Eden Escher

Dr. Eden Escher (MS-24310) was a Mondite archeologist.

## Early life

She went Mondite for the first time back in her University days, mostly as a form of intellectual protest as she thought that within the rigid structure of the Reticulum any form of scientific pursuit is the manacled slave of bureaucracy and economics.

The day she saw the sensor data of the *Ambassadoria* she knew that she had to come to Daedalus.

She was part of the specialists of the *Kasenko* who reached the moon, and travelled on cryosleep. When they woke up they performed some analysis. Seeing that Daedalus is very unstable, she feared that there would not bemuch to find, but soon they discovered the two massive Phyxx gravity rings, and later a cluster of ruins by the Mount Sion.

## On Daedalus

She was grateful and excited for her assignment on Daedalus but soon she begun feeling uneasy surrounded with Mondite zealots.

After an officers' meeting, she was pulled into a discussion with Commander Wilm concerning Mondite politics to which she never paid close attention, and she furiously disapproved the imprisonment and mutilation of all those who disagree with them. They responded by saying that she is better with people after they've been dead a few thousand years.

When Wilm died in a construction accident, Escher asked K.C. Caynan for a proper memorial service for him.

When the base of Mount Sion was completed, Dr. Escher led Team Two and began preliminary archeological work, discovering the mouth of the alien necropolis. Between d1657-1687 they found several tiny parts, probably decayed unidentifiable machine parts, that often discouraged them.

Eventually they uncovered a sealed chamber in immaculate condition which they dubbed the Temple, with a vast amount of writing on the walls of this chamber and an immense bas relief in the center of it. Escher believed that it may be the key to open the concealed entrance to the entire complex. The next day they moved the heavy equipment into the Temple.

Numerous attempts were made to move or bypass a statue (which had normal density), until the motor of the portable winch has been burned out. Then they tried to dislodge the statue with the smaller mechanized digging tools. It did not even budge. After a week of failure to dislodge the statue from the floor they tried drilling a small tunnel underneath it. Both efforts failed and Escher cancelled further attempts to avoid damaging artwork and script.

In d1713 she had to promise Dr. Amet Mastaba that her team would redouble its efforts to discover a way into the ruins. Because there were no progress, Mastaba hinted that he would take over the project personally. Escher knew that he would simply begin strip-mining the finds.

Forced to find a less damaging solution, on d1717 she isolated a soft spot inside the crater where they would drill another entrance into the ruins. Although they would damage the site and destroy knowledge, she knew that anyone else would do worse.

## The dig

On d1720 they opened Tube One as an entrance, destroying some artifacts and engravings. She felt that she had no other choice but to act as a looter instead of a scientist. 4 days later the construction was completed and Escher ordered to install an airlock in order to seal and re-pressurize portions of the area as the atmosphere of Daedalus was corrosive. She made preliminary examinations of Phyxx skeletal remains and she believed that they possessed extremely advanced materials and techniques for cybernetics.

Later she thought that storage units are a bit flimsy and for fragile artifacts and Caynan told her that it was possible to clear some space on the lower levels. Since the lower levels seal themselves for security reasons in a time of crisis Caynan told her that anything she would want to take in an emergency evacuation should be kept in a more accessible area. Some time later Caynan told her that Durrell Zane had requested security clearance to the lower levels and asked her opinion.

Caynan was grateful to for touring him around the dig site, and as a thanks, he offered to show her the bodies of the Phyxx Soldiers found by the *Ambassadoria*.

On d1869 Zane asked to study one of the artifacts from the first dig chamber, in order to check if it was some sort of battery. She was shocked when she saw that Zane used it to make an invention. She felt like she is the only one respecting the last remains of that civilization. On d1873 she asked Mastaba the authority to repossess the battery but he brushed her off in a humiliating manner. On d1876 Mastaba appropriated a metallic cylinder (perhaps a powerful weapon) from the dig site and forbid her access to the items he and Zane had claimed, as he intended to use alien technology for his ABA project. Escher protested and Moastaba quieted her claiming that it was temporarily; Escher knew he was lying but had no authority to refuse. She regretted that she had brought someone of Zane's caliber to study the artifacts to advance the project, and it turned against her.

On d1871 Caynan ordered them to change their access codes, which surprised Escher for choosing that day for this. Although it was not secure, she recorded her password on a Logbook as more convenient.

Around d1887 they discovered a sarcophagus in the Room Three which contained an alien that registered very faint life signs. Fearing that they would witness what happened to *Ambassadoria*, she informed Mastaba. He ordered to move it to the Security Level and placed under constant guard.

Around d1891 she coordinated with Caynan the moving of the sarcophagus to Cell 2. While in the Cellblock she saw the results of Mastaba's ABA project, a man who has turned into an animal, and AP-127 who had been made a cyborg. She felt guilty for contributing to such abominatoins. Later she attempted to communicate with the cyborg, as were both enslaved and distorted into monsters. She felt the desire to help him but was afraid of what happens to anyone resisting Mastaba, and thought of her objections that she had made known previously. Without any other choices, she concentrated into her work.

By d1894 she made progress on the translations, that the aliens were called "Phyxx", and worked on reprogramming her linguistic computer.

## Evacuation

Drogg caused damage to the base and the Mondites ordered evacuation. The blast doors were closed and many archeologists, including Escher, did not make it to the ships in time, and were trapped.

Later, when Mastaba ran away from AP-127 he shot Escher and left her wounded in the Dig Site, ordering to seal Tube One. Escher broadcasted her distress over radio. AP-127 found her wounded next to the Tube Three, being harrassed by a Floater. She asks some help from him, and if he provides her the medicaid, she will give him her translator.

Later Space Marines abducted her; she left behind her Logbook which can be found by AP-127. Mastaba took her to his dropship, intending to make her his next AFA experiment.

## Trivia

Escher is voiced by Cara Briggs. She is also credited with voice acting for several *Wing Commander* titles.