A noble aristocrat, Cross has been immersed in the sciences since early childhood. His aptitude was noted early, and he was granted all the opportunities to use and develop his talents. He is not a genius by any means, but he is hard-working, intensely curious and possessed of a friendly nature.

His career in research has, however, been filled with disappointment. He has found that “pure sciences” mean little to decision-makers, and that corporate politics determines funding and promotions. He knows that the winners seem to always be the managers and politicians; the losers are the people, like Cross; scientists who sacrifice everything for “duty”, and watch themselves passed over, rejected, or quietly filed away. He has over the course of his career, gone from being a shy, unassuming scientist with a love of discovery, into a selfish, competitive bureaucrat who is less concerned with the future of his work, than in beating his rivals and having his way.

His attitude was compounded by the growing sense that he is not as brilliant as he once thought he was. Although technically the leader of his team of researchers in the (CMS), he was aware that the others contributed more to development of the technologies they studied and tested than he did.

During his tenure in the CMS, Cross felt effectively helpless and very lost. His natural affection for people was transformed into professional paranoia, his world in chaos, and his superiors in House Liao were unforgiving people who would not accept excuses, and did not care about what kind of person he might become if he were given a gentler hand and more direct attention.

Created in 2998, the CMS was established to investigate the possibilities of developing new BattleMech designs, and was a part of the greater research developments assigned too the Capellan R&D division under the direct control of the military’s CCC. Advanced Mech designs have always been restricted in Capellan space, and for a variety of reasons (resources, supplies, general technical knowledge, industrial capacity, etc) has remained a difficult concept to support. The rise of the present Chancellor, Maximilian Liao, however, led to his encouraging new design efforts, and several small organizations have been developed to assist in this effort. CMS is one such that has tried to develop several new designs, though only their MRT-WM1 Moritori and MRT-WM2 Mantis have reached the actual prototype stage.

In 3018, following their tests of the latest MRT-WM2 Mantis in System – Patriarch during the civil wars raging across the planet, the research group lost all their prototypes and most of their military protection. By 3021, they were able to leave the system, and retreated to the insignificant backwater System – Corodiz where they were tasked with studying the Chancellor’s latest success in technological advancement; the RVN-1X Raven. In early 3022 during these tests against the local planetary militia, they were captured and taken hostage by * “The Iron Dingoes”.

Although the unit had lost some of its scientists and technicians during their stay on Patriarch, the core of the unit remains intact. The unit was promptly broken up, and its personnel hired by the Dingoes to fill various slots in their sciences and research programs, primarily * “The Skunkwerks” programs. Doctor Cross was offered a lead teaching position at the Iron Dingoes war college of * The “War Dogs” College of Military Sciences. He accepted, and worked on hiring staff and other administrative matters for the war college, somethign of wich he was capable, but just not particularly thrilled with. He resided in Garrison, but often traveled to Ciudad Garcia on business.

In late-3031, he was offered the tenured position on Royal Sangrian Academy of Sciences as its lead administrator, and informed of the great secret of * “The Skunkwerks”; its possession of a copy of the Helm Memory Core. He was tasked with making a copy from this large data core, and to begin study of it with the intention of discovering whatever pure science foundations he could from its contents. It was suddenly the dream job he had always wanted.

Today, he has moved into a small house on the Royal Sangrian Academy campus, and spends his days studying the data core for various scientific principles that might unlock the potential of their find. As the lead scientist on the project, he has finally begun to experience the joy of discovery he has wanted his entire life.