Thesper

The Reporter
"This is my life!!"

Underground newshounds broadcasting on pirate channels, Thespers record their lives by wire.  They defy the EGS censors and exile gunslingers alike, reporting the truth without fear or favor.

Thespers are everywhere and nowhere. Everyone gets paid for their data, but a select few chose to devote their life to the story. Unless they are hot on a story, Thespers operate in total anonymity. Thespers flaunt their technological eyes and ears even under the nose of the EGS censors. Inside the EGS they tap into the military surveillance systems and use spyfex that are nearly invisible. Beyond the boundaries of the EGS, they operate in a more subdued and open "neutral observer" role if only to save their skin from their stories. These traditionals will openly flout their recording gear and ask anyone in the area for their point of view in hopes of editing together some juicy rivalries or valuable soundbites. Thespers have earned many enemies among those who have secrets to keep, and equally many friends among those who want to get their message out.

The competition for a byline on the story eventually drives all Thesper to the arena to settle "professional disagreements". By recording their day-to-day with a trance cap, citizens can upload their spools to the traditional media for their chance at fame or simply keep a private record of their day. This competition with the common person drives hardcore Thespers into the offices of the Consortium Techs, Freaker Hackers, and Exotic Splicers. There are even stories of Thespers who seek out the scourge to perfect their technological union. Thespers are on the bleeding edge of automated data mining & sorting, records editing and deep research tech. Thespers are always accompanied by an editor artifex. The editor's job is to deal with the data that a Thesper generates and find the most profitable avenue to market it. In the event that data is too esoteric even for the Savants, Thespers have one of the largest datanets in the EGS where random facts go to die. Thespers never delete anything.

Champion
Sally Starlight, Anchor, VOX POPULI
Sally Starlight learned to battle while on maneuvers with the Armada in the inner Solar System. She practiced ZG with the best pilots in the fleet and earned her knocks from the best gunners in the fleet. A decent fighter, she didn't ascend to the ZGXL's upper echelon until after her silver tongue talked her way into the story of the century, literally. Early in 2090, Sally broke the news of the Venus Quarantine while embedded on the Armada interceptor Lion Heart. After her big story and subsequent ejection from the Armada, she focused herself into the arena and found her true skills lied in dissecting her opponents under the lights and cameras of the ZGXL's infamous Darkside Arena.

Strongpoints
ENN Headquarters (L1 Earth Orbit)
VOX POPULI (Darkside Station, Luna)
The Extraordinarily Large Omnidirectional Listening Antenna Array(ELOLAA) (Oort Cloud)
NewsForum (NeuNewYork, Earth/MediaNet)

Headquarters
None

Sphere of Operations
Thespers are everywhere, but they are more visible outside the EGS as Traditionals. Traditionals will openly identify themselves and their cast affiliation, but the majority of Thespers appear as any other citizen of the EGS.

Relations Analysis
Hostile: Armada, Cartel, Cestus, Monzon Ezut, Null Foundation, Solon, Virago, Vanguard
Rival: Mummer
Friendly: Androgyne, Exarch, Omniclone, Lunar, Mavryk, Orbital, Savant, Skrag, Sleeper, Terran, Trancer
Ally: Avatar, Consortium, Exotic, Freaker, Paragon, Protostar

Power Levels (1-10)
EGS Influence: 9
Firepower: 3
Respect: 2
Renown: 4

Psych Profile
Syndic Drives: Wits, Verve, Cool
Syndic Flaws: Reckless, Crazy, Obsession
Syndic Skills: Alertness, Glam, Savvy