Ivan Brackman is a test tube baby, brought to term in an exowomb. He is the literal son of Dr. Gustaf Brackman and an unnamed female donor rumored to be former Cybran Commander Ivanna Dostya. Ivan is also the first successful Proto-Cybran Commander, a fully-grown hybrid of human, cybernetics, and Dr. Brackman’s new Proto-Brain technology.
Ivan was raised on the Haven node, with Dr. Brackman always in close proximity. (There were some concerns that his father’s current condition— existing as a brain and spinal cord sustained in a specially designed oxygen-rich amniotic solution—might have been somewhat off-putting to a small child.)
Ivan was closely monitored before he was allowed to mix with others in standard Cybran society. He showed enough promise and stability at an early age for Dr. Brackman to create dozens of other proto-Cybrans. Most of Ivan’s fellow Protos work at Dr. Brackman’s private lab or are part of his military. Though the 3.11 version of Dr. Brackman’s Prototechnology used on Ivan is still in its infancy, he exhibits more creativity and independent thought than other Cybrans.
Dr. Brackman couldn’t ignore his son’s military skills and agreed to enroll him in Coalition Commander School on Altair II. He was the top student at the academy, graduating first in his class. While most students kept their distance or mocked him behind his back, he made friends with a UEF commander named Dominic Maddox. Ivan found himself jealous of the closeness between Maddox and a promising young Illuminate named Thalia Kael, though he never brought it up with either of them.
After he left school, Ivan became head of Dr. Brackman’s personal protection staff. Despite all that he’s achieved at such a young age, he’s kept on a very tight leash