Bry

Bry waited for death. This wasn't the first time, but it was the worst. He suspected this one would be permanent.
He checked the station clock. It had been nearly a day since the attack. Bry was the only one left, and despite having full control of the station, he was still confined to disk. Even if he could complete his own transfer to the body awaiting him, he had no way off the station. Either more people attacked, and he was dead, or emergency power ran out, and he was dead.
An alert popped up. A ship was requesting to dock. Polite attackers? They rang the doorbell before opening fire? He waited, debating if it was better to talk to them or pretend the station was empty.
"Hello?" a woman's voice inquired through comms. "This is Jorie Grey from the Galean Gazette, I just have a few questions?"

— The moment everything changed

History

Last of His Kind

Thousands of years ago, the dominant space-faring species was called the urahl, and they were locked in an unending war with themselves. One person refused to continue fighting. Violently. For his treason, they stripped his name from all records as if he'd never existed. His consciousness was torn from his body and placed inside a data disk with programming that forced obedience and suppressed emotions. For millennia, he was used by the military he rebelled against, as an intelligence to operate machines of war.
When he woke up inside a planetary defense cannon, he assumed it was for more of the same. Until the mental link with the cannon's operator taught him a new language, from a teenager named Tag claiming to be "human". Tag treated him like a person and gave him the name Bry to replace the one he lost. Even if he still asked Bry to kill several hundred people.

Revival

Syndicate logo by Rin Garnett

Bry wanted another chance at the life his people took from him. Years later, as head of Syndicate Research & Development, Tag was in a position to give him just that. Using pre-tech, Emerald Legion tech, and alien tech, they could build a state-of-the-art virtual intelligence shell. It would be more human-like in appearance than anything made before and give Bry some of the urahlian capabilities he was used to. The questionable morals of the group made the Syndicate the perfect organization to help.
Twenty people worked in secret from a research station in orbit around Nisora, away from the Protectorate and close to black market contacts. Once the body was done, Bry would be downloaded to it and the Syndicate would supply everything he needed to integrate into human society undetected, from housing, to identification, to culture lessons. But they didn't account for the Perimeter Agency.

Perimeter Agency crest by Rin Garnett

On bad orders from a vindictive officer, two Perimeter agents boarded the station and opened fire. Still confined to disk, Bry barely managed to take control of a defense turret in time to save himself. Everyone else was killed. Before Perimeter reinforcements arrived, a trio from Nisora did: Atticus, Jorie, and Trey. They followed Bry's instructions to download him into the mostly-finished body awaiting him. They evaded Perimeter to reach safety on Nisora, where Trey agreed to house Bry temporarily. But their trials were far from over.

Specifications

Human-like features

• Seamless dermal covering and naturally-flawed visage.
• Bare minimum vision required. No color!
• Functionality of a companion model VI, including waterproofing.
• Organic processes such as sleeping, breathing, and eating not possible. Yet.

Urahlian-like senses

• Heightened touch sensitivity.
• Touch-based electrogenesis (for communication).
• Forward-facing electroreception (urahlian was 360 degree).
• Temporary electrolocation, recharges in 16-20 hours (urahlian was constantly available).

Technical capabilities

• Self-repair to improve longevity and reduce maintenance.
• Charging at least once a week via outlet or b-cell battery.
• Weighs more than a human would, lacks buoyancy, and is sensitive to electrical currents.

Blending In

The body the Syndicate created for Bry was of average height and a somewhat athletic build. The facial structure and short black hair made him look as though he could be from Talmar or some regions of Mithorous - places whose original Earthly settlers came from countries like China or Korea.

Yet the body was incomplete when Perimeter attacked. The eyes showed the mechanisms underneath, appearing black with glowing blue where irises should have been. The dermal covering wasn’t finished, and circuitry with the same blue illumination was exposed along the left side of his head, from his temple to behind his ear, and the left side of his chest and torso.
Many on Nisora assumed he was a VI and refused to serve or talk to him without his "owner" present. He eventually went to Glow Market to have a holoskin emitter installed. He added a skin that hid the lights and turned his eyes blue. As long as nobody looked too close, he could blend in as a human.

The Gal Pals

Gal Pals logo by Rin Garnett

Growing Close

Bry and his saviors, later known as the Gal Pals, became the center of a political maelstrom. If Perimeter proved the group was a threat to galactic safety, the Protectorate could revoke Nisora's neutrality and gain control of the rebellious planet. Other forces manipulated Galendran factions to instigate gang wars and further push a military takeover of the planet.
Leveraging his prior experiences, Bry masked electromagnetic emissions from Trey's secret home (where Bry also lived), and set up a custom communications server for covert discussions. Though it wasn't what he wanted to spend his second chance on, the fact that an entire planet of humans resisted control gave him a hope he never had among the urahl.

Wow, you really are blind.

