Name: Orlan Merrick
DOB: June 8, 3276
Height: 5'10" (178cm)
Weight: 165lb (75kg)
Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown

Self-image:

Orlan spends almost all of his time alone, but does not consider himself lonely. He has simply discovered that while most people seem to gain something valuable through interacting with others, this 'thing' eludes him. Company is pleasant enough, and he has observed that others generally seem to enjoy his, but he is always on the lookout for a chance to slip away.

He does not find his own appearance or the sound of his own voice to be very pleasant. Though he would never directly enquire, from tangential remarks and things overheard he has gathered that other people often feel both are quite satisfactory. While this is no doubt convenient, it is little consolation. Fortunately, these concerns only enter his mind when it has nothing else to occupy its attention.

Possibly as a result, Orlan relishes mysteries and puzzles. The beginning of a good puzzle is usually frustrating, completely opaque until the proper point of view is found. And the end of a mystery is most often disappointing; when it comes to devising interesting resolutions, the imagination seems far more capable than mere reality. So perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Orlan enjoys the meat of a mystery. The satisfaction of making progress, the joy of clearing mental hurdles.

Profession:

Orlan has managed to find a way to scratch his itch for mystery while earning the credits he needs to indulge his sweet tooth. He finds things. And people. It began, as many things do, with a one-off request from a friend. An acquaintance had gone missing, but the authorities were not an attractive option due to certain less-than-legal circumstances surrounding the disappearance. Orlan had not been particularly bothered by this, but had been enticed by the offer of a sizeable reward.

The resulting investigation had engaged him like nothing else, and had taken him to places that stretched his conception of the universe and human culture. In the end, the object of his search had wound up no more than a half-complete skeleton. But Orlan had returned to his friend with the dead man's data chip, which he had correctly suspected would be worth just as much. The credit reward had been enough to fund the purchase of his first ship, and the journey had spurred him to join the Pilots Federation in hopes of finding further adventure in the wider universe.

Orlan's business as a seeker of lost things is not always steady work, but this suits him well enough. A truly enterprising individual would likely have advertisements in every available outlet, but Orlan prefers to rely on word-of-mouth. This way, enough jobs come his way to keep him occupied, but he is able to allow his mind some time to recover, during which he picks up work fulfilling simple transport or courier postings for the stations he visits.