Abel "Able" Ryder

**Lance Captain 'Able' Ryder** is the main protagonist of James Cameron's *Avatar: The Game*. Ryder is a Signals Specialist who is chosen to take part in the Avatar Program.

## Biography

As a child growing up in sprawling Southern California, Ryder was exposed to the vagaries of life among the myriad nameless, faceless denizens of a modern megacity. Like many inhabitants of the rapidly degenerating planet Earth, Ryder grew up in relative poverty. Though his parents lacked the resources to provide him with an escape route from the crumbling society on Earth, his aptitude for mathematics and a talent for pattern recognition offered a faint glimmer of hope.

Like many of the Earth's poor, salvation could be had by enlisting in the military, and Ryder's gifts proved to be coveted assets. Consequently, he became a Signal Specialist and began training in the ways of codebreaking and cryptography. Unsurprisingly, these skills were worth quite a bit to the Military, which found itself in a constant battle to defend Earth's titanic megacorporations from environmental terrorists bent on hindering any effort to harvest what little was left of Earth's once great bounty.

### Enlistment

At the age of 18, Ryder joined the army, excelling at decoding and signals within 5 years. In the next 4 years, Ryder worked as Signals Specialist interpreting covert codes and data. His skills earned him the nickname "Able," a common slang for Sigs Spec. After this, Ryder worked with the Resources Development Administration, deciphering the coded communications of eco-terrorists attempting to disrupt the RDA's mining efforts in the Marianas Trench. Although Ryder's work helped safeguard the RDA's operations in the Pacific Ocean, an accident during tectonic subduction exercises in the Trench induced a tremendous tsunami that engulfed a large section of the Pacific coast.

Succumbing to crushing feelings of guilt, Ryder left his post at the RDA and returned to the military to live out the rest of his days working a cryptology job that came with as little responsibility as possible. He was tormented by his role in a disaster that had taken the lives of so many, despite the fact that it led to the discovery of vast tracts of new mining resources which the RDA claimed offset any “collateral damages.”

And so it went for a few years, and Ryder kept his head down and his mouth shut while he collected his paycheck without ever having to worry about things like being invested in his work or caring about… well, anything, really.

### Avatar program

   He was approached with a way off the decaying rock that was Earth. In the far-flung reaches of outer space, big things were going on. Alien worlds were being discovered and new technologies were springing up as a result, and somebody wanted Ryder's help with it all. It was the chance of a lifetime, so of course it came with its share of strings. The RDA had re-entered Ryder's life for a second time, and they wanted to enroll him in their Avatar Program, a scientific curiosity that fused human DNA with that of an alien species.

He signed up almost immediately.

### Pandora

After the five year trip in cryosleep, Ryder travels down to the planet in a shuttle and is attached to both the RDA military forces and the Avatar Program, where he is briefed by Dr. Grace Augustine. After arriving at Hell's Gate he is greeted by Officer Kendra Midori, and brought to the main complex. There he is brought to Victor Monroe, and is linked into his avatar. After this he meets with Commander Falco, who tells him to travel to Blue Lagoon to find a mole who is giving info to the Tipani, a local Na'vi clan. After arriving in Blue Lagoon, he is greeted by viperwolves, but he is able to fight them off using a turret.

He is then commanded by Kendra to save a soldier named Dalton who has been cornered by some viperwolves. After making his way through the wilderness he finds Dalton and sets a beacon for him. After this he meets up with Kendra again and is linked up with his avatar. Then he makes his way to Dr. René Harper and his team of avatars. He is tasked with getting some plant samples and after doing so, meets with Dr. Harper and Tan Jala, a Na'vi Warrior. He kills two sturmbeests and is ordered to meet with Falco. Falco tells Ryder that Tan Jala is the link to the mole and that he needs to follow him. Ryder follows Tan Jala to a cliff overlooking the area and sees that Tan Jala is with Harper. The Na'vi warrior then escapes on his ikran.