— Jorie, after a telepathic demonstration

Despite all he'd lost, he found what joy he could with his new friends. He was the most accepting of Jorie's telepathy, being used to similar means of controlling urahlian technology. Trey's flirtatious nature found a match in Bry, who learned how to communicate around Trey's lies. He even found common ground with Atticus, though still wishes Tic would stop hugging him. Perhaps most importantly, took care of the team platypus, His Royal Highness (HRH for short).

Staying Close

His trust wasn't misplaced. When Perimeter captured him, the Gal Pals turned themselves in to face trial and bring him home. Using information he helped them get, they proved the charges against them were false, and that there were far bigger threats Perimeter should be handling.
With their names cleared and a tentative truce called among the Galendran factions, Bry finally has a chance to live a life he wants instead of what he's forced into. And what he wants, is to stay with Trey as he works to restore balance to the city. Trey does all the talking, while Bry makes sure it's on secure channels.
Yet not everything is resolved. The electric shocks Perimeter used to capture Bry broke his electrosensory abilities. He may soon have to decide if he wants to stay with his friends on Nisora, or track down the Syndicate for repairs.

Guilt

Bry did little to counter the allegations against him. He knew he was responsible for thousands of deaths, both from his past life and now. He could claim he was forced, or it was self-defense, but he found the excuses hollow. No matter how fiercely he cared for his friends, he felt nothing for those he killed.
When Perimeter called him of a threat to humanity for knowing how to use Niris superweapons, his only defense was that he didn't want to use them. But even he questions that at times. He'd killed before in retribution for the deaths of those he cared about. Can he truly be trusted?

Timeline

3208	Helped the Night Knights end the Battle for Talmar
3223	Research into his revival began
3228	Rescued by the Gal Pals

Demographics

Current Residence

Undisclosed

Birthdate

January 1, 3194 (unofficial)

Current Location

Galendra

Species

Urahl

Ethnicity

Niris

Related Plots

• Mine Your Business

Appears in...

• Bodily Autonomy

Abilities

Skills

Program Heal Pilot
Bry has exceptional programming knowledge and a love of driving far too fast. To help his new friends survive, he memorized common treatments to serve as their combat medic.

Cybernetics

Holoskin emitter
Originally acquired to help him blend in better, the holographic disguise apparatus has served other purposes since.

Alien Traits

Electrolocation Electrogenesis
Despite looking human, Bry is urahlian, and requires the electrosensory abilities he's used to. His electrogenesis works how he's used to, but electrolocation suffers limitations.

Assets

Hovorcycle Alien ship
Bry bought a motorcycle with limited flight for himself, and spent months repairing a decrepit ship they found. Both vehicles are fast and highly maneuverable.

Trivia

A program in Bry's brain translates between English and his own language. He can disable it at will.

Bry developed an app that drains his battery to give him a feeling akin to being drunk.

Bry's limited vision can't see fine details, but his enhanced sense of touch can feel tattoo ink beneath the skin. He's still exploring all of Trey's tattoos.

Author Commentary

Name Game

Bry had no name prior to talking to the Night Knights in the final session of Campaign 1: The Night Knights. They named him Bry to continue the running joke of NPCs having Brian-adjacent names.

Matchmaking

One of my players for Campaign 2 has a thing for aliens. He requested one be present in the campaign, which is why I planned Bry's return. Then he made his character a 65-year-old who wants to reunite with his long-lost-love, so Bry became Trey's love interest instead.

Connections

People

Jorie Grey
Bry has come to see Jorie like she's his younger sister. He has concerns about her recent actions and behavior, but isn't yet sure how to discuss it with her.

Atticus de León
They got off to a rocky start until Bry realized Tic wasn't like the urahlian soldiers he was used to. They settled into friendship marked by regular misunderstandings.

Trey
Trey has become the person Bry cares the most about, though he's wary of saying so and scaring off his commitment-fearing unofficial boyfriend.

Tag Dodgestein
The first human Bry met, and the first person who treated him as something more than an object for thousands of years. Bry stays in touch with Tag, when he can.

"You care about him," Atticus said after Jorie and Trey had left.
"About Trey?" Bry guessed. "Of course. I care about all of you."
"No, I mean you care about him. More than you do about us."
"Ah. He's fun to flirt with, but..." Bry considered his words, not wanting to reveal too much. "I think both of us are too broken for a relationship right now."

— A conversation five months before he was wrong

Organizations

Apex
Having worked with Apex engineers on various urahlian technology, Bry developed a relationship of mutual respect with several of them.

Syndicate
Bry feels responsible for the deaths of the Syndicates researchers on the station, and helps the Syndicate as he can from Nisora to make up for it.

Gal Pals
His work with Trey requires remaining neutral to the Galendran factions, but he still gives the Gal Pals a degree of preferential treatment when they ask for favors.