Cynical Thomas

Real Name: Tomas Doctor
Known Aliases: Cynical Thomas, Dr. Doubt, Tomas Doubt, Toma Doud
Known Affiliations: Argonauts
Server: UNKNOWN
Role: Crow, Scanner
Specialty: Astrosociology, History, Theology
Age in AF 10: 48
Primary Location: Earth Orbits

Tomas Doctor was a professor and Catholic scholar working in the Chicago Metroplex on Earth before the Fall. Like many others, he was egocast out at the last minute - and his ego was eventually recovered and reinstated by the Argonauts in an effort to preserve academic knowledge. From this point he discovered that the Catholic church had fortified around Jupiter and decided to declare anyone who had resleeved "dead" and taken on a particularly conservative and regressive bent - he decided to stay on Mitre to continue academic works. As his focus was in the social sciences, Tomas was respected for his knowledge and abilities, but not often looked at or consulted for harder scientific research.
This made him an ideal recruit for Firewall, who found him a couple of years later. He worked only a few operations in a Sentinel capacity before his local server decided to move him to a position of Crow to tackle research budding social X-risks, and once acquainted with Firewall's terminology and ethos he has bounced back and forth between several servers as a Crow or Scanner depending on if there are specific projects he is needed for. The open society of the Argonauts lends itself to his freedom of movement around the orbital region of Earth ostensibly to work on "projects". It is probable that higher ups in the Argonaut apparatus know he works with Firewall.
Working with Firewall he made his name as "Cynical Thomas", a multi-layered reference which is primarily applied because of his own attitude. Thomas is an avowed skeptic, who instinctively doubts unsubstantiated rumors and stories, and goes to great length to examine them for what about them is actually true. He makes a great scanner this way, analysing patterns of internal mythology and language to find out what is exaggerated, fictional and what may actually be an active risk. His theological studies make him ideal for investigating religious affiliated groups, from cults to terrorists to televangelists - and his broader study of groups means he has done some research on specific organizations on Firewall's "watch list".
In person, Tomas is abrasive, cynical and "curmudgeonly". He speaks in plain but curt terms, tries to avoid hyperbole and metaphors and prefers concrete analogies. He's used to teaching, but he has a very direct and focused manner some field operatives find they dislike. He does have a behavioral disorder, and tends to hate wasting time, preferring to focus on an important task in single bursts before moving on to something else which "interests" him - to counteract he is known to self-medicate with tobacco.
His wide range of knowledge means he is often contacted on the Eye for information about subcultures, behavioral patterns, history and other more esoteric interests. Proxies often task him to form reports on new groups and interests, even if they are not in his immediate area.

COG 30 COO 15 INT 30 REF 20 SAV 10 SOM 10 WIL 20
DUR 35 WT 7 LUC 40 TT 8 INIT 14 MOX 3 SPD 1
Observer morph
Skills: Academics: Astrosociology 80, Academics: Theology 60, Academics: Pre-Fall History 80, Academics: Linguistics 70, Animal Handling 30, Fray 35, Free Fall 60, Hardware: Electronics 55, Interest: Esoteric Catholic Tradition 60, Investigation 80, Kinesics 40, Language: Native English 100, Language: Spanish 60, Medicine: Psychiatry 60, Networking: Scientists 50, Networking: Firewall 50, Perception 70, Protocol 35, Profession: Instruction 60, Profession: Lab Tech 70, Profession: Administration 70, Programming 80, Research 80
Implants: Basic Biomods, Basic Mesh Inserts, Cortical Stack
Traits: Mental Disorder (ADHD), Mild Addiction (Nicotine)
80 r-rep, 20 i-rep

Using Cynical Thomas:
Cynical Thomas is a great flavor option for the GM, just throw him in on a report or a newsblast or a scientific paper when they skim for data from Firewall, or introduce him as an option when they call on favors from Firewall. Social science is sometimes ignored or underutilized in favor of harder science options, but subcultures, trends and memes can be a big deal in many campaigns - having an NPC with a high skill rating in some areas can help exposit to the players, in a hopefully memorable and understandable way. His idiosyncrasies make him more memorable than just a generic proxy. It's also possible to physically meet Tomas, though unlikely given the conspiracy but he might be able to arrange something physical if they need and offer guidance that way. He could even be a major NPC in his capacity as a Scanner or Crow - providing initial intel on an operation or campaign plot. Tomas is also technically built along the lines of a PC - though in this case his skills are "unbalanced" and without GM permission need to be rounded as per Transhuman, the higher numbers in this case indicate the experience of a proxy with some years under his belt.