Summary

Full name: Thomas Bronzefur
Nicknames: Long-tongue the Silent; Umfumani-ndlela ("Pathfinder")
Nationality: South-African
Sex & Gender: Cis-male (he/him)
Birthyear: 2021
Height: 1.86m (6'1")
Species: Giant Ant-eater
Occupation: Pilot & Navigator
Sexual identity: heterosexual
Character: introvert, outspoken, loyal, inventive, persistent, thrillseeker, short tempered.
Likes: Piloting any ship, Tracking, Dancing, (Arguing about) sports, Beer & wine tasting, His colleague and bestie Chintaka
Dislikes: Talking with his talkbox, Solid foods, Loud music, People calling his tribe "backwards"

Character

Tom was born in a small and remote Xhosa settlement in South-Africa. His parents, immigrants to this country and teachers by profession, had fled the civilised world worried about the escalating unrest in the world. This worry was confirmed when shortly after their son was born, the Wellspring War broke out. Their remote village was spared from the chaos around them. Life there wasn't easy, though, as their village had only very little technology; by far the most advanced piece of technology were the solar powered devices Tom's parents use to stay in contact with the outside world. They run the local school in town along with a few other villagers.

Tom was raised as part of this tribe, despite his physical differences, or the fact that he's mute, just like his parents; their ant-eater mouths are too small for proper speech. Therefore, they're very proficient in using sign language, which they taught to their tribe to understand, as they were learning the Xhosa language from them. Despite this, Tom still was able to communicate with his peers without much trouble. When he was a teenager, he was invited to go hunting like any other in the rest of his tribe. They quickly noticed that Tom had an excellent sense of direction, and they could rely on their silent hunting companion knowing exactly where they were at all times. This gave him the honourary nickname "Umfumani-ndlela", or "Pathfinder" in English. But there was something else revealed as well: his drive to explore, to see the world. Even though he was loyal to his friends and his tribe, who he had come to see as family, the call of the unknown outside was stronger...

With the world at peace again, and having had First Contact with aliens years ago, the prospect of exploring the universe was simply irresistible for Tom. He tried to enlist himself to Academy of Interplanetary Disciplines in Nairobi, Kenya, but got the reply back he lacked the necessary education for it. However, they said they could help him on-site to fast-track him through the necessary education, and evaluate if he would have a chance at the Academy. He grabbed this opportunity with both hands, and he didn't disappoint his tutors. He worked hard to get up to the necessary level to enter the Academy. What the tutors did notice is that his sign language wasn't enough to express everything and people had trouble understanding his sign language. This is where he received his voice box, with which he's able to speak. He doesn't like to use it, though, as he's only able to speak with it in a neutral tone; his sign language is way more expressive.

It was at the Academy where he had his first alien encounter; Chintaka, a beautiful Raelon exchange student a few years above him. They bumped into each other in the hallways of the Academy when Tom was running late for a lecture, and was amazed by her strange floaty physique, though was a bit embarrassed that his collision with her lodged all of her limbs off her body. He apologised for the inconvience and helped her putting herself back together. They exchanged contact details, promising they'd meet up again after class. It wouldn't be the last time they meet, and Chintaka gained a lot more interested in him when Tom told him about his tribal background, saying to him this kind of authentic experience is exactly the reason she came to Terra for. Even though they banter a lot about various things, it still clicks between them. They danced a lot together during the weekends, and it was hard for Tom to say goodbye to her when she got assigned to the Pioneer. In the end, Tom managed to get himself assigned to the same ship as Chintaka a few years later.

Tom has developed a fine taste for beer and wine, and likes to taste drinks from all over the galaxy. There's not much he's able to eat with his mouth, but drinking (responsibly) is his passion. He's also always up for a thrilling experience, and loves to pilot anything that flies. Though piloting the Pioneer feels sluggish compared to the smaller shuttles he has flown, steering a ship this size has also a sense of power. To his relief, the Universal Translator seems to be able to work with sign language as well, and therefore can use his preferred way of communication to his colleagues. To this day, he's the youngest staff member on the ship.

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And here's the last of the Bridge staff of the Pioneer: the ship's pilot Tom. Maybe the most "normal" member of the Pioneer's staff, though you don't see that many ant-eater anthros around...

UFIS story universe is by  Sabrina-taur

Drawn in InkScape