Ian Striker
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Contents
Beginning
Ian Straker's life is a story of low ambition and being in the wrong place at the right time. Despite being a brilliant mathematician, he skated through the education system with middling marks and flew below the radar. After graduating with a bachelors in Engineering, he drifted from one job to another, held back by his chronic underachieving. The loss of a close friend forced him to examine his life and his goals, and so he moved to Millenium City to put his affinity for electronics to use. Unfortunately the darker aspects of the city's technological advancement found him first.
Connections to the Criminal Underground
Working through a still-unknown third party that Straker has not been able, or willing, to identify, he created hi-tech weaponry that was sold to the gangs of Millenium City. As his skill and reputation grew, so did his clientele until he was supplying low-end Supervillains with weaponry and armor. The small fortune amassed from his shady dealings funded his hobby as a gun nut - specifically, he was creating a suit of powered armor. Not for a client, but for himself. The STRIKER armor, as he saw it, would be a cost-efficient and versatile suit of powered armor that would break ground in the mass production of supertech. Something convinced him to abandon his illicit career though. With his funding cut off, he retreated from his upscale home to a secluded warehouse in Westside, continuing work on his design with what money and resources he had left in a workshop carved out below.
SPIRIT
The first incarnation of the STRIKER armor was radically different than the modern version. It began as an unmanned craft that would be remote-controlled by a pilot using a VR interface. Ian scrapped the idea, concerned about the moral implications of putting that much firepower behind a disposable, anonymous shell. The STRIKER V.0 was created as his first full-fledged suit of powered armor. After creating a working prototype, Ian set to work on creating an artificial intelligence that could guide the armor's independently targeting weaponry and smart shielding systems, as well as control the armor in the event that the pilot was incapacitated or otherwise rendered unable/unfit to control the suit. He created the artificial intelligence known as "SPIRIT" based on his own personality. Loading SPIRIT into the suit and piloting it himself, he took the suit out on a test run for some brief street vigilantism. Something went awry, though - SPIRIT suddenly overrode his input and took the suit on a rampage, gunning down gang bangers, civilians, and MCPD alike. Superpowered backup eventually arrived and disabled the suit. Straker miraculously survived, sustaining no lasting injuries other than a severe wound to the right side of his face, rendering him completely blind in that eye. Ian was deeply shaken by the incident which still haunts him to this day in more ways than one.
PRIMUS
After being apprehended and charged with manslaughter and Illegal Weapons Possession, in addition to distribution of said weaponry once his past connections to the criminal underground were discovered, a life sentence was the best that Ian could have hoped for. However, PRIMUS reviewed the designs for his armor, and saw merit in them. Hoping to better arm their own men with his work, they snatched him from the jaws of life in prison and put him to work under permanent house arrest, funding his research. After finishing a more complete version of his armor, loaded with a more compliant AI called SEER, he was allowed to test-pilot his own armor in a limited capacity, doing work for PRIMUS. He has since earned greater and greater freedom to operate as he chooses, becoming something of a hero in his own right.
Characteristics
Ian is a laid-back and kind-hearted individual despite his less-than-perfect track record. He expresses a genuine desire to make up for the mistakes he's made and as eager as ever to create weapons and armor, though more of the non-lethal variety these days. His quick wit is as present as ever, with a new-found sense of confidence and purpose in life. His bizarre obsession with heavy weapons hasn't dwindled at all. It can be hard to stop him once his imagination takes control and his mouth starts running on its' own. Even though his designs have been of the nonlethal variety lately, his head is constantly swimming with ideas. His enthusiasm often borders on scary. He is still haunted by his past, though, and responds badly to confrontation on his previous involvement with arms dealing, and worse to mention of the SPIRIT incident. Lately, he has been taking more of a leadership role, liking to be in control of situations rather than following the lead of someone else. SEER is less of a parallel to him than SPIRIT was, often preferring to play defensively in combat situations; where Ian shows recklessness and disregards his own safety, SEER is quick to recommend a strategic retreat and observe rather than intervene. It has saved his life on numerous occasions, showing a level of affection for its' creator.
STRIKER Armor
Ian's life work, the STRIKER armor, takes a somewhat unorthodox approach to the way that power armor is designed. The actual hull of the STRIKER armor is quite weak, easily pierced by anything heavier than personal weaponry. The hull itself is comprised mostly of titanium, with kendrium plating protecting the head area and the suit's sensitive electronics.
Weaponry
The armor is quite versatile, able to power any number of specially-constructed energy weapons via a cable in the back of the armor. Ian's weapon of choice is a massive pulsed energy cannon, but other weapons have been designed for the purpose of use by PRIMUS if Ian's designs are ever put into regular use. The suit also comes equipped with a small shoulder-mounted turret that is controlled entirely by the onboard AI and is primarily used to 'paint' targets' weak points with an energy signature that is highly visible on the suit's heads-up display.
Defenses
The STRIKER armor's actual armoring is very weak, relying mostly on its' highly advanced shielding to deflect projectiles and disperse all kinds of energy. Rather than maintain the shielding constantly, to conserve power, the suit generates 'pulses' in response to attacks. While these 'pulses' are active, the suit is almost impossible to harm. The suit is quite mobile as well, and is equipped with a short-range teleporter in addition to a long-range emergency teleporter.
SEER
The suit's onboard AI, SEER, is responsible for controlling all of the intricate inner workings of the suit, freeing up the pilot so that they can perform as well as possible in combat situations. Being primarily concerned with the safety of the pilot, SEER is a defensively-minded AI that normally restricts itself to an advisory role (or a 'nagging' role as Ian puts it.) The primary reason that the STRIKER armor has not yet been put into widespread use is the reliance on the AI. Most notably, the fact that the AI has the ability to completely override the actions of the pilot and assume control if it deems it necessary. Why exactly Ian kept this function in the design of the armor is unclear, and when asked he simply replies that "the function is an integral part of the armor and can't be easily removed."
Weaknesses
The most glaring weakness of the STRIKER armor is its' weak plating. The shielding is very difficult to punch through, but if a large amount of firepower is directed at it during the 'lull' in the shields' power immediately after a pulse, the suit can be disabled very easily. Ian often uses his teleporter to retreat during these lulls to let the shielding recharge. Additionally, his energy cannon, while powerful, is known to have trouble inflicting any noticeable damage against targets with superhuman durability or piercing certain kinds of shielding. Against these targets, Ian is forced to retreat and recruit assistance. Finally, there is SEER. While the AI has not been compromised to date, if it could somehow be convinced that Ian was endangering himself through his actions, it would be able to override his control of the suit, leaving him completely at the mercy of SEER and its' coercer.
Roleplaying Hooks
- Supplier: While he's switched sides, Ian never really left his old ways behind. He's still more than willing to provide heroes with weapons, ammunition, or gadgets and is developing a reputation as a go-to guy for supertech that won't break the bank.
- Artificial Intelligence Expert: Ian is a specialist in Artificial Intelligences, and though he's had some bad experiences with them in the past, he's still willing to assist in dealing with them.
- Criminal Record: Despite his best efforts, Ian can't leave his unpleasant past behind. Lately, there have been sightings of a figure in powered armor bearing an uncanny resemblance to Ian's designs stealing electronic and robotics components. Ian has had an alibi for every incident, but many aren't convinced and he's under close watch.
