is lost. When the wreckage is recovered Adams is still technically alive and is subjected to extensive augmentations in order to save his life. Adams never reveals what happened in the cockpit and the incident is blamed on Ellion, with Adams receiving an honourable discharge and a considerable pension. Using this Adams left the Kytettee forever, leading to his purchase of the Asimov and his status at the beginning of the story.

Skills
Adams is a mechanical genius, able to adapt, repair and improve all kinds of mechanical and electrical equipment with access to the correct tools. From his time among the Kytettee military, he also has reasonable skill with both traditional weaponry and the Kytettee cruiser he pilots.